Styling thick hair for men
The Barber's Guide to the Right Products for Thick Hair
You have thick hair. It sticks out a bit, takes up a lot of space, and refuses to lay down. Your first instinct is highly likely to find the wax on the shelf that promises the strongest hold, to force the hair into place. That is a short-term strategy that works against your hair instead of with it.
Here is the HENRI stylists' technical guide on why strong wax products ruin thick hair, and how you instead create control, structure, and flexibility with the right tools.
The myth of the strong hair wax
The most common mistake among men with thick hair is the overuse of heavy, bone-dry clay products or gels with extreme hold. When you apply a stiff wax to already massive hair, two things happen:
Firstly, the product clumps the many hair strands together in thick clusters, which removes all natural movement. Secondly, the wax adds unnecessary weight. The result is what we in the chair call the "helmet effect". An immovable, stiff shape that is impossible to adjust during the day.
Thick hair inherently has plenty of volume and structure. What you are missing is direction and cohesion. You get that by being able to control it.
The foundation: Control starts in damp hair
To tame unruly hair, you must start the pre-styling before the hair is dry. Thick hair has a life of its own, and if you let it air dry without direction, you have already lost the battle before you open your wax.
Use a primer as a control tool
Always start with towel-dried hair. Apply a salt water spray like our Refined Salt Water or Liquified Clay Spray. The salt water gives the smooth, thick hair a light, matte friction. This makes the hair strands susceptible to shaping. Then dry the hair with a blow dryer in the direction the hairstyle should sit. The heat from the blow dryer and the friction from the primer lock the basic shape of the hair in place without making it stiff.
The rational product choice: Flexibility over hold
Once the foundation is in place, you need a finishing product that gathers the hairstyle without walling it up. Here you should aim for moisturizing and flexible products.
Advanced Forming Cream: The optimal solution
Advanced Forming Cream is developed exactly for this task. It is a soft, moldable cream that provides medium hold and a natural finish. Instead of gluing the hair together, the cream wraps a light film around the strands, taming small, stray hairs (fly-aways) and gathering the hairstyle.
The advantage of a cream in thick hair is that it preserves the hair's flexibility. If the wind blows the hairstyle out of shape, you can run your hand through your hair and put it back in place. It is a look that appears well-groomed and intentional, without screaming for attention.
Frequently asked questions about hair wax for thick hair
How much wax should I use for thick hair?
Less than you think. A pea-sized amount is often enough if you have primed the hair correctly with salt water first. The crucial part is that you warm the cream or wax thoroughly in your palms until it almost disappears, before distributing it evenly throughout the hair – not just in the tips.
What is best for thick hair: Clay or Cream?
It depends on the hair's length and the desired finish. A cream (like Advanced Forming Cream) is best for medium to long thick hair, where you want a natural fall and control. A clay (like Upgraded Signature Clay) is best for shorter thick hair, where you want a more messy, textured, and completely matte profile.
Can I use pomade in thick hair?
Yes, but only if you are going for a very specific, classic look like a slick-back or a tight side part. Our water-based Crystal Pomade provides the necessary shine and control to gather thick hair in a polished shape, but it requires the hair to have a certain length so it does not stick out through the pomade.
The right equipment requires the right cut
Remember that even the best product cannot save a bad haircut. For the products to work optimally, your thick hair must regularly be technically thinned out with texturizing scissors, so the excess weight is removed from the inside.