What men’s hair products should I use? Your 101 guide

Low shine, medium hold: Choose paste
Pastes give you versatility without the shine, plus volume and texture when used before blow-drying. For medium hold with a matte, natural looking finish, go for our fortifying and thickening Dove Men+Care Molding Paste. And for extra hold, combine it with hairspray.

Another option for low shine and medium hold is clay. It’s lightweight, leaves minimal residue and adds thickness to your hair strands, making it ideal for men with shorter styles.

One top tip for applying any styling product: Less is always more. Start with a fingertip-sized amount and massage it in your hands before applying. Using too much can quickly make hair look greasy and take away shape and texture.

Low shine, low hold: Choose cream
If you want more freedom and the option to restyle your hair throughout the day, go for flexible, low hold products that give some texture. Cream is best for thick, coarse, curly hair because of its moisturizing ingredients. It can also help de-frizz and de-fluff hair, not to mention achieve a bed-head look for longer styles.

Hair powder is also a great lightweight, low shine option that can add next-level volume. It can even be used as a pre-styler before applying your hair paste.

High shine, medium hold: Choose pomade
Lots of men use wax for transforming messy bed-heads into structured styles (especially if they have straight or slightly wavy hair), but in our opinion pomades go further with shine and hold. They’re also more spreadable in your palms than wax, making them better for thick or curly hair.

Dove Men+Care Polishing Pomade is perfect for a sleek, high shine or slicked-back look, all without leaving your locks and scalp feeling greasy. If your style requires maximum hold with high shine, use our caffeine infused Dove Men+Care Alcohol-Free Taming Gel instead.

Healthy shine, medium hold: Choose mousse
Mousse is lightweight and adds hold, body and shine to your hair (and volume for longer, thinner hair, too). To leave flat, fine hair looking thicker and fuller, we recommend adding Dove Style+Care Volume Mousse to your grooming routine.

Still asking yourself what type of hair product should I use? Read our guide to learn more about the benefits of hair gels and pomades.