There's something a little disconcerting about putting a thick, gooey hair product on freshly washed hair. Flashes of Eddie Munster come to mind. Still, in our quest for Good Hair, we scooped, rubbed into palms and applied to wet strands. Three testers with different hair issues tried two pastes and a putty from widely available brands.
One wanted a wavy texture with straight hair, another hoped for less time spent with the morning styling routine, and the third wanted a formula that would keep his hair in place. Did everyone have a Good Hair Day?
ARTEC: Kiwi piecing paste, $15.99 for 4 ounces.
Hair-raising ordeal: "I have stick-straight, thick hair. It's medium long and cut in layers and it's never met a curl it's liked. Even with heat rollers and curling irons, my hair goes big but not wavy or curly."
Putty and paste: "The paste is very tacky, as in sticky. I rubbed a dime-sized dollop between my palms and grabbed and squeezed hunks of wet hair to disperse the paste. The more I worked Kiwi through my hair with a dryer, the bigger and wavier my hair got."
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Hair do or don't? "Amazing! I have wavy hair! Someone asked if I got a perm and someone else said I had 'bed head' — but the sexy, Victoria's Secret supermodel kind of bed head."
JONATHAN: Dirt texturizing paste, $26 for 3.35 ounces.
Hair-raising ordeal: "I spend up to 35 minutes after each shampoo, hair-spraying my hair, letting it dry, then spraying some more to get the 'dirty' feel that makes my hair look its best. Think Hugh Grant in 'Notting Hill,' but a little shorter and wavy."
Putty and paste: "I've tried tons of other pastes and putties over the years, so I wasn't expecting to be impressed by this one."
Hair do or don't? "Wow! The product gave my hair an instant 'dirty' feel with only a small dab applied to damp hair, making it look the way I like without the time investment. It doesn't have that sticky or oily feel of some other similar products. I've never had a great hair day without the fuss until now."
NEXUS : Retexxtur styling putty, $11.99 for 3 ounces.
Hair-raising ordeal: "In college when my hair was down to the middle of my back, a varsity football player remarked, 'You have horse hair.' I took it as a compliment, meaning that my straight, coarse hair was strong and pretty. Age has not changed my hair's texture. Only the color is different."
Putty and paste: "This putty does its thing with decisive retexturing. As it says in the directions, a little goes a long way. I didn't read the directions first and applied one messy gob and my hair looked a fright. But a little applied to damp hair, and I'm good to go."
Hair do or don't? "One thing I don't like: the fragrance. It smells like peaches and I'm not the kind of guy to wear food in my hair."
