10 Best Hair Waxes for Men of 2019

These days, medium-length hair is in. Sweeping coifs that swoosh off to the back or side are one of today’s most fashionable styles, and you’ll need some hair product to help you out. Depending on your hair, the best product is likely a good, strong hair wax.

But how do you decide which one is best?

We’ve reviewed ten of the most popular hair waxes available online. Here, we’ll talk about how they perform, and which ones are the best. We’ve also included a short buying guide, and some tips for application. Before we do any of that, though, here’s a quick list of the waxes we’ve reviewed, as well as our top picks.

Hair Wax Buying Guide

If you’re overwhelmed by the number of hair wax options, you’re not alone. The selection is seemingly endless, and some of the terms are confusing. The first thing you’ll need to pay attention to is the main ingredient. The most common types of wax are:

• Water-based wax: This usually has lanolin or candle wax as the second ingredient, but can sometimes use a synthetic instead. Water-based waxes tend to be thinner than pure wax, and dry out considerably once they’ve been applied.
• Lanolin or candle wax: These are both all-natural, and generally have a thicker texture. They don’t dry out as much as water-based waxes, and tend to leave a shinier finish. Vegans will want to choose candle wax, since lanolin is an animal product.
• Synthetic: The particular synthetic can vary from product to product, but it’s usually vinyl. Synthetics tend to be stiffer and cheaper than natural waxes, but can dry out your skin if you don’t wash thoroughly after applying them.

Keep in mind that all waxes are different. The best hair wax for one guy might be terrible for another guy’s hair and style. The waxes we’ve reviewed are all good for a lot of people, but you may need to experiment to find the one that’s best for you.

What’s the Difference Between Hair Wax and Hair Gel?

If you’ve ever used any kind of hair product, you’ve probably tried gel. Gel is water or alcohol-based, and leaves your hair with a shiny finish. It’s very strong, and will hold your hair in place all day.

That said, it has some significant drawbacks. Because it’s so hard, it flakes easily, particularly if you run your fingers through your hair. It’s also not water resistant. If you get caught in the rain for even a few seconds, it can start running down your face and clothes, meaning you’ll need to rinse off and your hair will be ruined. Over time, it can cause your hair to become brittle.

Wax is generally less shiny and less stiff than gel. On the one hand, it allows you to touch up your hair throughout the day, and has some level of water-resistance. On the other hand, it’s not as stiff as gel, so it’s best for short or medium-length hair.

These are guidelines, not fixed rules. Gels and waxes both come in a wide variety of sheen’s and stiffness, so there’s some overlap between the two.

Types of Hair Wax

Mud wax

Mud waxes are the strongest type of wax. They provide extreme levels of hold. They’ll leave your hair with a matte finish, so it will look as natural as possible. If you want to add some shine, use a pomade after you wax for the perfect combination of volume, hold and shine.

Clay

Clay waxes mix things up by adding actual clay to the wax. The lightweight clay will clump around your individual hairs, making them fatter, and making clusters of hair seem richer. This somewhat reduces the wax’s holding power, but helps increase your hair’s volume. If you’re going for a “messy” style, a clay wax is your best choice.

Pomade

Pomades are thinner than mud or clay waxes, and provide the least amount of hold, with the highest level of shine. As a result, they’re best for shorter hair or flatter styles, such as a pompadour or classic comb-over. Basically, if you can style your hair with a comb instead of your hands, a pomade is the best choice for you.

People with curly hair will generally do best with a pomade. It’s easier to wash out than other types of wax, while still keeping your hair shiny and untangled.

Things to Consider

When you’re buying or testing a hair wax, there are some other factors you’ll want to consider. This list isn’t exhaustive. Every wax has its own quirks. But these are the most common questions that will apply to all hair waxes.

How well does it hold?

How much hold you want will depend on your hairstyle as well as your lifestyle. A wax with lots of hold will be good for longer hair and “bigger” hairstyles, but will also be hardest to restyle throughout the day. A wax with less hold will restyle easily, but won’t support longer hair.

How shiny is it?

Shine is a matter of personal preference. That said, you’ll want to take the color of your hair into account. Shiny blonde hair can look like a halo towards the tips, or appear to be white in bright lighting. Dark hair can tend to look fuzzy with a matte finish, since every little hair is easier to see. A glossy finish can help obscure this.

Do you like the smell?

Scent can be very hard to describe. Suppose we told you that a hair wax smelled like cardamom, with a hint of bergamot? Would you have any idea of what it smelled like? Even if you did, would our version of “a hint” of bergamot match your expectations? At the end of the day, the only way to find out if you like the scent of a hair wax is to open the jar and find out.

What other names does it go by?

Not everybody calls their wax “wax”. Some companies will call it putty, glue, paste, or molding cream. As we’ve already discussed, clay and pomade are also kinds of wax. When in doubt, check the ingredients for beeswax, candle wax or lanolin. These are your best indicator that you’re buying a real wax.

What’s your price range?

We get it. Not everybody wants to spend $25 or more on hair wax every month. That’s why we’ve drawn our list from a broad price spectrum. No matter what your budget, one of these waxes will fit the bill.

10 Best Hair Waxes For Men Comparison Table

The Best Hair Wax For Men

1. TIGI Bed Head B For Men (Best Value)

Editor’s Rating: 4.9/5.0

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If you need a wax with plenty of hold that leaves a natural finish, you’ve found it. TIGI has been making high-quality hair products for decades, and their men’s line is no exception. Their Bed Head B For Men comes in a 3-ounce tin, and is one of the most powerful waxes on the market. It’s formulated to add volume as well as keep your hair in place, so your high fade will look appropriately heavy on top.

The beeswax-vinyl blend is an interesting combination that works well. The vinyl is incredibly stiff, while the beeswax moisturizes your hair, leaving it healthy and strong. For some reason, it works best on thin hair, and is less effective for thicker hair.

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2. American Crew Fiber

Editor’s Rating: 4.6/5.0

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American Crew Fiber is a high-hold, no-nonsense hair wax. It’s manufactured by prestigious men’s styling designer American Crew, so you can be confident that you’re getting good quality. It leaves a natural-looking matte finish when properly applied. Like TIGI’s Bed Head B, Fiber contains beeswax, which will moisturize your hair throughout the day.

This wax is best for thinner hair. Thicker hair can require more wax, and over application isn’t just wasteful; excess wax can flake off throughout the day, making it look like you have dandruff. It can also cause hair to clump together, which defeats the purpose of a volumizing wax. This wax is very sticky, so make sure to wash your hair thoroughly when you’re taking a shower.

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3. Redken Brews Maneuver Cream Pomade

Editor’s Rating: 4.5/5.0

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Redken is another prestigious brand, and their Maneuver Cream Pomade – made for their Brews men’s line – is a worthy addition to their lineup.

To begin with, we need to set some expectations. This is a pomade, not a standard wax. As a result, you’re liable to be disappointed if you buy it for a large hairstyle or intense styling. It’s not made for strong holding power or controlling frizzy hair.

That said, this is a high-quality pomade that comes at a reasonable price. It ships in a 3.4-ounce jar, and the water-based formula is easier to wash out that most waxes. It contains castor oil, which protects your hair from the sun and also moisturizes.

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4. Gatsby Moving Rubber

Editor’s Rating: 4.7/5.0

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Gatsby’s Moving Rubber is a unique product. For some people, it’s perfect. For others, it’s not any good at all.

To begin with, it has the strongest hold of any wax we’ve reviewed – but only for short hair. We’re not chemists, so we can’t explain why, but for some reason Moving Rubber loses most of its strength if your hair is more than a few inches long. It’s ideal for faux-hawks or other short, spiky ‘dos, but not for anything longer.

It ships in an inexpensive, 2.8-ounce jar, and contains candle wax and stearyl alcohol for moisturizing and conditioning. It’s water-based, but still tends to cling to your hair during showers, so you’ll need a little extra shampoo to wash it all out.

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5. American Crew Forming Cream

Editor’s Rating: 4.7/5.0

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American Crew calls this “Forming Cream”, but it’s more of a pomade than a true cream or wax. As a result, it has a relatively weak hold compared to most other waxes. On the other hand, the loose hold leaves your hair light and bouncy instead of stiff.

This cream is a water-based blend that’s easy to wash out, and easy to wash off your hands when you’re done applying it. It contains lanolin and castor oil, which will condition your hair and keep it from drying out.

American Crew Forming Cream is ideal for men with short or medium hair who want to reduce frizz and still have a natural look.

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6. Sexy Hair Concepts Control Maniac Styling Wax

Editor’s Rating: 4.7/5.0

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Sexy Hair has been making hairspray for years. Now, they’ve broken into the men’s hair styling market with their Control Maniac Styling Wax.

This wax has a very strong hold, thanks to the synthetic copolymer. The synthetic is blended with lanolin, which moisturizes even while it holds your hair in place. It has a gloss finish, which is unusual for a high-hold wax. This is also due to the copolymer, which will change the whole hair wax landscape if this product is any indication.

Control Maniac ships in a 1.8 ounce jar. It costs more than most waxes, but not by very much. If you’re used to matte-finish waxes, it’s also easy to over apply, which will leave your hair feeling greasy. This stuff goes a long way.

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7. OSiS+ FLEXWAX Ultra Strong Cream Wax (Best Budget)

Editor’s Rating: 4.8/5.0

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The OSiS+ line of men’s products is manufactured by Schwarzkopf, one of the new kids on the hair product block. The FLEXWAX is the most affordable wax on our list, but don’t underestimate it. This stuff has some of the strongest hold available, and also adds volume. Because of this, it’s a great choice for men with thinning hair.

FLEXWAX comes in a 1.7-ounce tin, and it goes a long way. One of our only complaints is that it’s easy to over apply, and can flake off or look greasy if you use too much. When used in the proper amounts, it leaves a natural finish and washes out easily. Since it contains beeswax, it also moisturizes your hair.

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8. Jack Black Wax Pomade

Editor’s Rating: 4.6/5.0

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If you have thick hair, Jack Black’s Wax Pomade is one of the best hair waxes out there. Like other pomades, it doesn’t have very strong hold, but it does a great job of controlling frizz, and is easy to restyle during the day. It comes in a 2.75-ounce tin.

It’s on the pricier side, but it does something no other wax on our list will do: because it contains soothing tea tree leaf oil, it’s safe to use on your beard as well as your hair. The shiny finish looks great on dark beards, and won’t make your whiskers look artificially stiff.

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9. Bumble and Bumble Sumo Tech (Top Pick)

Editor’s Rating: 5.0/5.0

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Of everything we’ve reviewed, Bumble and Bumble Sumo Tech is by far the best hair wax for men. This stuff does everything. It’s easy to apply, easy to restyle, and has a very strong hold. It leaves your hair with a natural, low shine finish, and has plenty of flex to it, so your hair won’t look stiff like it will with other strong waxes. This is due to the synthetic polymer formulation.

The synthetic is blended with lanolin, which moisturizes and protects your hair. If that’s not enough, it also washes out easily. Of course, all of this comes at a price. Sumo Tech costs more than anything else on our list. But what else do expect from the best hair wax on the market?

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10. Toni & Guy Style Spray Wax

Editor’s Rating: 4.0/5.0

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Toni & Guy Style Spray Wax is designed to give your hair a quick, easy-to-apply shine. It’s a synthetic pomade that comes in a 6-ounce spray bottle. Because it’s a pomade, it doesn’t have a lot of holding power. Don’t be fooled by the spray bottle. It’s easy to restyle throughout the day, though. All you need is a comb.

The best way to apply it is to spray your hair, then comb it thoroughly to distribute the pomade evenly throughout your hair. Be careful, though. Because you’re spraying it on, it’s easy to use too much, which can leave your hair looking greasy until the next time you wash it.

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Tips For Using Hair Wax

To use a hair wax, you’ll want to pull out a glob about half the length of your finger. Water-based waxes are usually thin enough to do this at room temperature. Lanolin or synthetic waxes tend to be very thick at room temperature, and may need to be warmed up in a sink of warm water for a few minutes to soften them up.

Next, rub your hands together to coat them evenly with wax. Sweep your fingers through your hair, making sure to coat the hair all the way down to the tips as you style it. If you find that you’re leaving a residue that feels waxy hours later or dries into visible flakes, you’re using too much wax. If it’s not holding your hair at all, try using a little more. Finding the right quantity can take some experimenting, but half a finger is enough for most medium-length hair.

When you’re applying the wax, try not to touch your scalp, and leave the bottom half-inch or so of your hair dry. The reason for this is that wax can be difficult to wash off your scalp, and can cause itching if it stays there over time.

Conclusion

As you can see, a lot goes into choosing – and using – hair wax. The length of your cut, the style you want, and of course, the texture of your hair, will all affect your choice. We hope our guide was helpful. Even if you decide to choose a wax we didn’t mention, we hope we helped you to make a more informed decision.