Hairbond: Haircare made (relatively) easy.

Considering my trip to the barber’s usually doesn’t entail much more than a 1 on the sides and back, and a trim on top, my knowledge of hair products is fairly limited. Having short hair, all I’m really interested in is no-frills shampoo, a squirt of not-too greasy conditioner and a decent gel/wax, since I usually hate my fringe anywhere near my face.

That said, finding a decent gel/wax is – for me, anyway – much tougher than you’d imagine. I tend to spend an inordinate amount of time poring over all the various products which claim variously to have been concocted using everything from cranberry concentrate to some incredible gene the manufacturers have managed to isolate – granted that’s all a bit hyperbolic (eh…untrue), yes, but you get my drift; it should be simple, but it just isn’t.

Garnier Fructis have about five different gels/creams/waxes that are all useful in their way (some for a no-hold wet-look, others good enough for rockabilly quiffs) and Brylcreem still holds a small place in my heart. These are cheap (ish) brands, you might have noticed, and that’s because I refuse to pay anything more than a fiver on a tube/jar of nicely scented glue. Nothing will change that.

As if the market wasn’t saturated enough as it is, along comes Hairbond. Founded by British hair stylist Scott Michaels in 2008, the brand is, yes, another addition to the overpopulated haircare area but its presence is valid.

Not only is this stuff nicely scented (fruity, not quite sure what fruit scent but it’s one of those cosmetics you’d almost rather eat than apply – always good), it’s packed full of ingredients like Mirustyle X-HP, which sounds like the name of a Star Wars character but is actually what makes Hairbond products protective from temperatures of up to 220°C. Both the Moulder and the Shaper (the two current products on sale) both contain Sangre de Drago, which sounds like an exotic cocktail (or is it just me!?) but is actually “dragon’s blood”, a sap from trees which makes hair appear thicker.

But does it work? Yeah, and really well, too. Neither product is overly greasy and doesn’t give off that vomit-inducing sheen so many products do. It’s resistant, too, and you won’t need to apply copious amounts every few hours to keep barnet-hell at bay.

Unfortunately, it doesn’t come as cheap as my usual haircare bits, but at around £12 a jar (they’re pretty sizeable, too), it’s value for money. It’s not yet available in Ireland (sorry, lads) but for UK-based readers, you’ll find a full list of stockists right here.