How to use hair products

Many men here have similar questions, how does one use all of those hair products out there to style hair? 

Here's how:

Gel.  Gel holds very well.  Your hair will be stiff and can look either wet or dry. 

How to use -  You can rub a lot of this through dry hair, this will leave it looking wet, and make it stiff hair that doesn't move (for the slick back look, gel it, then comb it back). 

If you only put a small amount on dry hair, you can let the gel dry, then brush it out.  This will make your hair moveable, but allow it to be shaped in some way.  Once you shape your hair the way you want it, it will still be moveable, so it won't stay put unless you then spray it with hair spray. 

Hair spray.  You can use this to make a style stay put.  It will be stiff, and will not move, but if used properly the style will look dry, not wet.

How to use - Use spray by holding it about a foot from your hair, spray it lightly, then let it dry.  You can walk a little to speed up the drying, or use a blow dryer, but don't touch your hair while its wet or do any movements that cause your hair to move (a blow dryer has to be somewhat far away and on a low setting) or it will dry looking wet.  If your hair is not staying put like you want it to after its dry, spray it again, lightly (don't recoat while its still wet). 

For moveable hair, you could try brushing out the spray, but this has disadvantages.  One, it will not stay put as well as when its stiff.  Two, if you put too much goop in it and brush it out, you will get white hairspray flakes in it that resemble dandruff. 

Mousse.  This a lighter product.  Its good for taming small flyaway hairs.  You can use it at the roots for volume, like gel, or you can use it throughout the hair by coating your hair with it, then letting it dry and brushing it out.  It won't give much hold, but your hair will have moveablility. 

Pomade.  Pretty much always looks wet, and is stiff.  Not much to do with this except for the slick back look.

How to use mousse or gel at the roots for hair that has volume on top and moves.  Put the gel or mousse at the roots, on your scalp.  Bend over and blow dry your hair with your head upside down.  Don't brush out.  It should not look wet because you only used it on the roots, close to your head, not the rest of the hair.  Since you don't brush it out, your root area will be stiff, but the rest of your hair will not be stiff and will move.

How to do an extreme stiff style (mohawk for example).  You will need products that hold a lot, like gel.  You can follow them up with hairspray for extra hold.  Use gel like stated above, depending on whether you want it to look wet or dry, follow up with coats of spray, like stated above.  If you don't care if it looks wet, but want it stick up VERY high (like a foot off of your head), use egg yolks instead of gel.  You are now at risk of poking someone's eye out.

Tips:  Say you use gel / hairspray one day, then you go to bed and don't wash your hair.  Don't plan on getting up the next morning and going through the same routine to style your hair.  Recoating second day hairspray then brushing it out will cause the spray to turn into white flakes that resemble dandruff.  You will have to wash your hair to get rid of it.

Anyone with any more how-to tips for the guys, feel free to post them here.