All you ever wanted to know about hair styling powder (but were afraid to ask).
What is hair styling powder?
Let’s start as they say at the beginning. Quick history lesson. Hair styling powder seems like a new innovation but it actually began with Henry IV of France in the late 16th/early 17th century. Hold on though – he certainly wasn’t rocking a skin fade with textured crop. And he definitely wasn’t using the same type of product we associate today with those that use hair styling powder.
Henry IV actually wanted to hide gray hair (proof that vanity is timeless) so he started using brown hair powder to keep his hair dark. #styleicon
It is doubtful it added much in the way of texture or enhanced his hair style though. Many nobles at the time wore powdered wigs (think Brian May but much, much older. Well – a bit.) The best quality and most expensive wigs were whiter, so those of less fortunate means used white powder to make their wigs gleam and shine bright white like a t-shirt in a Persil ad.
A bit like a Snapchat filter for Noblemen. But again much, much older.
Hold onto your wigs and fast-forward to 2022.
Hair styling powder as we know it today is a nifty innovation that gives you the benefits of slightly heavier products like Clay but without weighing hair down. The application method is the clever bit. Usually coming in small sprinkler bottles – like a pepper pot – hair styling powder is dispersed over the head by shaking or sprinkling with as much or as little product used as desired. This means the hold is versatile and can be dialled up or scaled back depending on the needs of hair type and hair style.
TLDR:
- Styling powder is an innovative product that offers exceptional control when styling with optimised distribution over hair.
- Particles allow product to be built up carefully by adding more product when required.
- The benefits are weightless volume with a matte finish, and a reliable and controllable hold with enhanced texture.
- We have a reworkable formula that allows detailed restyling for the perfect finish.
- Ideal for many short to medium length textured styles.
What does hair styling powder do?
By its nature the styling powder acheives maximum coverage over the hairs – which makes it great for styling with precision and tweaking fine details. Pro Barbers understand the importance of shape and structure when it comes to making sure a style looks its best. A few strands held in place here or there can really level-up the finished look.
Because of this easy to achieve superior coverage that the powder format unlocks, any texture in the hair cut is greatly enhanced – and all hair types – even fine hair – are given a volume boost.
Why would you use hair styling powder?
Dark Stag’s professional barber hair styling powder is a product that gives a great natural matte finish, customisable levels of hold, enhanced texture, and a volume boost to a huge variety of short to medium length hair styles of most hair types.
Powder would be an ideal product for mid to short styles, and particularly if you want to wear textured cuts that look at their best with a matte finish.
From French crops to textured quiffs, modern mullets and everything in between – many styles can be enhanced from using hair styling powder.
Dark Stag’s Styling Powder has been years in the making.
ASK YOUR BARBER is a new styling range made in England by Dark Stag with a game changing ethos based around respecting and supporting Barbers. Part of the range is our Professional Barber Hair Styling Powder. It is a proven winner shaped by extensive barber testing and real world barbershop feedback. We tweaked particle size until barbers told us it was superior to the current market leader. You know the one. With the Gorilla? Looking Slick?
Since 2017 Dark Stag have crafted products thousands of barbers the world over trust and rely on every day. And if they love it, you know its good.
When to use Hair Styling Powder
The best time to use styling powder is on clean dry hair. Whilst many other products can be used on damp hair for a different effect, hair styling powder is designed for use on dry hair. That doesn’t mean a bit of extra effort and thought can’t take you from wet hair to perfectly styled using powder though.
To get the best results when using styling powder, shampoo and condition hair, lightly towel dry and set to work with a hair dryer.
Some barbers like to combine hair products for maximum impact, and at this stage the Dark Stag Sea Salt Spray could be applied prior to hair drying to enhance the texture and hold even more.
To dry with a hair dryer then, use a medium temperature and power and use fingers to guide and separate the hair. The direction to dry the hair in depends on the cut, but as a rule look to finish on the front section or fringe, and dry hair in the approximate direction it will sit when finished. E.G direct the air upwards to apply volume or downwards to flatten.
This extra stage of drying helps by not only removing moisture from the hair but starting to move the hair into the shape that provides the best structure and canvas for finishing and styling your desired style.
Using a hair dryer is not essential – but hold is increased when hair is primed with heat and air in this way. If you don’t want to use a hair dryer simply towel dry.
How to use Hair Styling Powder
Once hair is dry its time to shake things up a bit!
- Carefully sprinkle a small amount of powder directly to the roots of the hair for added volume
- Work the powder into the hair with your fingers
- At this stage you can add begin to shape the style
- If you feel more control or hold is needed, simply apply more hair styling powder bit by bit
- Shape and style the hair until the desired finish is achieved
