Call it the modern man’s dilemma that modern men don’t want to spend much time on: what to do with our hair.
Here’s the thing. If a guy doesn’t want to worry about hair, he can just shave it off and no one will think twice about it. No muss, no fuss — except from his mom and his significant other, but there’s no solving that problem. The rest of us with unshorn locks are admitting, however tacitly, that we give enough of a damn to spend time and money on style. It’s a fine line between comfort and narcissism, gentlemen.
These were my thoughts when I took home Hanz de Fuko’s line of hair-care products last week for a test run. Their stuff sounds good on paper: free of sulphates, parabens, and salts, made with essential oils and antioxidants, no animal testing, eco-friendly packaging, so on and so forth. All the bullet points you’d expect from a cutting-edge California-based company. But does it work?
I spent a week washing my hair with Hanz de Fuko’s shampoo and conditioner ($17 each). Being fairly long-maned man (it’s past my shoulders; ladies love long hair; if they say they don’t, they’re lying; trust me), I take shampoo and conditioner seriously.
Using Hanz de Fuko’s shampoo is a bit like having your scalp massaged with tea tree oil — pleasant and warm (and if you haven’t had a scalp massage, call a spa now). A little goes a long way; it takes just a drop for a full lather. The same is true of the conditioner, which washes out without leaving a residue. Hanz de Fuko claims that their products will “normalize the scalp condition” and prevent hair loss. I’ve got no idea if that’s true, but I will say that within three days of regular use my hair was as silky as any remaining masculinity will allow me to admit, and I stopped looking like a bedraggled barbarian.
Hanz de Fuko also makes six styling products, from a relatively light hold Scheme Cream ($18) to extremely tough Gel Triq ($15). It all works as advertised, none of it flakes (I tried), and the Sponge Wax ($18) is strong enough to turn a regular moustache into the handlebar variety, not that it’s supposed to.
Once you narrow down which product works best with your style (or cheat by just asking your barber), consider your dilemma solved. You get decent hair without looking like you spent any time on it, and the only gravity-defying hairstyles you won’t be able to manage are the unemployable ones.
Hanz de Fuko shampoo, conditioner and styling products are available here.
