As a young man I wore lots of hair gel: too much. My hair was sticky whenever it was not crisp, and it made me feel poorly about myself, made me feel angry about myself, but no steady force or surge of frustration could shift or reshape the immovable object. So I had to be patient and I let my hair grow long – but never so long, so that it lay a little above my shoulders in a manner resembling Jim Morrison, whose T-shirt I then adorned.
And when it was good, it was very, very good, and when it was bad, it was awful. My hair became subject to the elements: both long and thick, a strong wind would fix it sideways, while rain, sleet, or snow made a flat and matted mess.
Today my hair is short and it has been a long time since I used styling products with any degree of regularity. Occasionally over the years I have taken lend of a spritz of hairspray, and on several instances I procured and endeavoured to come to terms with masculine products – including Murray’s Pomade, ostensibly used by both Leonardo DiCaprio and George Clooney. But these proved either insufficient or too much fuss, and all were short-lived. Yet today my hair still blows from time to time to my dissatisfaction.
What to do when gel, wax, and spray have in turn been tried and rejected? Mousse is lighter but, seen as the preserve of old dames, it comes with limited options, and can lack strength. Is paste the answer? Perhaps.
Recently I tried OGX Moroccan Surf Paste. According to the blurb on the gold and azure packaging, this:
‘Creates radical, unstructured, surf style, with moisturizing argan oil of Morocco and sea kelp to condition strands while sea salt adds separation, texture, and control with a matte finish for a super-cool, beach vibe style.’
The emboldened terms are not of my doing, but they serve to highlight the key features of this paste. I was hitherto unaware of the alleged follicular benefits of sea kelp. However argan oil has been probably the biggest trend in the hair and skincare of the decade thus far, praised by science as rich in vitamin E, and bearing moisturising, antioxidant, and anti-inflammatory properties. And sea salt products, usually in the form of sprays, have also gained popularity for providing a textured, tousled beach look.
I am not a surfer. But whatever your milieu, whether a lady or a man, OGX Moroccan Surf Paste is a good option when it comes to fixing your hair without grease, stickiness, flakiness, or exaggerated sheen. The paste smells nice enough, and ought to be used conservatively: you do not want to feel it in your hair, and you do not need to use much to gain sufficient hold. It wins an earnest recommendation.
That said, I stopped using this after about a week. These days, I’d rather not bother putting anything in my hair – which is nothing to prevent you from forming a lifelong friendship. And if one morning I wake up having dreamt of blue skies and sandy beaches, of dashing surfer dudes, or else of the wet and windy English weather and a man whose hair is as preposterously upturned as his umbrella, then it will be for OGX Moroccan Surf Paste that I find myself reaching.
OGX, otherwise known as Organix, is the leading hair brand of Vogue International. While it had enjoyed a good reputation for maintaining ethical practises, over the past year OGX has faced criticism owing to its decision to trade in China, where animal testing remains mandatory for products manufactured overseas.
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Put This On Your Self is a regular segment in which I discuss cosmetics, toiletries, fragrances, and so on, for the sake of beauty, grooming, and personal hygiene. Culturedarm is a cisgender male who eschews boxer briefs, and may sometimes be inclined to wear feminine products. I am not sponsored for any of these posts.
