Cool or Cruel? (Tigi Bed Head Hard Head Mohawk Gel)

Name: plipplop

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Product:	Tigi Bed Head Hard Head Mohawk Gel
Date:	24/06/07 (264 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Holds like concrete

Disadvantages: Dries hair out - hurts scalp

Sometimes, having hair can be a real nuisance. Over recent years, I’ve been through a number one buzz cut phase that eliminated any issues with cutting / styling my hair but earlier this year, I grew it back again to prove that I wasn’t actually just a military fetishist.

Hair gel is strange stuff. It’s come a long way since I was at school, when everyone bought round tubs of the stuff in Boots and slathered it on until not a single hair on their head could move. Actually, thinking about it, that particular aspect hasn’t changed at all. What has changed is that the range of styling gels on the market is now massive, costing anything from 50p to £50, each with their own attributes, qualities and target audience.

So, as a customer, what are my requirements? I want hair gel that keeps my hair in place. I don’t want to spend hours fiddling around with it. I don’t want it to make my hair fall out. I don’t want it to be over priced. These are my requirements. You’d be amazed at how difficult they can be to fulfil.

A friend of mine recommended Tigi Bed Head. You may have seen the products in hairdressing salons or more upmarket shops. The Tigi range is a sub-division of the hairdressing company Toni and Guy so I knew that Hard Head wouldn’t be cheap but even I was surprised when the assistant told me that the 150ml tube of hair gel was £11.99. I reluctantly parted with the cash, not expecting that it would be worth it but hoping I would be proven wrong.

Tigi know that in this day and age, the style-conscious out there want everything to be stylish so even their toiletries need to look “cool”. Tigi products look “cool” and Hard Head is no exception. The sleek silver tube is certainly eye-catching in the average bathroom cabinet and the handy size means that it slips into your average overnight bag dead easily too. Unlike some containers, it’s pretty easy to keep clean, although the glossy silver finish isn’t particularly durable and will start to peel away at the edges.

The gel is a pale, lime-green colour rather like a hair conditioner, and is dispensed simply by squeezing the tube. It doesn’t come hurtling out like some tubed products and it’s quite easy to put the requisite amount in the palm of your hands or onto your fingertips. As the tube starts to run out, it becomes harder to get out, but leaving it stood up when not in use seems to help the gel run down the inside. It has a fairly pleasant, fruity smell, rather like those Fructis products, but its not that strong so it doesn’t over power you. So far, so good.

In application, however, things take a turn for the worse. The consistency of the gel is strange. It seems smooth and quite runny, but as soon as you apply warmth or friction from your hands, it seems to go clammy and sticky and becomes very difficult to apply. It dries almost instantaneously, and despite the instructions provided, it cannot be easily applied to dry hair because it just clogs up. When applied to slightly damp hair, it’s a little better, but you still need to be quick or else you’ll find your hair has set in a way that you don’t really like.

In all fairness, criticising Mohawk gel for drying like concrete is like criticising super glue for holding things in place. This stuff is designed for extreme styles, and if you have extremely spiky / Mohawk hair it would be very effective at holding it together. If you have shorter, less extreme hair, however, and want to go for a more casual, scruffy look, it’s not much good. This stuff is designed for very deliberate spikes and extremes. You can’t get that scruffy look because that takes a bit of time to style – which Hard Head won’t give you.

Once applied, Hard Head dries like concrete, literally. The hold is the strongest I have ever seen and one thing’s for sure – your hair ain’t gonna’ move! In practice, I found this really uncomfortable. If anyone touched my hair, it seemed to tug at the scalp, often quite painfully, and unlike other gels this cannot be brushed out – using a brush feels like someone is literally ripping your hair out in tufts. The only way to get it out is to shower and shampoo. I find that some gels easily brush or rub out so that you don’t need to wash hair before bed – this isn’t possible with Hard Head. Worse still, the gel really dries your hair out and my hair started to feel lifeless and wiry, even if I used conditioner. Needless to say, I quickly stopped using it.

There is no indication on the packaging that Tigi products are not tested on animals but a spot of online research indicates that they aren't - which is good.

However, it may be that my hair isn’t suited to Hard Head or that my style isn’t long enough but I wouldn’t recommend this hair gel unless you have really extreme, spiky hair. At nearly £12 for a tube, it’s pretty pricey too, more so than I think the results justify.

Nope, not recommended.

Summary: Expensive hair gel for extremists only