Advertisement

You don’t have to be from ‘Jersey Shore’ to enjoy the next generation of hair gel

Share

This article was originally on a blog post platform and may be missing photos, graphics or links. See About archive blog posts.

After all the “Jersey Shore” hype, I’m embarrassed to admit I also started using hair gel again -- after I swore never to touch the stuff after high school graduation in 1989. Back then, applying hair gel was a super sticky ritual that resulted in locks as brittle as dried leaves. But the purple goop was required if you wanted to blow-dry your bangs into a gravity-defying Morrissey pompadour -- touched up with hairspray -- or recapture George Michael’s slick Wham!-era wet-look.

The last two decades, I kept my tresses buzzed or fade-cut short so that I didn’t need any purple goo to mold my bangs vertically. Pomades such as American Crew were enough to style a short faux-hawk and tame the occasional frizz and cowlick.

Advertisement

This past year, I’ve grown my locks out a tad longer and discovered the rugged look doesn’t always look well with a suit or tie. A friend suggested I try Bumble & Bumble’s Bb. Gel, which is like hair gel 3G -- it’s not gummy or sticky and can shape a fine pompadour, (which is in style again), when combed back or leave a retro ‘Mad Men’-like slick look. Or you can comb through for that ‘I just stepped out of a Ferrari’ effect.

But for the 1980s flashback, “Jersey Shore’s” notorious DJ Pauly D brings back the Depeche Mode-like crown with a complex three-step process using either Joico I-C-E Spiker or Got2b “Magnetik” styling gels, followed by a blow dry and frozen in space by Got2b Blasting Freeze spray.

-- Max Padilla

RELATED:

The fashionistas of ‘Jersey Shore’ | Photos

Commentary: Unique attractions of the ‘Jersey Shore’

Photo credit: Bumble and Bumble

Advertisement