RSSProduct Review : Bed Head Manipulator
October 14, 2008
By far my favorite pomade. By far.
What you’ll read about Manipulator A Funky Gunk That Rocks! on the TIGI site is right. It falls somewhere between a putty and a wax and a glue.
A dry finished look, unlike Joico Brilliantine and Redken Water Wax which are greasy and heavy. Wet finished looks are not desirable.
Can be used in dry or wet hair, though I prefer it in dry; then, you just move the pieces around and leave it.
A thick cream in a jar, but almost runny, like cold honey – not like Paul Mitchell ESP that won’t even come out of the jar, let alone spread through the hair.
Not sticky or gunky once dry even if you use a lot.
Not heavily scented like L’Oreal products. A medium coconut-like scent that doesn’t hang around long.
Doesn’t dry so fast that you can’t work with it, like Redken Rough Paste. You can take as long as you like to move the pieces around. Can easily add more without overdoing it.
Washes out easily, unlike the stick waxes, but leaves a little definition if you just rinse and don’t shampoo your hair that day.
Once this stuff is in, it dries and disappears leaving behind definition and piece-iness. Hair stays flexible and looks like hair. It’s not crunchy when it’s dry, nor is it outrageously separated. I don’t distribute it through the whole head, just the ends to create defined chunks and move the pieces where I want them. It adds a little more body to the hair. A light touch at the roots will give lift and direction that can easily be refreshed during the day.
Medium control so if the hair is not too heavy, it will give it some direction. My hair is heavily texturized, so there are a lot of pieces within the cut that can be separated to give the impression of movement. There is very little weight on each piece so it will move somewhere and stay there.
Would be great for hairline flyaways. The hold strength is medium, just right for these hairs.
Terrific for men with fine hair who want body and texture without a wet, greasy, crispy, or oily look (and who would want that?)
TIGI, the Bed Head parent company, does not animal-test.
My only down comment would be that the wide, shallow jar is not ideal for the consistency of the product. It doesn’t run out the jar if you travel, but it does coat the underside of the lid. A gravity fed tube would be better.
At CDN$18-22 a jar, it’s getting up there. I try to buy 2-for-$18-and-get-1-free deals. Look at it this way: if you spend $10 on a jar of whatever and use it 4 times and hate it, it cost you $2.50 each time and you were never happy. If you spend $20 on a product you use 20 times, it cost $1 each time and you were always happy.
Manipulator is so good that it’s convinced me to add a new Category : Great Hair.
Happy Tuesday. Hope it was a good one.
A note regarding a question a reader asked, about using Manipulator in fine and thinning hair. That’s will be a very relevant point for many of us.
For men and women with thin hair, Manipulator will be too heavy. One to consider would be got2b playful Texturizing Pomade. There some reviews at folica. It is very lightweight, a decent volumizer, not sticky/greasy/crunchy, and creates a dry finished look. Though the package claims that it texturizes and separates, I would disagree. It does not create a pieced or heavily texturized look, but that might be a good thing in this case.
Possibly the best thing about playful is that it often comes on sale for $4 or less. If you don’t care for it, give it to a teenager. Do try it a few times though. It took me several uses to understand what it can do and how best to use it.
Comments
2 Responses to “Product Review : Bed Head Manipulator”
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A Greener Tea
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Have used this for years. I apply a very little to fingertips and massage in at roots-with fine hair, getting it further out weighs it down. Works good, as long as remember that it just takes the tiniest amount.
Is it not the best ? A hair stylist introduced me to it years ago. Since then, the salon has undergone several changes in its product lines and she’s tried to convert me, but it won’t happen. This is an incomparable product.