Reading Hair Product Labels: Hold, Shine and Finish Ratings
A hair product hold rating tells you how firmly the product will fix your hair in place, usually on a scale of 1 to 5 or 1 to 10, and the shine rating tells you how much light the finished style reflects. The catch is that there is no industry standard. One brand’s “strong hold 4” can feel softer than another brand’s “medium 3”. So treat the numbers as a ranking within a single brand’s range, and use the ingredient list and the base (water, oil or wax) to understand how the product will actually behave in your hair. That combination tells you far more than the big number on the lid.
Here is how to read the whole label, front and back, so the next tin you buy is the right one.
Hold: what the number does and does not tell you
Hold describes resistance. A light-hold product lets hair move and fall naturally through the day; a strong-hold product keeps a shape such as a quiff or a slick side parting fixed against wind, a hat or a long commute.
What the number does not tell you is how it holds. Two products rated 4 out of 5 can feel completely different:
- A firm clay holds by adding grit and thickness, so hair stays put but still looks soft and can be re-shaped with your fingers.
- A firm gel or a high-hold pomade holds by setting a film around each strand. The style stays exactly where you put it, but touching it later can break the shape or leave it stiff.
So the useful question is not “how strong” but “strong and pliable” or “strong and set”. Words like “pliable”, “flexible”, “reworkable” or “restylable” on the label point to the first kind. “Firm set”, “maximum control” or “all-day lockdown” usually point to the second.
Shine and finish: matte to high shine
Shine is usually described on a scale of 0 to 5, or with words. Roughly:
| Label says | What you will see | Typical products |
|---|---|---|
| Matte / no shine | Hair looks dry and unstyled, almost like it has been left alone | Clays, fibres, powders, some pastes |
| Natural / low shine | The look of clean hair on a normal day | Creams, pastes, light waxes |
| Medium / satin | A soft sheen, groomed but not wet-looking | Most waxes, some water-based pomades |
| High shine | A glossy, slick, deliberately styled look | Oil-based pomades, many gels |
Shine also depends on your hair. Fine, straight hair reflects light easily, so even a “natural” product can look shinier on it. Coarse or curly hair scatters light, so a medium-shine product often reads as natural. If you have fine hair and want a relaxed look, aim one step lower on the shine scale than you think you need.
The base: water, oil or wax
The base is often printed on the front or implied by the product type, and it decides most of the day-to-day experience.
- Water-based products wash out easily with normal shampoo, tend to dry harder, and can usually be revived with a damp hand. Gels and many modern pomades fall here.
- Oil- or petroleum-based products stay soft, can be restyled for hours, and give more shine, but they take more than one wash to remove and can build up on the scalp.
- Wax-based products sit in between. They hold firmly but stay workable, and usually rinse out with a decent shampoo.
If you are torn between two pomades, our piece on water-based vs oil-based pomade goes through the trade-off in more detail.
Reading the ingredient list
Cosmetic ingredients in the UK are listed using standard international names, in descending order of concentration for anything above 1 per cent. That means the first four or five ingredients tell you most of what you need to know. The Cosmetic, Toiletry and Perfumery Association has plain-English explanations of how cosmetic labelling works if you want the detail.
Some ingredients worth recognising near the top of the list:
- Aqua (water) first: a water-based product. Expect easier washing and a drier finish.
- Petrolatum, lanolin or mineral oil near the top: an oil-based product with shine and slow release.
- Cera alba (beeswax) or other waxes: pliable hold.
- Kaolin or bentonite: clay. Matte finish, added thickness, good for fine hair.
- PVP or VP/VA copolymer: film-forming polymers that give a firmer, set hold, common in gels.
- Alcohol denat. high up: quick drying and a firmer set, but it can feel drying on the scalp for some people.
- Glycerin: a humectant that draws in moisture. It keeps hair soft but can make products feel tacky in humid weather.
Fragrance (listed as “parfum”) appears on most styling products. If you have reacted to scented products before, look for unfragranced versions and try a small amount behind the ear or on the inner arm first.
The small symbols on the back
Two worth knowing. The open-jar symbol with a number and “M”, such as “12M”, is the period after opening: how many months the product is expected to stay in good condition once opened. The “e” mark next to the weight means the quantity meets the average-weight rules for packaged goods. Neither tells you about performance, but the first is a useful reminder that a tin you opened three years ago may have separated or changed smell.
A quick way to choose from the shelf
- Decide the look first: matte and textured, natural, or slick and shiny.
- Pick the shine level that matches, adjusting down a step for fine hair.
- Choose the base based on how easily you want it to wash out and whether you like to restyle during the day.
- Only then compare hold numbers, and only within the same brand.
- Check the first five ingredients to confirm it is what the front promises.
If you are still unsure which category suits you, start with our overview of clay, wax, pomade and paste, then read how much product to use, because the wrong amount ruins the right product more often than people realise.
Ask your barber
The quickest way to narrow it down is to ask the person who has just cut your hair. Every visit to our barbers on Archway Road starts with an assessment: the barber looks at your hair and what you need from it, then makes recommendations. That is a good moment to ask what finish and hold would suit the cut, and why. You will leave knowing what to look for on a label, rather than buying by the colour of the tin. Book through the Highgate Cuts barber page or by email.
Questions we get asked
Is a hold rating of 5 always the strongest?
Only within the same brand. Different brands use different scales and there is no agreed standard, so a 5 from one maker can feel similar to a 3 from another.
What does “pliable hold” mean?
It means the product holds the style but stays soft enough to reshape with your fingers later in the day, rather than setting hard.
Why does my matte product look shiny?
Usually too much product, damp hair when applied, or fine, straight hair that reflects light easily. Use less and apply to dry or towel-dried hair.
Do hair products expire?
Most carry a period-after-opening symbol, such as 12M. After that they may separate, dry out or change smell, even if they are still safe to use.
Book with The Highgate House
Ready for a proper cut? Email us at [email protected] with the service and the day that suits you, and we will come back to you with times.
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The Highgate House, Archway Road, Highgate, London N6.
