3 products every guy should have in his arsenal

Looking for the right hair product can be overwhelming. You walk down the aisle and there’s sea salt sprays, gels, clays, pastes, hair sprays, texture powders… the list goes on forever. Most of the time you either grab the same gel you’ve been using since high school or buy whatever product some influencer told you was “the best.”

Then you get home, throw it in your hair, and somehow it still doesn’t look the way you wanted. Now you’re out $15–$20, your hair still isn’t sitting right, and you look nothing like the Instagram photo you showed your barber.

As a barber in North Park, San Diego, one of the most common things I hear is:
“I can never style my hair the way I want.”

Most of the time, it comes down to either buying the wrong products… or using the right products the wrong way.

The reality is styling your hair shouldn’t feel complicated. A few solid products used the right way can completely change how your hair looks and feels without spending 30 minutes in the mirror every morning.

Here are the 3 products I recommend the most for texture, volume, movement, and easy everyday styling. 

1. Sea Salt Spray

The first product is one you’ve probably heard about a lot already: sea salt spray.

Living in San Diego, we’ve all had that moment where we get out of the ocean, let our hair air dry, and somehow it looks exactly how we always wanted it to. More texture, more movement, more volume… effortless.

Well, someone basically figured out how to put the ocean into a bottle.

Sea salt spray is one of the easiest ways to add texture and movement to your hair, especially if your hair tends to fall flat or feel too soft. It’s also one of the easiest products to use when you’re in a rush and just need a quick 5-minute style before heading out the door.

Now personally, I don’t really see it as a standalone product even though it definitely can work that way. I mainly use it as a pre styler before blow drying because it creates a really solid foundation for the rest of your styling routine.

The biggest thing to watch out for when buying sea salt spray is quality because honestly a lot of them are basically just overpriced water.

If you know me as a barber, one thing I won’t do is recommend a product I wouldn’t personally use myself. Out of all the sea salt sprays I’ve tried, there are two I consistently come back to:

• Blind Barber Sea Salt Spray

• Davines Sea Salt Spray

Davines is a little more premium at around $35 for 8 oz, while Blind Barber is usually around $20 for 6 oz and easy to find online.

If I had to personally recommend one, I’d probably lean toward Blind Barber because of the price point and overall performance.

For best results, apply sea salt spray into damp hair before blow drying or letting it air dry naturally.

2. Matte Clay

The second product and honestly one of my personal favorites is matte clay.

If you’ve ever sat in my private studio, chances are I’ve probably used matte clay on your hair at some point.

Nowadays, most people don’t want their hair looking shiny, stiff, crunchy, or overly styled. People want natural-looking hair with texture and movement while still keeping everything in place.

That’s exactly where matte clay shines.

Matte clay gives you hold without making your hair look like a helmet. Depending on the strength of the clay, it can either give you stronger control or a softer, more natural flow that still somehow stays in place all day.

This product works especially well for:

• textured crops

• messy styles

• brush backs

• flow styles

• medium length textured hair

If you’re only going to buy one product from this list, matte clay is probably the one I’d recommend most.

One of the biggest mistakes I see people make with clay is using way too much product and applying it directly onto dry hair. Most guys also skip the blow dryer completely, which honestly makes a huge difference.

For best results, start with damp hair and work the product all the way into the roots instead of just rubbing it on top of the hair. Once the product is evenly distributed, use a blow dryer on medium heat and medium airflow.

The heat helps open the cuticle and lets the product really settle into the hair. Once the hair is styled into the direction you want, switch the blow dryer to cold air. The cold air helps lock everything into place while closing the cuticle back down.

As someone who uses matte clay almost daily, I’ve tried a lot of them over the years, but two stand out the most to me:

• STMNT Dry Clay

• Tomb45 Indestructible Clay

STMNT gives more of a natural flow while Tomb45 gives stronger hold and structure.

If I had $20 in my pocket and could only choose one, I’d probably go with Tomb45 Indestructible Clay.

3. Texture Powder

Last but not least: texture powder.

Texture powder absolutely exploded in popularity over the last few years, and honestly… for good reason.

It does exactly what most people want their hair product to do:
instant volume, grip, and lift.

Texture powder works best as a finishing product rather than a standalone product. Think of it as the final touch after your hair is already mostly styled.

All you really need to do is sprinkle a small amount into the areas where you want added volume or separation. A little goes a very long way with this stuff.

One mistake people make is overusing it. Too much texture powder can make your hair start looking dry, messy, and honestly kind of like a rat’s nest.

Texture powder is especially great for people who:

• want fast styling

• need more volume

• like textured hairstyles

• want their hair styled in under 5 minutes

One thing I don’t think gets talked about enough is head shape. If someone already has a longer or more rectangular-shaped head, adding too much height with texture powder can sometimes exaggerate those features even more.

At the end of the day, texture powder is pretty simple and most brands honestly perform pretty similarly. I’ve tried a bunch over the years and haven’t noticed massive differences between them.

The two I use most are:

• STMNT Texture Powder

• Based Texture Powder

But honestly, this is one category where you can mostly just pick your favorite brand and roll with it.

Final Thoughts

At the end of the day, styling your hair shouldn’t feel complicated.

The right products can make a huge difference, but understanding your hair matters even more. Texture, density, growth patterns, and even your lifestyle all play a role in finding what actually works for you.

A good hairstyle shouldn’t feel forced. It should feel natural, effortless, and easy to recreate outside of the barbershop.

Products can definitely help, but the haircut underneath still matters the most.

If you’re in San Diego and looking for a haircut designed around your hair type, lifestyle, and personal style, appointments are available at Mira Studio in North Park.