Hold 3, 4 or 5? Hair wax and gel hold levels for men

You stand at the shelf and every tub says "strong hold". You buy one, and two hours later your hair is back where it started.

The problem is that "strong" is not a number. So every product in our men's styling range carries a hold level out of 5 — eight products, three levels, each doing a different job. This guide is so you buy by the number, not the adjective.

What a hold level is

The number says one thing only: how firmly the product holds a shape against what your hair does on its own. Four things it is not:

• Not a quality score. Hold 3 is not "worse" than 5. Some hair is ruined by a 5 and needs a 3.
• Not shine. Separate axes. Golden gel is hold 5 and very glossy; Black wax is hold 3 and also glossy; Pro X is hold 4 with a quiet natural finish.
• Not a count of hours. We do not print "48-hour hold" because we do not measure that.
• Not the price. Every wax is the same price and size, and so is every gel. Money is out of the equation.

Three steps to your number

The number is the last step, not the first:

• Start with the look. Wet and glossy, natural, or an open defined wave? The look settles the finish, and that rules out half the range.
• Then the format. Gel goes on damp hair and dries into the shape. Wax goes on dry hair and stays workable under your hand.
• Only then the number. Every gel is a 5, every wax is a 3 or a 4. By now you are choosing between two or three products, not eight.

Not sure of your hair type? Start with the hair types guide.

Hold 3 — the flexible waxes

A 3 holds the shape but still moves with you: you can fix it by hand mid-afternoon without it cracking. That makes it a deliberate choice, not a compromise.

• Shea Butter — soft finish, for coily, curly and thick hair.
• Argan — nourishing, for curly, coily and wavy hair.
• Black — covers grey with a glossy black tone. High shine, not matte.

Hold 4 — the strong waxes

The strongest waxes we make: more grip than a 3, a shape that stays put longer, still adjustable. Thick hair, or a wave that slips loose quickly, lives here.

• Pro X — the Wave & Groom formula, natural finish, for wavy and thick hair.
• Pro — the everyday strong hold, for thick, straight and wavy hair, and fine hair in a small amount.

The whole wax range is here.

Hold 5 — the gels

All three gels are hold 5 of 5, the top of the range, and all listed for fine, straight hair — the type that holds nothing on its own. A 5 locks once dry: a win if you set it in the morning and forget it, a loss if you fix your hair by hand every hour.

Same hold across all three, so the choice is shine and scent: Golden for the wet look, Green for a clean scent, Blue as the all-day classic. See the full gel range.

The full comparison

Strongest first:

• Golden — gel · 5/5 · 250ml · 80 EGP · straight · wet look
• Green — gel · 5/5 · 250ml · 80 EGP · straight · clean scent
• Blue — gel · 5/5 · 250ml · 80 EGP · straight · all day
• Pro X — wax · 4/5 · 120ml · 80 EGP · wavy, thick · natural finish
• Pro — wax · 4/5 · 120ml · 80 EGP · thick, straight, wavy, fine · everyday
• Shea Butter — wax · 3/5 · 120ml · 80 EGP · coily, curly, thick · soft finish
• Argan — wax · 3/5 · 120ml · 80 EGP · curly, coily, wavy · nourishing
• Black — wax · 3/5 · 120ml · 80 EGP · wavy, thick · covers grey

Every wax is 120ml at 80 EGP, every gel 250ml at 80 EGP. The choice is hair type and hold, nothing else.

Which number for which hair type

• Fine, straight — hold 5, which means gel.
• Wavy — hold 4, with a 3 as the more flexible option.
• Curly and coily — hold 3.
• Fine — hold 4 in a very small amount.
• Thick — hold 4.

Does a high hold damage hair?

The number is about grip, not the health of your hair. We do not claim a level is safer or riskier, and we sell no treatment for any scalp problem — these are styling products, full stop. More on the brand page. What shapes your day is the amount and the application, and both are in your hands.

Amount: the most important thing after the number

Heavy or greasy early is usually the amount, not the level.

• Start with a pea. Warm it between your palms, work in from the back forward, add a little only if it is not holding. What is on the hair does not come off without a wash.
• Stay off the roots. Product on the scalp adds no hold; it only makes hair look heavy faster.
• Gel goes on damp hair. Bone-dry, it will not spread and you will use more than you should.

Frequently asked questions

What is the strongest product you sell? The gel — Golden, Green and Blue are all hold 5. The strongest waxes are Pro and Pro X at 4. Gel versus wax is not a strength question anyway: gel locks, wax stays workable.

Does hold 3 mean the wax is weak? No. It holds but stays flexible. If you restyle during the day, or your hair needs definition rather than a lock, 3 is the right level.

Do you have a clay or a pomade with a matte hold? Both are made and are the matte pair — but neither is on the shop yet. Every wax listed today finishes with shine; the lowest-shine is Shea in a small amount.

Price and delivery? Wax is 80 EGP for 120ml, gel 80 EGP for 250ml. Delivery is 30 EGP, free over 300 EGP. Cash on delivery, inside Egypt only. See all products.