Holds Well, But It Must Be Layered: TIGI Bed Head Hard Hold Hairspray

Author's Rating:

Pros: Holds hair in place; dries quickly; big can contains 10.6 oz.; for any hair type/style/length

Cons: Makes hair really "crispy" when layered; not easy to comb/brush out

The Bottom Line: 
This is a nice hairspray. It offers great holding power but beware of layering it (makes hair look "crispy" and can weigh hair down).

Author's Review
I have layered, wavy to curly hair that is very hard to control. My hair isn't way out of control, but the waves/curls can go flat for no reason quite often. Once I get my hair where I want it, I need a good hairspray to keep it in place. Tired of the lame drugstore brands that don't work well, I ventured into salon brands hoping to get better performance and quality. One of the first products I came across (and purchased) was TIGI Bed Head Hard Hold Hairspray.


Product Details:

TIGI Bed Head Hard Hold Hairspray is one of several hairsprays in the TIGI Bed Head line. It comes in a 10.6 oz. tall, metallic silver metal can. The product name and the package styling have a heavy metal, "head banger" feel that would have fit in well in the mid to late 1980's. This hairspray is an aerosol spray and has a clear plastic cap.

TIGI has this to say about this product: Why not be hard headed? Use Hard Head Spray for relentless hold and control. Dries instantly. Be bold. Defy gravity. The more you use, the harder it gets.

TIGI states on their website that this product is suitable for all hair types, styles and lengths.


Ingredients (taken from packaging):

Alcohol denat. (SD alcohol 40), isobutane, hydrofluorocarbon 152A, octylacrylamide/acrylates/butylaminoethyl methacrylate copolymer, aminomethyl propanol, triethyl citrate, PEG/PPG-17/18 dimethicone, parfum, phenyl trimethicone, pentaerythrityl tetracaprylate/tetracaprate, amp-isostearoyl hydrolyzed wheat protein, ethylhexyl methoxycinnamate, quaternium-52.


My Experience:

One of the things I couldn't find in other hairsprays and really needed from TIGI Bed Head Hard Hold Hairspray is lasting hold. I can't even begin to tell you how many hairsprays started out as hard-holding and then two hours later the hold was completely gone. This was a very common problem I faced with every single hairspray I've tried over the past several years.

I had this product for a number of months before I actually got down to using it. By the time I got to it, I was completely fed up with the Garnier Fructis and the Aussie hairsprays I was using. I liked this hairspray from the beginning, though. It offers great hold and it dries quickly.

TIGI Bed Head Hard Hold Hairspray really reminds me of Aqua Net hairspray - the brand that all the chicks with big hair (myself included!) bought in the mid to late 1980's. It has that "my hair is glued in place" performance.

The directions on the can say to hold the can 10 to 12 inches from hair and then spray. I don't think so. I hold my can about six inches away and then spray. 10 to 12 inches doesn't get enough of the spray concentrated to any one area and you don't get enough to really hold your hair.

The spray works well and it's a fairly fine mist. My hair does not get sopping wet when I spray it. The scent of TIGI Bed Head Hard Hold Hairspray is not super fantabulous, but it's pleasant. It doesn't have that "ritzy salon" type of scent, but it doesn't smell cheap like a lot of drugstore brands.

One spraying of this spray is not enough to keep my hair in place all day. I need several coats, and then it stays. However, once I do that, sometimes it weighs my hair down and my curls go somewhat flat. In addition, my hair looks "crispy". I can remember having this problem in the 80's when I had big, permed-out hair. But if you think about it, how can you put a ton of hairspray (no matter what the brand) and not expect it to weigh the hair down? For this reason, I'm OK with that. The only thing I don't like is that my hair actually looks crispy and hard when I put on two or three layers.

The only other thing that bothers me a bit about this spray is that it is awful to try to comb or brush out if I need to start over or if I want to get rid of the crispy look.

So, this is a nice hairspray overall. I like that I can get all-day hold if I want it. I don't like that it makes my hair look hard and crispy, and I don't like the fact that it won't comb or brush out easily at all. I have to give this product four stars because it does do what it claims to and I do like it overall. It is not my absolute perfect spray, but it meets my needs. I will purchase it again but I will occasionally try other products in an attempt to find the perfect hairspray.


Price and Purchasing Information:

I purchased my TIGI Bed Head Hard Hold Hairspray at my local salon for $11.95. The suggested retail price at TIGIHaircare.com is also $11.95 but drugstore.com carries this product at a price of $14.99. My local Rite Aid also carries this product for about $14.95. I've seen this product at Famous Hair, Best Cuts, and other chain salons.