Hair serum vs hair wax

There are a lot of products in the hair industry that promise to style your hair to perfection. While all this products usually do style your hair, they usually entails a lot other things. 

For example, you will have to choose the right product for your hair. If you use a styling product not designed for your hair, you might find yourself dealing with some side effects. 

In this guide, I will differentiate between hair serum and hair wax. This two products usually do style your hair. However, they do a lot more than that. Keep reading to find out all about what they do. 

Differences between Hair Serum and Hair Wax

With all the promises each hair product makes, you can be confused on which product to pick. The thing is that hair serum and hair wax really do style your hair. However, they will do this in different extents. 

To help you make the right decision, we are going to go into details about this two products. But before we do that, I am going to prepare a small table that will give you an clear overview of the two products. 

Details	Hair serum	Hair wax
What they are	A liquid form of hair product formulated using silicone, amino acids and proteins	A gel like hair products that is used for styling and locking in hair strands
What it is they do	Aids in styling your hair and other protecting your hair	Locks in hair strands and adding weigh to your hair making it easy for styling
Consistency	Thick	Thicker
Benefits	Reduces frizzDefines natural curlsMakes your hair look straightAdds shine to your hairMakes your hair smoothProtects your hair against heat damage	Aids in stylingUsed to straighten your hair.Adds shine to your hairProtects your hair against environmental factors that might damage your hair
When to use	If you want to hit the swimming pool, when you want to style your hair, and when you want to repair your hair	If you want to style your hair and lock it.
How to use it	Apply on wet hair	Apply on wet or dry hair

The table above might give you an overview what this two products are. However, it does not give you all the information you can use when you want to buy the best product for styling your hair. 

We will therefore discuss some of the things that will help you differentiate between hair serum and hair wax. 

What is hair serum and what does it do?

Hair serum is a form of liquid hair product that is formulated using silicone, amino acids, proteins and other ingredients. 

Hair serum mainly creates a protective layer on your hair strands which are used to protect your hair from environmental factors that might damage your hair. 

There are a lot of things that hair serum do that cannot be covered in this guide, you can read my introduction to hair serum guide to learn more about hair serum. I will however give you some things that differentiate hair serum and hair wax. 

What is hair wax and what does it do?

A hair wax is a gel like hair product that is very thick. It is mainly used to tame your hair strands which makes it easy to style your hair. 

Have your ever seen people with very cute dreadlocks? Yes, the locks are molded using hair wax and are actually permanent. That’s how hair wax do. Other than that, hair wax has more to it and will be discussed below. 

What are the benefits of using hair serum? Does it have some side effects?

Hair serums come in different forms, you will get a hair serum that is in cream and liquid form. 

Due to the presence of silicone, you can apply the serum on your hair which aid in a lot more than styling. Some of the benefits of using hair serum include;

• Reduces frizz: Natural hair might seem so easy to maintain. However, it gets affected by so much. For example, humidity and water will cause frizz on your hair. Since silicone is waterproof, humidity and water cannot reach your hair strands. Hydrolyzed protein which is also a part of hair serum reduces the static charge that is responsible for frizz, flyways, and split ends. 
• Straightens your hair: Instead of using heat or relaxers to straighten your hair, you can apply hair serum to your hair to straighten it. Hair serum does not straighten your hair per say. It increases the weight on your hair making it stay as you style it. 
• Aids in repair of damaged hair: Aside from silicone, hair serum has other ingredients that help your hair with the growth. If you choose to apply other hair products that aid in repair of damaged hair, hair serum will lock in the products for them to do what they are supposed to be. 
• Defining your natural curls: Instead of using hair gels to define your natural curls and end up dealing with broken hair, it is safe to use hair serum. 

Hair serum that has some hydrating properties will define your natural curls while silicone will lock in the moisture in your hair making the curls last more than a few hours. 

Despite of hair serum having so much benefits, using the wrong type of hair serum will lead to some negative side effects. Some of the negative side effects include;

• Hair damage: Silicone that is a major component of hair serum has some drying effects on your hair. If you continue using a hair serum without moisturizing your hair, you might end up damaging your hair. 
• Hair loss: if you continue using the wrong hair serum, your hair will not only dry, you might find yourself dealing with hair loss. 
• Irritating rashes: In extreme cases, the harsh ingredients that are found in hair serum will cause some irritating rashes when the serum come in contact with your scalp. 

To avoid this from happening, use this guide to choose the right hair serum. 

What are the benefits of using hair wax? Does it have some side effects?

Hair Wax does not have many uses on your hair. Their main aim is to style your hair. Due to it’s thickness, you can apply it on your hair to style your hair accordingly. 

Despite of it’s role to style your hair, some of the other products used in hair wax has some other benefits such as;

• Reduces hair frizz: Although hair wax does not create a protective layer to your hair strands, it adds weight to the strands which tames your hair. Once the hair wax dries up, humidity will not affect your hair. 
• Adds shine to your hair: Hair Wax in itself is shiny. Once dries up, it will be reflecting light making your hair shiny. 
• Repairs damaged hair: If you have ever looked at the hair of someone with locks, you will realize their hair is more healthy after a few months. This is because the hair wax has some other ingredients that aid at providing your hair with some nourishment. 

Aside from the amazing benefits offered by hair wax, the drying effect on the wax might lead to hair breakage. Ensure you moisturize your hair before applying hair wax. 

How to apply hair serum?

• Wash your hair with a gentle shampoo, rinse it then go in with a gentle conditioner. 
• Rinse off the conditioner using warm water then go in with a moisturizer. 
• Part you hair in different sections and then start applying hair serum. 
• Pour hair serum on your hands and then heat up the product by rubbing your hands together. This will make application easy. 
• Apply the hair serum from the hair ends to the mid length and then massage your hair gently. 
• Run a wide toothed comb through your hair to detangle your hair. You can the style your hair as you wish. 

How to apply hair wax?

• Wash you hair using a shampoo, rinse off your hair then go in with a conditioner to soften your hair. 
• Rinse off your hair using warm water then go in with a moisturizer. 
• Apply any other product you want then go in with a hair wax. 
• Part your harm in small sections starting from the back. 
• Start applying hair wax from your roots going to the hair ends. 
• Run in a wide toothed comb through your hair to detangle your hair. 
• Use a thin hair band to tame your hair strands based on the hair style you are going for. 
• You can then go in with a brush to lay your hair down making it look smooth. 
• Use a hair turban to allow your hair dry up before locking your day. 

Is hair serum good for your hair?

From the benefits describes above, we can say if you use this hair product the right way, your hair will benefit more from hair serum. 

You will notice your hair becoming radiant and healthy over time when you apply hair serum frequently. 

Is hair wax good for your hair?

Hair Wax only has one negative side effect which is hair breakage. If you apply the hair wax the right way and using the right hair wax for your hair, you will be free from this negative side effect. 

Can I use both a hair serum and a hair wax?

Hair Wax main aim is to aid in hair styling. It does not create a protective layer between your hair and the environmental factors that might damage your hair. Going in with a layer of hair serum after applying hair wax will not harm your hair in whichever way.

Which of the two products is the best for your hair?

Depending on what you want to achieve, each product has its unique benefits to your hair. 

If you want your hair tamed in a certain style, you can go in with the heavy hair wax. However, to prevent your hair from environmental factors, you should go in with a hair serum. 

You should however use this products the right way to ensure you don’t suffer their negative side effects. 

Conclusion

Landing the best hair product for styling your hair is not that hard. You will however need to learn your hair first. 

If you have thicker hair strands, you can use a hair wax to tame the strands and achieve whichever hair style you are going for. 

On the other hand, you can use hair serum on your thin hair strands. If you want to know which hair product will work for your hair, read the guide of hair serum vs. Hair Wax above. 

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References

1. Tiwari, R., Tiwari, G., Yadav, A., & Ramachandran, V. (2021). Development and Evaluation of Herbal Hair Serum: A traditional way to Improve Hair Quality. The Open Dermatology Journal, 15(1).
2. Regupathi, T., Chitra, K., Ruckmani, K., Lalitha, K. G., & Kumar, M. (2017). Formulation and evaluation of herbal hair gel for hair growth potential. Journal of Pharmacology & Clinical Research, 2(2), 1-8.
3. Shatalebi, M. A., Safaeian, L., Baradaran, A., & Alamdarian, M. (2016). Preparation and evaluation of a hair wax containing propolis and Eruca sativa seed oil for hair growth. Advanced Biomedical Research, 5.