An Oldie Rediscovered

Kids of the 80s remember this can stuck in your mom's, grandma's, or older sister's vanity huh? This immortal can has created the famous poufy bangs and partnered with the good ol' teasing comb for big voluminous hair that defies gravity and Signal #3 storms - as well as a good shampoo to get 'em all out to be re-applied the next day

Aqua Net has been a household name back in the 80's where big hair was better. Actually, I was quite surprised to see Aqua Net during one of my visits to the good ol' beauty supply store while I was out to buy some supplies a year ago. I thought it was phased out, discontinued, and anyone who still owns a can would be laughed at for being behind. Turns out it has been a staple in every hairstylist's bag. Stylists recommend it and cans of it were consumed during the recent Philippine Fashion Week. I went to the beauty supply store after Fashion Week, the rows of Aqua Net cans were gone (ordered in crates I bet).

In the year 2009, Aqua Net still makes its mark and here's why:

1. It's affordable. A tall can of AquaNet costs Php195. The smaller size is Php125. Not bad.
2. A little goes a long way. This is highly potent. Extreme hold, high shine.
3. It's probably the most powerful hair spray out there. From church ceremony to reception, headthrows, fan effects, humidity, unpredictable weather, mohawks, and hair poufs. It defies everything. Even the test of time.

Its cons include:

1. The characteristic scent. Some people may find it too strong.
2. Remember when I said it defies everything, even time? It also defies the test of shampoo. I needed two sachets of conditioner and a good shampoo for my hair to return to baseline state. So tip: Don't use this everyday. Or if you can't avoid using AquaNet everyday, say you're doing a fashion show or something, arm yourself with potent products.
3. The big can is extremely tall. Really. For portable issues, this could be a no-no.

I think the aerosol performs well for me, especially if I'm doing poufy styles. From my own personal experience, it's got a maximum extreme hold. I just had a shoot and this was used on my teased poufy hair and even if I lay down, rumpled my hair, and did head throws or had a fan to blow my hair, my hairstyle was still intact. In "natural" or "light-hold" hairsprays, I need to retouch the style usually. With AquaNet, the first spray is usually all you need. After the shoot, I decided to purchase my own can. Actually, this can I plan to use in shoots and gigs where the hairstyle needs maximum staying power. For everyday, I would go for my natural sprays.

Guess sometimes oldies should not be overlooked huh?

Where to purchase Aqua Net in Manila:

• In beauty supply stores (hortaleza, Quiapo, name it)
• In dollar stores or stores that sell PX goods for like 89 bucks or something.
• At duty free shops.