Customer Reviews

Axe Whatever Messy Look Paste, 2.64-Ounce Jars (Pack of 3)

5 star:		(24)
4 star:		(25)
3 star:		(16)
2 star:		(8)
1 star:		(7)

 

 

There is usually a trade-off: something with a strong hold will generally be more noticeable and tacky, while if you are looking for something that you won't feel if you run your fingers through your hair, then you are talking about a lighter hold product. Axe Whatever Messy Look Paste definitely falls in the lighter hold / less tacky group. If you are looking for something that will give your hair a little style then this your product. If you are looking to create convoluted works of art with your hair, then you'll be going through a jar of this in no time and probably not all that happy with the results.
Other positives of Axe Whatever Messy Look Paste include a pleasant smell. I only notice it when I put it on...it does not remain an overpowering beacon of fragrance emanating from your head (which begs the question just HOW does it attract that ladies as per the well-known Axe commercials?). And it goes on easily... I rub a little on my fingertips and apply to my towel dried hair and it dissolves readily. Other products leave little lumps and may be hard to distribute, but the Axe stuff does fine.

My husband is a prime candidate for Queer Eye. He cares about his appearance, but he's just completely clueless as to what looks good and how to look good. His hair, in particular, is a point of much frustration for both of us. It is naturally messy. It grows in all directions. Thank goodness for the popularity of the "messy look" style.

Still, you'd think getting a messy look is simple. It's not. My husband's method generally is to put some styling goo on his hands and run it back and forth through his hair briskly, like he was shining his head with it. This is not the best method for a messy look, but it is what he does. The result is often mixed. If the paste is good, he will have a good messy look at the end of this. If it's bad, his hair will turn into needle-sharp spikes sticking straight up in the air.

Axe Whatever resulted in a darn near perfect messy look despite the technique. His hair remained soft and touchable. He commented on it having a relatively pleasant handfeel compared to his previous products. I personally didn't like the scent of it, but the scent fades not long after application, so it doesn't really matter.

Overall, we recommend this product. I think Axe has done a good job of creating a styling product that guys can't go wrong with.

I'm not really all that technical when it comes to my hair but I do enjoy a level of messiness that has somewhat become a piece of my self image so I keep an eye on getting different types of hair products to find a good affordable one to use on a constant basis.

The tests I use are: product feel, feel in hair, product smell, product rash causing, bug appeal, and product hold.

Product Feel:
I actually had no idea of what the consistency was of this product when I first got it delivered. I expected a sort of messy slop like some other products tend to have but it actually looks, feels, and works more like a hair wax. I consider this a pretty nifty thing considering hair wax products tend to be more expensive than their sloppy alternatives.

Feel in Hair:
After diluting a small sample of it with water and mixing it in with my hair I must say it returns my hair to a normal level without much residue. It gets to that point (if you use hair wax you know what I mean) where it feels a bit more smooth but the hair has its normal flow.

Product Smell:
It smells like some sort of weird banana mix. I can't say I dislike it but I also don't find it too appealing. At any rate, it's better than most product smells.

Product Rash Causing:
I have the most sensitive skin around (100% Irish American pastey white skin) and I have issues with some products that interact with skin. Given I goto the gym most days (and I don't shower before) it can cause the product to drip down with sweat and affect me if it has rash causing issues -- it happens a lot with me and gels. This product, on the days I've tried, has not caused any rashes to appear or my skin to get irrated.

Bug Appeal:
Any kid growing up playing baseball knows that the minute you start sweating in a ball cap you attract scores of bugs. The same thing goes for odd smelling hair products -- I used to have issues in high school with gels attracting bugs prior to my wax days.

Product Hold:
This is what I think hurt the product the most... I looked at some of the other reviews and everyone is screaming wild praise for its maximum hold but I really find it sub par compared to a lot of other products out there. I have quite a bit of hair (check out my Amazon image if you want) and it just doesn't do a good job of controlling. It does cause the hair to work just if I have a date or if I'm going out for the night I don't trust the product to do a good job. I use it for work to save on using some of my other products but I can't imagine it becoming a life choice.

I suggest, if you can, to buy a smaller dosage and try it out yourself -- I think it's kind of a waste to buy a 3-pack of something you're not sure if you'll use so just get one, try it out, and if you like it buy the 3-pack.

My hair is very curly so i have kept it short my whole life. I wanted to experiment with growing my hair out so I did that and I use a flat iron to straighten my hair. After straightening my hair i put some of this product into the palm of my hand and rub my hands together to get it spread out all over my hands. Then I pat my hands all over my hair to apply the product all over then I start at the top of my head and and run my hands down my hair going with the flow of my hair. After the product is no longer visible and my hair is smooth I then run a comb through it and you cannot even tell i put anything in my hair and it holds all day. Hair feels soft afterwards even though the product is really sticky when applying. It is not a super hold but it does keep the hair from getting messy during the day.

As other reviews demonstrate, the success would depend on your hair type and what you are trying to achieve. My husband has a very fine hair that gets flat as soon as it gets a bit longer. The paste works great for him.

I think it's best applied in damp (not too wet) hair, otherwise you might easily overdose. Another important point is to use tiny tiny amount that you warm up on your finger tips before applying. If you put too much your hair will quickly look unwashed and greasy.

The advantage over hair gel is that you hair does not get stiff and looks very natural, the disadvantage is that the hold is weaker.

My biggest concern with the product is it's size, and consequently the price. If it works for you, a single jar will probably last you for many months and make the price very reasonable, but even in that case three jars sound like a total overkill. However if you try it and decide that you don't like it you will be totally wasting your money. I would suggest making much smaller samples for people who have not yet tried this product.

This hair paste has the color and consistency of putty, but fortunately it doesn't dry hard. It adds that grimy weight to your hair that people find so intriguing -- the bed-head style -- and nobody needs to know how hard you work to make yourself look unkempt.

On the underside of the lid are the instructions, which were about my favorite part of this product:
FINGER - RUB - SPREAD

1. Use finger-tip amount
2. Rub vigorously between hands
3. Spread thoroughly through damp hair and style

The price is right for this product, and the fragrance is quite light and pleasant. But why are guy products so much cheaper than similar girl products? And why do the guys get the racy directions and we girls just get "apply sparingly to damp hair"?

I've had my hair short for maybe 25% of my life because I like not having to style it and the messy no-styling look is somewhat my style. However with shorter hair, it can look pretty goofy after it dries out. I tried a few products after my most recent hair cut including the purple and orange axe styling gels. Don't remember their names. This is by far the best if you have hair between 1 - 2 1/2 inches. It allows good amounts of hold without the spkiey look you get from stronger holds.

How I use it:

1. Dry my hair after showering til it's still slightly damp to relatively dry. (This gives more of a messy look.)
2. Take a couple finger tips of the paste. (Finger TIPS, not the entire top portion of your finger.)
3. Rub it in to your hair for about 15 - 20 seconds to completely dissolve it. (Doesn't leave clumps like other gels.)
4. I usually then lay my hand on the top of my head and brush my hair side to side til it has a messy look.
5. Depending on your style, you can either push your bangs up, as I do, or leave them down. If pushing your bangs up, it may take another fingertip of paste to keep it held up.

It may feel a bit hard, but after a few hours it softens up. After an hour I usually brush my hand back through my hair and it gives it a nice messy look, with the hold, and without the gel look.

I got this as a sample. I use a similar product (pamade) by American Crew and this product works just as well. It has a pleasant smell as well. The big bonus is that this product costs 1/2 as much. I am a convert now and will be buying this product from now on.

My 17 year old son likes this stuff, but doesn't like the way it feels on his hands.

I think his hair looks great when he uses it. It doesn't look or feel gooey. I don't think this product necessarily offers the staying power to the 'messy look' that other products do, but it's certainly good enough - and most definitely easier to wash out than others.

My son likes all the Axe products he's used.

It's got the look, that sleek, racing car look that might appeal to young guys, and inside the jar is thick gray goop that's about as far from a feminine product as you can imagine. But the scent is mango. Now, I like it, but I'm female. I don't know that the scent is going to appeal to men.

Does it work? Pretty well, yeah, once you actually get the goop out of the jar. It's not just thick, it's THICK, and you have to scrape it out, which I suppose is more manly. But once you've got it in your hands and warm it up, it goes on pretty easily, and it does what it says it'll do. It's not sticky or greasy (as long as you don't put too much on) and it doesn't make your hair crisp like gels or sprays. I used it to tame almost shoulder-length hair, and it gave me a nice, casual look.

Would I recommend it? Meh. It's okay. Not great stuff, not terrible. Like the label says "whatever."