Murdock London, Hair Doh (£14.00, 100ml)

One of the range of hair styling products from
Murdock London.

I have been having my hair cut at the Shoreditch and Spitalfields branches of Murdock for quite a while (until recently by the lovely Vincent Vincent, who is now wielding his scissors back in his native Canada - those reading in Vancouver - please look him up).

They do good hair at Murdock. They also do a good selection of good grooming products, both own brand and by suitably trendy producers (think Jack Black and Sting in the Tail), and both in store and online at www.murdocklondon.com. 

I use the hair doh shaping paste for my barnet. I’ll admit that this was initially because the handy blurb in the store reliably informed me that this was the best choice for styling quiffs. The blurb was right, as it happens.

I’d used a number of different (and yet somehow the same) “supermarket” options in the past, and had always found that my hair (which is (almost) blonde, straight and quite fine) felt heavy, clumpy and a bit lifeless. In particular, I found that with products like V05 reWork I would end up with the majority of the product in my quiff, which would then awkwardly sit atop of my head all day without moving. Not a good look, unless you’re Mark Kermode (pictured below).

 

Mark Kermode - looking fly with his well-styled, if a
little excessively voluminous, quiff.

Now, about hair doh. I find it runs through my hair easily without being particularly sticky. This means that I can rework the hairstyle until it’s how I want it without ripping out hair strands by the follicle. This is particularly important when your hairstyle involves pushing the hair against its natural direction of growth (like in a quiff), and styling your hair might reveal uncomfortable balding spots.

After rubbing a small amount of hair doh between my hands reasonably vigorously, I apply it evenly across my hair. I can then, with my hands (usually) or a comb, shape my hair into the style I want. The hold is good and long-lasting.

One styling tip I was given at Murdock was to spray a little water onto the product when it’s still on your hands, and then apply. The product loosens slightly in the water and so is more malleable.

Thankfully, at the end of the day, this stuff also (a) leaves no (and, quite frankly, gross) old hair-product residue around the hairline, and (b) washes out easily. All in all, a winner.