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I’ve recommended Da Wax by Da Dude countless times here at Hero and Villain Style, so it’s about time I wrote a full and proper Da Wax review.
The rest of this article aims to put any questions to rest, and to give my full opinion on the product, specifically how I feel it performs in various categories such as hold, finish, and application.
As a heads up, this article does include affiliate links, where I get a small monetary bonus if you purchase the product through one of the links on this page. In line with this blog’s values, this review is unbiased and full of integrity, and includes everything you should know.
Da Wax Review Overview
Simply, Da Wax is a ‘men’s hair styling wax’ which is said to have a ‘Strong-Hold’ and a ‘Matte-Finish’, and is produced in Sweden by the family run business ‘Da Dude’/’Young Hair’.
I purchased my first tub of Da Wax around three years ago, and haven’t used any other main hair styling product since. In other words, it has been my go to for three years, and something I don’t see replacing anytime soon.
Personally, I was won over by its:
- Hold
- Application
- Finish
- Price
In the rest of this post, I’ll go over these points (and more) individually.
Price
The biggest downfall of this product is the upfront cost, and may put you off if you aren’t used to spending much on one hair product.
As of writing, Da Wax can be found on the Da Dude website for £19.99, Amazon UK for a similar price, or for slightly more on Amazon US (due to Amazon’s Terms and Conditions, I can’t state the exact price, sorry!).
Usually, it’s a little higher than this.
I know a lot of people will be very reluctant to spend £20 ($27) on a hair product – heck, not just very reluctant; it wouldn’t be on their radar at all. Hair raising, you might say:
- However, for this £20, you get 100ML of product, which translates to 5ml/pound spent;
- this isn’t as expensive as you might think – for a standard VO5 Matt Clay, you’re looking at around £7 for 75ML, which works out at 10.7ml/pound spent.
Yes, it’s about double the price, but the idea that you need to apply less Da Wax per application (covered later) could potentially mean that you get through a couple of VO5s before one Da Wax. On top of this, you are paying for a Swedish made product with higher quality and more hair friendly ingredients, which makes the remaining price difference even harder to argue with.
I feel, even if you prefer cheaper products for your specific hair style, it’s worth trying out a more premium product like this at least once, to see what it’s about.
Packaging & Delivery
The main Da Wax product container is a lovely cylindrical genuine wooden tub, with a lid that easily screws on and off.
They encourage you to use the tub for other uses after you’ve finished the product, such as as a plant pot – personally, I haven’t gone this far, but you could easily use it to store miscellaneous items, such as stationary, or even to organise foodstuffs.
All in all, the tub is solid and well made, doesn’t look tacky (in my opinion), and isn’t embarrassing to have it lying about in the bathroom – it’s also got a nice Da Dude embossed logo on the cap.
Your purchase also comes with a small guide that has some general information about the product, and ‘how to apply’ it (shown later).
All of the items are packaged together in a canvas drawstring bag with the Da Dude logo on, which works nicely to keep everything together, and keep with the aesthetic.
Finally, currently, if you purchase through Amazon or their own site, the order is fulfilled by Amazon.
Smell
I don’t generally mind about the smell of my hair products. Da Wax’s smell isn’t nice, but it isn’t nasty – it’s just neutral, and what you might expect a hair product to smell like.
Application
I find application of Da Wax relatively easy.
Unlike some products which might require a huge globule of product, or constant reapplication, I’ve found that the product works best when you apply a small, pea sized amount, and cover your hair follicles correctly and well.
As mentioned earlier, this means that:
- Your product will last you for longer.
- It helps bridge the price gap between products where you require more product to style.
Furthermore, you’re almost forced to apply small amounts, as it can get quite greasy if you add more and more on.
That said, first application can be a tad tacky, and sometimes pulls at your hair. Most of the time though, after the initial run through, I find actually styling the hair to be easy, painless and comfortable.
The product also comes with some groovy application instructions.
Da Wax Hold
By itself, I find Da Wax’s hold to be medium-high, which is interesting considering it’s marketed as a ‘strong hold product’.
Many other people report that it does have the advertised high hold though – perhaps it’s a result of my long, slicked back, side parted hair, which requires a lot of volume. However, the ‘flat’ parts of my hair style are held into place well by the product.
To really make the product work for me, and to achieve that volume, I have to first prepare my hair with a pre styling mouse, and then apply Da Wax, which together give a definite high hold with volume.
With this combo, my hair isn’t completely glued into place, which I prefer, but it isn’t loose enough to fall out of the style that I put it in.
This said, I do feel it loses a slight bit of shape as the day progresses, especially if you’re doing something very active. However, it is far better than every product that I’ve used, and will more than likely get you through a typical day without much re-adjustment needed.
So, all in all:
- By itself, I would not recommend the product for hairstyles with lots of volume. Try combining it with a prestyler.
- For hairstyles with low-medium volume, I feel it will work perfectly fine by itself.
Strangely, I felt the first tub I received in 2018 had higher hold than the ones I’ve ordered subsequently, though I don’t believe they’ve changed the formula.
Finish
Da Wax gives a matt finish, perhaps with a slight hint of shine – there’s not much more that can be said.
However, if you add too much, your hair will become greasy, which can make it slightly shiny.
Washability
Da Wax is a water (aqua) based product, meaning that you can wash it out of your hair with water.
I find that, using water alone, you can get 90% of the product out, which is probably fine for most people.
However, for full 100% cleansing, you will require a shampoo.
All in all, much better than some products I’ve used (mainly oil based), which require many washes to remove – never again.
Da Wax Ingredients
Here is the full ingredients list:
Aqua, Petrolatum, Cera Alba(Beeswax), Copernicia Cerifera(Carnauba), Ceteareth-22, Candilila Cera, Polyglyceryl-3 Polyricinoleate, VP/VA Copolymer, Lanolin, Sorbitol, Octyldodecyl Myristate, Parfum, Phenoxyethanol, Caprylyl Glycol, Laurtrimonium Chloride
The main points to be aware of are:
- Aqua – This product is water based. As mentioned above, this means it is generally easier to wash out.
- Beeswax and Petrolatum – This would explain why it doesn’t fully wash out. Waxes like this can build up over time if not removed by shampoo, though it doesn’t pose much of a problem with DaWax.
- Parfum – I’m not a huge fan of having parfum in my products, but for hair products, I find it’s acceptable. However, I can’t imagine how it would smell without it…
Other Customer’s Da Wax Reviews
I’m not here to hijack anyone else’s review, but the general consensus is that this is a good product.
However, I do find it a bit unnatural that they have got so many specific video reviews from specialist hair YouTubers and content creators.
One of my favourite reviews is from Ben Arthur, who was the person who brought my attention to this product.
Conclusion
Overall, I give Da Wax by Da Dude a solid 4.5/5 from my experience of the product:
- Combined with a prestyler, it works to produce a great matt finish with a high hold for my volumated hairstyle.
- On top of this, it is easy to wash out.
- One tub lasts me a long time.
- Though it’s slightly more expensive than average, the fact that you get a lot of product per purchase, it uses hair friendly ingredients, I don’t mind paying a few extra dollars for a superior product that will last me a while.
- Application is easy.
- It comes in an aesthetic and stylish container.
All of these items considered, there’s not really much more I need in a hair product.
