The type of product you use in your hair can make, or break, the style. By choosing the right product, you can re-create that salon-style any time after you leave your hairstylist. How do you choose from the endless list of enticing products that line the hair care shelves? Let’s take a look at a few products to give you an idea of what is out there.

Here are a few of the most common products:

Pomades: Use pomades for a sleek look with short and textured styles.

Waxes: Try waxes for short styles. This product also adds shine and control.

Creams: These are good for flyaway and frizz control. They are also good for those with a more conservative hairstyle.

Muds/Fibers: If you have a longer or dishevelled style, try a fiber or mud.

Gels: Gels are great for those wet-look styles, and those that need a strong hold.

Hairspray: Hairspray helps with volume and creates a variety of control. There are many types of “hold,” from soft to extra-strong.

Mousse: This product is great to get volume plus hold throughout the whole style. Some mousse comes as foam; other types can be more of a liquid or cream. To get the best results, try using mousse on freshly towel-dried hair and follow that with some blow-drying.

Root Boost: You can find this product in a spray or foam. It boosts volume right at the very root of the hair. It is another product that works best on towel-dried hair. Make sure you spray or apply the boost to the root and blow dry to finish the look.

We can’t forget about other products we use quite often. Shampoos and conditioners also have their different types and purposes. There are normal, oily, moisturizing, clarifying and volumizing shampoos. You can also get a shampoo specifically designed to help with dandruff (only use this shampoo if you have dandruff.) The variety of conditioners has a similar list. There are leave-in conditioners, moisturizing and volumizing conditioners. If you are using the wrong type of shampoo and conditioner for your hair, you won’t get the results you desire.

Normal hair shampoo won’t strip your hair of natural oils and is pretty gentle. It works for many people. Oily hair shampoo is made up of special cleansers that remove extra oils in your hair. It can dry your scalp if you don’t need it. For those who have a dry scalp or hair, try moisturizing shampoo. It is created to add moisture to both your scalp and hair. Guess what volumizing shampoos do? That’s right, they add volume to your hair by thickening the hair with glycerine to add body. To remove any build-up of soap, try a clarifying shampoo.

Always use conditioner. Leave-in conditioners work similar to skin cream. They nourish the hair and make it more manageable. Similar to the same type of shampoo, volumizing conditioners help damaged hair by putting a layer of protein on the hair. Those with dry, coarse or curly hair should try moisturizing shampoo. Like the shampoo of its name, this type of shampoo helps to retain moisture.

As you can see, the products you use each have a special use. When used correctly, you can have the fresh-from-the-salon hair you’ve always wanted.