Back in my early teens, I realized I needed something to tame my Jew-fro (I’m a member of the tribe, but you actually don’t have to be Jewish to have one). The answer came in the form of Murray’s Pomade. Murray’s cost $2.99 and came in an orange tin. Still does today.

Over the years, I strayed from Murray’s. Why? I suppose I wanted something that would do the job without having to be melted in hot water, a product that didn’t force me to shampoo my hair 15 times to remove its oily residue. Through extensive research — both on my own head and on my clients’ — I’ve found more than enough stuff to satisfy the male product whores out there. (Yes, ladies, plenty of guys have more products in their medicine cabinets than you do.) Men’s hair products can be oil- or water-based, matte or shiny, cream, gel, or spray. The best way to figure out which ones will work and which ones are a waste is to decide which male celeb you’d like to impersonate. Go from there.

One word of advice: Guys, don’t be cheap. Better products work better (except Murray’s), so buck up for the sake of the hair.

One more word, just to save you the trouble: Don’t even bother with hairspray, unless you want to look less leading man and more pageant queen.

—by Carlos Rogers, “Well Groomed� columnist and owner of Hush Salon Philadelphia, 45 North 3rd Street, 2nd, 215-923-5010. Follow Carlos on Twitter @HushSalon.