Why I Love Aqua Net / aquanet hairspray

I know, I know. I know what you're saying. You're probably yelling it out loud to your computer screen as you read this. "What??!!! Horror of horrors, she loves Aqua Net???" I can't help it. I love Aqua Net. I really do. Here's why: It's the toughest stuff out there. Plus, when it comes to price, Aqua Net is pennies on the dollar compared to hairsprays from the "better" brands.

An Old Friend
I have been using Aqua Net since the 80's. (Yes, I am THAT old. Ugghh.) Back then, my hair was long, with more layers than a Joan Jett shag. I washed it every night and rolled it up with hot rollers every morning. When I took the rollers out I would fluff my hair up with my fingers until it was GIGANTIC -- I had to have a huge head of hair to balance out those 80's shoulder pads, right? Then came the spraying. My Aqua Net can and I would gas up the whole bathroom. My husband would suck in a quick, big breath of fresh air and dart out of the room when he heard that hissing sound begin. Thanks to Aqua Net and the hot rollers, my hair was huge and stiff and kept its "style" all day long. It looked exactly the same at the end of the day as it had when it started out.

Today
As decades have come and gone and hairstyles have became sleeker and smaller, I do not rely on my beloved Aqua Net quite as much as I did in the past. But most days I still like to add a spritz or two to hold my hairstyle in place. I have long layers, and the shorter ones toward the front fall in my face when I wear my hair in a ponytail. But if i slick them back and spray a little Aqua Net, they're out of my face for the entire day. Whether I'm working out or running errands, my ponytail stays sleek and flyaway-free. If you have bangs and want to go bang-less for the day, you could use Aqua Net to keep them off of your forehead and have a whole new look. They won't budge, I promise.

Gymnastics Equipment
I also use Aqua Net from time to time on my daughter's hair. She is a competitive power tumbler and is required to have her hair in a bun for competition. Her hair is long and thick, which doesn't help me, the bun-challenged, at all. I have to make her bun tumbling-proof because the judges will deduct points if her hair comes undone while she's competing. Can a bun really survive six consecutive back-handsprings? How about an entire trampoline routine? It is a pretty scary prospect to think that a bun I have created has to hold up to all that. And to think that my hairstyling ineptitude can have a negative impact on her tumbling scores! However, I fear not, as my beloved Aqua Net (plus a ton of hairpins and rubber bands) is here to save me. I moisten her hair with a few sprays of water, then give it a few good squirts of Aqua Net. Just like my ponytails, the slicked-back part stays smooth and sleek, with no little hairs popping up. I also spray Aqua Net on the bun. I use it before I braid her hair into sections, then again all over after I have twined the sections into a bun. I don't know how Aqua Net holds so well, but it does. I've never found anything that beats it.

Are All Aqua Nets Created Equally?
Aqua Net comes in several different strengths and formulas. I always use "All Day All Over Hold." It is pictured here in this article. It comes either in unscented (purple can with a white nameplate) or "Fresh Scent" (white can with a hot pink nameplate). The price is right -- it's currently less than $3 at my local Walmart. At this point in my life, and now that we are a decade into the 21st century, I probably should have graduated up to a "better" hairspray. Something more sophisticated, something tied to a famous hairstylist, or at least something with a classier-sounding name. But I have yet to find a better hairspray than Aqua Net. I ♥ Aqua Net. It's my old friend.