I’ve got straight hair as well, I’ve tried around a decent amount - Hanz De Fuko Claymation - Poseidon - Got2b - Johnny’s chopshop All of these will be really budget friendly, and they’re really good quality and definitely some of the best out there on a market (Forte series is good, but prices have always mean a little more expensive, just how they are as a brand, the price increase is TAME compared to others) 9 times out of 10, Clays will be anti grease anyway, because they will have one of multiple of things like Kaolin, Silica, Bentonite, Some form of starch, and sometimes stuff like activated charcoal - which will all absorb excess oils, less oils means less grease anyway I’ll add something else too - you mentioned budget clay, so I would stay well away from Based, Blackmask and Simpletics, especially based. There is no way their quality justifies the price, their biggest asset is the PR and Marketing they get from TikTok as creators, and in turn the PR they get, for free, from people in their discord who follow them. Lance does this with based so much: marketing buzzwords, big following, and then an insane price, do not inherently make the product the best on the market and make the price of the product reasonable. Price ≠ Quality

@Căliman Andrei-Lucian Mid tier, quality wise they will absolutely be good, but just not worth the price

1) Potentially a lack of an oil? something to really seal the moisture in as it seems your hair is reluctant to taking it in - it’s more common than you think, so an oil could be good for you + your lightweight leave in 2) Like a lot of pre-stylers, you apply it on damp hair, by that I mean freshly towel dried hair to the point it’s not dripping - also, you’ll struggle to get it into a shape as serums are really low in hold, there is nothing holding it together 3) Show a picture, that’s literally covering 90% of the question, a picture will give a better explanation to the barber than your words ever will, it’s something objective he can look at rather than having to figure out what you mean - Show a picture of the hairstyle you want, and then say something like “I’m growing my hair out to this, I want to keep the length but have some weight taken off”

@Tanishq Agarwal Yes mate! Exactly how you do it!

Because of the length, this is really straight forward to do - Pre Styler: Mousse or Sea salt spray, good for texture sake anyway - whichever one you’re using, get it on your hands and distribute throughout your hair, I say hands because it greatly reduces your risk of spraying it on your scalp, it also just gives you more coverage anyway I’d blow dry upwards, this shouldn’t take too long because of your length, but volume sake I’d 100% blow dry in an upwards direction until your hair is 80% dry - Main styler: I’d personally use something like a clay or paste, it’ll keep it natural looking + matte - I’d use a clay if your hair is fine like mine, if it’s thick then go for a paste. Coin size amount, rub between your hands and fingers, bring all your hair forward and then push it back for full coverage, and then start to find a shape that you’re happy with - Finish: Once you’re happy with the look of your hair and are happy to have it in the position it is, use a light mist of hair spray from 20-30cm away, and spray across your hair as it’ll fall onto the top of your hair to give hold - this is your best way of making it look natural while still keeping your hair windproof If you need brands I can go into more detail on that bro!

This is a brand with a good reputation. Definitely one of the best curl creams, and it’s relatively cheap too. Done really well to get a barber who puts really good brands in your hair!

@Linus Lindberg Definitely mate! You’ll 100% be able to get the majority of it right, you’ll surprise yourself! any minor detailing we can work on later down the line!

@Linus Lindberg Go for it bro!!