AMERICAN CREWPrep & Prime Tonic, 8.4 Fl Oz

American Crew has been one of my go-to brands for hair products for most of my adult life. They're a reliable alternative expensive salon products, providing a 'premium' hair care product at a more modest price point. Worth the few extra dollars you pay over mass market brands. I've used everything from their pomade to boost powder to shampoos, but this was my first time trying their tonic.Now "hair tonic" is one of those things that I've come to associate with fancy European hotels and barbershops for rich, old men. I'm still not sure if all hair tonics are made to do the same thing, but this particular product has worked out perfectly for me. True to the marketing copy it makes my hair more manageable, with a light hold. In practice that means it keeps my hair from sticking up in back when it's short. I run a little bit of this stuff through my hair before I work in the pomade and it gives me a more consistent result - less frizz, less sticking up, and a little more weight and thickness to the hair overall.Short story: good quality product at a fair price. Works as advertised.

I use it to protect my hair before blow-drying, and it makes shaping and styling my hair quicker and easier. I blow dry my hair using high heat, so I spray it on before to help protect my hair. Then I spray my hair again after blow-drying and shape it before applying pomade. I use a low shine pomade, so this pairs well with it. I also use it by itself on my off days from work. It's a light hold, but it's enough to keep my hair in place. Plus, I can restyle my hair easily because it's not sticky or hard. My hair is on the dryer side and the light shine makes my hair look hydrated. It's how my hair used to look before it dried out. I also love the scent. It's a clean, fresh smell. It reminds me of a barber shop that I use to go to. I wouldn't be surprised if this is what they were using. It's a good product.

This prep and prime tonic does a good job in helping me to style my hair. It has a nice scent to it and just allows my comb to glide through my hair.

This does a great job not only protecting my hair from heat but keeping it tamed and manageable. It keeps the frizz down and helps keep everything in place especially stray hairs.

I've been cutting my husband's hair since the lockdown days and this is a nice addition to my hair styling arsenal that I have been building haha. I like to keep his hair damp while I'm snipping away on top because it helps me be more precise and also keeps fluffy flyaway hairs from flying into his eyes and mouth. This lets it fall in clumps that don't cling ... and once we're done, I have serious street cred because his hair is toned and manageable and minty fresh, I don't know if he uses it himself when he gets out of the shower, but I like that I can spritz a little magic into his haircuts !

I actually needed a haircut. I used American Crew Prep & Prime Tonic prior to arriving at the salon. I found the scent to invigorating. While styling, I noticed that my twangers (out of place hairs) fell in line. Nice because those are really bothersome to look at. My stylist liked how manageable the tonic made my prior. She said it fine to use everyday, especially if I was going to blow-dry my hair. In closing, if you need some hair prep, this American Crew is for you. Intentional rhyme.

I don't want to say this is a bad product, but it's just not for me. I don't like the smell (minty medicinal) and my hair didn't feel smoother, more slip, light hold or anything it promises. My hair felt tangled and dull. Maybe little hold. The ingredients are not listed on the bottle, though they are on the product page. I'll stick to my salon products.

This is a light tonic. I don't get my hair cut super often but I do use this kind of as a detangle/light product after washing to condition a bit. I like the fresh smell and I can definitely feel it working to push down my flyaways and baby hairs although it also does weigh my roots down a tiny bit if I use enough to tame my hair - I think it's fine though! Didn't blow me away or anything but I'll try it when getting my hair cut and see if i notice anything dramatic.