Prep, build, finish: the three jobs a styling product does
Most styling collections fail the same way. Three finishing products — a hairspray, a shine spray, a dry shampoo — and nothing that went on before the hair dried. Finishing products can only hold or polish a shape that already exists. If the shape was never built, hairspray simply locks in the flat.
Every product in the EIMI range does one of three jobs, and you need at least one from each:
- Prep goes on towel-dried hair before heat. It protects the cuticle from the dryer and the iron, and it decides how much body and grip the finished style will have. This is the step nearly everyone skips.
- Build creates the shape. Mousses, curl creams, gels and texture pastes go in while the hair is still damp or during styling, and they do the structural work.
- Finish goes on dry hair only. Hold sprays, shine sprays and dry shampoo adjust what is already there.
If your shelf is all finish, the correction is one product, not five. Add a prep spray and the blow-dry improves the same day.
The EIMI finish and hold matrix
Hold is described in plain terms, not numbers.
| Product | Job | Finish | Hold | Suits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Perfect Setting | Prep | Natural | Light setting | All types, every blow-dry |
| Thermal Image | Prep | Invisible | None | Hot-tool users |
| Perfect Me | Prep / build | Polished | Very light | Fine to medium, frizz-prone |
| Extra Volume | Build | Matte-ish | Strong | Fine and flat hair |
| Body Crafter | Build | Natural | Light to medium | Fine hair that mousse weighs down |
| Sugar Lift | Build | Luminous | Medium, with grip | Limp hair needing lift and shine |
| Ocean Spritz | Build | Dry, undone | Light | Straight or wavy, medium density |
| Rugged Texture | Build | Matte | Strong definition | Short cuts, thick hair |
| Boost Bounce 72H | Build | Defined, springy | Medium | Curls wanting volume at the root |
| Soft Twirl 72H | Build | Soft, defined | Light to medium | Waves and loose curls |
| Curl Shaper 72H | Build | Defined, nourished | Medium | Tighter, drier curls |
| Fresh Up 72H | Finish / revive | Smoothed | None | Day-two and day-three curls |
| Flowing Form | Build | Smooth | Light control | Frizzy, coarse, thick hair |
| Shape Me | Build | Natural | Memory hold | Styles that must survive the day |
| Pearl Styler | Build | Glossy | Firm, sculpted | Slick backs, edges, wet looks |
| Dry Me | Finish | Matte, dry | Adds grip | Oily roots, second-day hair |
| Glam Mist | Finish | Glossy | None | Dull hair, dark colour, sleek looks |
| Stay Firm | Finish | Dry | Strong | Humid days, structured styles |
Blow-dry prep and heat protection
Perfect Setting is the workhorse of the range and the single product most shelves are missing. It is a blow-dry lotion in spray form with heat protection built in — prep and protection in one step. Mist it through towel-dried hair — six to eight passes for shoulder-length, concentrating on the mids and ends where the brush tension goes — comb through, then dry. It gives the hair enough body for a brush to shape it without leaving a coating.
Thermal Image is the dedicated heat protectant, and its job is narrower: it goes on before flat irons, curling wands and hot brushes. Unlike Perfect Setting, it adds no body of its own, which is exactly why it suits people who want the hair to stay soft and movable. Spray on dry hair, section by section, and let it settle for a few seconds before the iron touches it. Wet product plus a hot plate is how ends get damaged.
Perfect Me sits between prep and finish. It is a light BB lotion that smooths, tames flyaways and adds a soft polish without the weight of a cream. A pea-sized amount through damp mids and ends is enough for fine hair; medium hair can take a hazelnut.
Volume for fine and flat hair
Extra Volume is the strong-hold mousse and the biggest lift in the range. It belongs on damp hair, worked into the roots: an egg-sized amount distributed with the fingers, then dried head-down or with a round brush lifting at the root. On very fine hair, keep it off the ends entirely; you want the lift at the base, not stiffness at the tips.
Body Crafter is the alternative for hair that mousse flattens. It is a spray, so it distributes far more finely, and it builds body without the foam texture some clients dislike. Lift sections and spray directly at the root area on damp hair, then dry.
Sugar Lift is the third option and the most distinctive. The sugar base gives a light grip that holds root lift and adds a luminous finish rather than a matte one — useful on fine hair that also reads as dull. Spray at the roots on damp hair for lift, or on dry hair for a bit of texture with shine.
Texture and grit
Ocean Spritz is the salt spray for undone, beachy texture. It works best on hair that already has some natural movement. Spray on damp hair and air-dry or diffuse for the fullest effect; on dry hair it gives a lighter, gritty finish. Salt is drying by nature — if the hair is bleached or already fragile, use it sparingly and keep it off the ends.
Rugged Texture is the matte paste for short cuts and thick hair. Warm a small amount between the palms until it disappears, then work it through dry hair from the back forward. Paste applied straight from the tub to the front of the head gives one greasy clump and no definition anywhere else.
Curls: the NutriCurls 72H products
The 72H products are named for the multi-day curl definition Wella claims for the line. Choose by curl pattern and by how much volume you want.
- Boost Bounce 72H is the curl-enhancing mousse, and the one to reach for when curls are defined but flat at the root. Apply to soaking-wet hair in sections, scrunch upward, then diffuse or air-dry without touching.
- Soft Twirl 72H is a lighter foam for waves and looser curls that collapse under a cream. It defines and controls frizz without the cast a heavier product leaves.
- Curl Shaper 72H is the defining cream, and it suits tighter and drier curl patterns that need moisture as well as shape. Rake it through wet hair, then scrunch. Creams applied to damp-but-not-wet hair separate the curl clumps and cause frizz.
- Fresh Up 72H is the refresh spray, not a styler. Mist it on day-two or day-three curls, scrunch with damp hands, and the pattern comes back without a full wash.
One structural rule for curls: apply everything to wet hair, in the shower or immediately after, and then leave it alone until it is fully dry. Most curl frizz is handling frizz.
Smoothing, shine and dry shampoo
Flowing Form is the anti-frizz smoothing balm, and it is aimed at coarse and thick hair rather than fine hair. Emulsify a small amount and apply to damp mids and ends before blow-drying for a smooth, controlled result, or use a trace on dry hair to settle frizz afterwards.
Glam Mist is a fine shine spray and a pure finishing product. Hold it a good arm's length away — roughly 30 cm — and mist over the surface of a finished style. Close-range spraying is what makes shine products look greasy. It works especially well over dark colour and sleek blow-dries.
Dry Me absorbs oil at the roots and buys an extra day between washes. Spray in short bursts at the root, wait 30 seconds for it to absorb, then massage it in with the fingertips rather than brushing it straight out.
Hold: gels and finishing spray
Shape Me is a heat-activated memory gel, which means it is applied before drying and the heat sets the shape. Distribute through damp hair, style, and dry. It gives hold that stays flexible, which is what you want for a blow-out that has to last a full day.
Pearl Styler Gel is the firm, glossy one — slick backs, defined edges, wet looks and structured short styles. A little goes very far. Apply to damp hair with a comb for a clean line.
Stay Firm is the strong-hold finishing spray with humidity protection, and it is the right final layer for a Canadian summer or a humid salon. Spray in light passes from 30 cm, let each pass dry, and build. One heavy blast is what creates the helmet.
Build your styling kit
The starter three
One prep, one build, one finish, and nothing redundant: Perfect Setting for prep and heat protection, Shape Me to set the shape, and Stay Firm to hold it. This covers a blow-dry, a straightened look and most everyday styling.
The fine-hair volume kit
Extra Volume at the roots on damp hair, Sugar Lift for lift with shine on the days you want the hair polished, Dry Me for day two, and Stay Firm for humidity. If you are also changing your shampoo, Invigo Volume Boost Bodifying Shampoo is the matching cleanse.
The curly kit
Boost Bounce 72H or Curl Shaper 72H depending on whether you need volume or moisture, Fresh Up 72H for between-wash days, and NutriCurls Micellar Shampoo underneath it. Add Soft Twirl 72H if your pattern is loose enough that creams drag it straight.
Four mistakes worth fixing
- Mousse on dry hair. Mousse needs water to distribute. On dry hair it sits in patches and dries stiff. Damp hair, roots first, every time.
- Too much on fine hair. Fine hair holds a fraction of what medium hair does. Halve your amount, apply from the back of the head forward, and add more only if the front still needs it.
- Hairspray as the only hold product. Hairspray sets the outside of a style. If nothing built the shape underneath, it just makes flat hair crunchy. Pair Stay Firm with a build product.
- Skipping heat protection. A daily flat iron with nothing underneath is a leading cause of mid-length breakage. Thermal Image takes ten seconds.
Questions we get asked
Can I use both Perfect Setting and Thermal Image?
Yes, and it makes sense if you blow-dry and then iron. Perfect Setting on damp hair before the dryer, Thermal Image on dry hair before the iron. If you only ever do one of the two, one product is enough.
Which volume product should I start with?
If your hair is fine and genuinely flat, start with Extra Volume. If mousse has weighed your hair down in the past, start with Body Crafter instead — it is a spray and much easier to underdose deliberately.
What does 72H actually refer to on the NutriCurls products?
It is the wear window Wella claims for the line's curl definition and frizz control, which is why Fresh Up 72H is a refresh step rather than a restyler. Real results depend on your curl pattern, your humidity and how much you touch your hair.
Does dry shampoo replace washing?
No. Dry Me absorbs oil at the root and extends a style; it does not clean the scalp. Used for several consecutive days it builds up. Treat it as one extra day, not a wash replacement.
My waves go frizzy by lunchtime. What am I doing wrong?
Usually two things: applying product to damp rather than soaking hair, and touching the hair while it dries. Apply Soft Twirl 72H to wet hair, scrunch once, and do not disturb it until it is completely dry.