UrbanUpdate

I kind of think of American Crew as the CeraVe of haircare: You can find the brand just about everywhere you look, but that’s because their products are exceptional and affordable. I adore American Crew, and I routinely surprise friends when I tell them so: Your new favorite hair brand has been in front of you all this while. No gimmicks, just great products. I’ve tried every label under god’s golden sun, and through all of those trials, I’m still giddy when an American Crew box shows up on my doorstep. 

So here are 10 of the best American Crew products—some of them as ubiquitous as the brand itself, some less obvious. And while you might notice an absence of their excellent pomade, don’t be fooled: I adore it as much as the next product (and far more than most other shiny high-hold pomades) but I think the 10 products below will be a lot more relevant to you.

American Crew hair fiber

American Crew hair fiber$12

Amazon

If you've got short hair and want a choppy style without any shine, then apply American Crew's fiber. It has the pliability of hair paste, and can be reactivated throughout the day, but mostly, it's the best way to do something about bed head and give short (or thin/fine) hair the volume and life it needs.

American Crew matte texturizing clay

American Crew matte texturizing clay$15

Amazon

This matte clay is the medium-hold stepbrother to the fiber, and is suited for medium styles. While it gives volume and texture to strands, it's less of a choppy effect, and more of a light-catching, dimensional kind of build.

American Crew forming cream

American Crew forming cream (2 pack)$29

Amazon

This one stays with me no matter my hair's length, even if it's targeted at medium-length styles. I use it now in longer locks for a touchable, healthy-shine hold at the roots, as well as to weigh down the ends and prevent frizzing and flyaways. With it, you'll get medium hold, natural shine, and reworkability.

American Crew firm hold hair gel

American Crew firm hold hair gel$22

Amazon

Rare is the hair gel that conditions hair as it locks in your style. This one nourishes with panthenol, and it gives you a high hold with medium shine, but nothing like the helmet-tight finishes of cheap-grade gels. It's great for a Gordon Gecko slicked-back look, but you can also achieve high-volume styles with this one. 

American Crew beard serum

American Crew beard serum$19

Amazon

This serum, while technically not a beard oil, uses an argan oil-based formula to achieve the same end: Softer whiskers with a healthy shine, more control over your facial hair style, hydrated skin beneath, plus no itching nor beard dandruff.

American Crew dry shampoo powder

American Crew dry shampoo powder$12

Amazon

Sprinkle this dry shampoo powder onto your roots to soak up the oils that might otherwise weigh your hair down (and to stop hair from looking greasy). This is a lifesaver for the non-shampoo days, where you want to get a little extra mileage before you have to use a drying wash. 

American Crew flexible finishing spray

American Crew flexible finishing spray$17

Amazon

I was introduced to this finishing spray early in my editorial career, and it was love at first spritz. It's the halfway point between a hair spray and a salt spray in that it texturizes the hair but also delivers medium hold. It gives your hair a beautiful medium-level shine, and you can run a wet hand through your strands midway through the day to reactivate the product. I like using it as a standalone styler, but you could use it as a shimmery setting spray following the matte-finish fiber or clay.

American Crew shaving cream

American Crew "lather" shaving cream$18

Amazon

You can build a barbershop-caliber lather with this stuff, and if you apply it a minute or two before you go to work, and it'll act like a pre-shave to soften strands and ready the skin.

American Crew post-shave lotion

American Crew post-shave lotion$18

Amazon

A dual aftershave and moisturizer, this lotion cools and soothes freshly shorn skin, while simultaneously fortifying the skin's barrier defenses. No moisture lost, no toxins let in, no redness or irritation amassed.

American Crew conditioner

American Crew conditioner$19

Amazon

Everybody needs a conditioner, and every guy should be using one daily (or nearly daily), even on the non-wash days. AC's outstanding conditioner uses panthenol to pump moisture into the strands and give you a cooperative canvas for your hairstyle 

More Great Grooming Recommendations from GQ

The Best Beard Trimmers of 2024

The 10 Best Moisturizers for Every Type of Skin

The Best Men's Deodorant for Every Kind of Stink and Sweat

The Absolute Best Face Washes for Men

Subscribe to GQ for more Recommends content.

Adam Hurly has been covering men's grooming since 2013 (and for GQ since 2016). He is also a travel writer. In Fall 2024, Adam is launching Blue Print by Adam Hurly, a men's grooming platform. Adam resides in Lisbon (previously Berlin, NYC, and San Francisco). He is a Sioux Falls, SD, native... Read moreWriterInstagramRelated Stories for GQHaircareHair