I recently sat down with session hairdresser Adam Garland for one of the most honest conversations I've had on this podcast.

Adam has worked backstage at Chanel with Karl Lagerfeld. He assisted Sam McKnight. He had opportunities on Guido Palau's team. And right now he's building a hair education platform from his dad's garage in Somerset.

We talked about a lot. But one part of our conversation that I know you'll want to bookmark is the products. Adam has used a lot of things over a long career, and when I asked what he genuinely rates, he was very specific.

Here's what he uses and why.

Bedhead TIGI Queen for a Day Thickening Spray

Adam called this one the gold standard. His words, not mine.

"If you're gonna start out in session hair and you want to do anything, you can do everything with this."

It's a thickening spray that works wet or dry. You can brush it out, use it for volume, use it for wet looks. Guido Palau uses it. Multiple session stylists Adam knows use it.

If you're building a session kit from scratch, he says this is where you start.

Keune (pronounced "Kona") Get a Grip Texturiser and Sea Foam

Adam discovered Keune more recently and he's a genuine fan. Keune is a family-run business started over 100 years ago by a pharmacist in Holland named Jan Keune, who created the perm solution. Still family-owned today.

He uses two products regularly.

Get a Grip texturiser: a daily texturiser he puts in his own hair. Not too heavy, a little goes a long way, gives grip without feeling like you've loaded the hair.

Sea Foam: this one he was especially enthusiastic about. It's a hybrid between a lightweight mousse and a foam. Very fluid when you pump it out. It gives hold and definition without the crunchy feel of sea salt spray. Adam uses it to define his own curls and twist sections to dry naturally.

"Once it's dry, I just loosen it up. Look at the shine. And that dried naturally, no heat."

Keune is available in Australia.

Sam McKnight Modern Hairspray

Adam worked with Sam McKnight's team for years, so there's personal history here. But he recommends this product on its own merits.

"I could wear all of his products as a fragrance. They're amazing."

The Modern Hairspray is a multitasking spray. You can put it in wet hair and it won't get sticky. You can run your fingers through after and keep working. It adds hold and shine without committing the hair to one place.

Adam describes it as "a universal hair story." Good for finishing, good for building texture, good for editorial work where you need flexibility.

Session Kit Elastics (sessionkit.co.uk)

This one surprised me. Adam went into real detail about elastics and why not all elastics are equal.

Session Kit has done the research. The elastic they sell has the correct tension, the right material, the right pullback. When you wrap it around the hair and pull, it actually squeezes and holds instead of sliding off.

"Not all elastic has the same tension. There's like so much science in elastic."

The pack is around £40 plus shipping. For personal use it'll last a long time. Adam says if you're learning to tie a ponytail (and he has a whole YouTube video on this), you should learn with this elastic so you know what industry-standard tension actually feels like.

Check if they ship to Australia before ordering. [Link: sessionkit.co.uk]

The Archive Research Rabbit Hole

Adam talked about how connecting with Harry King on social media (Harry is 82, worked with everyone in the 60s, 70s, and 80s) has shifted how he approaches hair. Harry did everything with two or three products and did it in minutes.

That sent Adam down an archive research rabbit hole. He mentioned Julian Dece cutting Linda Evangelista's hair in 1988 with Peter Lindbergh as a starting point.

"Just knowing those three names, you could be researching for years."

His advice: go find what you like. Build a visual archive. Know your references. That's how you find your visual identity, and that's what will make you stand out, especially now with AI changing the industry.

Listen to the Full Episode

We went way deeper than products. Adam talked about starting hairdressing at 14, assisting Sam McKnight backstage at Chanel (Kendall Jenner was in the chair), his experience on Guido's team, his recovery journey, the pay debate around working for free in session hair, why goals can be a cage, and what he's building at sessionhair.com.

Honest, direct, and genuinely useful. This one's a listen.

[Link to episode]

Connect with Adam:

Instagram: @adamgarland__
Website: sessionhair.com
YouTube: Adam Garland (first video: how to tie a ponytail elastic)

The Session Hair Products Adam Garland Actually Uses (And the Career Lessons That Come With Them)