My boyfriend has been hunting for a good hair wax for ages. Everything he found in Canada was either too shiny or too stiff, and the one thing he actually wanted, a matte, natural finish that does not clump, kept slipping past him. So when we planned our Korea trip, hair wax and a styling spray went straight onto the must-buy list.
We went back and forth for a while before buying. At first it was Grafen versus Dashu. Dashu seemed to have more reviews, but Grafen has its own loyal following too. In the end we spotted Grafen on sale on the duty-free site and decided to grab their set. I bought it from the Lotte Incheon Airport online duty-free shop, picking up the One Step Matte Wax and the Jeju Sea Water Volume Spray.
What Is Grafen
Grafen is a Korean men’s grooming brand founded in 2011, focused on styling and scalp-care products like waxes and sprays. This One Step Matte Wax was actually co-developed with a Korean YouTuber who has 160k subscribers, and it has a solid local following in Korea.
One Step Matte Wax
Let me start with the wax. The official specs list it as 70g, with a hold of 4 out of 5 and a shine of just 1 out of 5, so it is a high-hold, low-shine matte formula, made in Korea. It is a balm-type texture loaded with 9 proteins and 5 plant-based oils, and it is designed to feel non-greasy on the hands and wash out with a single shampoo.
Duty-free price was around US$12 (about CAD$17 / HKD$94) full price, down to US$8.40 (about CAD$12 / HKD$66) on sale.
In practice, the wax is really easy to work with. You rub it between your palms and once it is on the hair you cannot see a single fleck or clump of product. Just like the label promises, it is genuinely matte and easy to style, forgiving enough that even a beginner will not mess it up.
Jeju Sea Water Volume Spray
We were just as happy with the spray. It is a 210ml bottle with medium hold and the same very low shine. It is a scalp-care focused volume spray made with seawater drawn from 1,000m deep off Jeju at a 10,000ppm concentration, plus 9 vegetable proteins, and it includes scalp-care ingredients like L-menthol and salicylic acid.
Duty-free price was around US$9 (about CAD$13 / HKD$71) full price, down to US$6.30 (about CAD$9 / HKD$49) on sale.
The biggest surprise was the nozzle. Instead of the usual compressed aerosol spray head, it has a pump-action fine-mist sprayer, so it goes on far more evenly. There is no harsh chemical smell either, just a light orange scent.
Using Them Together
Used together, the wax and spray held all day. Even in Hong Kong’s hot, humid weather the style did not fall flat by evening. Back in the drier air of Korea and Canada, it works even better.
Final Thoughts
My boyfriend is genuinely happy with these. He finally found a matte, easy-to-style, natural-looking combo that never goes oily or rock-hard. If you have also been searching for that “looks like nothing is in your hair but it is actually styled” kind of men’s wax, the Grafen pair is worth a look. You can find them on Olive Young.
