Medium hold that stays workable all day. Natural shine that reads as healthy hair rather than product. A soft, formable texture that sculpts, separates, or slicks back depending on how you work it — and can be reshaped midday without reapplying. REF Stockholm Shaper Wax N°424 is the wax for styles that need to evolve through the day, built around a nourishing botanical blend of Japanese Wax Tree fruit, Jojoba Oil, and Castor Oil that conditions as it styles. A Swedish-formulated cult favourite now available at Zennkai.

About REF Stockholm REF Stockholm is a Swedish professional hair care brand with over 25 years of salon heritage, built on the philosophy that effective hair care should be for every hair and for everyone. All REF formulas are vegan, and the brand is known for pairing Scandinavian minimalism with genuinely high-performance ingredients. Shaper Wax N°424 is part of their professional styling range — a line trusted by stylists in Scandinavia and now widely available internationally.

Shaper Wax N°424 uses a multi-wax base system that delivers the formula's hold, texture, and finish through a blend of four complementary waxes rather than a single-wax approach.

Rhus Succedanea Fruit Cera (Japanese Wax Tree Fruit Wax) is the hero styling wax — a natural wax extracted from the berries of the Japanese Wax Tree (also known as the Japanese Tallow Tree), cultivated in East Asia. Japanese Wax Tree wax has a notably high melting point and an exceptionally smooth, dense texture that provides the medium hold and light natural shine characteristic of Shaper Wax N°424. It's softer and more workable than harder waxes like beeswax or carnauba, which is the property that makes it remouldable through the day without leaving residue or build-up on re-working.

Copernicia Cerifera Cera (Carnauba Wax) provides structural hold support — a hard, high-melting-point wax that adds body and firmness to the formula's hold profile. At the concentration used here, it reinforces the shape-memory of the style without making the wax stiff or difficult to spread. Euphorbia Cerifera Wax (Candelilla Wax) provides a vegan wax emollient that contributes to the formula's cohesion and the natural gloss of the finished result. Ozokerite is a naturally occurring mineral wax that adds texture and body to the overall wax base, contributing to the formula's pliable, non-greasy feel.

VP/VA Copolymer and PVP form the formula's hold polymer system — the same class of flexible vinyl polymers used in professional finishing sprays, here providing the shape-memory hold that keeps the styled result in place without the wax base alone. The polymer system is what gives Shaper Wax N°424 its staying power beyond what a pure wax formula could provide.

Simmondsia Chinensis (Jojoba) Seed Oil closely mimics the hair's natural sebum and absorbs without residue — conditioning the hair shaft while the wax system styles, adding elasticity and preventing the dryness that oil-free wax formulas can cause. Ricinus Communis (Castor Oil) — referenced in REF Stockholm's own ingredient highlights — provides richness, shine enhancement, and a conditioning film on the hair surface. Helianthus Annuus (Sunflower) Seed Oil and Helianthus Annuus Seed Extract provide additional lightweight emollient and antioxidant conditioning. Chenopodium Quinoa Seed Extract delivers protein and amino acid reinforcement at the hair surface. Tocopherol (Vitamin E) and Pentaerythrityl Tetra-di-t-butyl Hydroxyhydrocinnamate provide antioxidant protection.

Isopropyl Myristate and Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride are lightweight ester emollients that ensure the formula spreads evenly through the hair without the heaviness that straight wax products can leave. PEG-40 Hydrogenated Castor Oil acts as an emulsifier, helping the water-based components of the formula integrate with the wax phase for a smooth, even texture. Propylene Glycol, Propanediol, and Butylene Glycol provide humectant moisture balance.

Metro Vancouver note: Coastal humidity can cause wax-based products to soften through the day, reducing hold. The VP/VA Copolymer and PVP polymer system in Shaper Wax N°424 provides humidity-resistant hold support that maintains the style shape beyond what the wax base alone would deliver in damp conditions — particularly relevant for short styles worn through Metro Vancouver's maritime climate.

Who It's For Short to medium-length hair seeking flexible, medium hold with a natural shine finish. Works on straight, wavy, and fine to medium density hair. The formable, reworkable texture makes it suitable for styles that need to be adjusted through the day — defined crops, textured fringes, slicked styles, and casual short looks. Apply to damp or dry hair depending on desired result — damp for softer definition, dry for stronger texture and separation.

Key Ingredients

• Rhus Succedanea Fruit Cera (Japanese Wax Tree Fruit Wax) — Hero styling wax from Japanese Wax Tree berries; smooth, dense texture with high workability; provides the formula's medium hold and light natural shine
• Copernicia Cerifera Cera (Carnauba Wax) — Hard natural wax; provides structural hold support and shape memory
• VP/VA Copolymer & PVP — Flexible hold polymers; provide humidity-resistant shape retention beyond the wax base alone
• Simmondsia Chinensis (Jojoba) Seed Oil — Sebum-mimicking emollient; conditions the hair shaft during styling without residue
• Ricinus Communis (Castor Oil) — Rich conditioning oil; adds shine and a protective film on the hair surface
• Chenopodium Quinoa Seed Extract — Protein and amino acid support at the hair surface
• Tocopherol (Vitamin E) — Antioxidant protection

How to Use Apply a small amount to towel-dried or dry hair. Warm between palms and distribute through lengths or work through specific sections with fingertips. Style as desired. Rework and reshape throughout the day as needed.

For stronger texture: apply to dry hair, work through fingertips for definition and separation. For softer definition: apply to damp hair before styling for a more controlled, less textured result.