Having healthy hair is something most of us aspire to but don’t necessarily know how to achieve. What so many people don’t realize is that healthy hair is often indicative of our overall physical health, and if you can make good overall changes, you’re likely to see the results reflected in your hair as well.

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Clay Matthews could definitely steal my girlfriend and probably yours too, bud. Upon scheduling this interview, my girlfriend did a quick Google search to put a face with the name.

As images of “The Clay Maker” flipped across her iPhone, she said, “Wow. This guy is a complete stud.” The accompanying far away look in her eyes told me all I needed to know; that if given the chance, she would shed me the way Matthews sheds opposing double teams.

Aside from getting the ladies flustered off the field, Matthews has established himself as the best pass rusher in the NFL, thanks to a successful start to his career that rivals any linebacker in NFL history.

In five seasons, Matthews has made the Pro Bowl four times, been selected as an All-Pro twice, been named NFC Defensive Player of the Year in 2010 and won Super Bowl XLV.

I was fortunate to speak with Clay about his career, his lineage and the Campbell’s Chunky “Sacks for Soup” campaign.

Talk about the partnership with Campbell’s Chunky Soup.

For the past year I teamed up with Campbell’s Chunky and created the “Sacks for Soup” campaign. For every sack that I was able to get last year, Campbell’s Chunky donated 2,000 cans of soup; 1,000 to a local Green Bay food bank and another 1,000 to the opposing team’s city. To date, we’ve donated over 40,000 cans of Chunky soup. For every sack, they also donated $1,000, so we were able to get around up to $20,000 for my foundation (CM3 Charitable Fund), so it’s been a fantastic campaign; one that not only provides for myself, but gives back in the process of doing so.

What’s your favorite kind?

My favorite kind thanks to the Green Bay weather and obviously a play on the Packers is the Hearty Cheeseburger. They’re all fantastic, so it’s hard to choose, but just like on the commercial, I like the Clam Chowder and the Spicy Quesadilla as well. They’re all really good, so I have to say all three.

I thought they’d make you a special kind called “Bear Chunks” for the way you’ve annihilated Chicago Bears quarterbacks in your career.

I’m willing to try! I don’t know if it would be a big seller, but I’d be all for it.

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TAR is a texturizing hair product with a medium hold from New York Streets. And being from the streets of NY, it comes with a neck tattoo and a knife. I’m just kidding, those are sold separately. If you do rock a neck tattoo and a knife, “Go Ahead – Be Free,” which is what New York Streets is all about.

The first thing I noticed was the color of the product. The steel gray color reminded me of paint. And for the canvas of your head, isn’t your hair essentially paint, anyway?

Hair is ultimately a reflection of the person who owns it, and how you style your hair says a lot about your personal brand and how you interact with the world.

Mohawk? Hey, we love The Misfits just as much as the next guy. Tortured artist in an uncaring world? We celebrate Van Gogh’s entire catalog, from “The Starry Night,” to “Cafe Terrace at Night,” to “Self-Portrait with Straw Hat.” Edgy, unloved hipster coffee barista? We feel your pain. Now, where’s the bruschetta I ordered to go with my triple soy grande latte? I’ve got a big conference call and need it ASAP.

I really liked the texture of TAR. It wasn’t gloppy and stiff and you didn’t need to work it in your finger tips before application. Wait a minute, did somebody say “Work It”? Cue the Missy Elliot.

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“I am not a smart man, Jenn-ay, but I know what love is.”

I am not a bald man, but I know an effective head-shaving razor when I see one.

The All-Terrain Razor from HeadBlade is truly awesome, and not because it looks like a miniature ATV, complete with HeadBlade logo hood ornament.

It looks gimmicky at first, but the minute you insert your fingers and take it for a ride, you notice it was built for maximum efficiency and ease of use. Once you use it, you wonder why no one had ever thought of this before.

With your fingers in place, you gently pull the All-Terrain Razor (ATX) over the area you want to shave, leading with the wheels with the blade pulling behind. The ATX has a suspension system that adjusts to the pressure you apply and to the curvature of the area you’re shaving.

It may seem strange to be a 30-plus-year-old man shaving with a toy car, but you get over that feeling pretty quickly thanks to the effectiveness.

Even though the ATX is something you can use for hair on any part of your body, I felt that its true purpose was to shave the head of a man who maintains the “cue ball” look. So I enlisted the help of my neighbor Brian, a former marine who keeps his head smooth at all times.

When I handed him the ATX, he looked at me curiously. He flipped it around in his hand and said, “What am I supposed to do with this?” I explained the concept and showed him this video:

Two days later, Brian said it was the easiest head shave of his life. He only had to go over areas one time and he didn’t have to go slow to avoid cutting himself.

The wheels on the front of the ATX really take all the work out of it for you in terms of lining up the next area you want to shave, and makes it easier to avoid missing patches of hair. They also guide the blade over uneven areas, where a normal straight razor could potentially knick or scratch the area.

HeadSlick shave cream was the perfect complement to the ATX. For a shave cream with water as the most prominent ingredient, it exceeded my expectations for not only a smooth shave, but for how well it moisturized my skin. It had the consistency of a pre- or post-shave balm and functioned like a cooling strip on a razor.

The HeadBlade ATX is as effective as it is innovative. There is truly no other product like it on the market.

Check out HeadBlade at www.headblade.com

Did you know that pomade was developed in the 19^th century and was originally made of bear fat? Into the 20^th century, the most common ingredients featured lard, beeswax and petroleum jelly.

Pomade in its original form was as natural as any hair product in history. But as styles changed, so did the demands expected of pomade, which caused heavier, less natural incarnations to be developed.  

Royal Crown Hair Dressing and Murray’s Pomade are examples of pomade born out of this development and period in history. The effect of those products was the slick, greased back look popular in the 1950s and was heavily dependent on petroleum jelly, its main ingredient.

The word pomade is from the French word “pommade,” which means “ointment,” and derived from the Latin word “pomum,” which meant “apple.” The original recipe for pomade featured apples, which explains the consistency and feel that men have come to expect over time, though it has also become less organic.

The pomade from HUE is a return to the original style of pomade, because it has a natural feel and consistency.

In terms of texture, it felt more like cocoa butter than any regular pomade. This isn’t the kind of pomade with super-sticking holding power that will last for a week after one application. There is no silicone or petroleum in this product, which means it isn’t as stringent or hard as what we have come to expect from pomade.

The scent is also a return to form. While there isn’t much of a scent, what can be detected has a fruity, almost citrus smell.

When first applying HUE, I used only a dab, which is what I would use with a standard pomade. As a result, the holding power was limited. So when I applied more the next day, I doubled the amount and it gave me the hold I was looking for.

By the end of the day, my hair wasn’t  frozen in the same position it was roughly nine hours earlier. I could run my fingers through it at any point and it felt light and free.  

Since HUE is so light and malleable, it can be used by men with any type of hair (coarse, thin, thick, etc.) regardless of their ethnicity. With products, and in particular pomade, that are naturally derived, free of silicon and free of petroleum. Hue offers hair care options “for every man.”

Check out the pomade and full line of products from HUE at www.hueforeveryman.com