Getty/Pascal Le Segretain
It's straightforward: when your hair is a certain length, there's really nothing else that can be done except letting it do its own thing. It has a natural movement and body to it that can't and won't be controlled by waxes and pomades.
Styling cream is a different beast altogether. Instead of a waxy solid, styling cream is more of a thick liquid.
"[Styling cream] replicates the natural oils that your body produces so it gives you that 'three-day' dirty look right out of the shower," Riki Bryan, head of marketing for NYC and SF-based barber chain Fellow Barber, told Business Insider.
Styling cream will leave your hair manageable without drying it out or making it crusty. It leaves the natural movement that you want as a guy rocking longer hair, so you can still run your hands through it during the day.
In short, it offers a light shine with a light hold, and it takes care of the frizz and unruliness in your hair while offering it a bit more body.
Men's-focused creams like the Fellow Barber's Styling Cream and Malin + Goetz's sage styling cream are excellent choices. For a cheap alternative, even Axe makes a decent version.