Pomades: Hold, Weight & Shine

When it comes to pomade, all people want to know is how strong the hold is. Folks, we're here to tell you to forget everything you thought you knew about pomade.

Prepare to have you mind...BLOWN!

Because "hold" doesn't mean jack, not by itself. Pomade, and hair product in general can give you so much more, if you know what you're looking at.

We know, George, but just trust us. We'll steer you in the right direction.

HOLD

You have to admit, Draco Malfoy did have GREAT hair

So let's talk about hold. Hold, to us, means ability to stay put, through the stick and/or firmness of the product, but that hold doesn't operate in a vacuum.

Hold will vary through wet/dry application, use of pre-styling with a blowdryer, as well as your hair type and style. It's all in the technique.

Did you know that in water-based pomades, applying to damp hair will cut out 2/3 of the hold of the product? Think about it - water based, add water, watered down, less hold.

Dry it out with a blow dryer and style it into place before applying product, and even lighter holds will last all day long.

WEIGHT

If there's one thing that Dr. Evil knows all about, it's hair styling products

Weight, on the other hand, refers to the heaviness of the product. If you want a big tall pompadour or just have finer hair, hold is great, but if you choose a heavy hold, heavy weight product, your hair is not going to operate as intended.

Heavier weight is wonderful for compacting in thick, dense hair, giving you the look and feel you want without needing a ton of hold. Your hair is the hold.

Lighter weight lets you build volume, and combined with lighter hold can give you some wonderful combed in movement in your hair. It's should be fully coated root to tip, but it's not always supposed to be shellacked.

SHINE

When Ned Stark is right, he's right

The last major consideration in hair products is shine. Pomade, by its nature, has a sheen to it, but they certainly don't all have a high shine finish. Shine also does not operate in a vacuum. The more emollient ingredients (softening oils and butters) that add shine to a product also decrease the hold

Matte products help build volume and make hair behave like thicker hair, but more shine smoothes texture and reduces the volume in the hair.

There's a whole world of hair styling products out there, and it can get confusing, especially if you're coming from the world of simple gels and pastes. While they may seem intimidating, pomades can help to give you a super-sharp, stylized look with ease.

And we do, good sir. We certainly do.