The greasiest product for your hairstyle. Pomade. This product has been used by ardent aficionados for centuries. That's not how I remember my grandfather otherwise. His gray hair tightly combed back and draped over his skull like a helmet.
He washed his hair - if I remember correctly - once every 2/3 weeks. Those were different times. Oil-based (petroleum) pomade still has a large fan base because it has so many advantages. Washing this type of pomade out of your hair is a bit of a chore.
Tip: If you're not completely at home in the world of pomades, read our article " The differences between Pomade, Clay, Paste, Wax, Gel and more!".
What is oil-based pomade?
In the 19th century, pomade was produced from bear fat and lard (pig fat). In the early 1900s, ingredients such as beeswax and petroleum came into focus among pomade re-mixers.
Now a good pomade also consists, for example, of petroleum jelly, beeswax or lanolin, for example. To this a diversity of other natural (fragrance) components are added.
Tip: A good pomade can also provide your hair with proper nutrition and vitamins.
What are the benefits of oil-based pomade?
Oil-based pomade has a huge fan base worldwide for a reason. That's because of its magical ability to style your hairstyle all day long. That's a little different with gel. The advantage of the relatively wet oil-based pomade is that it does not harden either. While the hold of this type of pomade is particularly high.
Your hairstyle is also not vulnerable if you have to go through the rain, for example. The rain water will not get this hair styling product out of your hairstyle. So when you stumble back inside like a drowned cat, it is simple to dry up and: sculpt the hairstyle again.
What are the disadvantages of oil-based pomade?
There are some drawbacks to petroleum-based pomade. You can only wash this stuff out of your hair with a good shampoo. And preferably with warm water. Not too hot because that is bad for the health of your hair and skin.
When you use an ordinary shampoo, you also wash away the body's own oils. This will give you dry hair and can also damage it. So the quality of your shampoo is very important.
Also, the various oils in a pomade can make your skin prone to pimples. In that case, stop immediately or experiment with another natural type of pomade.
Good to know: A pomade is not really suitable for thin hair. Then styling powder, for example, is a better alternative. You can read all about it in' How to style thinning hair'.
How do I wash pomade out of my hair?
You only wash pomade out of your hair with a good quality shampoo. Preferably wash 2x consecutively with a little shampoo. That has much more effect than massaging a whole dot of soap into your hair once. Of course, there are special shampoos to remove this product from your hair.
Uppercut Deluxe Degreaser Shampoo
Pomade Shampoo
Fortunately, there are excellent shampoos on the market for men who purely apply oil pomade in their hair. These are then products with ingredients on board that have the function of carefully breaking down the fats.
Types that in addition to getting rid of the pomade, simultaneously moisturize and nourish your hair with vitamins so it doesn't get damaged or brittle. We recommend brands like Uppercut Deluxe and Schmiere for this type of shampoo.
Shampoo for oily hair
In addition to a pomade shampoo, you can also use shampoos, for example, specifically intended for oily hair. These hair cleansing products from Baxter of California and others, for example, have added ingredients such as apple cider vinegar, menthol and ginseng that allow you to remove the bulk of grease.
In addition, the natural shine of your hair is restored. Also, this type of shampoo cleanses the scalp without necessarily drying it out.
Tip: Rub your shampoo into your hair even before you shower. Then it is not yet mixed with water and the soap has more grip to effectively wash the pomade out of your hair.
Clarifying Shampoo
A clarifying shampoo is a product with deep cleansing effectiveness. These high quality shampoos are specially designed to comfortably remove various types of tough hair styling residue from the hair. They are slightly harder than the shampoo for oily hair so don't use these too often.
So any stuck on gel, wax or the pomade is fine to remove with these without harming the hair or skin. This is partly due to the presence of natural ingredients such as peppermint oil, shea butter, apple cider vinegar and soothing aloe vera.
A good quality clarifying shampoo from Forte Series, for example, contains no parabens, sulfates or other chemicals.
Scrub Shampoo
Another solid alternative to washing pomade out of your hairstyle is a scrub shampoo. These are actually the boosters among shampoos to effectively eliminate heavier and oily pomades. With a good scrub shampoo, you will also properly cleanse your scalp.
By using a quality scrub shampoo, you rid the hair and scalp of pollutants, chlorine, excess sebum and other nasty residues from the hair and scalp. For example, Reuzel' s scrub shampoo has natural ingredients like rosemary, dandelion, nettle and witch hazel on board.
After a session with this product, your hair and scalp feel fresh, grease-free and healthy again but the same goes for scrub: don't use too often. Once a week is sufficient.
Hair care after Pomade removal
After you have washed the pomade out of your hair with one of the above products, we recommend that you give your hair the proper aftercare by using a fine conditioner or a good hair oil.
Conditioner
After cleaning your hair, use a good conditioner. Purely to give your hair that extra vitamin shot. Preferably a rich/creamy conditioner so you can nourish and moisturize the hair down to the cuticles and roots.
Purely to prevent dry and damaged hair. Then again, should you choose to massage in a pomade make sure you choose only the natural and artisanal versions.
Hair oil
If there is one product that softens, nourishes and gives your hair a healthy shine, it is hair oil. Of course the natural versions such as Castor Oil or the rare argan oil, for example. Actually, there are no better natural products to optimally care for damaged/dry hair and the irritated underlying skin.
In case you have never used such a good hair & skin supporting oil for the hair we really recommend you to give this a try. For example, massage it into your hair before you go to sleep. When you wake up your hairstyle will feel very resilient, supple and healthy!
To conclude
Before we forget: never use a detergent to remove oil-based pomade or other hair care products. This will cause the scales to open wide and you will lose all your natural nutrition that protects your hair at once.
Hopefully we've helped you by a: using the best pomades and b: removing these products with the right shampoos. Then you'll always be fine!
Oh yeah, last tip? Check out our article on "6 cool homebrewed pomades" and read what differences there are. Then, if you want to massage the best pomade into your hairstyle, you can't ignore these brands.
Good luck.
Your friends, The Alpha Men.