Pomade is an age-old styling product that can no longer be missing from your bathroom. It is known as a loyal friend for the man who wants to style his hair well. For the man who doesn't want to look up at a mirror every hour to check his cut. For the man who can sit carefree with his hair blowing in the wind. But to be that man, you have to find the right pomade for your hair. So the question is: Do I go for a water-based pomade? Or for an oil-based pomade?
What is pomade?
To begin with, of course, you need to know what a pomade does in the first place. Pomade is a hair styling product with a greasy- or wax-like consistency that you use to style your hairstyle. Pomade, for example, provides shine, grease, texture and hold. Pomades are very popular worldwide with men who go for the classic look. Especially for hairstyles that use a comb, pomades are a good choice. This is because it allows you to comfortably lubricate the pomade through your hair and at the same time give it a tight style. Well known examples are the classic pompadour, slick back, quiff or side part.
What is water-based pomade?
A water-based pomade has (as you might guess) water as its main ingredient. This makes your hair less greasy and easy to wash out. With a water-based pomade, you can go for different looks. So creating a high hold, medium hold or low hold is no problem at all. You also have that same choice in shine. A water-based pomade does not feel greasy and it is easy to apply in your hair. One feature of this pomade, however, is that it dries quickly and hard and is therefore not easy to restyle.
What is oil-based pomade?
The classic among pomades. The main ingredient is beeswax, kerosene or petroleum. When you apply oil-based pomade to your hair, it can stay in shape for days. It is also easy to restyle because the pomade stays soft. Just run your fingers through your hair and you can continue your day with a good cut. Many oil-based pomades give your hair a high shine, which you can easily turn into a classic wet look.
Usability
Although the differences between the two pomades may not always seem to be the same, this is one point on which they score very differently. The water-based pomade is easier to apply. It sticks less and follows your fingers through your hair more easily. The texture is a bit like gel, nice and smooth. As smooth as it looks, it will also feel that way in your hair upon application. You won't feel much resistance. So you will be able to style your own hair without difficulty.
The oil-based pomades, on the other hand, are going to make things a little more difficult for you. Your hands will need a little more experience to properly style your hair. You will have to work with a more stiff, wax-like consistency that therefore offers more resistance. You will also need to warm your hands a little longer to make it a little less stiff.
It just depends on what look you want to go for. But fair is fair, the water base is a lot easier to apply. With that, the first point of this battle is scored.
Current score = 1-0 for the water-based pomade.
Hold
It is not the case that one pomade gives a stronger hold than the other. Both can give a strong, firm hold. Both water-based pomade and oil-based pomade have products that alternate between light, medium or strong hold. How the two types of pomades differ from each other lies mainly in the nature of the hold.
Water-based pomades provide a dry, stiff hold. This makes it impossible to restyle. They often dry hard and fast. Sometimes so fast that it seems like a race against time. Within minutes you have to make sure your hair is in place, or the hold will already be dry and hard. Once it's dry, there's no turning back. Should you not be satisfied? Then it is necessary to first soften your hair again with water. Then you can begin your second attempt. Don't forget to grab some pomade again then, too. When your pomade is dry, it also stays in place. Restyling is not necessary, since no gust of wind can stand up to your cut.
Oil-based pomades provide a smooth, soft hold. This is the key if you want to be able to restyle your hair throughout the day. Oil-based pomades give you the freedom and flexibility to style your hair whenever you want. In fact, when you think of John Travolta from Grease, you automatically think of oil-based pomades. The fact that he could run that comb through it every hour would have been impossible with a water-based pomade.
Both pomades have their own qualities. So it purely depends on where your preference lies, which is why both types score a point here.
Current score = 2-1 for water-based pomade
Shine
Oil-based pomade is known to give more shine than water-based pomade. This makes sense, considering there are a lot of oily ingredients in oil-based pomade. Yet we should not underestimate water-based pomade either. There are many water-based pomades these days with a nice, deep shine. Still, you can generally expect oil-based pomades to be a lot shinier. To bring up Grease again anyway: that pompadour of Travolta's was shiny for a reason. And that reason is a traditional oil-based pomade. The beauty of oil-based pomades is that they can maintain their shine for days. Water-based pomades, on the other hand, often lose their shine even during the day.
So may the winner of this round be clear: the oil-based pomade.
Current score = 2-2
Weather resistance
Oil-based products are more resistant to rain and wetness. The hold holds better than a water-based pomade. This is due to the soluble nature of your water-based pomade. To paint a picture: you've stood in front of the mirror all morning with a perfect cut as a result. You step out the door, and before you know it, you have a rainstorm on your roof. You feel all your work from that morning, along with your pomade, dissolve in the raindrops. A shame, right? When this scenario happens to you, it's easier to recover from that rainstorm if you had an oil-based pomade in your hair. After all, restyling is so easy! Just run your hands through your hair, and you're done again.
In case you encountered that rainstorm while you had a water-based pomade in your hair? Then the outcome is not so rosy. You then have to dry your hair, and reapply product. Then you just have to have the product with you of course. Therefore, one point for the oil-based pomade.
Current score = 3-2 for the oil base pomade
Washability
Also not entirely unimportant: washing out the product. Water-based pomades are water soluble and thus very easy to wash out. Rinsing out comes with ease, allowing you to sleep with a clean hairstyle every night. Often you don't even need a shampoo for this, just water is enough. The ease of rinsing out is one of the biggest reasons why men prefer water-based pomades over oil-based pomades.
Oil-based pomades, on the other hand, are trickier to wash out. You'll need shampoo in any case, but even then, with stubborn pomades, one shower isn't enough. So with some oil-based pomades, you need several showers to get all the product out of your hair. This may sound negative, but this is exactly what some men choose to do. If you still have some pomade in your hair after washing, you therefore need to use less pomade on the next style turn. This build-up (that's what the remaining layer of pomade in your hair is called) is typical of an oil-based pomade.
How the points are divided in this heading is debatable, considering there are both negatives and positives to both types. However, this piece is about the washability of the product, hence this point must still be forgiven to the water-based pomade.
Current score = 3-3
Price
In our webshop, you have different price ranges for both categories. The price difference between water-based and oil-based pomades are not very big. In general, the cost of a water-based pomade is just slightly higher. The main reason for this is the ingredients and complex formulas. Oil-based pomades tend to have fewer ingredients and are a bit more simplistic in terms of formulas. Of course, this then also makes it cheaper. The oil-based pomade therefore scores just a little better in this regard.
Current score = 4-3 for the oil-based pomade
Lifetime of the product
What is perhaps even more important than price is the longevity of your pomade. If you have to pay a little more, but your product lasts twice as long, it's obviously worth those few pennies. In general, your oil-based pomade will last longer than water-based. This, of course, is because your oil-based pomade is harder to wash out. As a result, you therefore need less the next time you style your hair. This means that your pomade will last much longer. One application can be used for several days, whereas your water-based pomade disappears right down your shower drain. Suppose you want to avoid this by not washing your hair for a few days, the water-based pomade still loses its shine. As a result, you can't avoid putting some product back in. The bottom line is that you can do much longer with your jar of oil-based pomade.
Current score = 5-3 for the oil-based pomade
Diversity
Finally, you can expect more diversity from oil-based pomade. There are many different kinds you can buy. High shine or medium shine. Light hold to heavy hold. Water-based pomades are a little more limited in this regard. From all water-based pomades, you can expect a hard, shiny hold. However, this is not necessarily a negative. In fact, for many men, this is exactly what they need. But a true pomade connoisseur prefers to choose between all the different types of oil-based pomades. Therefore, the oil-based pomade scores its last (and decisive) point here.
Current score = 6-3 for the oil-based pomade
Benefits in a row
Before we pick a winner, it is useful to once again list all the advantages. That way, despite the outcome of this battle, you can choose your own winner.
Advantages water-based pomade:
- Easy to wash out
- Easy to apply
- Does not feel greasy
- Does not contain petroleum/petrolatum
Benefits oil-based pomade:
- Flexibility to restyle
- Withstands weather conditions well
- Retains its hold and shine for a long time
- By build-up cheap in use
- Contains less chemicals
And the winner is...
In our test, the oil-based pomade is the winner of this battle. The deciding factor for us is the flexibility and durability this pomade offers. The possibility of restyling offers freedom! Does this mean that the water-based pomade is not as good? Absolutely not. That too is and remains a top product. But the winner of this battle, really is the oil-based pomade.
Are you looking for the best of both worlds? Then there is also an unorthodox pomade. It combines the good qualities of an oil-based pomade, but is almost as easy to wash out as a water-based pomade.
If you have any questions as a result of this battle, we would of course love to hear from you.
Good luck!
Your friends, The Alpha Men.