How a Pomade Works
By Kristen Bailey
How a Pomade Worksthumbnail While pomades are traditionally made for men’s hair, women with short hair can benefit from pomade.
Pomade originated in the 19th century. Made from animal fat, it was used to create the slicked-back men’s hairstyles popular at the time. During the 1950′s, pomade became widely used due to the popularity of the pompadour and duck tail hairstyles worn by rock ‘n’ roll idols. Men sporting those trademark hairstyles were known as “greasers” due to the amount of greasy pomade required to keep their hair in place.
Topic To How a Pomade Works:
- Good Shampoo for Dry Hair
- Thin Hair
To How a Pomade Works Difficulty:
- Challenging
To How a Pomade Works You’ll Need:
- None
To How a Pomade Works Instructions:
- Types of Pomade – Unlike gels, mousses and sprays, pomade doesn’t dry. Pomade coats the hair to keep it in place; hairstyles using pomade have a shiny, wet look. There are many formulas of pomade on the market today. Most are made with essential oils, petroleum jelly and beeswax; the higher the wax content, the stronger the hold. Less wax and more oil provides a wet look without the stiffness.
- Styles Using Pomade – The mohawk is considered a punk-rock hairstyle.
Spiky hairstyles are created by using pomade with a high wax content. Spiky styles include the mohawk, which features a mane of vertical hair running down the center of the head. Liberty spikes are individual spikes resembling cones. Porcupine spikes are shorter and stand up all over the head. Other styles that use pomade are the combed-back pompadour and the quiff, which stands straight up over the forehead. Both use a pomade with medium wax content. Classic Hollywood hairstyles use pomade with a low wax content. These are shiny, slicked-back styles, such as those sported by Cary Grant and Humphrey Bogart.
- Style with Pomade – A classic hairstyle using pomade is combed back, often with a side part.
A little pomade goes a long way. Use pomade either on towel-dried hair for medium hold or dry hair for maximum hold. Rub a dime-sized dollop of pomade between your hands to warm it up and make it soft. Run your fingers through your hair to evenly distribute the pomade. If your hair is particularly thick or very curly, use a little more pomade and smooth your hair with your fingers or a comb. For a slicked-back look, use a quarter-sized dollop of pomade. Apply to your hair and comb it straight back.
- Pomades for Problem Solving – Extremely curly hair can be tamed with pomade.
Some pomades are made with highly-moisturizing ingredients and can solve hair problems such as a dry scalp, excessively dry hair, or hair that becomes frizzy with humidity. Pomades made for specific purposes include straightening pomade, vitamin-enriched pomade, and pomade formulated to add just a little sheen to otherwise dull-looking hair.