What is Pomade? (Quick Overview)

With so many hair products out there, its hard to know which one is best for you. When it comes to hair styling products, you might be used to reaching for hair sprays, gels and creams, but perhaps you’ve overlooked pomades.

Pomades are one of the oldest hair products used by folks way back in the 18th century!

When pomades first appeared, they were an oil-based product used by upper class gentlemen to avoid frizz and to lock their hairstyles in place—mainly their wigs. And yes, hairstyles have come a long way from the 18th century, but pomades have remained as one of the go-to products to style hair.

Today, thanks to technology, pomades are not all made from oil or with the same ingredients as they once were. We also have both men and women using a daily pomade hair product like our Highland Glacial Clay Pomade for their hair styles and hair health.

You might be wondering, with so many different types of pomades on the market, which one is best for you and how do you pick?

Highland Style is here to help guide you when choosing the best type of pomade for your hair.

Pomades are a styling product dating back to the 1800s—some say they were used even in ancient Egypt! Pomades are versatile hair styling products, used for styles that require light to strong holds.

Originally pomades were oil-based, and if you’ve ever used an oil-based product you know they are hard to wash out. If you don’t wash your hair before bed, you’ll have residue all over your pillow cases—not ideal.

Fortunately, we now have different bases used for pomades and each has its place in your hair product collection.

As the name says, these pomades are made of water. Water-based pomades tend to be very easy to use and spread into the hair. While water-based pomades can hold your hair in place day, they will not have the same strong hold as oil-based. However, you will be able to wash these out of your hair fairly quickly unlike oil-based pomades.

TOP TIP: Highland Glacial Clay Pomade doesn't use water for a special reason. Our pomade is not water-based on purpose because it has no petrochemicals or harmful preservatives.

As mentioned earlier, way back in the day pomades were primarily oil-based. Oil-based pomade offer strong hold keeping your hair in place all day—these will also add lots of shine to the hair. Oil-based pomades, however, are very hard to wash out of the hair and will require multiple hair washes which might lead to drying up your scalp and hair.

These pomades tent to result in a lighter hold making your hair easy to restyle and manipulate throughout the day. Think of that tousled natural hair look we love to see, wax-based pomade are best to achieve softer looks but can also be layered into the hair to achieve a medium hold. Since these pomades are wax-based, these will give your hair a soft matte finish appearance.

These pomades are with kaolin clay or bentonite clay. They are great if you have fine and straight hair and want a matte finish to your hair. If you have short hair, these are also great to add some texture and volume to your hair. They will give you a light to medium hold depending on how much product you use.

Pomades can be used by anyone with any hair type.

Pomades are versatile product that can help you achieve any hairstyle you desire, from that sleek back high ponytail look we see so often on the red carpet to natural wavy hair if you’re going for an effortless style.

Our Glacial Clay Pomade is also a great product to use daily.

Since Highland Glacial Clay pomade is made from just 9 natural ingredients, our pomade will help enhance your hair’s health. Using high quality natural ingredients like jojoba oil, shea butter, vitamin and other essential oil, our Glacial Clay Pomade, will give your hair a nice dose of moisture and vitamins.

Depending on the type of pomade you use, pomades can have great benefits for your hair.

Using a all-natural pomade like our Glacial Clay Pomade is a great option if you’re interested in your hair’s overall health.