34 Years To The Day Without Elvis…

… And he’s still the undisputed king of rock n’ roll.

If it weren’t for Elvis, the gap between black music and white music may never have been freely crossed to and fro, rockabilly music wouldn’t have been heard around the world, and the pompadour probably wouldn’t be as tall as it is today. Not to mention, you probably wouldn’t be reading this blog. And with that, we say thank you, Elvis. Thank you.

New haircut

I got my haircut about a week or two back. There was a tuft of hair at the ducktail which swooped against the grain. The left and right would swoop towards the middle, as they should, but this tuft of hair stood up and back and out. Not even a couple dabs of Murray’s held it down! The only way to get rid of it… Was to get rid of the D.A. For the most part at least. Farewell my friend, hopefully you’ll grow in the way you should, this time around…

Went to my regular guy, asked for a slight taper. First time getting it done by him, but I was skeptical. Everything seems to work out well, so I no complaints there! I did however, ask him to keep the top long. Which he did, but as most stylist would, he trimmed it. Oh well, it’ll grow back. Here are some pics of my cut. I think this was the night of, or the night after.

All in all, I’m satisfied with the cut. I can pomp without having to do a part, which is nice for a change.

Styled with a bit of DAX and a mixture I’ve had pre-mixed. Been using this cocktail for the last few days.

How to use certain pomades…

Now, if you’ve been reading my blog and read some of the pomade reviews, you’d know not all pomade is alike. I try to style my hair the exact same way with all of the different pomades, to give them all a leveled playing field… But there’s more to using pomade, than just putting it into your hair, slicking it with a comb, and styling it. Some pomades, HAVE to be styled using certain methods… And not all of the descriptions you find online, will tell you so.

Starting off with Murray’s. Since it’s the ever so popular and often misunderstood pomade.

With Murray’s it’s thick consistency is something people need to realize, when styling with it. Since it is so thick, you’d need to soften it up, somewhat. Originally, pomade tins were meant to be put into an oven and let melt. Nowadays the tins aren’t made from the same ones they used back when, so that method is a no no. But, with new inventions like the blow dryer and HOT WATER, we’ve made a step closer to making life with Murray’s that much easier…
Some people like to put it under the blow dryer for a good 30 seconds or so. It will really soften it up, making it easier to spread in your palms without having to put any effort into it. But I say, if you want this manly hairstyle, you’re gonna have to do some work! Working it into your palms ain’t that hard. And for most guys, we don’t own blow dryers. But if your lady has one, whip it out, shut the door and go to town.
The hot water method, I’ve read people actually putting the pomade directly under the faucet… I don’t like that. Why? You’re contaminating the pomade with water! Not the pomade that’s in your hair, but the supply! Sorry, I like my eggs and pancakes separate. You can just boil some water or run your faucet on hot until it gets extremely hot, and let your tin sit in it. The heat from the water will heat up the tin from the outside, making the insides cook. SH-BOOM. Case closed.

Light weight pomades, don’t need too much, since they’re light and soft enough. But, do not use too much. As I’ve said in my previous postings, the pomades strength and hold shouldn’t be judged by the amount you use. So if you have to use a whole lot of light pomades to style your hair, you might want to swtich it up and get with something a bit stronger.

Medium weight pomades, don’t need to be softened up or anything. Since they’re lighter than Murray’s, light enough to spread in your palms evenly without having to put too much or any effort in. So those pomades, Sweet Georgia Brown, DAX, Deluxe (more of a light weight, but I like to go by 3′s,) don’t need any special tips to using them.

Water soluble pomades like Grant’s or Layrite, do have needs. These pomades, are tricky. You think that since they are washable with just water, it’ll be hard to style them with a wet combing, right? Wrong. In order to have these gel like pomades work and move around like petrolatum based pomades, you have to wet comb. Or else your hair will just go stick straight and make your shield! Not into it, one bit.
They say to apply into your hair dry. I don’t prefer to do it that way, but if your hair is TOO damp, it’ll just comb right out. What you can do is wet comb your dry hair, just a few slicks, not too much, (Or else you’ll water your hair down too much.) and apply. You’ll need liberal amounts, so you can’t be cheap with this stuff. And, these two are the priciest pomades around.

Lastly, are the wax “pomades.” These pomades bug me. Why? They’re labeled as pomades but they’re straight up WAXES. These will clump in your hair right off the bat. So you’ll need to use a blow dryer to melt this stuff. If you try to wet comb with hot water, it’ll clump up even worse. So a blow dryer is the only way to go with these. But it you blow dry too much, it’ll make it too soft and you won’t be able to style until it’s slightly hardened.

So there you have it. My personal tips and tricks of the trade. Just because a pomade doesn’t style the way you want it the first time around, doesn’t mean that it’s a shitty pomade. You have to know how to specifically work each and every pomade. That’s why there’s so freakin many! If they all worked in the same way, then what’s the point?

Youtube videos will trick the new pompadour flaunting rockabilly. Simply because every persons who has a video on youtube, pretty much already have their hair prepped. They additional pomade they put it, is just going on top of a few day old layer of pomade. Which makes a huge difference when pomp’n. That’s why, if/when I ever make a video tutorial on how to pomp, I’ll do it from freshly washed, pomade free, dry hair.

As they say,

It ain’t easy bein greasy.

Pomp hard.

Pomade Review: Deluxe

Been looking forward to this pomade for quite some time now. And since I had pretty much said everything I had to say about Layrite, I put this pomade to work right away.

One detail I am a fan of, is the packaging. Yes, it is pretty generic looking, gun-metal tin, red sticker labels. But in big, bold, and at the top, it says MADE IN U.S.A. One thing a lot of pomades are proud about, but don’t say so… why not?

MADE IN U.S.A. ‘Merica!

 Taking a look at this stuff, I think “Oh great, another wax.”

waaaaaax

Looks like a thick wax, right? Well, aside from just looking like a wax… It “comes out” like a wax. And I put this in quotation marks, because it was a bitch and a half trying to scrape this stuff out!

As she would say “That’s it?”

This stuff was a pain. Breaking through the top layer, was one of the hardest things I’ve had to do. No seriously, this sucked. I even had an easier time getting through the High Life wax. But luckily, as soon as I broke into this stuff, it was starting to get easier… S0rt of.

This stuff surprised me, in the sense that everything looked and felt like wax… Up until I started to blend it into my palms. It blended in fairly easily, almost like a very light pomade. This made me have high hopes for this stuff… Because that was really cool in my opinion. A wax that molds out like a pomade? Hell yeah!

It ran through pretty easily. I ran it through my damp hair, because Stone Cold said so! Spread evenly, and seemed like it spread a little thin. And it did… No here’s where the funny stuff happens.

“The clean and tidy look,” is right. Slicking this stuff through was easy. It slicks through nicely, leaving a nice even look without any breaks. It has no sheen whatsoever, and a very little to no scent. This stuff is pretty good to use when slicking back or parting your hair. It’s light, and has enough hold for those looks. But what about a pompadour?

It has enough hold for slick looks, but as soon as I tried to pomp high, I got a very hollow and broken looking pomp. Sigh… I ended up using a pretty hefty amount of pomade for the first time. More than I’d usually like, when trying out a new pomade.

Kind of a lot, wouldn’t you think?

That was slightly disappointing. Looking like wax, holding like a light pomade. It was fun to slick around my hair though, as it slicks really smoothly.

I ended up having to do a wet combing, to style my hair for the first time. I usually like to wet comb a day or two later, to really test out how pomades are, on their own.

It does little to nothing for my sides. Everything was fluffed out, no matter how hard I slicked back and down.

But throughout the day, I decided to take a few pics to see how this stuff held up. And it didn’t do too bad a job, but you’d really have to check your hair every once in a while.

Not too great of a pomp or anything. It’s even hard to retain a good sharp part, since it doesn’t hold the sides down.

So what do I have to say about this stuff?

No wonder that kid in the video I posted up a while back, had to cake this stuff on! I don’t like to think that a pomade is worth its weight, by the amount you have to use. Why would you want to have to use too much of anything? It seems pointless and a waste, to me. As they say, a-little-goes-a-long-way, but not really with this stuff. With semi longer hair, you have to use a lot to get a little hold. And you have to use too much to get a decent hold.

If you have shorter, finer hair, I’d recommend this pomade. As it seems to be really light. It doesn’t do much for my hair, even after a few day old hair cut. Am I disappointed? Not really, since I really like this stuff works, hard like a wax, soft like a light pomade. But this isn’t something I’d plan on buying again. It just doesn’t have the hold or sheen any of the other pomades do. It’s just too light. But if you want to have slicked hair styles without the wet look, this stuff might be right up your alley.

Well, that’s all for now. I may try out a few cocktails with this stuff. Maybe mixing it in with a light or medium hold pomade, with extra sheen. Or maybe some other mixes that I have on hold. Hopefully my other order of pomade comes in soon.

Until then, use the other stuff and stay greasy.

Pomade Review: Layrite Super Hold Deluxe Pomade

Apologies for the personal ranting yesterday. But hey, that’s what blogs are for! On with the show…

So… I usually like to use a pomade for at least 2 days, but this stuff has really given my first impression, a deep impression… Sounds od.

Unlike most of the “greaser” pomades, this stuff comes in a plastic twist-top container. I’d assume that if they had used tin instead, it would up the price of their pomade a bit more. It doesn’t change the quality of their product though! I happened to get mine with a few air pockets under the sticker labels. Sucks.

Layrite Super HoldYou look at the container and the logo, and see their own designs and sayings. The gold trim on the side (not pictured) is a nice touch. One thing I wonder about, is why they chose the collor palette that they did. Brown and Yellow for the Super Hold, and swiched around for the regular one. Now, for the real first impression... For me, the way I get a first impression from a pomade, is by looking at it's consistency, without actually touching. You can really tell how a pomade will perform, by looking at it. But this stuff, well... It's a whole 'nother story...Layrite

 As soon as I took a look at this stuff, I thought it would be more so a gel, than a pomade… somewhat similar to Grant’s. Even though Layrite did come out before Grant’s. The bright orange color took me by surprise and so did the little “crusty-ness” around the edges. I had always thought that this stuff was yellow-ish. I guess that’s for the regular hold?
I didn’t really smell too much from this stuff, from the start. My girlfriend noticed a nice little scent, but nothing too extreme. Time to get our feet wet…

Sort of looking like gel?

Thinking that it sort of looks like Grant’s, I scooped some out. As I was taking a couple of finger tips of this stuff, it started to really reveal itself. Scooping it out sort of felt like a mix between gel and a pomade. It was gathering up like a gel, but scooped up like a pomade. Weird right? As I start to mix this stuff into my palms, it showed a side of it that no one really explained… It spread evenly and easily like a gel, but felt like a pomade right after it was spread. The hell… THIS SHIT IS CRAAAAZY… My hair was wet when I put it in, that’s just how I roll. Most say to apply it to dry hair, but hell with that.
Knowing that it is washable, I was skeptical whether or not this stuff will comb right out or actually work. Started to slick my comb through, everything went smooth and all. Now to test the hold. Tried to pomp up high, but alas… My hair was a little too wet to really let this stuff hold. Got a decent sized pomp with this stuff though.

Here’s a quick pomp. Nothing amazing, I was just supposed to be out the door almost 10 minutes before this picture was taken.

Now for the real test… We went out, got coffee, ran some errands, ate breakfast, drove around with the windows down, blah blah blah…

“This hair ain’t movin my dude!” Is a fact. Even with the windows down, my hair didn’t move all that much. Still maintained a pomp. Of course, had to comb it to get it to looking smooth and all, but it didn’t split in half, part or anything. And usually, pomade seems to dry out when I have the window rolled down.
This stuff did slightly harden. Maybe it was because I still had some left over pomade, but it did slightly harden. Even so, I was still able to run a comb through it. No flakes, nothing. This is a pretty badass pomade, if others haven’t said so already. To top it all off, the scent this stuff has, is amazing. It doesn’t really come out, until after everything has settled. It has a strong vanilla scent, that has everyone drawn to it. My friend and girlfriend were trying to figure out where the strong scent was coming from. And of course, it was from my hair…

I have to say, Donnie Hawley really knew what he was doing when he made this stuff. The only thing that this stuff really lacks, is sheen. Even though it says “Hy-Sheen” on the lid, it doesn’t leave you with that much of a sheen. Nothing really else to say about this stuff…

Am I gonna convert and drop all of the other pomades out there for this one single brand, I don’t think so. Only because I love variety. But will I buy this stuff again? Yeah I will, and probably the 32oz one this time!

 You can get this stuff from The Grease Shop, or even over at Hawleywoods online shop. Go and check it out, and try it. It won’t disappoint you. It sure hasn’t disappointed me.

Deciding Which Pomade Is the Right Pomade: Part 2

Time to continue, onto part two. (I’m a rapper, you see…)

I pretty much covered the different types of pomades out there, now it’s time to figure out what’s best for you…

One thing that people really need to understand, is that pomade is made to sit in your hair, days on end. Not just over night. So if you can’t accept that, you’re gonna need something water soluble. Most of these pomades are water based, as opposed to petrolatum based. For the greasy, yet washable pomades, Layrite and Grant’s comes to mind. Even though I’m not sure how the sheen is from Layrite, Grant’s doesn’t have the sheen. But hey, at least it comes from Made-In-The-U.S.A. brand! Or, you can get some of that Axe stuff or American Crew. I personally, don’t ever plan on trying this stuff out. But if it works for you, be my guest. But you aren’t greasy.

If you wash your hair out with just water daily, or shampoo every other day, and don’t really mind having a bit of pomade in your hair, DAX and Sweet Georgia Brown will work for you. Even though they have good hold and are decently thicker pomades, they seem to wash out semi easily. You’ll have a bit in, but if you don’t mind it, then these are the ones you should try. Sweet Georgia Brown is pretty greasy, so know that you will have a greasy pillow case. Or you can do a quick rinse with water, and it’ll sort of break down the greasyness.

Now… Murray’s is one pomade, that everyone has trouble washing out. Not too many people are really tolerant to Murray’s. And with good reason. If you don’t want a greasy ass pillow case, this stuff is not for you. Unless you completely or at least nearly compeltely wash this stuff out, you’ll have a greasy pillow case. There’s no way to avoid it. Unless you wear a du-rag, THEN YOU’RE GONNA BE RIDING THE WAVES!

I haven’t let High Life sit in my hair for more than a few hours, so I don’t know how this stuff would be, if you let it sleep in. But sinse it is wax, I wouldn’t trust it all that much. Wax just seems to attract lint and stuff a lot easier than pomade. Seems like it to me at least.

Now, if you have some gnarly cowlicks, it’ll be a little harder to style and tame your hair. You really need to understand your hair and how it grows, before jumping into pomades and pomadours. Or else you’ll get upset with your finishing results. Stronger pomades really help with taming your hair, whether it’s the waviness or or the cowlicks. But remember, if you mind leaving pomade in your hair, gotta stick with the water soluble pomades.

These tips should help you get your hair, pomp’d high, have everyone checkin’ out your hair, and keep your girlfriends satisfied. But if you and your lady don’t mind some greasy pillowcases, get with the greasy shit! The sheen makes a difference, folks!

And as they say, it ain’t easy bein’ greasy!

“This hair ain’t movin my dude!”

Quoted from Pauly D, on Jersey Shore. Yea… This show is pretty entertaining… Do not deny it.

Anyways.

With VLV XIV coming up, (7 long months!!!) I gotta have my hair looking good. So I’ve been stressing over a “cocktail” that’ll hold my hair just right, in that Las Vegas heat. These past couple of weeks, have been good days to try out new mixes, since it’s been KILLER. Sorry, The Bay Area is just not used to 80+ degree weather… Especially consecutively…

A few mixes, have failed completely. Some actually managed to melt, and slowly drip towards my forehead. Not a good look. Some just didn’t hold my hair in the right places. And others were just soo bad, I had to wash my hair out before I left. 

Luckily, I have a decent amount of pomades. They will hold me off during the Winters cold, and the Summers heat. Different pomades and cocktails for different seasons! Don’t look at me like I’m crazy. Same goes for other cosmetic products, lotions, soaps, etc…

There are many factors I look for, when trying to find a perfect match, when mixing pomades.

- If it gives me enough hold. Hold is very important.
- If it melts. You don’t want pomade on your skin. It clogs your pores and feels weird.
- If it gives me that sheen. Shine is very important, when you’re getting greasy. A real greaser pompadour looks greasy. Not flat in shine and height!
- If it weighs down my pomp. Too much product will weigh your hair down, and not give you the desired volume.
- Slick-a-bility. I like to be able to slick my hair, without losing any volume, sheen, or hold.

When I compare my pomades for the hold factor, not too many have that great of a hold on their own. Murray’s, DAX, and High Life have the best hold. Murray’s and Dax are my favorite of the 3 all around, but High Life, being a wax, does have a pretty good hold. I have yet to really try and make a cocktail using High Life as a main substance, so maybe there is some hope for this stuff…

Melting will definitely be an issue in Vegas. During the week, my Murray’s/Sweet Georgia Brown cocktail melted. It still had a nice look, but I lost a considerable amount of volume in my pomp, during those days. So I unless I plan on staying in doors all day in Vegas, that option is out. Maybe at night, will this mix do me some good. Along with some Long Islands…

Sweet Georgia Brown (water based) and Royal Crown (hair dressing) have the most sheen. But they break up the hold of my other pomades, just way too much. Especially during the day, you HAVE to have sheen. At night, it’s a little more acceptable to lose that. Especially if you’ve been drinking that night. Plus, it’s night time. All those neon lights will shine your pomp.

As I’ve said, too much pomade will weigh you down. So unless you make your mixes very very meticulously, you’ll end up having too much product in your hair.

Today I started off light. A finger tip of Murray’s as a base coat. For me, Murray’s is a good base coat, simply because of it’s hold. Then I did the usual Sweet Georgia Brown mix. Putting Sweet Georgia Brown over the Murray’s breaks up Murray’s slightly, giving you not as strong of a hold, as you would with Murray’s on its own. I didn’t want to put a light coat of Murray’s on top, because it just weighed my hair down way too much, in earlier experiments. So I opted for some DAX. And it was a good choice.

It didn’t cover up SGB’s sheen, since DAX on it’s own, has a pretty amazing sheen. It’s light enough to be a top coat, and had decent enough strength to be used on its own. And today was a good day to put this cocktail to the test. Not only was it hot outside, it was also really windy. On my walk, I got hit with winds coming from all angles.

When I finally got behind a restroom mirror, I dreaded what I was about to see…

NOT TOO SHABBY!

The only thing I had to really “fix” was the sides. A quick slicking of the sides and ducktail, and I was good to go. Nothing really moved. and that was a good thing! I think I found my mix, for Viva Las Vegas 14!

But with a few more different pomades on the way, the’re will be more cocktails to be mixed. So stay tuned.

But, until then…

Pomp hard, stay greasy.

(should this be my new punchline? Does it work? Maybe I should stick with “I’m Ron Burgandy. You stay classy San Diego!”)

TOO MUCH POMADE!!!

When using pomades, you really gotta figure out for yourself… How much, is TOO much…

For me, it’s easy. I have long-ish, thick hair, so I have to use a “generous” amount of pomade. But when I start slicking back, and there’s lots of pomade showing up in my comb, that’s how I know I used too much. A little, really does go a long way!

Here’s a video showing someone who uses WAY too much pomade, for their hair.

Jeeze… When your hair looks like your poured pancake batter all over your head, there’s something wrong. If you really have to use THAT much pomade, you need to buy a different pomade! I’m sure Deluxe isn’t a bad pomade, so why use that much? No idea… Plus, if you have to strain like that, when slicking back… Don’t know what to say. One more video for good measure.

You really don’t need THAT much pomade! Unless you’re rocking a 9 inch pomp, that’s just way too much.

Back track to my pomade reviews, and see how much pomade I use for my pomps.

NOT ALL THAT MUCH!

My life story…

Johnny Cash had a song, that (in my opinion) sums up my life story… The song is A Boy Named Sue.

Except my name isn’t Sue, it’s Jan. Not much better. Being (I believe) one of the only Filipino kids, growing up in a predominantly silver spoon part of the Bay Area, having a name like Jan meant you were gonna be the butt of every joke and frequently picked on. Which happened.
From being picked on, on the very first day of kindergarten, hearing the same old “Janice, Janitor, Jane, etc etc” jokes daily, there was only one thing I kid like I could do. Get tough. Not just physically, but emotionally and mentally. You’d think, that having to grow that type of mentality was for people in the 20s and such. Nope!

Unlike a lot of people nowadays, who only have a strong handshake because of their work out routine, and not because it’s by the principles they live by, there are more “guys” out there, than “men.”

One of those rare breed of men, was the one and only Johnny Cash.

He didn’t win the women over by wearing glittery shirts or being oiled up to look like an orange oil painting.
Women noticed his masculinity.

Take it from Miss Dolly Parton.

My post got a little side tracked, but oh well. Here’s a song from Johnny Cash, that pretty much sums up my life story.

Also, note at how everyone has their hair. What happened to people caring about what they look like???

Pomade Review: High Life

One pomade I was really looking forward to trying, was High Life. I’ve seen some online tutorials, with people endorsing this product. So of course I had to give it a try! Some people have said that it’s not as harsh as Murray’s, but I would only know once I got my hands on some.

The packaging is a clean simple silver tin with a very “vintage” feeling logo. The black backround, and “HIGH QUALITY HAIR DRESSING” in a dark gold lettering, along with High Life in old script, really make the packaging of this pomade feel original.

High Life

As soon as I opened the tin, I automatically got a whiff of vanilla. Almost like candle wax. As I tried to get my fingers into the goods, I felt like I stuck my hand in a candle. This stuff is STIFF. That’s what she said.
The consistency of this stuff, is just like what you’d expect when you smell it… WAX… This stuff is a wax.

High Life

Look at that… It looks like softened candle wax! This stuff wasn’t easy to work into my palms. This stuff just sticks in clumps, and wouldn’t spread evenly across my hands. Putting it in, felt clumpy. Parts of my hair had more pomade than the other ends. You’re gonna have to let this stuff sit in some hot water to melt it down, and then you’d be able to thoroughly apply.

While scooping out additional “pomade” so I can coat my head evenly, I started to get cautious about using too much. The tin of this stuff is A LOT smaller than every other pomade I’ve bought. It doesn’t even say the amount on it! This thing fits inside a tin of Murray’s.

Less is More?

Not in this case. Shit. If I’m gonna pay $8 for a pomade, that is also the same price as its competitors, I want the same amount!

Slicking this stuff wasn’t too bad. Pretty stiff. But it definitely is not maluable like Murray’s or Sweet Georgia Brown.

It took me a while to get a decent pomp goin on. Because it is a wax, once you mold one part, it’ll stay that way. So reworking my hair in different pomps was kinda tough. But I managed to get it. Kind of…

Under the lid it says “Get Greasy!” This wax isn’t greasy in any way. There is no sheen, whatsoever. Can’t get greasy with this!!!

SEE THAT SHIIIII... MATTE BLACK???

I look like Quasimodo in that pic!

WHY SO SRS???

 This stuff is a magnet for lint! It’ll grab every single particle floating around.

Overall:

This stuff is pretty solid. I do love the hold it gives, but this stuff is really for people with short hair. Longer hair, you’d need to use a little more than you’d want to, to really get a good pomp. And for the amount you get for the price… Unless you have the means, it is a pretty big price you pay, considering the amount of pomade you get. The lack of sheen, I guess, is tolerable. I could always do a little top coat of the water based Sweet Georgia Brown or Royal Crown.

I could probably figure out a mix to use this stuff… Less than half amount I regularly use of Murray’s, with a matching amount of this stuff. Maybe a quarter of the half of this stuff, of Royal Crown… Probably get a decent hold, with a lot of sheen.

Would I buy this stuff again? Probably. Maybe try out the Voodoo Brew. But at $8 a can, that has less amount than a $3 Murray’s… This isn’t exactly a bang for your buck pomade. If you wanna get a serious pomp for a night out, this stuff isn’t bad at all. Especially if you like the vanilla smell.

Bitches love vanilla.