THE COMPANY
O’Douds apothecary began as a hobby in a little kitchen in Texas. Clayton and his wife Kiara wanted to brew all natural, healthy stuff, nothing with harmful unreadable chemicals or ingredients stripping skin’s oils. They created what became a very noted water based, not a gel-type but a non-drying type. It was the first of its kind with a natural content and much easier to wash off as the regular wax based petrolatum pomades.
More info – https://odouds.us/
Bonus: O’Douds apothecary – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=09ps0T4TjQ4
POMADE IN THE SPOTLIGHT
O’Douds traditional heavy is an oil based, natural pomade. Pomade has a light yellow outlook. It is presented in a 4 oz (113 g) glass jar with nice black vinyl labels and white plus brown letters: simple and clean.
INGREDIENTS
Ricinus communis (castor) seed oil, hydrogenated soybean oil, candelilla (euphorbia cerifera) wax, hydrogenated ricinus communis (castor) seed oil, simmondsia chinensis (jojoba) seed oil, tocopherol (vitamin E oil), pimenta racemosa (bay) oil, juniperus virginiana (cedarwood) oil, citrus aurantifolia (lime) Oil, euginia caryophyllata (clovebud) oil, coriandrum officinalis (ocriander) oil, pinus succinefera (amber) oil, juniperus communis (juniper berry) fruit oil.
Now in English:
Castor oil, soy wax, candelilla wax, hydrogenated castor oil (castor wax), jojoba oil, vitamin E oil, bay oil, cedarwood oil, lime oil, clovebud oil, coriander oil, amber oil, juniper berry oil.
The heavy is a legit oil based for castor seed oil is the base, something we don’t see that often. The pomade’s formula has changed and isn’t hydrogenated castor oil based (castor wax) anymore.
SCENT
The pomade’s previous batch had a forest scent. The new one comes in bay rum: a really great, manly, agreeable odor in my opinion. Does smell strong in the jar. In the hair: less tart, you’ll get pleasant breezes throughout the day which are not overpowering anymore after a while. I like the balanced scents from all the O’Douds products and the fact they always put together their aromas with therapeutic essential oils.
STYLING PROCESS
My hair: I’ve medium thick, wavy hair. I wear a side part with a contour.
Styling equipment: at the moment, I’m using a boar hair brush, a Denman plus a detangler (Tangle teezer). During styling, I use brushes most.
Application: to damp hair to tame the waves and make application and styling much smoother and facile. Used 3 average licks.
Scooping: there’s some force acquired to ladle the pomade out of the jar but it’s doable! Both top layer and layer beneath are hard: this is what all natural pomades have in common. But this is not a big hassle comparing to other heavies.
Breaking down: several decent rubs transform it into an oily, buttery texture as this is castor oil based. It’s not overly oily anyway, you feel the presence of the waxes and a prediction it’s gonna provide enough hold although being castor oil based. There’s some tackiness too.
Working in: little tug noticeable. Dispersing evenly: no problem.
Slicking back: a tad of tug using a Denman brush. Changing the hair’s direction to part: easy and not uncomfortable.
Control: lays down the hairs at once and keeps them together due to its stickiness. Sides were slicked down well. My cowlicks remained in place. Waves: rather straightened at the beginning but a tiny bit of waving showed through after a few recombs. Did not have to deal with loose hairs popping out, it is slick enough to work with.
SHINE
Previous version had an around medium sheen. This one is a step down in medium sheen but good for its strength type! Great luster when the sun shines on it. No fading out of the shine throughout the day.
HOLD
O’Douds talks about a heavy hold. For my hair: a firm but more a firm on the lighter side. Former heavy was more of a heavier medium and it was a smidgen stickier. This batch is a tad stronger than its predecessor.
ENDURANCE
Some sag and a few flyaways. Held down my cowlicks sufficiently. Tested it in temperatures around 57° F (14° C), a few drops of rain, little sun, some sweating, a walk and a trip per bike. After the bike trip my hair sagged a bit and there were a few loose strays, no splits. I’ve styled with the heavy before, also on fresh hair and it had better endurance back then. Maybe the circumstances were less strenuous and the weather was colder. All this said: I wish it had more hold, ‘a real heavy’ would be fantastic.
RESTYLING
Combing through is easy: no resistance. More waving. Little drop of strength.
BUILD UP
Don’t wash my hair. Huist add water and tonic. Manageable build up. Improvement of the hold. Styled on much damper hair too: better management of the waves.
WASH OUT
2-3 washes which is normal for an all natural oil based. All depends on your shampoo, the used quantity and your hair type, build up. This version washes out easier than the former.
SIMILAR POMADE(S)
- Flagship, steelhorse.
- The iron society firm.
- The mail room barber XX.
- The mail room barber, Nolde forest.
Interested in oil based pomades only? You can join our ‘Oil Based Pomade Enthusiasts’ Facebook group – https://www.facebook.com/groups/OilBasedPomadeEnthusiasts/
POMADE IN WORDS 