THE COMPANY
The pomps not dead pomade brand is no stranger among avid pomade lovers. PND, as we call it, was created by Edwin Carson from Texas, back in 2012. His pomades enjoy worldwide recognition. Edwin is praised for being one of the most versatile and talented brewers around. He excels in offering a wide range of slick, handmade, user-friendly, mostly oil based pomades, from light to super heavy hold. They all exude unique elaborated design and eye for detail. In addition, Edwin is not afraid to bring ‘uncommon’, unique scents. PND produces pomades for private labels and for pomade groups too.
More information:
POMADE IN THE SPOTLIGHT
The ‘necronomipomp ex mortis’ pomade, after ‘necronomicon ex mortis’ or ‘Book of the dead’. This book plays the central role in the Evil dead horror movies*. The NEM pomade has a medium hold. What baffled me was, I did not find one single review! Looking at the 4 oz (113 g) black, rectangular tin: great artwork! Front: sticker of the book of the dead. Back: no info. Opening it: beige/black color patterns with the image of a bat alike creature, holding something in his hand, but don’t know what (from ‘The army of darkness’), the pomade’s designation slightly different: ‘necropomicon ex mortis’ with the slogan: ‘To summon the army of slickness’, its ingredients, some scissors, PND website, some lettering and numbers of which I don’t know what they stand for. Pomade is mocha brown in line of the design. Opening and closing the tin: the lid slides over it.
* The evil dead horror movies about people turning into demons. More info on IMDB:
- The evil dead (1981)
- Evil dead II, dead by dawn (1987)
- Army of darkness (1992)
- Evil dead (2013): remake
- The series (2016-2018)
INGREDIENTS
Petrolatum, beeswax, microwax, sweet almond oil, coconut oil, shea butter, scent.
I was talking about Edwin being a versatile brewer. F.e. this pomade makes use of shea butter. His other pomades don’t contain shea butter (1 exception maybe). He frequently uses oils such like: coconut and castor oil for they are slick, sticky and add shine. Here, sweet almond is in the list. Other of his pomades contain emu oil, avocado oil, jojoba oil, sunflower oil, … . Do you catch my drift? Edwin never makes the same formula for one type of hold where he only changes design, colors and scents. No, Edwin is always in search to explore new horizons!
SCENT
Burntwood, gunpowder scent. It is present in the tin, you get whiffs of it once it’s in the banks. Has notes of Edwin’s: close quarters combing pomade (the gunpowder). Smells like the Lockhart’s, fire and brimstone halloween pomade editions (burnt wood). The smell is burnt, unfresh, musky. Not really my taste but spot on for the sake of this theme.
STYLING PROCESS
My hair type: medium thick, wavy, somewhat unruly hair, medium length. I wear a contour.
My styling equipment: Denman brush D3, Bixby comb and a boar brush.
Application: into damp hair to relax the waves and ease styling. 3 big sized licks as it is a medium on the lighter side.
Scooping: simple, like a cream.
Breakdown: in a breeze. Thick, petro-greasy (not overly greasy), then creamy, slightly sticky. Acts like a light hold.
Working in: easy, no tug and pull, comfortable. Spreading through the mop: easy.
Combing back: nearly no tension. Switching the mop’s direction to the side: effortless. Slick and smooth process.
Control: laid down my hair so easy and kept it there from the moment my combs touched it. Slick type of pomade with a comforting grip of having some hold. Managed my cowlicks well. My sides were slicked down pretty good. Lifting up my front: waves straightened out okay. No straying.
SHINE
Edwin names it: a low shine. After looking at the ingredients, I thought: this will shine well. Yes: good medium sheen that stays all day.
HOLD
Hold: according to PND, a medium. Get more of a medium on the lighter side of the spectrum. Quite similar to the OG (original pomade) although being a complete different formula. Also comparable to Pompage: gives some more hold (straight medium).
ENDURANCE
Being a medium on the lighter side, endurance will be not the main goal of the NEM pomade. This is a fall/winter pomade, a product for people with thinner, straight hair, low pomps, slick backs and contours. Give it a chance as a topper, as a solid topper that won’t weaken the hold of a heavy or firm dramatically. Okay, I wore it in temperatures about 57° F (14° C), no sun, windy weather, a few walks, nothing active. My waves showed up a bit, some sag, a few strays. I am a medium-firm-heavy user but this pomade held up well and kept my hair sufficiently clean!
RESTYLING
Restyling is key for oil based pomades. Restyles well.
BUILD UP
I don’t wash my hair on a daily base. Build up for me: water, tonic and 2 scoops to revive everything. Ease to manage build up.
WASH OUT
The ease of wash-ability is different for everybody. PND pomades don’t come out easy out of my hair.
SIMILAR POMADE(S)
- Pomps not dead, original (OG).
- Pomps not dead, pompage.
- Big slick original (medium).
- Grandad’s old fashioned light.
- Black and white hair dressing.
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 