THE COMPANY
Apothecary87 was started in 2013 by Sam W. Martin out of the UK. A87 is a barber with a shop of products (A87’s and others). The 87 symbolizes 2 things: Sam’s grandfather died when he was 87 and Sam himself was born in 1987. So, Apothecary87 came to life. A87 offers lots of products: for the hair, beard, shave, shower and bath, candles, kitts and bundles, oddities and lifestyle and as I already said: other brands.
More info: https://www.apothecary87.co.uk/
POMADE IN THE SPOTLIGHT
The grease pomade, mogul will be in the spotlight. I shall explain the definition of mogul later on. The grease is oil based (beeswax as a base), a firm hold with high shine. The pomade is wrapped up in a cardboard box: love that sort of extra. O’Douds and Prospectors pomade do this as well, it gives your brand that extra status. The brown, plastic jar is closed off with a plastic twist top lid. A87 uses stickers for all their labels. Colors: beige, white and grey match the jar. The labeling looks old school, clean. Nice. It contains decorative figures everywhere to fill up the whole. What information do you find on the packaging? On the lid: the brand + a lemma: ‘Made in the UK with manly pride’. Content on the tin: the brand, the grease pomade/Mogul, content: 100 g (3.38 oz), the website, mogul grease pomade again, marshmallow scent + the same in French, hold: 120 proof. On the box: similar info and some gentlemen’s images, a barcode, directions + ingredients. The pomade inside is yellow. I asked myself: is this a handmade pomade or one produced by a lab? I knocked at the door of A87. They responded: ‘Our products use a mix of machine and handmade elements depending on the processes required. So for example any heating, mixing, etc. will require machinery.’ Since they run a barbershop, they need some product’s stock.
INGREDIENTS
Beeswax, petrolatum, lanolin, parfum, phenoxyethanol*.
A concise, old school formula.
*Phenoxyethanol: is a preservative. Preservatives are used in water/aloe vera based pomades to combat molds, bacteria and other unhealthy life forms. Not really necessary here, as the grease pomade is oil based. The company put it in to prolong shelf life and to play safe if people dive in with wet hands, or some hairs stay behind. Michael Tafoya, previous owner of Grandad’s old fashioned had the same approach for his oil based pomades.
SCENT
Marshmallow. Smells so good in the jar: strong and sweet! A fan! In the mop: scent is gone, no whiffs, what a pity. Now, I wanna explain ‘mogul’. Had to ask A87 as I didn’t find any exact info. They explained: ‘Mogul has several meanings and there are 2 in particular which we felt were perfect for our fragrance. Meaning 1: an important or powerful person. Meaning 2 is linked to the old-fashioned process of making marshmallows which is our inspiration for the fragrance of our Grease pomade.’
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: 3 average sized licks in damp hair that’s freshly washed. Damp hair relaxes my waves and makes the styling process so much easier.
Scooping: the top layer is a tad hard. Push and the pomade comes out ribboning.
Breakdown: has some crumbly tendencies but you can break it down into a waxy, somewhat dry consistency, nothing greasy or sticky. The beeswax combined with the petrolatum and lanolin help to decrease the dry feeling a bit and keep the pomade structure together.
Working in: resistance. Feels pretty grippy and ripped out or broke a few hairs but it wasn’t painful.
Combing back: tug and pull. Spreading evenly: okay with some tension. Combing to the side: doable tension.
Control: feels pretty dry/waxy but it keeps the hair together. It laid down the hair very good and kept it down. You feel the grip of a good wax content. The hair follows the strokes of the combs but does not jump out again and again like some drier/waxy pomades do. It tamed my cowlick and sides very well. I got very good height without waviness. No straying. This pomade is not the slickest but the results are there!
SHINE
A87 claims the grease to have high shine. No, it is a few notches below medium, more of semi-matte finish with some nice luster once the sun hits it. This level of sheen doesn’t fade out during the day.
HOLD
Hold: according to A87: firm hold = accurate.
ENDURANCE
Temperatures: around 68° F (20° C), much sun, no wind, no heavy duty, did walk. My banks endured very well: no sag, no splits, no strays. Great endurance! This pomade can be used for higher profile styles, thicker, wavy and curly hair. Ideal pomade for summer.
RESTYLING
Restyling is key for an oil based. Restyles well.
BUILD UP
Don’t wash my hair on a daily base. Build up for me: water, tonic and 2 scoops to revive everything. Rather waxy build up.
WASH OUT
The ease of wash-ability is different for everybody. You need a few showers to get it all out.
SIMILAR POMADE(S)
- Big slick firm.
- Big slick, devil’s punch heavy.
- Grand classic grooming firm.
- Pomps not dead, old guapo.
- Reuzel pink.
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 