High life, voodoo island – medium oil based pomade

THE COMPANY

High life started off as an American brand with hand made pomades. Brewer Adam Dorsett, also a tattooist didn’t have time to brew anymore and he sold it to Imperial Dax. The pomade formulas are now lab made and have changed somewhat. I can’t compare them because I never used the original HL pomades.

More info:

• High life: https://www.highlifepomade.com/product/high-life-voodoo-island/
• Dax: https://www.daxhaircare.com/product/high-life-voodoo-island/

Check out my review of High life medium: https://piw74.com/2020/06/08/high-life-medium-oil-based-pomade/

POMADE IN THE SPOTLIGHT

High life, voodoo island (VI): a medium hold, old school, oil based with a tropical vibe. VI comes in a 3.5 oz (100 g) silver metal tin with sticker labels. Labels have blue as a main color to represent the ocean and the voodoo island. Lettering is in black and white, with different fonts. Overall attractive design, dig this. The lid is a slip top. On there: the pomade’s name, ‘for smooth medium hold’, a voodoo mask, even an expire date on the lid’s side. Tin: pomade’s name, content, made in USA, warnings, manufactured by Imperial Dax, website, a bar code. The ingredients are not printed on. You can find them on the website of High life and Dax. Pomade is ocean blue to fit in the island/ocean theme.

INGREDIENTS

White microwax, petrolatum, emu oil, jojoba oil, tea tree oil, avocado oil, fragrance.

• I’m an ingredient guru. What a great row of conditioning and nourishing content.
• Emu oil: is made from the fat of an emu. The emu is a flightless bird, native to Australia, that looks similar to the ostrich. This oil strengthens and rejuvenates the hair.

SCENT

Pina colada. Smells amazing, one of my favorites! You catch a tropical cocktail bringing you to the beach. For those who are not acquainted with pina colada: it’s very sweet, a bit coconut-alike aroma. In the tin: strong, just open the tin again and again to smell it! In the hair: nearly noticeable anymore. But I don’t mind, don’t wanna smell like sweet pina colada the whole day.

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: I always apply into damp bangs. My waves disappear, styling goes much more comfortable. 3 decent licks in there.

Scooping: top layer is not hard at all. Comes out easy.

Breakdown: thick, tacky, stiff texture. Becomes creamy, sticky, ‘petro-ish’, moderate waxy right away.

Working in: moderate tug for it’s thick and sticky but not giving issues. If you have thinner hair, it can help to take smaller licks. This makes it more comfortable to put in and spread. I used small and bigger ones and it was alright both times. Spreading evenly: goes well.

Combing back: some resistance here but no hassle at all.

Control: as it is thick, sticky and somewhat waxy, I got the impression VI would not be the most comfortable and agreeable to style with. But that is not the case! It lays down the hair nicely and keeps it well in shape, the hair doesn’t bounce back. Offers a comfortable, grippy slickness. VI slicks back my sides well, manages my cowlicks well and gives some great height without waves showing up. No stray hairs.

SHINE

Described as a medium sheen. Yes, a nice medium sheen which does not fade out during the day.

HOLD

Medium hold, according to HL. To me: a solid medium but not a firm. Works great without build up. Building up with this a few days, will make it a stronger hold. Keep in mind that the High life holds are always heavier than what they print on the label: a light is more of a medium, a medium more of a firm, a heavy is a super heavy.

ENDURANCE

I was in temperatures around the 80s (27° C), a sunny day without wind, doing some walking, was sweating. The hair held up greatly! Didn’t need to rework it. Can be used for pomps and thicker, wavy, curly hair. It’s not the best summer pomade but will do a good job in moderate weather.

RESTYLING

Restyling is key for an oil based. Does well.

BUILD UP

Don’t wash my hair on a daily base. Build up for me: water, tonic and 2 scoops to revive everything. Manageable build up.

WASH OUT

Ease of wash-ability is different for everybody. A few showers needed to get it all out.

SIMILAR POMADE(S)

• Murray’s, nu nile.
• High life medium.
• Ghost town, louche grease.
• Daimon barber, classic pomade.

Interested in oil based pomades only? You can join our ‘Oil Based Pomade Enthusiasts’ Facebook group – https://www.facebook.com/groups/OilBasedPomadeEnthusiasts/