Gentlemen, here is a quick and easy tutorial on how to properly wash out oil based pomades. After my write-up on The Renaissance of hair pomades & the new Golden Age I got a few PMs asking information on oil based pomades, how to use them and mainly how to remove them, a topic that seems a major concern for those completely new to traditional pomades.
As just stated above the entire process is very simple and requires only 2 key ingredients: olive oil and dish soap.
So, here is how I proceed when I desire to wear a quality oil based pomade for a few days in a row.
Day 1: On clean and dry hair I apply the pomade, style and comb.
Day 2: I shampoo my hair normally, dry, apply, style and comb.
Day 3: Exactly like day 2.
Day 4: When it's time to wash everything out I proceed as follows: on dry hair I apply about one spoon of olive oil and massage it carefully. The olive oil quickly breaks down the pomade and this becomes easy to remove. Using a few drops of water I lather the dish soap in my hands first and on my head immediately afterwards. With hot water I wash everything out and the "degrease process" is complete. At this point I can follow up with a regular shampoo and a conditioner if I desire, but both these steps are optional to me.
Please note that the in between shampoos on day 2 and 3 are to avoid massive build up on the hair, since normal shampoos partially remove the pomade from the hair. But since normal shampoos alone are not enough that's why the olive oil & dish soap combo comes into play.
A final consideration on the entire process. As you can see it's easy, quick, effective and economical. Although you can find several specific products on the market for this purpose I continue to prefer this one. It's a genuine Old School method and what our Grandfathers used at their time.
As just stated above the entire process is very simple and requires only 2 key ingredients: olive oil and dish soap.
So, here is how I proceed when I desire to wear a quality oil based pomade for a few days in a row.
Day 1: On clean and dry hair I apply the pomade, style and comb.
Day 2: I shampoo my hair normally, dry, apply, style and comb.
Day 3: Exactly like day 2.
Day 4: When it's time to wash everything out I proceed as follows: on dry hair I apply about one spoon of olive oil and massage it carefully. The olive oil quickly breaks down the pomade and this becomes easy to remove. Using a few drops of water I lather the dish soap in my hands first and on my head immediately afterwards. With hot water I wash everything out and the "degrease process" is complete. At this point I can follow up with a regular shampoo and a conditioner if I desire, but both these steps are optional to me.
Please note that the in between shampoos on day 2 and 3 are to avoid massive build up on the hair, since normal shampoos partially remove the pomade from the hair. But since normal shampoos alone are not enough that's why the olive oil & dish soap combo comes into play.
A final consideration on the entire process. As you can see it's easy, quick, effective and economical. Although you can find several specific products on the market for this purpose I continue to prefer this one. It's a genuine Old School method and what our Grandfathers used at their time.
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