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Hardened WB pomades - what can be done?

When I started experimenting with pomades, some years ago, I've bought two cans of Suavecito Firme Hold (due to the hype) and a can of Murray's La-Em Strait, both water-based. (And a can of Layrite Cement, which ended in the trash can, after a few uses). From the very beginning, they were like hardened gel. It was (and still is) impossible to properly break them in between the palms, like you do with an oil-based pomade. When you rub them between the palms, the consistency is like a chewed...chewing gum. No matter what I do, I have some smeared hardened gel. Putting this mess into hair, there's a lot of tugging and pulling and one have to overcomb his hair to finally manage to distribute the "pomade" evenly. Needless to say the hair looks ridiculous, glued together like a swimming cap. The only option is to glue this mess onto the scalp as tight as possible, to avoid rebel strands popping up like straw, doing either a slickback or a side part.

Meanwhile I switched to OB pomades. Night and day difference. I already have to much OB pomades, so I can live without the aforementioned pomades. But, out of curiosity, what would you do if you'd be in this situation? Warming them is nonsense, they're doesn't contain any petrolatum, vaseline, lanoline or other oils.
 
Let's have a look at the ingredients...

Suavacito:
Ingredients :
Water (Aqua), Ceteareth-25, Glycerin, PEG-7, Glyceryl,,Cocoate,Propylene Glycol, PEG 40, Hydrogentated Castor Oil, Fragrance (Parfum), DMDM Hydantoin Caramel, Simethicone, PVP, PEG-8, Beeswax, Mathylparaben, Polysorbate 20

Murray's:
Ingredients:
Aqua (Wasser / Water), Ceteareth-25, PEG-7 Glyceryl Cocoate, Propylene Glycol, PEG-7, Hydrogenated Castor Oil, Olea Europeaea (Olive) Fruit Oil, Argania Spinosa Kernel (Argan) Oil, Cocos Nucifera (Coconut) Oil , Prunus Amygdalus Dulcis (Sweet Almond) Oil, DMDM Hydantoin, Iodpropynyl Butylcarbamate, Fragrance, Coumarin, Geraniol, Limonene, Linalool.

These products are called water-based, but they are basically emulsions of water with some oil and/or wax, plus some preservatives and fragrances.

The ingredient most likely to be lost over time is water from evaporation. So, as an experiment, you might try adding a small amount of hot water and mixing it very thoroughly. As long as the product has not gone off, that might rejuvenate it. You could try this with a small portion in a separate container.
 
Thanks for the answer. Adding water crossed my mind from the get go, but the idea of preparing a small batch of re-hydrated gel each time was very un-appealing. Adding water for the whole can...I don't know if the mixture won't spoil over time. I use OB pomades almost exclusively, but sometimes maybe I want something different, in scent, hold and application.

As I said, the pomades were already hardened when I opened them for the first time. Scooping them out is not a problem, breaking them between palms is. Also, the application on hair gives an unpleasant sensation. Instead of a fine layer of grease on your hands, you have chunks of gel that subsequently pull a lot of hairs.

We'll see how adding water can solve the problem. Otherwise, I'm ready to dump them with no remorse. I didn't quit using ordinary gel to fall into a much bigger situation.
 
Thanks for the answer. Adding water crossed my mind from the get go, but the idea of preparing a small batch of re-hydrated gel each time was very un-appealing. Adding water for the whole can...I don't know if the mixture won't spoil over time. I use OB pomades almost exclusively, but sometimes maybe I want something different, in scent, hold and application.

As I said, the pomades were already hardened when I opened them for the first time. Scooping them out is not a problem, breaking them between palms is. Also, the application on hair gives an unpleasant sensation. Instead of a fine layer of grease on your hands, you have chunks of gel that subsequently pull a lot of hairs.

We'll see how adding water can solve the problem. Otherwise, I'm ready to dump them with no remorse. I didn't quit using ordinary gel to fall into a much bigger situation.
It doesn't hurt anything to try. An issue with emulsions is they don't always have very good shelf life. Let's say they were old when you bought them, or were stored in a hot warehouse somewhere. In that case, they may break down, leading to the blobs or clumps of stuff in the mix. On the spoilage thing, there are preservatives in there, so as long as you don't get carried away with too much water, it may be OK. Another thing to remember is that when an emulsion is created, it takes a lot of mixing to get it consistent. You are basically combining two substances that normally don't like to be together. You should be prepared to stir the crap out of it.
 
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