Pomade vs Hair Gel

Pomade vs Gel:  Which one is better for hair? What’s the main difference?

If you have a head of hair, and you know… routinely style it, you’ve probably heard of both pomade and hair gel.  But if you’re like a lot of people, you don’t know the exact difference between them, and you definitely don’t know which one is better for you.  In this article, we’ll break down the exact differences between hair pomade and hair gel, and we’ll figure out which one is best - for you.

What is Hair Pomade?

That’s a very general question, and the fact is that there are literally dozens of types of hair pomade out there.  Pomade is nothing more than a catch-all term for “stuff that goes in your hair.”  Of course, some people assume “pomade” is synonymous with thick, oil-based pomades, but that’s only because that’s the oldest kind.  In recent years, there has been an explosion of different kinds of pomades, like matte pomades, clay pomades, cream pomades, and even ones that blend all three together. In reality, the term “pomade” in the 21st century can encompass all different types.

An example of matte pomade, the Hi-Lo in Maui Midnight scent

Main Types of Pomades

The main types of pomades are oil-based pomades and water-based pomades.  Oil-based pomades are made with oil as the base ingredient, like castor oil or mineral oil.  Water-based pomades, on the other hand, use water as the base ingredient.  The main difference is how easy it is to wash out.  Water-based pomade will easily wash out in water, while oil-based pomades will stay in your hair longer and take longer to wash out.

Sub-types of Pomades

Getting further down the funnel of the pomade rabbit hole, under the two main oil-based and water-based types, there are additional “sub types” of pomade.  These include matte pomade, wax pomades, cream pomades, clay pomades, and more.   All of these pomades are used the same way, but with slightly different look and feel.  For a flat, matte finish, choose a matte pomade.  To increase hair volume and make your hair look bigger, choose a clay pomade.  Wax pomades are the options for high-hold.  Each different sub-type has their own niche.

A look achieved with a flat, high-hold matte pomade

How Is Pomade Different from Hair Gel?

Hair gel is a type of water-based hair product that is semi-viscous and usually transparent.  It was very popular in the 90s, when everyone was spiking their frosted tips or wanted the wet, hard look (think Ross from friends).  Hair gel is perfect for very high hold, and for keeping your hair look wet and crunchy.

Pomade on the other hand, is completely different.  Rather than making your hair crunchy and moist, the goal of a good water-based pomade is to look natural and semi-dry, all while still holding your hair in place.  With a good quality pomade, you can still achieve a firm, high-hold look, but with a matte finish, dry finish, or natural finish.  With the right technique, you can even make it look like you’re wearing no product in your hair at all.

Some hair gel can leave you looking like a wet dog

This is a far cry from the wet, crunchy, old-school look of hair gel.

However, if you are so inclined, you can always mix pomade with water to get a “wet” look that is similar to hair gel.  Because of this, pomade is the more versatile option of the two.

Hair gel is also best used for short hair styles.  Anything longer, than it will start to get sticky real quick.  If you have medium to longer hair, it may be best to look for a light-weight pomade that will be easier to work through your hair.

To recap, hair gel is water-based and semi-viscous, which gives a wet, crunchy look.  Pomade is usually more viscous, and is used to give a matte, natural look that looks more dry.  Both of them can be water-based for easy wash out.

So, which one will you choose?  Hair gel is a classic for sure, and will likely always have it’s place.  However, if you want a more modern, trendy look, pomade is your best option for newer hair styles that look more natural.

Matte Pomade vs Clay For Hair Styling

Matte Pomade vs Clay For Hair Styling – What’s the Difference Between These Styling Products?

Tl;dr:  Matte pomade and clay pomade are both types of matte hair styling products.  They both have a matte finish and “natural” look, with clay being a little thicker and adding more volume to the hair.  Both can be used to get the same hairstyles.  Clay pomade is popular for people with thin or fine hair.

With the meteoric rise of matte hair products in the last few years, both matte pomades and clay pomades have been exploding in popularity.  And with good reason – unlike the older hairstyles that are achieved with traditional oil-based pomades or the wet-look hairstyles that are achieved with hair gels, both matte pomades and clay pomades open up a whole new world of contemporary hair styles that are in vogue in the 2020s.

Cosmic Clay, an example of a clay pomade

What Types of Hair Styles?

The beauty of matte pomades and clay pomades is their ability to create natural looking hair styles.  If you want to make it look like you’re wearing no hair product at all, you can achieve this look best with a matte pomade or matte clay.   However, that doesn’t mean they can’t have high hold.  For example, the Daytona Supply Hi-Lo matte pomade will hold almost any hair style, while at the same time look natural and semi-soft (not crunchy or oily like traditional pomades or hair gels).

What Makes it Matte?

Both matte pomades and clay pomades usually use some type of clay for the matte effect.  Both natural kaolin clay and natural bentonite clay are used in high-end hair products – Kaolin is usually used for general-purpose pomades, while bentonite is most often used in pure clay products.  Bentonite absorbs a little more water than Kaolin, so it is used in clay pomades that promote volume.  Both clays are used to absorb excess oil on the scalp, thus giving a dryer, matte look with very little shine.

How is Matte Pomade Different from a Clay Pomade?

The truth of the matter is that they’re both extremely similar.  After all, most matte hair pomades contain either kaolin or bentonite to reduce shine.  A clay pomade will also use these same ingredients, except in higher volumes.  This extra clay gives a volumizing effect.

Clay pomade is also sometimes thicker than a regular matte pomade.  This is due to the increased amounts of clay.  Some clay pomades have as much as 50% clay by product volume.

Hi-Lo Matte Pomade, an example of a standard matte pomade

What Hair Types Are They Used On?

You can use both matte pomade and clay pomade on any hair types, for any style.  However, clay  pomades are recommended for people with thinner hair.  This is because bentonite clay has natural volume-enhancing properties due to its ability to absorb moisture.  This makes hair appear “bigger” and thicker than it actually is.

If you see pomade that is marketed as “thickening pomade,”  most likely its just a regular clay pomade containing bentonite clay.  Bentonite will make any hair style look more voluminous and thicker. No need to get special thickening pomade – any high quality clay pomade will have the same effect.

Summary:  Both matte pomade and clay pomade are very similar.  They both use clay (either kaolin or bentonite clay) and both have a matte finish.  Clay pomades can be a little thicker due to the increased clay content.  Clay pomades are used to promote volume in hair, whereas a regular matte pomade is more general for all hair types.   They both can achieve the same hair styles.

Matte pomade can give a natural, but firm, look

What is Clay Pomade?

You may have heard the term Clay Pomade pop up in conversations in the last few years.  It’s one of the fastest growing segments of hair styling products.  A good chunk of its newfound popularity comes from the fact that more people than ever are learning about the benefits (both superficial and for health) of this styling product.  Social media helps – take one look around Reddit or TikTok and you can find thousands of people posting about different clay pomades.

What Exactly is Clay Pomade? 

Clay pomade is pomade that is created with a mixture of clay, usually kaolin (on high end products) or bentonite (on products that focus on thickness and hair volume).  Other types of clays can also be used, like “Moroccan” or rhassoul clay.  These fancy types of clay look exotic but perform exactly the same as regular bentonite clay.

What Does Clay Pomade Do? 

Clay pomades are popular for mainly two reasons:

1.      They create a matte finish.  Clay pomades are known for their matte finish, which can reduce shine and reduce oiliness.  This provides a natural, matte look that is both trendy but also healthy for your hair.  Clay can absorb excess moisture, oil, and impurities, which keeps your hair healthier looking.

2.      Clay pomades increase hair volume.  This is important for certain kinds of hair styles, or for people with very fine or very thin hair that want to increase the “thickness” of their hair.  Although clay pomade won’t make your hair grow more, it will give the optical illusion of thicker hair, due to the way clay absorbs and retains moisture, and “pumps out” hair strands to make your hair look fuller.  This is perfect for short, high hair styles or for people that want to make their hair look bigger and fuller.

How Much Hold Does Clay Pomade Have?

That depends on the specific formula.  The clay content has nothing to do with how firm the hold is.  The hold in pomades mostly comes from the wax content (beeswax, carnauba wax, or candelilla wax, etc) or from synthetic polymers like PVP or VP/VA copolymer.  Of course, a thicker pomade made with more clay content will probably give a higher hold, simply from the fact that it’s more viscous than a regular pomade.  However, if you are looking for a high hold, look for a clay pomade that combines clay with beeswax or other types of waxes.

Clay Pomades vs Matte Pomades

Do you know the difference between a clay pomade and a matte pomade?  That’s a bit of a trick question!  The reason is because most clay pomades are matte pomades, but not all matte pomades are clay pomades.

Still with me?  Since clay gives a matte finish, almost all clay pomades will be considered a matte pomade.  There are exceptions of course, like oil-based clay pomades that have more oil content.  However, most clay pomades you’ll find at the store will be water-based pomades, and they will most likely have a matte finish.

There are many matte pomades out there that contain clay (like the Daytona Supply Co Hi-Lo pomade, which contains a small amount of kaolin clay for a matte finish).  However, these probably won’t count as a true clay pomade, since clay pomades use a lot more clay as a product percentage.

What is The Best Clay Pomade? 

That is a loaded question that depends entirely on the look you want to achieve!  There are a wide variety of clay pomades out there, ranging from super thick and viscous to ones that feel like traditional pomade.  There are also both oil-based and water-based versions.   At DSC, we enjoy clay pomades that increase volume while being easy-to-spread and creamy.  That’s why we’ve developed Cosmic Clay from scratch, aiming to create a well-rounded clay pomade with all the benefits of bentonite clay, but with a creamy texture that is easy to use with all hair types.

Tl;dr:  Clay pomade is a type of hair pomade that is made with clay as the main ingredient, commonly with either bentonite clay or kaolin clay.  Clay pomade usually has a matte finish, and is beneficial because it increases hair volume and helps to absorb excess oil and impurities from your hair.

What is Matte Pomade?

You may have heard it mentioned in locker rooms, college dorms, barbershops and bedrooms across America – matte pomade.

But what exactly is matte pomade and why is it so popular?

Matte pomade is a hair styling product that typically provides high hold combined with a flat, matte finish.  This is in stark contrast to shiny, traditional oil-based pomades or hair gels, which usually leave the hair “wet” looking.

Opposite of oil-based pomades or gels, matte pomades give a “dry” look, and also prevents that crunchy or sticky texture on hair that was popular in the last decades.

A Little History

Back in the 1950s-1970s, when the baby boomer generation were beginning to explore different hair styles in their quest for individual fashion, oil-based pomades were really the only option in the marketplace.  These oil-based products were responsible from everything from the 1950s “greaser” look to the 1970s mutton chops and pompadours that ruled high schools and college campuses in the last half of the 20th century.

Flash forward to the 1990s, when water-based hair gel started to become popular.  This look was popular with both the preppy subculture and the surf/skate subcultures at the same time.  Think hard, crunchy spikes with frosted tips, or a gelled-down Caesar cut.  One of the most famous examples of the 90s hair-gel look was Ross from the sitcom “Friends,” who famously rocked the wet-look hair style.  Even today, fans of the sitcom routinely discuss Ross’ hair-gel styles on Reddit.

Into the Future

Flash forward to the 2020s, where both oil-based hair styles and hair-gel based hair styles are fading out of popularity in favor of a matte look.  With matte hair styles, there is less of a “product” look in the hair, and a focus on a more natural look. Matte pomade is perfect for this, because it still provides high hold, but doesn’t give a “wet” or oily look.  As a result, it can create hair styles that look like you’re wearing no product at all, all the way to heavy-hold flat matte look that provides hold but doesn’t have a gloss or shine.

To get a matte look like 2020s hair styles, consider the Daytona Hi-Lo matte pomade, which has high-hold properties but with a flat, matte finish.  It won’t look wet or feel “crunchy” like older hair gels that were popular in the past.

Tl;dr:  Matte pomade is a newer type of hair product that is an alternative to traditional oil-based pomades or water-based hair gels of the past.  It provides a high hold, flat matte texture without looking oily or “wet” like oil pomades or gels can.

Styling Fiber vs Pomade

Styling fiber and pomade are two types of hair styling products.  “Pomade” can be a very broad term that encompasses a variety of different styling products – for example, oil-based (traditional) pomade, matte pomade, clay pomade, etc.

Styling fiber is a bit more narrow in scope – when most people talk of “styling fiber,” they are probably talking about one specific kind of styling product.

Tl;dr:  Styling fiber is usually tacky/sticky and semi-firm with high malleability, whereas pomade is usually less vicious and has slightly less hold, but with greater spread-ability.  We say “usually” here because there are many different types of hair pomade!

Styling Fiber – usually made with lanolin or sometimes pine resin, giving it a very tacky feel that is very viscous and firm.  Sometimes styling fiber will feel sticky, but the best ones, like the Allwave Styling Fiber, will blend stickiness with spread-ability for a good balance.   This will feel like “fiber,” almost putty-like in your hands.  It’s used to give a very firm hold that is malleable throughout the day.

Because it’s harder to spread, styling fiber is most commonly used for short hair styles.  You can use it on long hair styles of course, but it just takes more work to get it through your hair.

Benefits of styling fiber – styling fiber has a high hold, and is malleable throughout the day.  This means that your hair will be somewhat “soft” and you can style it different ways, while still having high hold to keep your hair in place.

Pomade – a very general term to describe most men’s (and women’s) styling products.  There are dozens and dozens of different pomade types, from oil-based “traditional” pomade (think slick-back hair styles of the 1950s) to clay pomades that are designed to give volume with a matte finish.  There are pomades that blend the two extremes, like the Daytona Hi-Lo pomade that has the creamy viscosity of a traditional pomade, but with a low-shine, matte finish for modern hair styles.

Benefits of pomade – when talking about a traditional pomade vs styling fiber, pomade has the edge in terms of ease-of-use and spreadability.  Pomade has less viscosity than styling fiber, making it easier to work with and comb through your hair.  Pomade can also have high hold as well, but one of the drawbacks of this is that when it’s in your hair, its set for good until you wash it out.  That means no changing your mind once it’s in for the morning!

Styling fiber retains lots of the good things from a general high-hold hair pomade (good hold, adds volume) but its more malleable, giving you more freedom of expression and the ability to restyle your hair, like after you’ve been out jogging or wearing a motorcycle helmet, etc.

There really is no wrong choice, it just depends on the situation!

Styling fiber is best for short hair styles that require a high hold and for people that don’t need a lot of shine.