Port City Pomade Water Based Medium Hold Pomade - Unorthodox All-Natural Hair Styling Clay and Pomade for Men (4 ounce - Medium)

I got this pomade because it had beeswax, an ingredient that provides the type of hold that satisfies my one condition, a pomade that wont hardern. I will compart Port City's product to my absolute favorite pomades, O'Douds and Teddy Boy. I prefer pomades that don't harden like Suavecito and Layrite (I like pulling my fingers through my hair, and my girlfriend does too, and this RUINS the hold of these pomades). I also prefer natural and water based pomades that smell amazing, like Teddy Boy (minty) and O'Douds (piney). Teddy Boy and O'Douds are the pinnacle of this, and I have tried so many pomades, but you truly do pay the price for them (about $4.50/oz each ). Port City Pomade seemed to hit the mark with a cheaper price tag (Under $4/oz), so I picked some up to test it. Keep in mind my hair is fairly long on top, about 4 inches, and very thick, I style it in a Beckham-esque undercut for those who are curious.Before I continue, I musty admit that I have had experience with Port City before, or at least a salesman. They always table at Disneyland's Dapper Day convention, which I have attended every 6 months for the last 4 years. The salesman asked me what pomade I was using, I was using Murray's at the time and said so, and he retorted that I should try Port City because Murray's is "radioactive". So needless to say my respect for Port City was essentially nil at the time of this review.On to the product:Who's idea was it to make this pomade smell like cookies and cream?? That person needs a pink slip. The smell is absolutely horrendous, and definitely not masculine whatsoever. I put it on about an hour ago and still smell it, albeit that may be sub-conscious PTSD-driven hallucinations remembering back to the first time I opened the tub and said, "Yes, I am about to put this chocolate mousse into my hair".The hold is nice, about what I expect in comparing to O'Douds, but its composition when distributing in my hands is very similar to O"Douds old formulation. The product essentially "pills" as you rub amounts over the amount shown in the picture in your hands, the product balls up into clumps and you can't get an even distribution, which obviously prevents an even distribution of the product in your hair, and lighter blotches for those who have darker hair like me, that have to be blended bit by bit. O'Douds has fixed this issue, but it seems Port City still has it.TL;DRThis product will give you a nice hold that doesn't dry. Even and uniform distribution is difficult unless you only use smaller amounts, which may not be sufficent for thicker hair like mine. This product must be applied with DRY hands and at the dampest, towel-dry hair, or else distribution becomes exponentially more difficult. All that being said, it is still manageable, but if you are looking for a good hold that won't harden, I would say give O'Douds (for a heavy hold) and Teddy Boy (for a medium hold) a shot if you have the extra scratch and you want to smell masculine AF. If you don't have the dough, and you are OK smelling like a combination of grandma's kitchen and a unicorn fart, I say pick up Port City.

I've been using the pomade for about 2 weeks now.Scent - I believe it is officially unscented. It smells sort of like a mix of beeswax and.. clay I'd say. As odd as that is i kind of like its smell.Hold - Hold is strong enough for a basic comb over and swoosh. It isn't going to hold a pompadour or anything but it satisfies me. I work a 12-14 hour work day every day and the pomade holds up this whole time. After about 15 or so hours of wear the pomade does begin to lose a lot of hold though and i find myself re adjusting my hair often.Appearance - One thing that i LOVE about this pomade is that my hair does not look "wet" with it in there! A lot of other pomades i have gone through leave the top of my head looking "wet" but then the sides of my head look dry and it seems odd as half my hair is dark and the other half is light. It has a great appearance in my hair otherwise.Texture - Leaves my hair feeling incredibly soft all day and i love that, it isn't hard or stiff like a lot of Gel Pomades that i have used.Initial concerns - I at first did not think it was going to wash out very well if i used it every day, but it ends up washing out easy enough. There is a teency bit of residue in your hair after a shower but it doesnt bother me at all. I also did not originally like how you actually have to sort of "break it up" using your hands before your can apply it to your hair, but i am use to that now. Be sure your hands are actually dry before trying to put this on your hands.Overall i love this much more than any pomade i have ever used. My only recomendation could be a light scent to it.

First I'll say I love pomade. My friend got me into it a couple years ago and I am always trying new ones looking for the best. Just currently, in my bathroom I have:O'douds Water BasedGranddad's Water BasedFlagship BlackshipFlagship Medium Oil Based (apple pie moonshine)White. By Based Pompand this.This have the most unique texture of them al, it's sort of like O'douds water based texture in your hands, but unlike O'douds it has a gritty texture and it spreads without seperating the water and pomade. So as far as spreading in hands this is very easy.As far as smell it is also unique. Usually you can put your finger on it in some way. Some pomades or minty, or vanilla, or have a smell listed in the name but this one I asked a couple people and I decided it smells like: rootbeer + vanilla. It's a subtle smell and most people I asked really liked it, but couldn't describe it either.Lastly, hold. It's a medium hold water based. I personally feel O'douds WB holds better and longer, as does Granddad's WB (in my hair). This one I apply again later in the day but it's still a quality pomade.Good smell, good texture; decent hold. Definitely would recommend to someone who likes a looser more natural feeling hold.