Admiral Deluxe Pomade – The anchor branding is justified

The Admiral pomade brand is one of these brands that caught our eye very early on in the Style4men project.  But availability in Canada made it such that it stayed on the back burner longer than it should.  That recently changed through a collaboration with our friends at Ultimate Barber Supplies, who are the Canadian distributors of Admiral Pomade. You can imagine that I was thrilled to finally be able to get my hands on one of these jars and try out the Admiral pomade.

Shout out and thank you to Kolby at Ultimate for making this possible.  If you are shopping from within Canada, Ultimate Barber Supplies will be your “go to” on-line shop.  Their solid product selection will make it easy for you to find what you are looking for and things will be shipped and received within 2-4 business days without having to consider missing a car payment.  And, no nasty duty surprises!  Plainly put, they are Style4men.ca approved!

Why Admiral pomade?  Admiral fit into that branding space that will appeal to Rockers, Rockabillies, Greasers and anyone with a penchant for memorabilia. The packaging, presentation and imagery all convey timeless and classic!  Choosing an anchor as your brand symbol makes for a serious commitment.  Stability and reliability are some of the key words one might associate with an anchor.

I personally love these old-school icons.  It gives it a retro and authentic vibe.  The rest of the packaging continues along these lines with a simple aluminum lid and dark brown jar.  The vintage italic font completes that spirit.

Like many of our favorite products, Admiral Pomades is an American brand taking root in California.  Los Angeles to be precise.  The Admiral adventure started in 2013.

The jar I am working with is 114 gr (4 oz.) which is pretty much the norm for a pomade jar in the industry.  But that said the shape is a little different with the jar being tall and narrow as opposed to shorter and wider.

Admiral makes 4 different pomades or fixatives.  The Deluxe Pomade, Classic pomade, Fiber Pomade and Clay pomade.  When you go and check out their site, you will see that they have taken a real simple and totally effective approach to explain which product to use to achieve a given style.  For many guys (me too included), this will take the guess work out.

I have 3 jars to work with, the deluxe pomade, pomade and matte clay.  Being a fervent pomade enthusiast, the Deluxe Pomade is the jar I had to try first.  This curiosity was rewarded with a true deluxe product.  Just putting a statement like premium or deluxe on a jar doesn’t make it so, but Admiral is no such brand.  I can confirm that what I found inside was a “Deluxe” pomade. The pomade is clear and jello like.  From my experience this texture always renders the best results.

The pomade is easy to scoop out and I have been taking about the size of a nickel.  The product texture is thick and sticky, yet very easy to relax in the palms.  I normally apply it in clean and dry hair that has been slightly prepped with a volumizing product such as a salt spray or texturizing spray.  I like a big pomp and a little a little preparation goes a long way!  J  At this stage my hair essentially looks like Kramer from Seinfeld on a bad day.  I apply the pomade freely from back to front and side to side to spread the product evenly.  At this point, you get a very clear idea if the product is going to work or not.  My test is to see if my whole mop can stand up.  It did!  Time to comb all of that into a pomp and voilà!

I like having good hair, but I dislike having to constantly fix it throughout the day.  The Admiral Deluxe pomade is a full day participant.  Being a water based product, it will dry within the hour after application, but since there a few oil elements, your hair will not feel crunchy or sticky and will remain workable.  There is no doubt that you a product in your hair but it is completely touchable!  The Deluxe pomade being a water based pomade don’t expect major shine.  Yes, there are a few oil players on the roster but they will mostly contribute to the flexibility and moisture of your hair as opposed to a gloss.

Pomade users are after one of two things; shine or hold.  I am in it for the hold.  Pomade as freed me from uncontrollable and approximate hair styles and opened the door to easy and committed styling.

Ingredient wise this is not the shortest list we have seen, but it’s not a chemical party either. Although, this is a water based concoction, it clearly has a “grease” based inspiration as you will find: mineral oil, beeswax, petrolatum, carnuba wax and alcohol on the listing.

Last but not least is the scent of this pomade.  It is very mild and will most certainly not interfere with your aftershave or cologne.  It will also not be an issue if you work in an office with fragrance restrictions.  To my nose it is a discreet modern and manly scent.  Sweet, green, creamy musk if that makes some sort of scent.  Like a discreet sandalwood with a musky element.

Here is my score card on a scale of 1 to 5; where 5 is a perfect score and/or level of shine:

• Hold: 5
• Shine: 2
• Texture: 5
• Feel in hair: 5
• Facility to wash out: 5

Yeah, I liked it!  It is a very simple 5 stars rating for us.

In Canada shop with Ultimate.  In the US shop directly with Admiral.