No Gunk – A natural pomade option
As part of my regular searches for new products, I came across this very interesting brand in The Barber Magazine via the ISSUU application; No Gunk. The sales pitch of this brand is simple and relevant: No chemicals, no residue! Becoming more and more interested in natural grooming options I made contact with No Gunk and placed an order for their pomade.
This brand as a number of things going for it. First off the packaging and presentation is top notch with a proper aluminum can (fully recyclable) and a fun labeling. Lest we forget the actual product and its promise of a healthier composition.
No Gunk is a UK based company and the guys there were not too sure how long it would take to have a jar delivered to Canada. The parcel was delivered in an amazing 3 business days. I have mentioned this before in other posts covering products purchased in the UK; the relationship between the Royal Mail and Canada Post is a unique and efficient one. I am baffled every time by how fast things get delivered. Since the price of the product was under that magic $20 tolerance point, I was not dinged by customs for an extra. The pomade jar was packaged in a simple bubble padded envelope, but it did the trick. The jar was well protected and arrived in great shape.
As a reference point, getting a parcel from the US to Canada usually takes a minimum of 5 business days and that is when selecting the “premium” shipping option and remortgaging the house. I am exaggerating, but the recurring cost for shipping a pomade jar is $15 US. The shipping fee I was charged was 2.49 GBP or about $4.55 CND dollars. That is among the cheapest shipping fees I have come across.
In my parcel there was a nice little bonus, a sample size of their grooming spray. Typically a grooming spray tends to be a salt water arrangement as to give a light hold and lots of volume. This grooming spray is in fact an oil. This surprised me somewhat as I sprayed it directly in my hair without checking it first. Being an oil, don’t expect much volume to be added, but it does act a bit like a nourishing treatment. Just don’t over do it.
This point needs to be reiterated. Generally speaking it takes very little pomade to tame a thick mane. About the size of a dime will do you. In the case of this styling funk, I would suggest you start with about half a dime. Sounds ridiculous, but trust me! It’s easier to apply a bit more than to wash that out because you over did it.
The pomade has a lovely almond or maybe vanilla like scent. It is both mild and discreet, so no worries about emanating this fragrance. The packaging indicates strong hold and natural shine. For my unruly thick hair, it was more of a light hold and combined with the initial grooming spray application, the results were a tad more shinny than a “natural” shine. Nothing excessive by any means. It was actually a nice shine. Now considering that this is essentially a natural oil based pomade, the hold is pretty good. But it does not compare to a water based pomade. The comparison point would be a “light” water based pomade.
I revisited this pomade and applied it in slightly damp hair after my shower. This approach usually makes sense when working with hair fixatives that contain very little moisture. Clay would be a perfect example where some water is welcomed to make the party happen. Here, the pomade went in very well and was easy to style, but in my long hair it was short lived. This being said, I styled another patrons hair in this same manner (my son) and the results were solid and stylish. It had good volume and height from morning to evening . His hair is somewhat thinner than mine, by that I mean that each hair is thinner, but he probably has more than I do. His cut is also shorter than mine. So the keeper here is that this stuff will work very well in shorter hair (less than 4 inches).
You might be in the pomade game for one of two reasons: hold or shine. Usually the water based pomade give fabulous hold but limited shine, while the grease based pomade give awesome shine with a range of different hold option. But as simple concoctions as the water and grease based pomade tend to be, they are rarely absent of chemicals. So in that light, if you are an allergy sufferer but are not sacrificing “style”, your options are limited and products like “No Gunk” will be like a ray of light in your otherwise limited hairstyling options.
To be honest I have not tested many of these types of pomades and that is why I wanted to try this pomade. The only other “natural” pomade was the one by the Walton Farm; Men Don’t Stink. These products are very similar with a few small difference, the option from Walton had a totally unique scent (Mandarin and Black Pepper), and the one from No Gunk as a slightly better hold.
As this is labeled as being a “natural” based pomade, what are they putting in it? In short, they are using the biggest star names in the healthy grooming space at the moment: shea butter and argan oil. Beeswax is a regular guest in many Teams and is also playing for No Gunk.
My rating of this product will be two part. I am giving them a 5/5 for going natural and making a very inviting product. On the hold front they are getting 2.5/5. As mentioned above you might be interested in pomade for one of two things, hold or shine. I am in it for hold.
Here is the rating on a scale of 1 to 5, where 5 is a perfect score and/or level of shine:
- Going Natural: 5+
- Hold: 2.5 (for my hair) and 4 (in my son’s hair)
- Shine: 4
- Texture: 4
- Feel in hair: 5
- Facility to wash out: 4 (being an oil based concoction, it will take a wash and a half)
You can shop for this pomade directly with No Gunk via the below link. Our friends at No Gunk have also given us a nice perk by way of a unique discount code: STYLE4MEN15
Thank you! 🙂