UPPERCUT DELUXE locks everything in place with its strong hold Clay

Despite of how weird 2020 turned out, the folks at UPPERCUT DELUXE have managed to pump out another rock solid product, the CLAY!

The regulars to Style4men already know that Uppercut Deluxe has earned a spot of our pedestal and it seems that with every new product launch that position is further secured.

Shout out and thank you to our friends at Toucan Trading, the Canadian distributor of Uppercut Deluxe for partnering with us for this review. Use the exclusive STYLE4MEN discount code for 15% off with Toucan Trading.

Uppercut Deluxe is that unmistakable old-school Australian barbershop brand that completely stands out with their iconic boxers. For the longest time, the brand focused on their pomade and grew things in gradual increments: a monster hold, an easy hold, a featherweight and a matte pomade. Last year we saw the arrival of the styling powder and salt spray which were welcomed additions as it increased the styling possibilities.

Clay is pretty much the only thing Uppercut wasn’t offering. Yes, matte pomade is roughly in the same category, but clay remains a thing on its own.

OK, so why clay?! It is a one of kind styling solution. Here are the highlights:
• Incredible hold
• Natural matte looking results
• Water based / Washable

If you have ever seen someone with great volume / texture while the whole thing looking like there was no product (and you know there is no way in hell), odds are they were using clay.

As part of my product exploration, I will admit that I have struggled with clay. All of the above promises are true (extreme hold, matte finish, easy to wash out)! The catch for me has typically been with the application. Clay being so firm, it takes a little muscle to scoop some out. You then need to thoroughly warm it up in order to apply it. Because clay is so dry, you have very little time to blend it in the hair before it starts seizing and tugging. Many formulations rely on oils to compensate for the dryness. Another thing to note is that getting the chemistry right for the whole thing to work is not as simple as you might think. In short, not all clays are the same. It is worth exploring. In short, it is an extremely attractive proposition that I have typically found difficult to capitalize on.

BUT… Uppercut has managed to create a clay that has all of the perks: extreme hold, matte finish and easy to wash out, while being easier to work with than many others out there. The product offers some resistance when scooping it out, but warming it up is a breeze. Then the application was surprisingly smoother than I expected. My first test was as per the label’s instructions – in dry hair. The clay let itself be blended in rather nicely. That said, forget what you know about pomade since clay is a different beast.

The results were: great volume with a natural looking finish. In other words, it is hard to tell that you have product in there.

On the next day, I tried blending it in damp hair and blow drying in place as you would with a pre-styler. Not as simple! It was harder to work in and took a very long time to blow dry. The result was too much volume and I had to add a few touches here and there to tame things down.

Here is the rating on a scale of 1 to 5, where 5 is a perfect score.

• Hold: 5
• Scent: 5
• Shine: NA
• Texture: 5
• Feel in hair: 4.5
• Facility to wash out: 5

In normal circumstance, I see my Barber Lady every 3 -4 weeks and again roughly every 2 weeks for some fade maintenance. OK, basically I go over as often as I can! At the moment my province has been in lock down for just over 6 weeks, so needless to say that things are somewhat out of control with longer hair and just more of it! That being the case, the Clay still did pretty darn well. I mention this because in my opinion clay does better in shorter hair. Further to that, clay has a volumizing effect – guys with thinning hair take note! It will make the hair that you have look fuller. Clay is your friend!

Considering the longer hair, here is what has worked best for me. In dry and clean hair, apply a small dime size scoop of clay. Warm the hell out of it and get it in everywhere as evenly as possible. Comb in place. Then I used a bit less than a dime sized scoop of pomade to even things out and lock the party in place. Enjoy!

Natural clay has a distinct scent. Nothing unpleasant, but it is recognizable. The clay scent is also harder to mask. Uppercut has used a nice fresh herbal scent which works very well with the product. Note that it won’t survive the application.

In closing, Uppercut Deluxe has does it again by bringing us another top shelf product. This bad boy lives up to everything you have heard about clay and does one better by making easier to work with.