Pomade review: Anchor Teddy Boy Matte

Received a, to me, new pomade today - Anchor Teddy Boy Matte.

(Product photos courtesy of the interweb).

I've been looking for a pomade that gives a medium hold, not too greasy and with medium shine for some time now. The latest product I tried was Brylcreem that I like but still feel a bit too greasy/shiny to me.

SO, I was really excited when I read about this pomade by Anchor.
It's a water based pomade that supposedly styles just like a petroleum based one.
Too good to be true? I thought so. This would be great if it was true as it would wash out easily, give a good hold and not dry out.

So I hopped onto Amazon, which had the best price I could find, and bought a jar for $12 w/ free shipping from Top Shelf Barber

The jar, when it arrived was surprisingly small. Tiny one might even say. But I don't use much in my hair so I still estimate getting about two months worth of hair styling out of it.




Ingredients, as copied from their homepage;
Carnauba Wax/Micro Wax – great hold, easy to wash out
Grapeseed Oil - Non-greasy, softens and promotes growth
Vitamin E – preserve, hair growth
Bamboo Extract- fullness, body
-Paraben Free
-Petroleum Free
-Alcohol Free

The review:

Scent:
Opening up the jar I was greeted (attacked?) by a rather strong, sweet scent. It was very candy like to me. I picked up on mint right away but I've also read that a lot of people smell cherry which I can see.
This was also a scent that stayed with you for a good 10 mins or so after having applied it to your hair.
I am not a big fan of sweet smells in general (as a reference I sniffed Pinaud Clubman hairgel in a store and thought it was way too sweet) - so personally I wish that had been toned down a bit.
6/10 (if you like me don't care much for sweet scents).

Hold/Lasting power:
It's rated to be a medium hold but right off the bat I was very impressed by how this pomade balanced hold-and-natural-look. My hair, actually looked really good after just a minute of playing around with it. I was honestly impressed.
A good 8 hours later my hair still had a medium hold to it - but left it free enough for my luxurious, brown locks to sway a bit in the warm California breeze.
8/10 (this is very YMMV as it will depend on your hair style, cut and previous product experiences. Me, I liked it a lot)

The luxurious locks in question a couple of hours post-styling:


Shine:
I wanted something that would give some luster to...my luxurious, brow.... hair but not as much as Brylcreem. I loved the half-shine/matte look of this product.
A solid 10/10. Great matte look but still with a very healthy look.

Summary:
I really liked this pomade. A lot. Actually so much that I am considering buying the bigger jar when I finish this one. Great, innovative water based product at a reasonable price.


Other reviews:
Here's the pomps review of it:

 

Thanks for the review. Maybe I'll give it a try, but for now my solution has been to top off a water based [matte finish] pomade with a small amount of brilliantine, which greatly improves the hold and gives me a shiny but not greasy look.

 

Sounds like a viable solution as well. I used the Anchor pomade this morning again and I must say it continues to impress me.

 

Hey, look! I saw gray! I mean uh... Great review!

 

FTFY.

Got yer back there @Darkbulb

 

Oh I'm sure that was just reflection from the shiny, clean hair

 

I keep my hair short and slicked back, so it seems if I use anything but a petroleum based product that the hair on the top of my head tends to stand straight up. I've tried products containing either bees wax or carnauba wax and both had the same results, with the bees wax being the worst of the 2.

 

<sigh> I just bought the sample pack.

 

I didn't know they had one. Directly from their own homepage?

 

Yes, from their homepage.

 

<gasp>... I just got a tracking number and a shipment date of tomorrow. WOW.

 

They're standing....behind you!

 

I like this btw:

"With every pomade or hair wax purchase, a bar of organic soap is sent to a family living in a poverty stricken environment."

 

Do post your impressions when you get it, I'd be curious to hear what you think.

 

My order (the 3 jar sample pack from the company website) arrived late yesterday and got picked up today. So, I haven't had a chance to use any of them yet. But, they smell fantastic. The jars are perhaps smaller than I expected (about the size of an ink bottle), but they will probably last a good while. A couple nice touches tho: a handwritten "Thank you so much!" on the packing list, two promo stickers, and a branded old style black pocket comb included with the products. I think the comb is part of the sample pack, but the other stuff was just good customer service.

I also noticed that the individual product labels came graded (1 to 4) as to shine and as to hold. It's relative, of course, but helpful nonetheless. Otherwise, no directions on the labels, just an ingredients list and of course, the name.

 

I'm curious to see how you like them all. The jars are indeed rather small but I've found I use a pretty small amount due to its texture so maybe it nets out.

 

FTFY?

 

= fixed that for you

 

I just noticed you changed my quote hahahahahahaha. Well, I'm off to find a penguins uncle.