Wax vs gel vs. ?

Ok, so we've got shaving all taken care of but what about that hair and the rest of your face? Get the low down on shampoo's, conditioners, finishers, cleansers, toners and moisturizers right here!
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Chaps
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Post by Chaps »

I have been fighting the gel vs pomade battle myself. I have been letting my hair grow out for my wife these past few months (if I had it my way, it would stay buzzed or shaved, but that's another story :D ). Right now, I am just using a gel I picked up at Kroger, but I get the same results from other gels, that is, after a little while the gel makes my hair feel like plastic. I usually end up combing it out after a couple of hours (or less). I feel self-conscience with it on my hair. It keeps my hair in place, I just don't like the plastic feel.
I tried Brylcreem a while back when I let it grow out but I can't remember if I liked it. I do recall it didn't make my hair feel like plastic, but I seem to remember it had a greasy feel to it. I know this sounds cheesy and lame, but if I am going to let my hair grow, I would like to style it in the way Cary Grant did his. I know, I know, he's Cary Grant and I'm not, I get that. But his hair didn't look all that greasy or plastic, especially in his later years.
I didn't mean to hijack Sam's thread, but with all the great responses from everyone, it didn't make much sense for me to start another one on the same topic. My apologies, Sam. For those on this board who know my taste, I tend to lean more to the old school thought. I may try the Vitalis. BTW, what did Cary Grant use?

Danny
Danny

"Because I prefer the cool, clean sweep of the tempered steel as it glides smoothly--" Cary Grant as he is shaving in a scene from "Mr. Blandings Builds His Dream House"
brothers
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Post by brothers »

I don't know what Grant used, but if it wasn't Vitalis, it probably should have been. :lol: There's no plastic quallity, and it's not like a gel or pomade, it just holds the hair in place during and after the comb/brush is applied. If you're going to be engaged in normal activity, it remains in place, but if you're going into a wind tunnel, then you hair will show it.
Gary

SOTD 99%: Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, soaps & creams, synthetic / badger brushes, Colonial General razor, Kai & Schick blades, straight razors any time, Superior 70 aftershave splash + menthol + 444
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Araner
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Post by Araner »

Chaps wrote:...what did Cary Grant use?

Danny
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Chaps
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Post by Chaps »

Araner wrote:
Chaps wrote:...what did Cary Grant use?

Danny
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Mike
That doesn't come in a bottle does it :)

Danny
Danny

"Because I prefer the cool, clean sweep of the tempered steel as it glides smoothly--" Cary Grant as he is shaving in a scene from "Mr. Blandings Builds His Dream House"
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Chaps
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Post by Chaps »

brothers wrote:I don't know what Grant used, but if it wasn't Vitalis, it probably should have been. :lol: There's no plastic quallity, and it's not like a gel or pomade, it just holds the hair in place during and after the comb/brush is applied. If you're going to be engaged in normal activity, it remains in place, but if you're going into a wind tunnel, then you hair will show it.
Gary, I am definitely going to try Vitalis. Thanks

Danny
Danny

"Because I prefer the cool, clean sweep of the tempered steel as it glides smoothly--" Cary Grant as he is shaving in a scene from "Mr. Blandings Builds His Dream House"
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Post by EL Alamein »

How timely this thread is as I myself recently was dabbling in different hair products just to see if there was anything I like as much as my normal hair groom - Suave's Groom & Clean. So far G&C beats all comers.

There is a pomade out there called "Grant's Golden Pomade" and guess who's image they use to sell the product? Yep, you guess it, good old Cary Grant himself. From the Grant's pomade ingredients list it is essentially the same thing as it's much lower priced competitor Tres Flores pomade. In fact Tres Floris is a fraction of the cost, it just has a different scent. Tres Flores is a clone of the old Pinaud pomade (or vice versa) which has now been discontinued for several years. It used to be sold by Classic Shaving about 7 to 8 years back and I used to buy it by the case from them. I'm not talking about the green hair gel that hardens as that's still available although I do use that every now and then just to have the Clubman scent. The now defunct clubman pomade I am speaking of never truly hardened and was always malleable and it gave great shine for those of us that slick our hair. I was disappointed to see it discontinued but the switch to G&C has been seamless, excellent and I actually like it better than the old clubman pomade.

Well, back to my scouting around for something new. I came across the Art of Manliness's article regarding old school hair grooms. While reading through the comments lo and behold I came across this comment by a gentleman named "Jeff":
Jeff wrote:According to makeup master Wally Westmore, Cary Grant would cut his own hair and used a little dab of petroleum jelly to keep it controlled but not slick. Having grown up in abject poverty Grant remade himself when he got to Hollywood by spending money he made on the best tailoring he could find, but the thought of spending money on a hair cut was, to him, a waste of money. He cut his hair with a razor comb that he used for years, and if you see pictures of him as he aged through the years he never really changed his style. He was also a straight razor shaver who used bar soap for his lather.
I am not sure that this is entirely true because it seems to be somewhat at odds with what Richard Torregrossa wrote in his book "Cary Grant - A Celebration of Style" on page 52 about Grant's hair groom:
Richard Torregrossa wrote:Archie opted for Zeppo's slicked-back hairstyle, obtained by the application of brilliantine. But Archie improved it, at least for his purposes, by mixing it with Dixie Peach, the pomade used by black performers of the era, creating what we would call today, the perfect "product".
He also mentions on page 98 that Grant patronized his local barber for $6.00 haircuts.

Of course some authors take license with the facts in order to serve an audience and who knows if Torregrossa is telling the truth or repeating a Hollywood myth. Now brilliantine is essentially petroleum jelly with the addition of scent and mineral oil as I recently learned so it is possible that the "brilliantine" that Torregrossa refers to is in fact the same as what Jeff refers to or it just may be an inaccurate retelling.

The haircut business doesn't seem to agree either but that also may be just an inaccurate retelling because many men in those days used a razor comb just to trim here and there, my father included. It would extend the time between haircuts by a week. I still have my father's razor comb somewhere. So it may be that Grant used his in the same way and then went to the barber in the normal fashion and just reluctantly tolerated the cost. I just can't see him relying solely on a razor comb and personal skill though, especially given his high visibility profession.

There's no mention in Torregrossa's book of Grant's shaving habits that I can recall so I can't comment on the veracity of it. I find it implausible though as I understand that many Hollywood fellows used electrics because they may have had to shave several times a day on the set and when used in conjunction with talcum powder as a skin lubricant an electric shaver can be extremely mild even if they are inefficient. For the silver screen they did a fine job for presentation purposes. Perhaps Grant shaved with a straight when he was on holiday a few months? It would make for a fascinating fact, especially for a daily straight shaver like myself.

I'd love to know the source for Jeff's information as I think it might be very interesting to many gentlemen given Grant's icon status for style. Truth is stranger than fiction but either way it would make for a fascinating read.

Chris
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Post by rsp1202 »

Hmm. Comb razors. I thought those were of the same ilk as Popeil's Pocket Fisherman, but if Grant used one . . .
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Sam
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Post by Sam »

Gonna try Groom and Clean by suave or the other similarly named product. I think Brylcream will be too greasy. I made a hodgepodge of a product by melting down the remainder of my Paul Sebastian Tea Tree Shaping Wax, the Aveda Clay and the Avede Light Elements Wax (it had the most hold), and it is a nice white color and more cream than wax (it hardened up but emulsifies almost instantly). The next best product for me is the Aveda Grooming Cream, but not as much hold as I want
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Post by Sam »

Cant find Groom and Clean but am using some ENJOY texture cream and so far, it has great hold and is not as greasy as I thought. It is like a gel in that it tends to clump up like a gel, but comb through it, it breaks it up and retains some hold, unlike some gels that if you break it up, no more hold
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