If I had my way, I would keep my hair buzzed, but my wife likes me with hair, so I have been letting my hair grow on top for a while. My hair has a mind of its own so I have been using gel to keep it in place. It keeps my hair in place but I hate the hard feeling my hair gets when I use it. I bought a tube of Brylcreem today and it didn't really do anything for me. It just made my hair poofy. I think I am going to try Vitalis or Pinaud.
Danny
Hair Tonic??
I went through a hair oil phase when I was just becoming aware of the fairer sex (6th grade, approximately), around 1959 or so. Jerry Lee Lewis and EP and the Big Bopper were jumping around and fighting off girls coming at them from all sides, it appeared. The best I could do was try to get some hair action going on, I suppose. They called this particular hair style a Boogie. It was a flat top on top and really long hair on the side, slicked back and combed back horizontally along the sides. So I went in for the Brylcreem, Wildroot Cream Oil, and at one point used a greasy wax that was pink and came in a clear jar. Then I gravitated to one that's still for sale in just about every grocery store and drug store, Murray's Old Fashioned Pomade. It has a smell that takes me back to those days. Anyway, to complete the evolution, sometime in the '70's after I got back from a stint in the service, I became addicted to the smell and performance of Vitalis. Still made in El Paso Texas, and on the shelves of all of those same stores where you see Murray's.
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
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
Found this good old thread and thought I'd use it as a hook to acquaint gents with a hair-styling product that will come as a surprise to most: an alum block. Just rub the block between your wet hands and massage your scalp for a moment. Brush your hair and allow it to dry. The small amount of potassium alum crystals, which feel utterly insubstantial in your hands, will provide exactly the right amount of hold for your hair - with no sticky or gummy residue, no oil, and no scent. The minerals are removed with a light washing of the scalp.
At least this product works for me with my old man's thinning hair. But I've read that it also worked for James Dean and other icons of the silver screen half a century ago, who sported pompadour hairstyles. So if you have an alum block, which is highly recommended for its ostensible purpose as well, give it a try.
At least this product works for me with my old man's thinning hair. But I've read that it also worked for James Dean and other icons of the silver screen half a century ago, who sported pompadour hairstyles. So if you have an alum block, which is highly recommended for its ostensible purpose as well, give it a try.
Porter
Ah, hair tonic! Next to shaving tackle, these are my favourite.
For common, work-a-day, wear, I use a dab o' Brylcreem. (A little dab, as that is enough to do ya.) Good hold, a bit of sheen, cheap. Despite all the God-given gifts I lack (talent, looks, intelligence, money, appeal to human-kind in general, especially the fair sex) I have been granted a full head of hair so a bit of control comes in handy.
Come the weekend, I delve into my beloved Geo F. Trumper bottles. Eucris remains my favourite. A touch of oil harms no one, and the hold is good. I also have a coveted bottle of Isis (sadly, long discontinued) which I managed to have shipped across the pond a few years ago.
Regrettably, GFT has discontinued a number of their products...
...which pains me endlessly. (Of course, those which remain are offered in cheap plastic "bottles" which are beneath contempt. I spit at them!).
All in all, great fun.
Mr. 95%, good shaves to you sir. I've heard previously of alum being used on hair, particularly those with flat tops and such. Helps the hair remain erect. I've not sported such a style since my NROTC days, so I can't say I've tried it. I'm fond of alum on the face, though, and I'm sure it would work well. On the other hand, would it leave one's hair with a desirable consistency? Would my wife, for instance, want to spontaneously run her fingers through it? This is an important consideration in my opinion.
Cheers,
-Scott
For common, work-a-day, wear, I use a dab o' Brylcreem. (A little dab, as that is enough to do ya.) Good hold, a bit of sheen, cheap. Despite all the God-given gifts I lack (talent, looks, intelligence, money, appeal to human-kind in general, especially the fair sex) I have been granted a full head of hair so a bit of control comes in handy.
Come the weekend, I delve into my beloved Geo F. Trumper bottles. Eucris remains my favourite. A touch of oil harms no one, and the hold is good. I also have a coveted bottle of Isis (sadly, long discontinued) which I managed to have shipped across the pond a few years ago.
Regrettably, GFT has discontinued a number of their products...
...which pains me endlessly. (Of course, those which remain are offered in cheap plastic "bottles" which are beneath contempt. I spit at them!).
All in all, great fun.
Mr. 95%, good shaves to you sir. I've heard previously of alum being used on hair, particularly those with flat tops and such. Helps the hair remain erect. I've not sported such a style since my NROTC days, so I can't say I've tried it. I'm fond of alum on the face, though, and I'm sure it would work well. On the other hand, would it leave one's hair with a desirable consistency? Would my wife, for instance, want to spontaneously run her fingers through it? This is an important consideration in my opinion.
Cheers,
-Scott
Dumb as a stump and twice as ugly...
Beautiful pics, Scott. You're an expert on the subject of hair tonics for sure.
The alum-block treatment is perfect for me with my thin but flyaway hair. And it's so easy to apply right after the shave when I have the block already deployed. However, if you are favored with a full head of hair, the minerals might add a hard texture to your hair that your wife wouldn't like. I don't mean a hard shell of the sort that hair spray imparts (think Callista Gingrich), but a bit of it nonetheless.
The alum-block treatment is perfect for me with my thin but flyaway hair. And it's so easy to apply right after the shave when I have the block already deployed. However, if you are favored with a full head of hair, the minerals might add a hard texture to your hair that your wife wouldn't like. I don't mean a hard shell of the sort that hair spray imparts (think Callista Gingrich), but a bit of it nonetheless.
Porter
Went to get my hair cut yesterday and told my barber that I was wanting to use some type of tonic or gel on my hair. She said she would massage some gel into my hair after she cut it. After the haircut, she did just that and then combed it the way I like it. My hair looked and felt great. Kind of like Jim West in the TV series Wild Wild West. I asked her what she used and she told me Joico Joigel Styling Gel. Not too firm, not too flimsy, but just right. I went back about an hour later and bought a tube from her. I used it again today and it worked great for me. I highly recommend it. Now, where did Artemus go? 
Danny
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"
"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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Bargepole
- Beam me up Scotty
- Posts: 2350
- Joined: Thu Jun 15, 2006 1:07 pm
- Location: Cambridge, England
My barber, the sweetly-named Emily whose name belies her remarkable range of tattoos, applied some stuff called "Sea Salt Spray" when I had my hair cut on Friday.
"What's in it?" I said.
"Sea salt," she said. "When I worked in Cornwall, they'd say 'No, bugger that, if I want sea salt in my hair I'll just go and stand by the sea-wall across the road.'"
"So," I said, "What happens if someone accidentally happened to suck my head?"
"Mouthful of salt, I suppose," she said. "Do you want a splash of vinegar to go with it?"
Sometimes I yearn for Fernil, Isis, San Remo and all the rest. Oh Trumper, Trumper, what have you done?
"What's in it?" I said.
"Sea salt," she said. "When I worked in Cornwall, they'd say 'No, bugger that, if I want sea salt in my hair I'll just go and stand by the sea-wall across the road.'"
"So," I said, "What happens if someone accidentally happened to suck my head?"
"Mouthful of salt, I suppose," she said. "Do you want a splash of vinegar to go with it?"
Sometimes I yearn for Fernil, Isis, San Remo and all the rest. Oh Trumper, Trumper, what have you done?
Michael
People say it's never too late. How wrong they are. --Felix Dennis
People say it's never too late. How wrong they are. --Felix Dennis
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bernards66
- Duke of Silvertip!
- Posts: 27393
- Joined: Sun Feb 27, 2005 1:02 pm
Ah ha, not all!
I went to my barber Bob, today, who - along with his colleague Arlo, have been cutting hair for 50+ years, each. Save the smell of old cigarettes and lucky tiger, these guys have changed little since 1960, and they both have a waiting list of appointments everyday.
When, a couple of months ago, I had to go to "hair-person" (Bob & Arlo were booked), she asked if I wanted trimmers, or just scissors.
"Trimmers, please".
"What comb on the sides-- a 3 or 4?"
Blank stare from me. "Huh?"
"What's your stylist usually use on the sides?", showing me a couple clip-on comb things for the trimmers.
"Um, well my barber's been cutting hair longer than I've been alive, and he doesn't use a clip-on thing-- he wings it. I've never seen one of those things."
"Wow, they don't train us to how to do that. How long have you been going there?"
"Since 1989."
"That's longer than I've been alive," she said.
-Scott
I went to my barber Bob, today, who - along with his colleague Arlo, have been cutting hair for 50+ years, each. Save the smell of old cigarettes and lucky tiger, these guys have changed little since 1960, and they both have a waiting list of appointments everyday.
When, a couple of months ago, I had to go to "hair-person" (Bob & Arlo were booked), she asked if I wanted trimmers, or just scissors.
"Trimmers, please".
"What comb on the sides-- a 3 or 4?"
Blank stare from me. "Huh?"
"What's your stylist usually use on the sides?", showing me a couple clip-on comb things for the trimmers.
"Um, well my barber's been cutting hair longer than I've been alive, and he doesn't use a clip-on thing-- he wings it. I've never seen one of those things."
"Wow, they don't train us to how to do that. How long have you been going there?"
"Since 1989."
"That's longer than I've been alive," she said.
-Scott
Dumb as a stump and twice as ugly...