The Best Pomades for Men Will Keep Your Hair Exactly Where You Want It

Daimon Barber is celebrity groomer Jessica Ortiz’s go-to product for firm-hold, high-shine photo shoots and events: “It is petroleum jelly based [a blend of oil and wax], while also containing nourishing scalp oils, like avocado and coconut. The addition of beeswax makes the hold long-lasting and malleable.” While it’s going to require a good shampoo to rinse fully from the hair, you’ll enjoy the full benefits of eye-catching pomade, without any style compromise throughout the day.

Best for Thick Hair and High Shine: Uppercut Deluxe Pomade

As a guy with thick hair, I know a thing or two about finding a product that actually tames my stubborn strands. And Uppercut’s Deluxe Pomade is one of the best in this department. While the brand advises applying the product dry, I have found a pinch more luck using it in slightly damp or towel-dried hair, since my strands are more relaxed and receptive in that state—maybe medium and finer haired gents can opt for the dry application. But that damp application also provides some serious sheen and hold, which is exactly what you want from a classic pomade.

When applied, the pomade works really well to boost volume, so it’s an excellent pomade for those who style quiffs or pompadours (or anyone with defined curls who want to amp up texture). The pomade’s fiery orange tint is a nice touch, along with its comely coconut scent.

Best for Thin Hair and High Shine: Layrite Original Pomade

Part clay, part wax, Layrite’s Original Pomade really lands in the middle ground in terms of hold and shine, making it perfect for finer-haired individuals. While many pomades we tested run the risk of making fine hair look flat and lifeless, Layrite’s pomade gives thinner hairs enough lift at the root without weighing down the strands.

It’s also easy to rework midday with a splash of water or a wet palm. And of all the classic pomades on this list, Layrite is the most repurposable in that it also proves great for tousled and mussed-up looks. And since its shine isn’t blinding, you might get away with wearing it on the daily without anyone comparing you to Gordon Gekko.

Best Pomade for Long Hair and Medium Shine: O’Douds Styling Treatment

O’Douds is a go-to styling brand for many barbershops, including Black Rabbit Barbershop in Brooklyn, New York. For something that works on longer locks that offers a natural, medium shine, go for its Styling Treatment. It’s super pliable, easy to work in the hands and through the hair. It’s also incredibly moisturizing thanks to a variety of essential oils, plus it smells really good (sort of like lavender). Use a little for a reworkable hold, or if you’re someone who likes to play with their hair throughout the day, and add more to create a firmer hold for all-day hold.

Best Pomade for Curly Hair: American Crew Pomade

I’d wager a bet that most readers have owned this product at some point in their life—but also that most curly-haired guys have counted themselves out of the classic pomade category. American Crew’s pomade is perfect for eye-catching curls, and for enough control at the roots.

This pomade doesn’t have the same grip as some of the aforementioned options, but lands some place in the “movable hold” region, while also delivering brilliant shine. t’s got a generous amount of castor oil, despite being primarily water based. It’s not going to restrict your curls or make them crunchy, no matter their length, and it coats the strands so that they’re shielded from humidity and frizz throughout the day, too. I love using it as a finishing cream in my frizz-prone strands, to keep tames in check while getting a pinch of that salon-caliber brilliance

For Strong Hold and Low Shine: Firsthand Supply All-Purpose Hair Pomade

Firsthand Supply’s All-Purpose hair pomade is exactly that: A great hair-styling product for pretty much any style. It has a super-strong hold that can achieve gravity-defining coifs and pomps, with a natural low shine, so that it doesn’t look like you just dipped your hair in a bucket of grease. It’s especially great for shorter, textured styles, but works well for medium-length hair, too (just know that you’ll need to apply more to build up a firmer, stronger hold). Throughout the day, hair might lose some of its oomph, but run your hand under some water and ruffle up the hair to reactivate the pomade to get that sky-high style you’re so damn proud of.

Best Low Hold, Medium Shine Pomade: Highland Glacial Clay Pomade

Few products get used up in our household, but Highland’s Glacial Clay always goes to the last dollop, and quickly, too. My thin-haired plus-one uses it as a lightweight texturizer in his wavy strands, while I use it as a texturizer at the roots, or a tamer of flyaways in thick hair (I do a nice dusting when I have long hair, and a little more force when my hair is shorter and poofing at the corners).

This clay-based pomade delivers a natural shine—nothing that will make hair look greasy, but will also give you some good light-catching definition. I also love its use of arrowroot in the formula to absorb excess scalp sebum and prevent any unwanted gloss. Add in eight other natural ingredients, and you’ve got a pomade that can tame your hair and treat it with the respect it deserves.

Best Low Hold, Low Shine Pomade: Church Coastal Creme Pomade

We could sing the praises of Church California’s Coastal Creme Pomade forever. It’s a spongey, 100% natural and organic hair cream pomade that deploys everything from aloe to marshmallow root (plus 22 other ingredients), resulting in a lightweight, touchable, low-sheen finish.

Even with a centimeter-long buzzcut, it can be the difference between having noticeable bedhead or looking artfully disheveled and tousled. The same could be said for longer hair, which is where I get a ton of mileage. It’s terrific as a barely-there styler that gives you just enough hold (to counter the wind or hours of environmental exposure), but allows hair to feel lightweight, flippable, and west-coast easy breezy. My partner loves it in his inches-long wavy strands for admirable volume and definition, without ever weighing him down.

Best Matte Pomade with High Hold: Reuzel Concrete Hold Matte Pomade

If you want zero shine and 100% gridlocked hold, here’s your huckleberry. I love Reuzel’s Concrete Hold Matte Pomade as a root-locking agent in medium-length styles, or if I want my hair to fall a certain direction all day but don’t want the product weighing it down throughout the strands themselves. It’s especially great in fine and thinning hair for this reason—if you want to build volume and definition without weighing things down.