Happy New Year

Too many to choose from, so let's go all out!!  Hope your holidays were good, my best to you and yours for 2014 

In The Cut

Palmers Soft Formula Shaping Wax Review

I've checked this out many times and the color and scent always seemed interesting, time to give it a shot.  Grabbed a can for 3$ so the price is fair, first thing you notice is the striking electric color it has.

Like they canned something from an old ghostbusters movie, looks like some hardcore grease.  The smell hits you and is really pleasant.. kind of like a fresh cupcake or cake batter, not too strong but a mellow warm scent that lingers nicely on your hairs.  If your kids eat play doh keep them away from this!! I was half tempted to take a scoop myself  

By looking at it and the fact it's a wax I was thinking it would be on the harder side, but digging in after you break the top it scoops out softly.  Hmm, I'm really a fan of the hardcore shit but I guess I should've known when the top says 'no hardening'.. thought they were talking about how hairspray makes your hairs crunchy type of hardening, oh well.  I put it in my palms and the smell opens up which is nice but it slicks out really soft and greasy which is good for getting it in but usually means it's going to make limp noodles of your hairstyle.

It goes in super easy and soft.. got it through all my hairs and brushed in nice and it actually had more tack than I was expecting.  Had a bit of trouble getting a clean part but it could've been my cut working against me.  The rest styled up ok, got halfway decent height on the front.. which again I wasn't expecting from a lightweight grease so that's cool.

Everything else went into place, but the back was kind of funky.  This stuff is one of those products that really likes to grip onto individual hairs then sometimes they stick up or fly to the side.. maybe I should've put less in the back though.

Can't really tell from the pics but it gave my hair a nice shine, not super gloss but just the right amount.  It really softens up your hair too the longer it sets.  That's cool if that's what you're going for but sucks for the hold factor.  I wouldn't trust this stuff to hold a style for longer than an hour maybe, or a quick walk outside and you might have helicopter head or those little spider looking things I got crawling on my crown there^^ 

 Overall I'd say it's not bad, but not really good.. at least for me I wouldn't use it daily or by itself.  Pros are the smell is great, adds nice shine for a top coat perhaps, makes your hair soft, styles good and has ok height/hold for a lightweight grease, doesn't really leave residue and washed out completely the next day.  If that's your thing or you like the softer/light grease products this could be a winner.  I think if your hair was really short it would be good just for some shine and the smell, plus if you've got curly hair it's supposed to give waves.. but for longer hair or bigger/taller styles this will probably droop down.  

I've been taking a small dab spread in my palms and rubbing it on my beard, works excellent for that.  If your beard is getting longer and you have those hairs sticking out like a birds nest, just rub some of this and it smooths it out and adds a slight sheen.  Plus it softens it up and makes it lay nicely but the big up is the smell!!  Makes your beard smell awesome and will have your girl or any other chick want to bury their face in your beard, I guarantee it!! Ha well for 3$ you can't really lose either way so if you want a great smelling top coat or some beard grease grab it if you see it.

Don't Do It

Don't get hacked up, keep your face warm this winter

Custom Cuts

Smooth Sailing

Head Gear

Wish prices were still like that

Big Time

Move em In Move em Out

Murray's

In 1925 CD Murray started selling pomade out of his barber shop in Chicago with the aim to provide a quality product at a fair price.  Sticking to those principles for almost 90 years Murray's is still going strong as what most people view as the gold standard in pomade worldwide.  Sure there's all kinds of fancy stuff out nowadays, fine tuned products with amazing scents and different holding properties but sometimes the tried and true always shines through.. after all if it's not broke, don't fix it.  With Murray's you know what you're going to get, what you're going to pay, and you know it's going to work.  This is why they still pour out these cans every day by the bundle before they make their way to store shelves all over the world.  

In 1959 the company made the jump from Chicago to Detroit where Harry Berlin, a pharmacist who had been stocking Murray's in his store, purchased the company.  Berlin worked with the Murray family when taking over and stuck to their original formulas and philosophies, which still hold true to this day.    

I've been living in Detroit for several years now and stay about 3 blocks away from their headquarters, always meant to drop by so I finally did.  The staff was nice and I want to thank them for letting me stop in and get a tour.  Walking in, like opening any good can of grease, I noticed the smell!!  Though I'm sure the workers are sick of it, I'd like to hang my clean clothes in there to soak up the scent, forget dryer sheets!

We walked by the offices and toward the factory where the magic happens.  Wow, it only got better the further I got.  Nothing like fresh poured hot pomade in the air to circulate through your senses.. I felt like Charlie in the Chocolate Factory, do we get to swim in the molten pomade river?  Pomade ice cream cones and cologne?  Hahaa, well.. maybe not a river but a big vat of petro perhaps.  Moving in they showed me where the trucks drop off the secret sauce and drain into the tanks.

They've been using the same tanks for over 50 years.  If you've got a can of Murray's in your closet it came through these babies right here.  I equate this to those restaurants that have 100 year old grease lurking in their deep fryers to give the food a taste that can't be replicated.  From here the grease is pumped through some contraptions that mix everything and drop it down from heaven or uhh the ceiling into the cans where they go down the line.

Can I get my head under one of those spouts?

rolling rolling rolling, keep those doggies rolling

I could just sit by those fans and pickup the fumes.

6 pack to go?  I'll take 2 please..  So that's where it all goes down, every damn can of Murray's in the world has came down this line.  Simple and effective, what else do you need?  Well, maybe little orange oompa loompas running around but beside that it was really something to see the inner sanctum of Murray's Pomade.  I've been to some big beauty supply stores, but nothing compares to this! 

When you use something day in and day out for years and years, it's pretty cool to see what happens on the other end of the can, how it all comes together.  

Definitely a great experience to get a glimpse behind the scenes.  Was also nice walking around the rest of the day smelling like fresh pomade, new cologne coming soon!  A lot of history and experience goes into every product they make and I'd like to thank the people at Murray's for having me, and for doing what they do keeping the classics alive.. besides pomades never die, they just go to that big can in the sky.

Stand Tall

Leaning

Gangsters

Ever Ready

Pocket Size

Kreml

Murray's Lucky 13 Royal Flush Shampoo Review

So much grease so little time..  Always putting pomade in, greasing up, waxing down, on the search for new cans, or trying blends of this and that together.. but sooner or later it all catches up!  Even when I wash my hair thoroughly, there's still residue caked in there.  You know what I mean, take a shower get out and you can style your hair, let it dry and half the time wouldn't even need to put much more grease on top cause it's already there.  Most of these pomades and products are designed to STAY PUT.  Back in the day people might not hop in the shower every day, let alone taking two or more.. and this grease was meant to keep their shit straight throughout the week so it's no wonder it lasts.  

Every once in awhile you need to let your hairs and scalp breathe, the yin and the yang, get your balance up.  Some people say once a week or every other, I say do what you want but it feels good to wipe the slate clean.  Especially if you're using different brands or types throughout the week it all mixes together like cement, wash it out!  

The Royal Flush here is a good place to start.  You might be able to grab it at your barber shop or order some online for about 10$.  A sound investment to counter all the grease you put in.  

Like it says to start dry I drizzled a good bit on top of my hair before I even stepped in the shower.  I let it sit for a minute or two then started to massage it through.. did that for about another minute then jumped in the shower.  Kind of let it do it's thing for another minute, then added a handful of water to work up a lather.  Worked that in, then did the same a couple more times.  Had it going in a thick soapy lather and worked it in real deep, then rinsed it out.  

After that I put in another decent amount, worked it in good and then let it set to permeate my hairs while I took my shower.  After about 5 minutes or so I washed it through with the water and rinsed it out completely.  The one big thing to notice while using it is the scent, it explodes while you're washing your hair and is really really good.  It's a warm clean smell that kind of radiates off your head even when you're done showering you'll smell it lingering nicely til the next time.  

Seems to do the trick pretty well, got most of the grease accumulation out of my hair.  I tried it a couple times, the most recent after using beeswax and copious amounts of dax all week to really test it out.  Now it didn't take everything out completely but I had a whole shitload of crap building up in there.  That and I don't think anything really takes everything out 100% no matter what you use.  For a flushing shampoo though it worked very good and I'd say it's well worth to have around. 

Usually on a heavy wash out I try to do it at night, then it seems if you wash and condition with your regular stuff in the morning your hair is brand new.  Maybe it's just me but when you put some pomade on clean hairs it seems to work a hell of a lot better than any other time.. so it's worth the wash out every now and then.

 Out of all the flushing/removing shampoos I've tried this one definitely smells head and shoulders above the rest hahaa, couldn't resist that one.  But really it is a nice one to have, works good in getting out most of the grease and smells awesome, what more do you need?    

Lucky 13 Products

Right In The Pocket

Closed

Come back tomorrow

Stay Sharp

Stretch it out

Duesenberg

clean as a whistle