"On A Hype" -By James Bui
As many of you guys are probably aware of, Schorem released this pomade recently. But if you aren’t, now you know. Schorem is a barber shop over in the Netherlands that caters to the rockabilly and psycho-billy subcultures. They’ve grown a huge international following by, in simplest terms, making rockabilly-men feel tough & cool. Other than that, they do produce some of the finest cuts (according to photos), which gave them fame beyond this subculture.
So, like any other famous barber shop, they decided to release a pair of pomades: one water-based and another oil-based. This is a review of their water-based.
There exists a huge hype around these two products. And if there’s something to learn about the pomade community, it’s that it very receptive and based on trends/hype. So, it’s important to dig through the BS before you decide to buy it yourself (or just ignore everyone —included me — and just try it yourself).
This is the can. It comes in a red and rustic aluminum twist top jar. Weighing in at 4 ounces, it’s your standard size. I actually don’t like the jar itself because of how flimsy it and its threads are. You’ll dent it if you touch it the wrong way, and you’ll find yourself just smashing on the cap rather then bothering to thread it on.
Opening it up, the scent is pretty damn nice. By claim of the manufacturer, it supposed to be a butterscotch scent. Now, I don’t like butterscotch…I think that candy is gross. However, the scent better describe as a clean and sweet fragrance with a hint
of butterscotch. I like it, and I believe it’s this product’s strongest characteristic going for it.
Application
Reuzel Water-Soluble applies very similarly to Grant’s Original and Shiner Gold. You also find that it styles similarly (but with more control). Typically, with water-based products, you can do well to determine how a product will perform by visual inspection and its texture. From experience, I can see that the pomade is translucent which suggests it’s going to be your standard water-based. It’ll dry after some time and not simulate an oil-based product. Then, the jelly texture (watch the video for better explanation) suggests it should be pretty restyle-able throughout the day but with a very strong ‘gel’ look.
Either way, application is smooth if done in small portions and with your hair slightly damp.
Styling
Time. One thing this product does well is to provide the user with good control. The way your hair reacts to every stroke of the comb with this product in is very predictable. Thus, time was very short. This makes it a good choice if you’re in a morning rush.
Slickness. It’ll be pretty obvious that you’re wearing a water-based product. Not only to yourself but also to the discerning eyes around you. The hold will give you slick sides, but like many other standard water-based pomades, you won’t get much shine at all (even though the jar says you will).
Strength. It’s a pretty strong pomade. I’d put it somewhere between Grant’s Original and Layrite Super Hold.
Conclusion
It’s an alright product. It won’t change the water-based pomade market but it has some good characteristics. The scent is very nice and the control allows for a very well made pompadour. Control and aroma are the best thing Reuzel water-based pomade has to offer.