Back with another Murray’s product. After talking with Jim because I couldn’t decide which one to use, he suggested Nu Nile. So that’s the one I’m going with. I bought this stuff forever ago and just haven’t got around toreviewing it just yet. Although I have tried it before, I just put off reviewing it until now. But the procrastination ends here, time to review it.
The can is the same style as all their other cans are. This one is school bus yellow with black writing. It actually looks very similar to the canned it used to come in before Murrays bought the Nu Nile company. The main thing that they changed was the shade of yellow, it’s a lot brighter now. In the center in a black bar is “Nu Nile” with a guy above it and a lady below it. Next to the lady it says “Hair Slick Dressing Pomade” and below that is the weight info. The front of the can features the same to people on either side of “Nu Nile” and the weight info again. On the back side of the tin is the directions, a blurb about the pomade, the company info, and the ingredients. Pretty simplistic design like all the Murray’s cans are. I like that hardly anything has changed since the old days with these labels. It keeps a sense of old school around for the younger generations to be able to appreciate.
Opening the can up you see a light tan colored pomade. It has the look of their Superior on the surface, just a lighter color. It has a softer look to it as well, you can tell by the look of the pomade that it’s not quite as firm as the Superior. The smell of this one is kind of three scents rolled into one, making it kind of complex. It has the first note of citrus like their Super Light, then a very close second note of their Superior pomade, followed by a floral finish. It took me about 5-6 sniffs before I got the nice floral notes on the back end. It’s actually a really cool scent. Basically, take Superior, Super Light, and flowers and you have Nu Nile’s scent.
I got a bit ahead of myself and poked the pomade in an attempt to scoop it out before I took the picture of the pomade. Luckily I caught myself though. When you do dig the pomade out of the tin you are reminded of Superior. It has a similar texture, just not as firm as superior. It has a softer feel to it, but the texture is almost identical. It has kind of the same whispy pull off to it that Superior does too. This one has more of a pull off due to it being a bit softer though.
In your palms it feels a lot like a softer version of Superior. A bit more greasy as well, but it still has the Murray’s resistance to it when you’re working it around. It’s not hard to work around by any means, it just has that signature resistance. You don’t get much of a difference in scent when it’s in your hands. Some pomades get stronger once their out of the tin, some get weaker, but this one kind of stays the same. The texture of it once it’s worked around is actually damn near perfect! It’s a great medium pomade, with a creaminess to it, as well as maintaining its tacky texture and resistance.
Applying it to your hair you feel the same resistance that you felt in your hands. It kind of tugs on your hair as you run your hands over and in your hair. It doesn’t tug you hair quite as much as the Superior does, but it does have a similar feel to it, just lighter. It doesn’t just try and stick on top though, it’s fairly easy to work it in all around.
When you get to combing it, you’re reminded of Superior quite a bit. Or at least I was. It was really difficult for me to comb at first. I had to comb really slowly for the first couple minutes as I tried to get it worked in properly. I didn’t much like that. I’m not a fan of hard to comb pomades. I generally end up liking the hold, but if it’s a pain in the ass to apply and comb in it becomes not really worth my time. I do make exceptions for some pomades though. Now once I got it worked in, the pomade took on a whole different texture. It became very easy to work with and soft to comb around. It’s weird how pomades can be tough to comb in then get really soft and easy to comb around. But I’m not complaining, because now I can comb it very easily.
I’m able to get a nice medium pomp with this pomade. Besides the one gap right in the center(from the end of my comb), it makes my pomp nice and full looking. As well as the sides of my hair too. I am really liking how this pomade makes my hair look so far! It has a nice shine to it as well. Not quite as much as their lighter ones, but it’s still a nice shine to it. Once it was in my hair I kind of lost the scent however. I couldn’t smell it at all anymore. Not a huge deal, I was just surprised that it went away so quickly.
The first day I wore it was on Halloween for the annual Halloween show out here and for my costume. A few of my friends and I were playing in an AFI cover band that night and were all dressed up as different versions of Davey. I went as “Very Proud of Ya” Davey. I threw it in that morning and by the time the night came my pomp was still in the exact same place! I did have to recomb it to the hairstyle he had back then. When I did I was pleasantly met with a very easy recomb. It went right into place without any problems whatsoever. I got to the show early so I could check out the other bands. Luckily some of the bands were doing some really awesome cover sets this year so I got to put the pomade to the mosh test. It doesn’t stay perfectly in place when I mosh, but only a few strands were coming out of place. Afterwards I just grabbed my comb and put them back into place.
During our set I did quite a bit more moving around as I didn’t really stop moving except for a few seconds between songs. The whole front of my hair came out of place, but the sides and back half of the top of my head stayed in place. And when we got done it combed right back into place yet again. Towards the end of the night after moshing to Move Forward’s set, and the Life of Agony cover set and the great Where Eagles Dare/Red Son set, my hair was pretty well destroyed. I could comb it back into place, but it wouldn’t stay for very long. I guess just too much moving around and sweat kind of messed up the hold. I was really happy with how it held up though.
I decided to wear it for a whole week after Halloween because of how much I liked it that day. The second day I had to add almost as much as I did the first day because of how much came out from sweating and whatnot. It held just as well the second day as it did the first. The third day I didn’t have to add any except to the back of my hair, bit came out when I slept. Other than that, it all stayed in so I didn’t have to add any. The buildup the fourth and fifth days were perfect! Not too much not too little, didn’t weigh my hair down at all, just right. I decided to let it ride out on its own without adding any the rest of the week. By the last day I could do a slick back due to there only being a little bit of buildup left in my hair. But for the most part, even with just a little bit of pomade left in it, my hair stayed in place.
I have to say I am very pleased with this Murray's Nu Nile. It has quickly become one of my top favorites after this week. I mean I had liked it before, but had never really put it to any sort of test. After over a week of wearing it, I can say Nu Nile is one of the best pomades out there. The can is pretty cool looking, it has a nice scent, great texture. Once you get it worked in, it combs really nicely, has a great hold to it, and some nice shine. The buildup is great from day 3 on, and it holds up to a lot of stuff. The only thing I didn’t like all that much about it was how it went in and how it was when I first combed it through my hair. But those are minute details in comparison to all the great benefits of this pomade. Go get yourself a tin or two of this stuff immediately if you don’t already have some. It is worth every penny you will spend on it, and more. Thanks again to Jim and the Murray’s team for making a great product!! I’ll see you guys soon at the next stop in the Murray’s line!
Stay slick fellas,