Did you know that pomade was developed in the 19^th century and was originally made of bear fat? Into the 20^th century, the most common ingredients featured lard, beeswax and petroleum jelly.

Pomade in its original form was as natural as any hair product in history. But as styles changed, so did the demands expected of pomade, which caused heavier, less natural incarnations to be developed.  

Royal Crown Hair Dressing and Murray’s Pomade are examples of pomade born out of this development and period in history. The effect of those products was the slick, greased back look popular in the 1950s and was heavily dependent on petroleum jelly, its main ingredient.

The word pomade is from the French word “pommade,” which means “ointment,” and derived from the Latin word “pomum,” which meant “apple.” The original recipe for pomade featured apples, which explains the consistency and feel that men have come to expect over time, though it has also become less organic.

The pomade from HUE is a return to the original style of pomade, because it has a natural feel and consistency.

In terms of texture, it felt more like cocoa butter than any regular pomade. This isn’t the kind of pomade with super-sticking holding power that will last for a week after one application. There is no silicone or petroleum in this product, which means it isn’t as stringent or hard as what we have come to expect from pomade.

The scent is also a return to form. While there isn’t much of a scent, what can be detected has a fruity, almost citrus smell.

When first applying HUE, I used only a dab, which is what I would use with a standard pomade. As a result, the holding power was limited. So when I applied more the next day, I doubled the amount and it gave me the hold I was looking for.

By the end of the day, my hair wasn’t  frozen in the same position it was roughly nine hours earlier. I could run my fingers through it at any point and it felt light and free.  

Since HUE is so light and malleable, it can be used by men with any type of hair (coarse, thin, thick, etc.) regardless of their ethnicity. With products, and in particular pomade, that are naturally derived, free of silicon and free of petroleum. Hue offers hair care options “for every man.”

Check out the pomade and full line of products from HUE at www.hueforeveryman.com

Do you ever just pick something up because it looks cool? I couldn’t even tell you the last time I did, but when the cruZer products from Braun arrived in the mail, I had to play with them because they just looked cool.

The cruZer line is a series of shaving devices created to express the diverse personalities of the men who use them. Your facial hair and body style express your own personality and attitude, and the cruZer line was designed to “underline your personal style.” And how does Braun plan on doing that? Unparalleled versatility.

I received two electric shavers from Braun: the CruZer6 Face and the CruZer Beard & Head Trimmer.

The CruZer6 Face electric razor is marketed as a 3-in-1 shaver, styler and trimmer, and it really was each of those, not just slick marketing. Its primary function is to shave your face, but even if you rock a goatee or Fu Manchu, you could still use it to touch up existing facial hair. The Trimming Comb is a plastic sheath that fits over the head of the shaver that you can adjust to four different lengths, which makes it ideal to trim and maintain a beard or other type of facial hair.

Another feature that speaks to the versatility of the CruZer6 is the Twistable Trimmer on the back side. The trimmer has long been a staple of an electric shaver, but unfortunately, its lack of adjustability is also well known. Not only does the CruZer6 trimmer extend out from the base of the shaver to give you an additional couple inches to work with, it also has two different sizes of trimmer head — narrow and wide. Instead of adjusting your style to fit the function of the razor, the CruZer6 adjust to the needs of the user and provides additional flexibility that other electric razors don’t. In a pinch, you could even use the CruZer6 to shave and manscape or trim any other body hair because it is so versatile.

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One of the tensest moments in the seminal 80s classic movie “Predator” is the scene where Sergeant Mac Eliot shaves his face in the jungle, sans shaving cream, with a cheap plastic razor while awaiting an encounter with the Predator.

For years, that one scene impacted the way I shaved my face. If it felt any better than the way it looked, I assumed I wasn’t doing it right. The act of dragging cold metal across dry, fractured skin in an effort to remove facial hair is the manliest thing there is — how in the world could it be pleasurable? And if it was, was I even doing it right?  Hence, stumbling blindly through mediocre shaving products for years, and even knowing full well that I was doing it.

TwinLuxe is redesigning the concepts of shaving and men’s skin care together, at the same time, with a line of products to bring pleasure back to the shaving ritual. The TwinLuxe line is comprised of seven different skin care products. I received three of them: Smooth Shave Cream, Booster Serum and Renewing Face Wash & Scrub. The bottles themselves looked clean and sleek and hinted at the experience that was to come. There was a distinct order to applying the following products which I followed diligently.

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