Soft Clay Pomade Review - Chin-Length Bob Edition
I was 24 when I cut my hair short for the first time. My hair had been my security blanket my entire life - it had been half way down my back all through high school and college, and box-dyed black, to the dismay of every hair stylist I’ve ever seen. When I moved from my small-ish college town to Minneapolis, MN, I started seeing short hair cuts everywhere, and I couldn’t get it out of my head. I was ready to let go. Within that week, I’d made an appointment for a pixie cut and truly felt I’d been born anew. Short hair was instantly part of my identity in a way my long hair had never been. I felt free.
Initial excitement aside, after my cut, I didn’t have a clue how to style my hair, and the salon I’d chosen for my big chop didn’t have any products specifically for short hair. Sure, there were a couple of items that could work for short hair, but this was such a monumental moment for me that I wanted products that felt made for me. I ended up with a paste of some sort that worked fine (I guess), but even the journey to finding that paste meant browsing through the men’s aisle filled with pomades and overly-scented gels and creams, all of which smelled like cologne. And let me tell you, I saw a whole lot of brown, black, and navy product packaging.
When I came across Barb this past summer, I felt like I was able to think back to 24-year-old me and give her a big hug, like *exhale* “I found something made for US.” Representation is so important, and the fact that Barb centers women, and non-binary & trans folks is one of those things you don’t realize you needed until it’s there in front of you. Browsing Barb’s site and realizing I’d so rarely seen short hair products marketed to anyone but men was so eye opening for me. This isn’t just about pomade. It’s much bigger than that. (Although I promise I’ll tell you more about the pomade in just a sec!)
Over the past decade or so, I’ve had a variety of different short haircuts: a pixie with an undercut, a classic pixie, a super cropped mullet, and I’m a proud member of the I-buzzed-my-head-once club (which really means that I’ve rocked every single, awkward in-between moment as well). If Barb had existed back in 2014, I cannot express how seen I would have felt with my new pixie cut. And while I’m sporting a chin-length bob these days, Barb’s Soft Clay Pomade and the #GoBarb community frequently have me consider going shorter again.
Before styling with Barb
After styling with Barb
How I Use Barb’s Soft Clay Pomade
Personally, I use the Soft Clay Pomade on dry hair. My hair tends to get oily fairly easily, and I’ve found that using it on wet hair didn’t work for me at this length (would’ve been great to use wet when I had a pixie mullet in 2022). I emulsify it between my hands before applying to my hair - I call it “zhuzhing,” aka rubbing chunks of hair back and forth between my fingers wherever I see fit. If I’ve air dried my hair, the pomade is clutch for defining the natural bends in my hair and giving it some grit while still allowing for full movement. If I’ve straightened it, I use it through my roots and mid-length to add volume and mess it up a bit - sleek is not really for me.
Also, many mornings when I wake up, my hair is flat to my head (see above) - I have a lot of hair but the strands are thin and get weighed down pretty easily. Barb is perfect for adding volume and taming any cowlicks that were enhanced while I slumbered.
Styled with Barb to add volume and texture.
What I Love About Barb’s Soft Clay Pomade
Where to begin! This is such a holy grail hair product for me. It never leaves clumps/streaks, which is really important to me as I’m changing my hair color all the time and white/off white products can really stand out against the fashion colors.
It’s matte yet moisturizing - my hair is always damaged (bleach life!) so it’s essential for me that my hair products don’t dry my hair out in any way. I love that the pomade has organic mango seed butter and rice protein to keep my strands moisturized. I like for my hair to look shiny but I don’t want it to have shine from the product I put in - sounds counterintuitive, but this pomade really does allow you to keep your shine without making your hair look wet/greasy.
The SCENT. After years of walking through store aisles smelling pomades that were giving Axe body spray vibes.. I’m so grateful that Barb went gender-neutral with its scent! It’s fresh and eucalyptus-y - it actually goes in my hair a bit lighter than it smells in the jar, which I like. It’s neutral enough that it doesn’t clash with my perfume when I wear it. The best.
It’s so easy to work with and I’m constantly impressed by the way it elevates whatever my current hair looks like. And if I end up putting too much in, it easily washes out with water. It’s also pregnancy and nursing safe, which is important to me as I’d like to have kids someday and I don’t want to have to change up all my products during that time. Once I love a product, I want to be able to use it every day without worry.
I love that it comes in a glass jar. Firstly, because it just looks and feels elevated sitting on my counter. Secondly, since most plastic products don’t actually get recycled, I try to use glass or aluminum for my beauty products whenever I can! All of Barb’s packaging materials are curbside recyclable too. Makes my little eco-friendly heart so happy.
I’m coming up on my ten-year anniversary of going short next year, and while I occasionally consider growing my hair out, I always end up chopping it again. One thing I do know is, as long as my hair is short, I’m going to be using Soft Clay Pomade.
Blog Contributor: Hannah
