Sumotech by Bumble and bumble

Sumotech by Bumble and bumble, no it’s not some new nappy system for Sumo wrestlers but in fact a lo-gloss elastic moulding compound for styling your hair.

If you read my recent post about Bumble and bumble grooming crème you may recall that I said I wasn’t a fan of Sumotech. Well that was then and since smashing palm into keyboard to commit my ill considered thoughts to the Internet I have done a bit of a three point turn, mainly because:

• I actually discovered some patience and persevered in using it instead of having a mild paddy, stamping my feet and launching it in the direction of the bin.

• After figuring out how to apply it easily, the hold and finish kicked most other hair styling products into the long grass.

There, I’m man enough to admit that I’m wrong (that makes two admissions in my lifetime) but readers, read on and I will tell you more….

Sumotech came with a batch of other hair products for me to try, and here I will give my balanced thoughts on the compound, particularly my first impressions, why you should take your time when using it and why if I could afford it on a regular basis this would give some of my favourite styling products a run for their money.

When I say if I could afford it this is because it costs so much, it is expensive I think for a hair styling product. Maybe I’m just getting tight with cash in my old age. For a small 50ml tub of the compound it costs £21.50, yes, £21.50.…(insert expletive).

What do Bumble and bumble say about Sumotech? 

‘Flexible hold, lightweight structure, matte finish, water-soluble, pliability

What: It's not a wax, not a paste and not a creme, but a midweight moulding compound that's a combination of all three (and a miracle of modern technology).

Who: Anyone; a natural for short hair; won't overwhelm fine hair; perfect for highly textural cuts. 

When: Anytime; after Prep or Tonic Lotion; use on damp or dry hair to style.

How: Spread a pea-size dab or two onto palms and work through barely damp or dry hair with fingers and style; work quickly and try not to overwork; spray down with Tonic Lotion (or Bb.Shine) to rework or to cut hold.’

OK, the first time I used this my hair was far too long - it was actually so long I had developed a full blown Shawcrest (a massive quiff, the name comes from a very funny former colleague blending my surname with crest - if Carlsberg made communications folk…..). Had I taken the time to read the packaging instead of diving in fingers first to see what it felt like I would have seen that this compound is actually for shorter styles.

Trust me, in my head there is a man continually slow clapping my original efforts. It was just too fiddly to style and I had to use quite a bit to get the hair moulded and styled how I wanted it, and even then, in the end it just didn’t have that oomph so I used something else. Total time wasted, 30 minutes.

Had I read the blurb above I wouldn’t have been so frustrated, but after having my hair taken down to two inches in length I decided to have another go. With hair slightly damp after washing I took just a pea sized amount (shown below) and massaged it into my palms. 

This is where it gets tricky to describe - to the touch when scooping it out of the pot it has the feel of a wax, but isn’t a wax. It’s almost like a solidified cream that had gone hard in the sun. As it warms though it takes on more of a pomade feel, silky in nature making it really easy to run through hair from root to tip. The fragrance is nothing to write home about but that really doesn‘t matter, personally if it doesn‘t smell like Fructis (fresh apples) I would prefer them to be scent free. 

Styling the second and third time around took just minutes - result. What I found really interesting (well, novel) is the way you can feel the hair becoming more and more rigid as you style. As this happens the shine from damp hair and the product starts to fade down to the final matte finish. It doesn’t look like any hair products have been used and that is a big thumbs up from me. 

The hold is excellent - the style and hair isn’t crunchy in a way some gels, glues and pastes can set. As an example, I styled my hair using this on Friday morning, didn’t wash my hair on Saturday morning and headed out fishing (and wrapped up, even with a ridiculous hat). In the evening the style was still there, a quick brush with my hand and it was back, some forty hours later. As an additional bonus, the residue on hands is negligible and if it doesn’t bother me then it is unlikely to bother others. 

For short hair this is perfect and when worked into a choppy style I have to say that even I find myself nodding in quiet agreement that my hair looks fabulous (and that is rare). 

Yes the initial purchase price probably will put people off, but you shouldn’t let it. A 50ml pot, using just a pea sized amount daily will mean that will still be hanging around waiting to be used in six months, with more to give. A little goes a long way and when you consider that in my opinion it has the best matte finish ever then you should give it a try. 

Is it a wax, is it a creme, is it a wax paste? No, it is a cracking little compound that keeps hair in place and looking great for days on end. 

RECOMMENDED

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got2b Glued Spiking Wax by Schwarzkopf

Last month I wrote about a bargain purchase in Manchester, got2b Spiking Glue by Schwarzkopf - it was an urgent buy after I had forgotten my hair products and was hours away from giving a eulogy at my grandfathers funeral. As part of a buy two for £4 deal I also picked up a 75ml tub of the got2b Glued Spiking Wax, like the spiking glue, promising ‘screaming hold’. 

Without going into the usual hilarity that is my own mental illness (the voices, the voices), I needed to style some long hair, some four inches in length and I needed to do it quickly. By the time that I got around to using this, opting to use the glue on the actual day I wasn’t in need of screaming hold, just something to keep my then five inch long spikes upright.

This is what Schwarzkopf say about the spiking wax:

‘The first wax from got2b with screaming hold for remouldable extreme styles without the crunch. Moulds like a wax, holds like a glue!

How to use: Rub a small amount of wax between your palms, work into dry hair and style as desired.

Extra tip:

For outrageous spikes twist a small amount into the hair tips.’

First thing first, I love the smell of this wax, it is so fresh and reminds me of the Fructis gels I would use in my teens. While the teen flashbacks resulted in me shuddering at the clothes I used to wear, the strong apple fragrance is simply lovely. While writing this up I have literally had my nose buried into the pot sniffing away.

If you can get over the lovely fragrance the next thing that is a little bit weird is the actual texture of the wax. Expecting something that would need to be warmed to make pliable I was presented with what can only be described as a cream like substance. 

With the texture of a cream it makes the spiking wax so easy to apply, but even easier if applied to slightly damp hair. When I apply to dry hair I find it just a little bit too tricky to style into spikes and have to make do with a choppy look after I had it cut down. When applied to damp hair spikes are a breeze and when dried hold as well as when applied to dry.

In terms of hold, the claims of being ‘screaming’ it isn’t far from the truth, it does hold and hold and then hold a little bit more. It’s excellent. When applying early in the morning the style is still going strong at three the following morning after a night in a sweaty bar and nightclub. Nothing knocks this off its stride.

Now for the best bit, how my hair looks when styled. This leaves my hair with a great matte look finish, which when styling shorter lengths looks good in my opinion. It also retains a bit of pliability so the style can be changed. 

Unlike the slue, where hair feels crunchy, there is no danger of this and while changing the style can result in a little residue on the hands it isn’t as bad as my experiences with Wella products.

As someone who can take or leave wax I have found over the last couple of weeks that more and more I am reaching for the spiking wax over every other hair styling product I have to choose from. It is excellent value for money (hey, it only cost me £2), makes styling easy, holds hair brilliantly and leaves it looking really quite natural.

HIGHLY RECOMMENDED

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Closed on Monday Deluxe Pomade

My Limited Edition Birchbox for Men came with lots of goodies for me to try - everything contained in it was new to me and I’m yet to find something in there that I don’t like. The Mazorin Wash Trade Face Scrub left me speechless while earlier in the week I took the plunge and for the first time used a pomade to style my hair. The pomade in question? Closed on Monday Deluxe Pomade.

Before I started blogging about beauty products and general things that I like I had never heard of pomade, in fact it wasn’t until around April this year that someone stumbled across my site after using Google to search for the phrase ‘cool grease z ultra hard hair pomade’. After my WTF moment I went to take a peek at what they could have been looking for. 

After reading about pomade I have to say it didn’t really strike me as something I really needed to try and thus until this arrived it was pushed to the back of my head with all the other unimportant stuff in my brain like how to cook, pick up clothes after myself and iron. 

I realise I’m waffling, so, what do Closed on Monday say about themselves and their Deluxe Pomade (lifted directly from their website - their capitals, not mine)?

‘CLOSED ON MONDAY, A GROOMING RANGE DESIGNED AND MANUFACTURED IN BRITAIN.  OUR PASSION AND COMMITMENT TO THE CRAFT OF BARBERING CULMINATES IN A DELUXE POMADE, BEARD BALM, MATTE MOISTURISER AND DELUXE WAX THAT EMBODIES THE DISCERNING MODERN GENTLEMAN.

CLOSED ON MONDAY — PURVEYORS OF GOOD TASTE.

HAND MADE THIS TRADITIONAL POMADE HAS A MILD SANDALWOOD AND VETIVER FRAGRANCE AND LOOKS AND FEELS LIKE A LIGHT GEL WAX.

DIRECTIONS FOR USE:

RUB AN AMPLE AMOUNT OF CLOSED ON MONDAY DELUXE POMADE INTO THE PALMS OF YOUR HANDS UNTIL IT SOFTENS, THEN RUB THE FIRM BUT PLIABLE WAX ON YOUR FINGER TIPS AND WORK FROM ROOT TO TIPS AND STYLE TO ACHIEVE YOUR DESIRED LOOK.’

The first thing I did when I pulled this from the box was unscrew the lid and take a long deep sniff of the contents - boy, you really can detect the Sandalwood and Vetiver (two of my favourite smells). If anything, the Vetiver really comes through as the dominant fragrance. For those who haven’t come across it in the past you probably have, you just don’t know it. Vetiver is within around 90% of all perfumes and aftershaves! It is an earthy, grassy essential oil that is added as a base note.

Personally, I love the fragrance but was a little confused as to how a product that looks a bit like and has the consistency of Vicks Vaporub was going to keep my spikes up for a sustained period of time. My hair was cut down to about two inches in length and I was ready to try the pomade. 

I took a healthy blob of the pomade (as instructed) and rubbed it between my palms until it took on a nice silky consistency before rubbing it from root to tip. It was fairly easy to apply actually, as it warmed it became much more pliable and really easy to style with. As a first time user I posted this picture to my Instagram account to show off my attempt.

Ignore the crows feet and focus on the spikes!

Since then I’ve found the right amount to use (see picture below) for my hair and have mastered how to style the spikes properly (should I do a vlog?!?) to the point that one application is good enough to keep my hair styled for well over ten hours, and actually resembling the style from the day before when I get out of bed the following morning.

Just a tiny amount is needed - yes, just enough to cover a fingertip

When looking at whether I would recommend a hair styling product I always look at the residue that is left on the shaft of the hair and how easy it is to wash out. I‘m pleased to report that there was no sight of white flakes coming from or on my hair, no sticky residue when touching my hair and it washed out really easily. Result! 

Onto the bits that surprised me - well unlike a gel, cream or wax it doesn’t leave your hands and fingertips feeling sticky after applying it, in fact, when I first used it I didn’t have the instant urge to wash my hands, I didn’t need to. In addition to this, the finish on my hair was incredibly matte in nature and looked as though I wasn’t actually using a hair styling product. 

While £14.50 for 100ml may seem like a lot for a hairstyling product as you can see from the pictures, after 4 days of use I have hardly made a dent in it. A 100ml jar of the Deluxe Pomade is available as part of the Limited Edition Birchbox for Men here or direct from the Closed on Monday site here. 

It won’t replace my favoured brands completely but it is a great addition to my hair styling collection (which is growing like you wouldn’t believe) and I’m immensely impressed with the hold, the finish on my hair and the fragrance. 

Top notch stuff - having never heard of Closed on Monday I will be keeping an eye on their products. In my opinion they can add purveyors of quality British goods to their website to go alongside purveyors of good taste.  

HIGHLY RECOMMENDED by this pomade convert

Have you made a beauty product discovery recently that made you go "wow"?

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The Legends London Maximum Hold Hair Gel + Giveaway

On 30 June I had an out of body experience - I visited The Legends barber shop in Holborn. If you haven’t seen how they knocked years off me with the best haircut ever (what the hell have you been doing?) you should as they also gave me a bag of goodies to give away. You can read about the out of body experience here. 

I have to confess I was cheeky and asked for a tub of The Legends London Maximum Hold Hair Gel for myself as I really liked the style my barber Darius had managed used it. 

In the shop Darius used just a tiny bit of the gel, explaining that it was unique in that you could achieve different styles depending on how, and how much you apply. It says that it is a no flaking formula (oh god, there really is nothing worse - especially in a black or dark blue suit) medium matte finish. 

The marketing blurb/instructions say:

‘Spike it up or slick it flat, get that wet look or keep it dry, Maximum hold hair gel gives maximum hold and frizz control without flaking for your every style.’

For my cut my hair had been dried and a little massaged into the shaft of the hair which resulted in a fantastic matte look.

The day after I tried applying to my hair while still damp which the blurb says should result in a wet look and guess what, it did, in fact the hold was solid once the gel had been absorbed and absorbed in my hair. Styling was a breeze with damp hair and while the gel does leave a sticky residue on the hands to wash off it has a reassuring crisp feel to the touch. 

When applied to damp hair I found myself checking throughout the day that it hadn’t flaked onto my suit jacket. I’m happy to report that there were no such signs all day. In fact, on examination the morning after applying there were still no flakes in my hair - result.

I really wanted to recreate the style that I had in the shop so applied to dry hair, styled and then dried it on a low setting so not to blow out the style. Styling wasn’t the easiest - I think more down to my ability rather than the product. After a few tries I managed to get close to the style I wanted and my hair had a great matte finish, in fact it looked and felt a little ‘fluffy’ as though it had more volume than usual rather than when I have sharp spikes.

The dry, matte style also didn’t result in any flakes being visible. It’s a big bug-bear of mine that most products do but this doesn’t.



Again, even when applied to dry hair it holds, and holds and holds. 24 hours after applying the style has remained rock solid and for a hair gel to can’t beat that. Even better, if you want to re-style while out and about you simply run a damp palm through your hair and hey presto you are ready to go again.

So, what can I say? This gel has a 1980’s retro feel to it. It looks great in neon pink and has that retro hair gel fragrance, an almost chemical aloe vera aroma that doesn‘t overpower aftershave.

At £8 for a 220ml tub of The Legends Maximum Hold Hair Gel this represents great value for money. Less than a pea sized amount is enough to style hair at about an inch in length which means that this will last month after month after month.

You can find stockists at their website here.

HIGHLY RECOMMENDED

I have a 220ml tub of the gel, a smaller travel tub and some alum matchsticks to give away thanks to the lovely people at The Legends. To enter just click here and fill out the rafflecopter entries.

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