Black & White Genuine Pluko Hair Dressing Pomade

After my first foray into pomade territory when styling my hair I was approached by Black & White to try their old favourite Black & White Genuine Pluko Hair Dressing Pomade. Having been impressed with my first try of pomade due to both the ease of styling and the results I couldn’t wait to try this one. 

Black & White Genuine Pluko Hair Dressing Pomade

Rather than slap it on once and then jot down my thoughts I’ve been using the pomade now on and off for around four weeks so it has been applied and used to style as my hair has grown from around two inches in length to three. To hold three inch spikes in place, and keep them in place this needed to be good. 

The pomade comes in a 50ml tub and is available from a number of stores - I’m not a price comparison website for man stuff (although there is an idea) but a casual search showed that it is available from Superdrug here for £4.65. At that price it isn’t going to break the bank.

Black & White have been around since 1922 and this is what their website says about them:

‘Black and White Wax is the definitive hair styling icon. With over 90 years of styling throughout the decades, it remains at the forefront of hair styling. From creating on trend looks straight from the catwalk or emulating the cool styles directly from the streets, the list is endless.

With celebrity fans such as supermodel Linda Evangelista and Hollywood actors Johnny Depp and Robert Pattinson, Black and White Wax is the quintessential styling product you must have to achieve today’s must covetable looks – male or female.

There’s a reason why Black and White Wax is still going strong decades later – its original, unchanged pluko formula is versatile and pliable; ideal for sculpting and creating texture for an all-day hold.

Black and White Wax is available from Superdrug, Boots, Tesco and Sainsbury’s and from our website so there’s no excuse for you not to be in possession of the best wax in the world!’

First of all, this smells amazing. It has a lovely rich coconut fragrance (think Pina Colada) that lingers for a good ten to fifteen minutes after using it (I seem to have gotten over my dislike for coconut since I started blogging).

Given the ingredients of petrolatum, paraffin, Zinc Oxide and parfum I expected quite a thick texture but was mildly shocked that it looked like and had the texture of Vaseline! Weird city people, weird city. 

Rather than put me off it struck me that this would make it more pliable, and I was right (I’m always right - always good to remember) smoothing and warming between my palms was simple and applying it to slightly damp hair made the application a breeze. 

The pomade clings to each strand as you massage it from root to tip - and using my palm I brushed from one side to the other until my hair had stood up. Once this was done I styled a few larger spikes. All of this was done in under three minutes (something of a record for me styling my hair).

Even an hour after applying I could alter the style, the pomade is simply that pliable. Top marks for application.

Yes, I am praying for decent photographs....

See, I said it looked a bit like Vaseline!

It smooths and warms to become really pliable

Feel free to call me a chinless wonder....

The hold was also brilliant and it lasted for well over ten hours with a lovely matte finish to my hair once it had completely dried in. Result!

Now, it can’t all be good and for me hair styling products are a pain and I like to be in and out of the bathroom in minutes. While styling with this pomade is a breeze the petrolatum sticks to your hands and when you try to wash it off you find that its waterproof making your hands look and feel greasy. For me this was a big downside until we encountered biblical like rain earlier in January 2015 - while I could be liken to a drowned rat that had been doing backstroke down the Thames my hair stayed in place. Bonus! 

The residue basically makes your hands waterproof lol

This is a reasonably priced product that smells wonderful and delivers a long lasting hold. The matte finish on my hair makes it look like I’m not wearing any product and that I like. On the downside it takes an age to wash your hands after styling. 

I’m impressed and found that the hold didn’t alter despite my hair getting longer and you can’t argue with that.

RECOMMENDED 

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No stink, just ink - Southgate Ink and my tattoo

Tattoos used to be something of a polarising issue, growing up my grandfather had a few faded ones from his days in the Navy and they always fascinated me. It was rare that you would see someone in the street with a tattoo unless they were a biker, a former guest of Her Majesty (a convict) or a member of the armed forces.

Nowadays they are everywhere and it’s socially acceptable – footballers have full sleeves, Mike Tyson has his faced tattooed and the range of breadth of designs is mind-boggling.

My parents being somewhat traditionalists were not in favour of me getting my body inked, but this didn’t stop me. At the ripe old age of 18 and somewhat sickly I thought it would be a good idea to get an ironic inking – the result was the Japanese symbol for health on my right upper arm. A few years later I added another Japanese symbol, wealth.

All was not well with the second tattoo, it became infected and the ink actually faded so that I was left with an unsightly scar. A very painful re-colouring followed. The picture below shows the final result of my youthful folly.

Fast forward 18 years and I’d grown tired of the tattoos I had and gave serious consideration to finding a way of covering them with a new design. After seeing some really cool half and full sleeve tattoos I started badgering for one.

It took 12 months to finally work up the courage but I took the plunge at the start of 2014, and after speaking with friends and doing some research both Beautyqueenuk and I stepped into Southgate Ink, a small tattoo parlour based, yes you guessed it, in Southgate, North London.

Stepping through the door my eyes were assaulted by an array of pictures, drawings and designs. You immediately enter into a small seating area/waiting room where you can browse until your heart is content – at the time there were a number of sketches on the wall that had been drawn by the two resident artists and wow, they were amazing.

I’m not a big fan of hard sells and at Southgate Ink you don’t get this – the owner, a larger than life heavily tattooed Turkish guy leaves you to browse and consider your options. This I found refreshing.

In my head I really wanted either a Maori or Aztec tribal design but after browsing the books couldn’t find something I wanted. After asking for advice I showed him my arm and he made a suggestion of a Japanese garden with Koi carp. The justification was that the rich colours in the design would act as a good cover-up for my existing tattoos.

I explained what I was looking for and he suggested that one of the artists – Sonad, could draw up a design for me to review. I noted down the kind of tattoo I was looking for and what to include on a piece of paper to give Sonad an inkling of what to aim for.

We then started to talk money.

For an initial one off design and drawing the cost was £40. This is also their minimum price for any tattoo no matter how large or small.

The price of the drawing is deducted from the cost of the first sitting, but at £100 per hour* a full sleeve design I had asked for was estimated at around £700-£800. Not bad I thought and money was exchanged.

*As they have reached their fifth anniversary Southgate Ink have reduced their prices to £60 per hour, however its always best to get an estimate before starting any work.

An outline of my arm was taken using a large sheet of tracing paper and my existing tattoos outlined. Given that the artists draw and tattoo I was advised to come back the following week.

On my return I was presented with a full A3 sheet of paper – the sketch was out of this world. All of the artists at Southgate Ink are incredibly talented and to be honest I’m slightly jealous.  The only issue was that the drawing included three faces, a Mayan priest, a candy skull and a female priestess. I didn’t like the idea of having them tattooed onto my body.

I could see the look of disappointment on the faces of the guys in the studio, but with some guidance (I showed them the Mayan calendar, a massive intricate piece of carved stone that was found in Mexico City) I was asked to come back and they promised to have another go.

On my next visit I was even more amazed with the resulting sketch. The Mayan calendar, including the Mayan god of sacrifice had been added as had a rather sinister looking smiling face. I’ve included a picture of the sketch below.

Being slightly OCD I still didn’t like the candy skull and asked for the sinister face to be mirrored onto the other side. Symmetry – ahhh that satisfied the OCD. Their response at the request? No problem at all, it’s your body and your choice.

Nothing was too much trouble for the guys and they treated me to perfect customer service. This didn’t end there, throughout the entire experience, and I spent a lot of time in the studio they were kind, thoughtful and kept me well hydrated.

The first sitting was to start the cover up and was for five hours – the photographs below show some action shots. Oh the pain….

Tattoos are painful – it isn’t roll around on the floor pain, more of a stinging, but boy after a few hours and after my arm had started to swell it felt as though my skin was being ripped from my arm.

The outline was done with a single needle, however the shading, and there is a lot of shading was done using a series of needles. The ink was mixed with water and the needles dragged to create shadow effects on my arm.

Watching Sonad at work was truly an experience I’ll never forget – it was awe-inspiring to watch such a talented artist enjoy his craft.

Breaks for cigarettes were plenty, coffee was on hand and banter was in abundance.

I found it fascinating to watch the comings and goings of a studio. All manner of people from all ages came and went, some were tattooed, some pierced and there was always friendly chat to be had. I actually enjoyed my time in the chair despite the pain.

The first sitting included the Mayan calendar and the cover up and I was impressed.

The second 4 hour sitting resulted in the first of the faces being inked onto my arm. I didn’t find the second sitting that bad. I’ve attached more photographs – yes my arm is red but it had been through a serious level of trauma.

The third sitting didn’t hurt at all, until after I’d walked away from the studio. As the tattoo got closer to my armpit and the inside of my arm the pain was horrific. It genuinely felt like I’d been skinned for a few hours after. The pain subsided though.

After sitting in the chair for over 12 hours it was an interesting experience to see how the studio worked. The owner was brutally honest with those wanting to get tattooed or pierced, even if it resulted in lost business.

Sound advice was dispensed to those who when just passing that popped on a spur of the moment. At one stage I saw him recommend medical intervention for a young girl wanting to have a stud removed from her finger. She was desperate to have it removed no matter what but he stood by his guns, it wasn’t a procedure he could carry out safely – nor indeed could any studio.

I have taken a break from the tattoo for a few weeks – mainly to save up for the second section. As it’s difficult to transfer as arm sizes differ Sonad will be drawing the design for my forearm direct on the skin. He’ll do this in pen first obviously but I have no doubt that whatever he draws will be amazing.

Aftercare advice was dispensed in the form of a leaflet and a 10 minute chat. I’d heard that Bepanthen baby cream was the best to use. I was advised that yes, it’s good to use, but mainly after a range of colours are used. It makes them more vibrant by all accounts.

As my tattoo is grey and black Sonad advised that I use Vaseline and keep it covered with clingfilm.

Advice on washing a few hours after to clean off excess ink was given and regular changes were needed to avoid infection.

Yes my arm ached for a few days but I think it was well worth it.

I love my tattoo and can’t wait to get the entire arm covered. Most of all, I can’t wait to go back to Southgate Ink, they have made the experience and the result so  much better than I thought and every time I look down at my arm I smile.

If you are looking for sound advice, great artists, a relaxed atmosphere and a tattoo that will have you beaming you should head down to Southgate Ink.

HIGHLY RECOMMENDED

Southgate Ink

96 Crown Lane

Southgate

London

N14 5PA

Telephone: 0208 920 2517

The studio is located just behind Southgate Underground Station on the Piccadilly Line.

You can see the inside of the studio, my design on the wall and shots of their sketches and tattoos by visiting the video here at Youtube and their page here on Facebook.

In the hours since finishing this post I've learnt that Sonad has left, however I'll be staying with Southgate Ink and passing my arm over to one of the two other talented tattooists who are still there. I've seen their portfolios and watched them work already - I wouldn't go anywhere else.

TOP TATTOO TIPS:

• Don’t be rushed into having a tattoo – a good tattooist will not rush you;
• Review the portfolio of the artist;
• Ask for them to draw the design for them to trace;
• Don’t let someone tattoo directly onto your skin without an outline;
• Cleanliness cannot be understated – Southgate Ink was spotless and they cleaned around the clock;
• Always make sure you see the tattooist unwrap fresh needles that haven’t been tampered with;
• Always follow the aftercare instructions;
• If you have even the slightest of doubts don’t do it – wait until you are 100% sure;
• Relax and try to enjoy the experience.

What are your thoughts on tattoo's? Do you have any and if so where?

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