Average Rating

• For the average hair type (rating 8.1/10), it is understandable why this product has a good reputation online, as it offers pretty good and consistent all-round results to a large variety of people.
• If you’re on a budget (good value rating 7.6/10) and just need a product to cover the essentials then it might be a bit pricey if you’re not in America (especially once you factor in shipping) however, it does covers most of the basic styling needs in one product and does come in quite a large size jar (comparatively).
• If price isn’t an obstacle and you’re opinion of value is just the products quality (you’re expected value is 8.7/10), then this is definitely something worth trying. The packaging has a nice classy look, delivers good results and has reasonably good ingredients to keep your hair healthier.

What is it?

The Clay Pomade by Arcadian Grooming is a hand-crafted paraben free water-based clay pomade made with an assortment of beneficial ingredients. I think it’s really got a premium feel to it offering a natural-matte finish with a medium-high firm hold.

Who is this product for

It’s designed to give a versatile looser reworkable finish. Although it’s called a pomade, I wouldn’t use it to style a pomp or a slicked back super precise hairstyle. I would say this product is more suitable for casual or messy textured hairstyles suit as a forward facing quiff or a messy side-swept undercut. Due to its easy application and lightweight texture, it’s also probably more usable than most products for longer hair styling.

Overview

Overall Arcadian have done a really good at making this product a good go-to product. I usually like to experiment with different hairstyles, and I found this product to be quite versatile in terms of what it could do, supporting a good variety of hairstyles. It usually delivers natural to matte finish results with a medium hold, however, I find you can get a bit more hold out of it if you also use it as a pre-styler before blow drying. The application is pretty gentle due to the creamy consistency of the product, and the finished styled result has a longlasting reworkable lightweight texture.

The Breakdown

Affordability 7.9/10

With 4 OZ (114g) for a price of 15.95 USD (~$31 AUD, ~£20 GBP) plus shipping it’s not the most affordable product unless you live in the U.S. Although it comes in a fairly large jar, I found that compared to other products I need to use quite a bit more to achieve the desired hold. so although it has twice the amount as lots of other products on the market, it probably lasts about the same about of time (maybe a bit longer).

Hold 7.2/10

On the jar it says it has a firm hold, which I would say is accurate, because of how it feels in the hair and when you style it, although it can be reworked, if you leave and don’t touch it, it kind of sets with a stronger hold, however, for those of you who like to rework your hair and styling looser styles, its probably got more of a medium hold overall. I think this product would be suitable for most hairtypes, . The product offers ok styling versatility, easily capable of simpler styles, however, for those of you with a bit more hair styling experience, you might find it needs to be cocktailed with other products or hairspray to achieve more intricate styles. It settles into the hair with a natural feeling and reworkable hold which is good for those of you who like to run your hands through your hair, and although it loses a bit of hold each time, it can get you through most of the day pretty reliably if you don’t touch it too much.

Application 7/10

The application can get a bit rough if you have fine hair with quite a bit of tugging and usually isn’t a problem for thicker hair types. It performs better when applied to dry hair, however, if its the only product in your arsenal, it does give a bit of a boost if you also use a bit as a pre-styler, applying to damp hair before blow drying and finishing with a bit extra.

Scent 7.6/10

The scent could be a bit hit and miss depending on what you like, the Arcadian Clay Pomade comparatively have a very strong scent. According the Arcadian Grooming website it is a Bay Rum and HoWood scent. which I would describe as a herbal cologne-like scent. If I’m being honest, at first I wasn’t a huge fan, but its grown on me, and I do quite like it now, it’s one of the few products that you smell in your hair after application, which is nice, as long as you like the scent, otherwise you might find it a bit overwhelming or offensive to the senses.

Durability 7.7/10

The Clay Pomade holds up quite well throughout the day, if I dose my styled hair with a light coat of it dose of hairspray, it will usually get me through the day holding up really well. However, even without the hairspray it still works quite well, and can easily be reworked throughout the day. Its become something I quite regularly use because even though it doesn’t have the strongest of holds, I found that it can get me through a work day and keep my hair looking good and styled even in the middle a heat wave and it compared to other products it holds the shape of my hair in humid weather. Is it lifeproof? For me, yes, and I think it would be for others who don’t need cement-like hold.  Although its waterbased, I’d say once you start reworking it, it starts to act more like an oil-based product, which can get a bit greasy after a while or when in dirty hair. I can hold up to a bit of sweat, although it isn’t overly resistant to water, so the damper your hair gets the more hold it will lose.

Ingredients 9.0/10

It uses a pretty good range of ingredients with hair benefits which should help keep your hair looking good, and is paraben free staying away from lots of the nasty ingredients in cheaper products.

Washability 7.6/10

Although it’s waterbased, and most of it washes out with just water, it usually takes a shampoo to wash out all the oils, otherwise, it can look a get greasy. It also good as a second-day product, as I find it works well with a bit of dry shampoo allowing me to restyle the next day without washing.

Finish/Look 7/10

Like it usually has a matte finish, however, if used in slightly damp hair it can leave a bit of a natural shine, it also tends to change from a matte finish to a natural finish after you rework it a few times. Most of the time in clean hair it looks pretty good, however, for lighter hair colors (such as natural blonde) it can make it look a little greasy throughout the day or if you apply it to unwashed hair.

I’ve analysed the product with considerations that affect people’s different hair types, as well as price preference. Every product works differently for different people, so I’ve added variables into my ratings to offer you a unique rating customised your budgetary needs and hair type, to hopefully give you a better indication of whether it’s right for you.

Thanks for reading, please let me know in the comments about how well this review worked out for you. If please let me know if you have any feedback on the criteria for the unique value chart