"Russian Pomade"- By James Bui
When it comes to pomade, we (as Americans) are at the forefront on the game. Foreign pomades rarely ever compare to any of our products. Pomades (with respect to the pompadour) have been available for a long time here in the US and so, we’ve developed and pushed its limits for decades. As you all already know, it’s trending and becoming a passing fad in many other countries because…well…honestly, the best US export is its culture and media.
Thus, we’ve seen new pomades pop up in Singapore, Indonesia, Malaysia, and now…Russia. But since they are relatively new to the pomade world, they’ll start at the beginning…make simple greases.
Let me introduce to you, Rusak No. 2 — a handmade, vegan pomade from Russia. It comes in a standard aluminum twist-top tin can with sticker label on the face. It pretty cool, and I can but help think of Metro: Last Light whenever I see the branding. To those of you who have played the game, you’ll know what I mean. There’s something about Russians and rabbits.
This is their medium pomade. Or rather…what they call their ‘middle’ pomade. I’m assuming it’s just bad English.
Opening it up, you’ll see that it looks pretty damn familiar. Likeeeee Dax Wave & Groom…and it is also like a medium/lighter version.
Application
It’s greasy. No lie. You can feel it and its even more so than Dax W&G. However, it’s a lot smoother. It scoops out a lil thicker than Royal Crown Pomade and is pretty easily applicable.
Styling
Time. It actually took me quite a while to style my hair this way, and I had to be careful not to mess it up before the photographs. This is not usually the case with such a traditionally formulated product, but there’s something about it. I think its the same characteristic that makes this product slick.
Slickness. The shine is very strong, and you’re not likely to get any stray hairs with this product. This same trait makes the hair clump together undesirably like with Tancho when too much product is applied.
Strength. The hold is a medium. I would say its about a touch lighter than that of Grandad’s Old Fashioned (medium).
Conclusion
It’s a standard product. A variation of classic pomades we’ve seen before. Yeah…it’s a vegan product and that sets it apart. But there are superior vegan pomades out there such as Odouds.
The strongest characteristic of Rusak (and many other foreign pomades) is its novelty. It’s interesting to see what other countries are up to. So, that means, when there’s a foreign product that can outperform our own…that’s worth taking notice.
This review has been courtesy of Mr. Pomade. For more information on Rusak no. 2, you can find it here.