The world of men’s styling products can be as complicated as the world of women’s styling products.
Men of the 21st century understand style like no other. They understand their hair types, they use products, and intentionally style their hair to look nice.
The most popular styling products for men’s hair are pomades, gels, and styling creams. If you don’t yet know the difference between them, you’ve come to the right place.
So, forming cream vs pomade – what’s the difference? Forming cream is a lighter and petroleum-free version of hair pomade, which has a heavier hold and more shine. It’s better for fine hair because it doesn’t weigh your hair down much. However, pomade gives you more flexibility in moving and styling your hair.
In this post, we’re going to dive into some of the other differences between these two products, so that you can decide which one works best for you.
What Is Forming Cream?
Forming cream is a name coined by a popular men’s grooming brand, American Crew. They have a lot of different products for hair, including several types of pomades, gels, and pastes.
Other companies also carry similar products to American Crew’s forming cream, but they are sometimes called “styling cream” or “shaping cream.”
If pomades are usually thick and tacky, then a forming cream has a much lighter, more liquid texture – similar to a cream. No surprises here.
Forming creams are not petroleum-based, so they feel much lighter on the hair and don’t give it as much shine. Without the petroleum, you also don’t get as strong of a hold.
When a forming cream dries, it can make the hair feel a little bit hard rather than flexible. This is where most of the hold comes from in a forming cream. The hair is still a little bit flexible and you’ll be able to move it around.
Because of this, a forming cream is best used on fine short hair that doesn’t need a lot of freezing power. It also works best for hairstyles that don’t look overly shiny or greasy.
Forming cream is a great way to give your hair a little bit of control while keeping it looking natural and tousled. It’s a great product for those looking to achieve a neat, put-together, classic look.
Forming cream can be applied to damp or dry hair and will look different depending on which method you choose. For a more natural look, apply it to dry hair. For more control, apply it to damp hair and then blow dry it in place.
How To Use A Forming Cream
Forming cream should always be used on clean hair. If your hair is dirty or greasy, it can make the application process very difficult and uneven.
You can start with damp, towel-dry hair or start with completely dry hair. Here is how forming cream should be applied:
- Scoop out a quarter-sized amount of the cream from its container.
- Warm the cream up between your palms by rubbing them together for a few seconds.
- Spread the cream through your hair starting at the roots (because there is no oil in this product, you can put it on your roots without making them greasy).
- Then slowly move the cream from your roots to the tips of your hair – your goal is to make sure the whole length of the hair is covered with a thin layer of cream.
- Style the hair while spreading the cream through it. Your technique depends on what look you’re going for, but generally, you should be moving your hair into the position you want it to stay in (e.g., slicked back or brushed up).
- You may choose to use a comb for a more slicked look or continue to move the hair with your fingers for a more natural look.
- Allow the cream to dry fully (use a blow drier if you’re short on time) – your hair should stay in the position you styled.
- That’s it! You can move your hair a bit after it has dried if needed. Your style should last all day!
Here’s a great tutorial from krieger + söhne on YouTube.
What Hairstyles Can You Do With A Forming Cream?
You can create a lot of great hairstyles with a forming cream:
- Side part – apply the forming cream and use a comb to brush your hair to the side off-center
- Slicked back – use forming cream on wet hair to slick it back, then allow it to dry in place
- Textured – apply the forming cream to your hair and use your hands to create spikes and textures for a natural and effortlessly messy look
What Is A Pomade?
Hair pomades have been around for a very long time. Many brands sell lots of different pomades. They can be customized to have more or less holding power, more or less shine, etc.
Overall, pomades provide medium to high hold and medium to high shine. Pomades have an oily or petroleum base, so they’re not as light as a forming cream.
One of the biggest advantages of the petroleum content in pomades is that it makes the hair flexible, meaning you can re-style it and move it around throughout the day. Your hair won’t feel hard or “crunchy” with a pomade.
This often makes pomades a better choice than gels (which make the hair stiff and shiny) and forming creams (which don’t have as much of a hold).
Pomades work best of thick, coarse, or curly hair, although men with fine hair can rock pomades too, as long as they don’t overdo it.
For hair that is very curly or stubborn and needs a strong hold, a pomade will always be a better choice than a forming cream.
Just like forming creams, pomades can be applied both to damp and dry hair, depending on the look you want to achieve.
Pomades are more weather-resistant than forming creams. If you’re going out in damp or rainy conditions, your pomade-styled hair will likely survive without budging too much.
How To Use A Pomade
You can apply a pomade to damp or dry hair, and the results will look slightly different. If you like more shine, using it on damp hair might be better, while those who prefer a more matte look should apply their pomade to dry hair.
We recommend playing around with it until you find the technique that works best for you.
Here are the steps for using a hair pomade:
- Scoop out a dime-sized amount of the pomade from its container
- Warm it up between your palms for a few seconds – the pomade should melt slightly and become softer
- Then, apply the pomade first to the areas of your hair that need the most hold, then spread the pomade to the rest of your hair
- Use your fingers or a comb to move your hair into the shape and style you want
- That’s it! The pomade doesn’t need to dry, it will become a little stiffer shortly after you’re done touching it, but you’ll be able to move it around and change your style throughout the day as needed.
Keep in mind that pomade doesn’t wash out of the hair very easily, so you’ll need to use a clarifying shampoo once a week or so to get all of the product out of your hair.
You can still wash your hair with regular shampoo in between, and while it will remove some of the pomade from your hair, you might still feel some of it left over.
This means you might want to use a smaller amount of pomade on days when your hair feels like it has some product left over from last time.
Here’s a great tutorial from Jay The Cyborg on YouTube.
What Hairstyles Can You Do With Pomade?
Hair pomade is very versatile and allows you to create a wide range of hairstyles, including some of these popular looks:
- A quiff – hair above the forehead is pulled up and back or to the side
- Combover fade – if you already have a fade going on the sides, simply use the pomade to comb your longer hair over to the side
- Tousled – use your fingers to spread pomade through your dry hair and spike it up in a “just woke up like this” way
- Slick back – use the pomade to pull your hair back for this classic look
Final Thoughts
Forming cream and pomade are similar products with a few key differences. Ultimately, if you’re looking for a little more hold and a shinier finish, we’d go with the pomade.
If you’re looking for less shine and prefer something a little lighter, a forming cream would make a great choice for you.
If you have thicker hair or unruly curls, a pomade would be able to handle your hair better than a forming cream. But if your hair is fine and you don’t want it to look greasy, you should opt for the cream.
You can still create similar hairstyles using both products, but depending on your hair texture and personal preferences, you might enjoy using one over the other.
We hope this article was helpful in understanding the main differences between these styling products!
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