BluMaan Fifth Sample Styling Mask Pomade review

Today's review will be of a product that has a less niched target audience. Most of the stuff we look at are homebrews marketed towards the pomade community. I hardly ever use products catered towards the salon style, BluMaan community. BluMaan's Fifth Sample Styling Mask Pomade however, is a product that helps bridge these two communities. A collaboration between Joe from Blumaan, Nichole and Steve Lockhart, Clayton Douds and James from The Pomp; it goes without saying that this was a massive team effort and it was pretty hyped up during it's release. Of course, it's been close to a year since it came out. Let's dig in and see if it still holds up today. 

Packaging

Fifth Sample comes in a 3.7 oz plastic tub. It's the same plastic tub that you get from the Lockhart's Professional line, which obviously makes sense seeing their involvement in the project. It has purple labels with a similar design as the old Blumaan products before their rebranding. The side label highlights five key ingredients in the pomade that promote healthy hair as well as the names of those involved.

There was also a limited edition packaging when it was released that featured a different colour scheme as well as a cat with a crown on the lid. Aside from that, Fifth Sample is the only BluMaan product that hasn't gotten the new rebrand treatment that would feature a coloured animal on the lid. 

Scent

The pomade has a mint scent with a hint of tea tree as well. It's a fairly soft and subtle smell compared to most mint scents, but it is a nice one. I do wish it was a bit more prominent, especially in the hair.

 

Application

It scoops out pretty easy and requires some pressure. Has a really thick, sticky and slightly gummy feel when breaking it down and it goes into the hair with quite an amount of tugging and pulling. I have to admit, I was expecting a much easier application with this pomade. I'm not a huge fan of the gumminess and thickness during break down especially, but the feeling is reduced slightly when applied into damp hair.

Slickness

Combing through the pomade is pretty hassle-free as it's got a decent amount of slickness. The stickiness helps to tighten everything and keep strays away. Stays fairly recombable throughout the day and retains a good amount of slickness. It does get a touch dryer, so it can also handle a slightly unkempt look as well. Fairly versatile.

Control

Despite the thick feeling during application, it doesn't feel dense in your hair. It feels fairly lightweight so you're able to style freely without much issues. Getting height and shape is also pretty easy with this pomade. I find the overall styling experience to be rather intuitive and pleasant.

Strength

I'd say the pomade has between a medium to firm hold. It doesn't feel dense in your hair but it will still uphold most of the height that you styled.

Shine

The product will give your hair a nice low shine lustre.

 

Durability

Even though it's a lighter in weight, Fifth Sample still manages to retain plenty of it's height and shape throughout the day. Being an UWB pomade, it helps to endure the heat as well. It restyles really well and you also have the option to go for a slightly looser, unkempt look as it gets dryer towards the end of the day.

Washability

It washes out in one rinse. Even though it's advertised to condition your hair, I don't really feel it's effects too blatantly after washing it out. My hair just feels clean but that isn't a bad thing.

Price-point

I bought this at a local shop for $32 SGD ($23.50 USD). Not the cheapest pomade but considering what it can do and who it's marketed towards, I still think it's not too bad.

Verdict

As mentioned earlier, I feel that BluMaan's Fifth Sample Styling Mask Pomade is a bridge between the pomade community and the BluMaan community. It acts as an introductory product for homebrewed pomade users towards salon-style products and more importantly, it introduces the BluMaan community towards homebrewed-style pomades. I really appreciate that fact about it and I really commend the people involved for achieving that.

As a pomade, I think it's a pretty good one to say the least. I enjoy the styling process with this and how ridiculously easy it is to wash out despite the amount of hold that you get. My main problem with Fifth Sample is just with the application and that I wish it was a tad bit easier to work into your hair.

BluMaan's Fifth Sample Styling Mask Pomade is a product that I usually recommend to first time pomade users. They're usually looking for a strong hold product with a lower shine that washes out easily so this makes the perfect candidate for that. I even think it's great for veteran pomade enthusiasts. I like the one-day commitment and how it acts as a healthy hair-mask styling product. Whether you're new to the pomade world or you're looking for another product for your collection, BluMaan's Fifth Sample Styling Mask Pomade is definitely an excellent choice.

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