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My husband was not blessed with great hair (sorry honey). He gets weird cowlicks, crazy bedhead and his hair becomes limp and lifeless once it dries after a shower.
Naturally, he’s come to depend on hair-styling waxes and pomades to keep the cowlick down and keep his hair in place and looking manly and fabulous.
But at an average cost upwards of $5.00 for a small jar (he even told me he was spending $30 for professional styling creme at one point!), his pomade dependency was starting to become an expensive solution to his hair issues. And so a couple years ago, I had the brilliant idea that I should try making pomade at home for him.
I whipped up a batch with a few simple ingredients and ended up with 3 jars full. It cost me a total of about a buck or two (at the most) to make these 3 jars instead of the $15 to $20 it would have cost to buy 3 jars from the store!
Options for Making DIY Hair Pomade
The very first recipe I ever tried consisted of a simple mixture of one part melted soy wax, one part coconut oil and a few drops of essential oil.
I used soy wax because at the time I didn’t have any beeswax in the house. It worked just fine, but the second time I made a batch, I had bought some beeswax from a local beekeeper, so I tried it with beeswax instead.
My hubby, Ryan, liked it better with the beeswax and said it had a stronger hold. He suggested I try adding some shea butter to make the pomade a bit softer and easier to work with.
Since I make my own homemade body butters with shea butter, I usually have some on hand, so I tried replacing half of the coconut oil with shea butter.
I also added a teaspoon of honey just for that little bit of extra stickiness to help hold the hair in place. This is optional, but Ryan seems to think it made a difference.
The shea butter did help to make the pomade a bit softer and easier to scoop out of the jar and work into hair. Hubby’s happy, his hair looks fab and that makes me happy. Happy wife, happy life, right? Oh, and our bank account is happy too. Every dollar counts, and saving around 15 of them is always something to smile about.
Aside from being frugal and functional, this hair pomade is seriously simple to whip up and takes no time at all. It does require a few ingredients that you may or may not already have on hand, but as long as you’ve gotbeeswax and coconut oil, you can make this at home right now by simply melting one part beeswax and one part coconut oil together in a double boiler and then pouring into small jars (4oz Mason jars work nicely, but I personally like using these metal tins for my salves, waxes and pomades).
If you do have shea butter and essential oils at home, I recommend using them. But it’s not totally necessary. I’ve shared my favourite recipe for hair pomade below, but I’m all about being resourceful, using what you already have on hand and keeping things as simple and frugal as possible.
Gather Your Supplies
I like to get my beeswax from a local beekeeper, and you can probably do the same. Buying it locally means I get it in brick form and then have to grate it using my cheese grater. Of course, you can always order beeswax pastilles online if you can’t find any locally.
The nice thing about the beeswax pastilles is that they’re ready to be melted down without having to do any work. You can also order your coconut oil and shea butter online if you don’t have these items on hand.
For essential oils, I like using Rosemary essential oil in my pomade for my male family members because I find Rosemary to be a nice, woody, masculine scent. Sometimes I mix Rosemary and Frankincense oils which is also a nice combination and nourishing for hair.
I personally always use Plant Therapy essential oils in all of my diy projects as they’re a very affordable source of high-quality essential oils that go a long way when added to all sorts of homemade bath, body and home products.
Easy DIY Stocking Stuffers for Men
This pomade also makes a great gift! With Christmas fast approaching, I’m once again left scratching my head wondering what to get all of the men in my life (am I the only one who thinks men are impossible to buy for?)
I make lots of my Christmas gifts at home by hand, but I tend to make products that are considered “girly,” likepeppermint sugar scrub, bath salts, DIY Christmas room sprays with essential oils and soy candles with essential oils. This pomade makes a great gift for the men on my list either as a stocking stuffer or in a gift set with some homemade shaving lotion and hand salve.
I’ve even created some printable labels that you can find in myfree resource library.Thesereally help put the finishing touch on this handmade gift.
You can either print them out on regular printer paper and glue them on or you can print them on these brown kraft paper stickers (I use these sticker labels for all of my homemade bath and body products and love them!)
And of course there’s no rule that says this pomade is only for men! Women can use it in place of store-bought hair pomade as well, but I would say it’s best suited for styling short hair.
So whether you’re simply looking to save a few bucks on store-bought hair products by making your own or you’re looking for a great gift for the man (or men!) in your life, this pomade has you covered.
What about you? What sort of gifts do you diy for men? I’m always looking for new ideas because Christmas comes around each year, so let me know in the comments below!
All-Natural DIY Hair Pomade
Ingredients
- 1 cup beeswax pastilles or grated beeswax
- ½ cup coconut oil
- ½ cup shea butter
- 1 tsp honey (optional)
- Rosemary essential oil
- 3 or 4 small jars or tins
Instructions
- Combine ingredients in a double boiler or in a glass or metal bowl over a pot with a little water in it. Bring the water to a low boil.
- Once wax, coconut oil, shea butter and honey (if using) have melted, turn the heat off and stir to combine well.
- Add a few drops of essential oil (4 or 5 drops should do) and stir to mix well. Carefully pour the hot mixture into clean jars or tins. Allow pomade to cool completely before moving jars or putting lids on top.
- Once completely cooled, pop the lids on and complete your gift by adding these free printable labels. Give to the special man/men in your life and marvel at the results!
Wishing you homemade, homegrown, homestead happiness 🙂
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