Nioxin Smoothing Reflectives Defining Pomade Review

Hello, hello! How's everybody's first week of the new year going? Sticking to your resolutions? Hopefully it's going well! Today I'm reviewing my very first Nioxin product, their Smoothing Reflectives Defining Pomade! I twittered about this a few weeks ago when I got it (for free thanks to CosmoProf's 12 days of X-Mas promotion), and said I would review it for Michael K. - one of my favorite people in the world + the cutest pop culture blogger ever! Visit his blog here: http://popbytes.com/ It's seriously like, the only pop culture blog I read.

The box points out that the pomade is unlike conventional pomades, as the formula is "water based and PVP-free, providing control without buildup on the hair or scalp." It also claims to provide hair with added texture, style, and shine - which I agree with! =)

The product itself is quite pretty! It's kinda clear with kinda the same texture as vaseline, and has the prettiest blue/violet metallic/sparkly/duochrome to it, but has the most masculine scent! If you read my 2009 Favorites post, I said if it was a cologne I'd totally buy it - and I would! Here are a few pics, but it's hard to capture on cam! Oh well, I tried:




Can you see? It kinda shows! Well, it's prettier in person, trust. Anywho, let's get on to the ingredients: Water, Isoceteth-20, Polyurethane-14, AMP-Acrylates Copolymer, Mineral Oil, Propylene Glycol, Oleth-2, etc. Isoceteth-20 is a synthetic compound derived from fatty acids - it's used as an emulsifier, along with oleth-2. Polyurethane-14/AMP-Acrylates Copolymer did require a bit of research, but from what I found - polyurethane-14 AMP-acrylates copolymer is efficient in both higher and lower VOC formulas. It also has a low viscosity, which means it's easy to spray out in spray formulas. It can be also used in clear products, because of its appearance - AND because the particles are so small, it dries a lot faster & has noticeably less tack than traditional ingredients. Cool stuff eh? Mineral oil, even though it's pretty rough on the skin, it really doesn't harm your hair when it's in a finishing product like pomade - so chill out. Propylene Glycol is a common humectant. A humectant carries moisture and improves spreadability, if you're new to my blog.

Overall opinion? Great for shine and definition, but minimal hold. If you like your hair to have a piecey look without weighing it down, and your hair doesn't seem to respond to smoothing/anti-frizz serums - give this a shot! If your style needs some hold & control to it, this may leave you wanting. I personally love it, it's perfect for my hair right now (I'm trying to grow it out) and I'll probably buy more when I run out!

Nioxin Smoothing Reflectives Defining Pomade comes in a 50g / 1.7 oz pot, and retails for around $10.

What do you think? Will you be picking some up for yourself, or for the man in your life? Or, maybe it's not quite for you? Whatever you think, COMMENT! Reading comments makes me wanna post more! It's actually one of my new year's resolutions, what are yours?!

Well, that's all for now. Expect much more posting than I have lately, and take care of your hair! ♥

Posted on Monday, January 4, 2010