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Brylcreem

Whilliam

First Class Citizen
I didn't think they still made that stuff until I read about it here. Brylcreem, Vaseline Hair Tonic and Wildroot, were high school staples. They were the epitome of what Don Drysdale dismissed as "greasy kid's stuff" in Vitalis commercials."

Anyway, after reading all these laudatory posts about Brylcreem, I figured I pick up a tube. Sure is a lot pricier than it used to be; otherwise, it seems to be the same stuff.

A lot of guys my age abandoned traditional "hair tonic" products for gels in college. I've been using gels and mousses for more than forty years and have come to hate the way the stuff weighs my hair down. So when I saw that Brylcreem was still available, I thought it was again time for "a little dab."

Truly great stuff, and not nearly as greasy as I remember. (I guess my dabs were bigger then.) It adds just enough control and shine to make my hair tactilely attractive.

Just as the old jingle promised:

Brylcreem, a little dab'll do ya. They'll love to get their fingers in your hair.

Never thought I would ever be using Brylcreem again. Sure glad I stumbled across it here.
 
I have tried every type of hair product out there and have settled on Brylcreem as my go to product. It just works perfect for me. I have short hair and just want a bit of shine with ample control. I also use Wildroot on occasion which is nice as well but a tad more difficult to apply because of the lanolin and wax. I used Top Brass for a while but it has been discontinued unfortunately.
 
I primarily use Clubman Gel and Jeris Hair Tonic, but occasionally use Groom N Clean and Brylcreem. I have yet to try Wildroot.
 

Whilliam

First Class Citizen
I primarily use Clubman Gel and Jeris Hair Tonic, but occasionally use Groom N Clean and Brylcreem. I have yet to try Wildroot.

How do you like Jeris?

When I was a kid, that was the green stuff the barber would pour onto your freshly cut hair and comb it neatly, largely for the benefit of your mom. Once dry, you could play full contact football without a helmet . . . and without risk.

Is it still like that? I see it comes in versions with oil and without. Not sure that I would ever use it, but it would sure be fun to have for old time's sake, since I never saw it sold in drugstores as a kid. To me it will always be the secret sauce, available only to barbers.
 
I've been using it daily for a month now, with a tube of Groom and Clean as a backup. I really like it. The scent is very different then GnC, which to some people is probably a good thing. Works a bit better for me as well. I shower twice a day, so buildup isn't a problem for me. Not sure how much gets on your pillow if you sleep with it in.
 

Whilliam

First Class Citizen
My grandfather uses wildroot...he tends to leave yellow oil slicks on furniture...

Yellow slicks? It doesn't sound like he is using enough. LOL

Hair care is a rite of puberty. Or at least it was for me in the '50s, and Wild Root Cream Oil was our go-to goo.

Naturally, if a little was good, at lot was gonna' be better. So instead of this weak emulsion (it separated, and required shaking) disappearing into your hair, the stuff would just lay on top of your pompadour as streaks of white goo. Combing it out was of no use at all. The white stuff would fill the teeth of your comb until it looked like a miniature piano keyboard.
 
Was always Brylcreem until I abandoned the "high and tight" look and started going with the male equivalent of the Farrah hair.
Ran that look well through the 80s... permed or moussed and gelled into submission, with the occasional spattering of Aqua-Net (1980s heavy metal bands are singlehandedly responsible for the depletion of the ozone layer).

Today, I wish I had enough hair to be concerned about such things, but it's shaved. If it weren't shaved, it would still have to be a buzzcut or risk looking like an old biker.
 
I love the smell of Jeris, I have been known to use it as an after shave! I use Wildroot also, it is so old school it reminds me of my dad in the 50's.
 
How do you like Jeris?

I love it! I use the kind without oil. Honestly, 90% of the reason I use it is because of it's scent. Just another part of the manly morning ritual. The other 10% is using it as somewhat of a hair conditioner, before I apply gel.

I never tried the w/oil version, cause the thought of adding oil like that never appealed to me. The w/o oil doesn't offer much hold, I suppose the w/oil version does offer more.
 
I use Brylcreem every day. I've tried most everything out there, and always come back to the classic. A little dab'll do ya.
 
I'm glad to see all these classic products enjoying a resurgence. I mostly use Groom n Clean daily while I'm working, it doesn't build up and washes out with water. I sport a very classic clean 1950's style businessman side part thats longer at top and tapers down tight to skin. I put in about 2 quarter sized dollups on slightly damp hair which gives me that completely slicked down 1950's shine that lasts all day even when I recomb. I will occasionally use Brylcreem or Royal Crown Hair Dressing, but they do build up in your hair and hard to wash out and you do have to worry about stains, but they impart more shine than any other products in my opinion for that classic well groomed look
 
This post takes me back to the days when I had hair! I remember back in high school (the 60's) when someone actually came out with a product called "Greasy Kids Stuff". The directions on the bottle said, "Use massive amounts so that you will need to buy more".
 
Like SlickMike I'm a big fan of groom & clean. If you like Brylcreem you definitely owe it to yourself to give it a try.

I've also been experimenting with some other things lately and some I like, others not so much. G&C is still my favorite and beats all comers.

I've tried both styles of Jeris hair tonic now and I honestly like the one with oil much better than the one without. The oil one has a conditioning quality about it that a light coating will give to your hair. It's styling ability comes from this and there really is no "hold" to speak of. The Jeris version without oil is effectively an aftershave with glycerin in it, that's it. It's really for scent only. It's nice but I can't use it as an aftershave because my skin is allergic to the glycerin. Besides Jeris smells like a much more intense version of Skin Bracer to me and I prefer Skin Bracer as an aftershave. I like the Jeris on my hair because it's not nearly as intense there and indeed smells a lot more like Skin Bracer when applied to hair.

I've tried the Grant's pomade and just as I predicted it is exactly the same thing as the old Pinaud pomade that was discontinued about 7 years ago (except it's three times the price). It's good stuff but after using it for a month or two my scalp didn't like it so much anymore so I went running back to Groom & Clean.

Lastly I've been alternating between G&C and the Pinaud green styling gel. I figured I'd might as well use up the jar of it I've had lying about for the last few years. It's great stuff and I think I'll continue to alternate. I love the scent and it's a nice variety. I'll also continue with the Jeris oil tonic with, perhaps, the intention of only using it on weekends.

I recommend trying everything to see what you like the best. Good luck!

Chris
 

Whilliam

First Class Citizen
Like SlickMike I'm a big fan of groom & clean. If you like Brylcreem you definitely owe it to yourself to give it a try.

I've also been experimenting with some other things lately and some I like, others not so much. G&C is still my favorite and beats all comers.

I've tried both styles of Jeris hair tonic now and I honestly like the one with oil much better than the one without. The oil one has a conditioning quality about it that a light coating will give to your hair. It's styling ability comes from this and there really is no "hold" to speak of. The Jeris version without oil is effectively an aftershave with glycerin in it, that's it. It's really for scent only. It's nice but I can't use it as an aftershave because my skin is allergic to the glycerin. Besides Jeris smells like a much more intense version of Skin Bracer to me and I prefer Skin Bracer as an aftershave. I like the Jeris on my hair because it's not nearly as intense there and indeed smells a lot more like Skin Bracer when applied to hair.

I've tried the Grant's pomade and just as I predicted it is exactly the same thing as the old Pinaud pomade that was discontinued about 7 years ago (except it's three times the price). It's good stuff but after using it for a month or two my scalp didn't like it so much anymore so I went running back to Groom & Clean.

Lastly I've been alternating between G&C and the Pinaud green styling gel. I figured I'd might as well use up the jar of it I've had lying about for the last few years. It's great stuff and I think I'll continue to alternate. I love the scent and it's a nice variety. I'll also continue with the Jeris oil tonic with, perhaps, the intention of only using it on weekends.

I recommend trying everything to see what you like the best. Good luck!

Chris

Groom and Clean. I think it was originally a Revlon product that would offer men the look of a gel (in the tube; not on the hair), but the performance of a traditional hair groom. These were the waning days of "greasy kid's stuff," so any product that promised to keep your hair clean had tremendous appeal.

Guys had yet to learn how to use gel; when I was in college, every morning the guys in the Phi Delt house would stand before their mirrors spackling the hell out of their hair with Roffler gel.

Hard to imagine they still make the stuff, but I just said the same of Brylcreem, didn't I? LOL (The joke is on me. Now I use Brylcreem daily--just as I did in high school.)
 
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