The Ancient Origins of Pomade

Shane johnson
Mar 24, 2020
5 min read

Updated: 3 days ago

When most people think about the origins of pomade, the story usually starts somewhere around the 18th or 19th century. That makes sense on the surface. European aristocrats became famous for elaborate hairstyles, heavily styled wigs, powders, oils, and grooming products that helped show off wealth and social status. By the late 1800s, companies such as Morgan's Pomade were helping turn hair styling products into recognizable commercial brands.

But the real history of pomade-style grooming goes back much further.

Much, much further.

In fact, people were using fatty substances to style and condition their hair thousands of years before modern pomade ever existed.

Hair Styling Before Modern Pomade

Ancient civilizations clearly cared about grooming and personal appearance. The Romans, for example, used soaps, oils, waxes, and other mixtures for both cleaning and styling. But if we go back even further, Ancient Egypt gives us some of the most fascinating evidence of early hair styling practices.

The Egyptians were famously conscious of appearance, cleanliness, cosmetics, jewelry, clothing, and hair. Grooming wasn't treated as an afterthought. It was tied to status, culture, religion, and identity. That concern for appearance even continued after death. Researchers studying ancient Egyptian remains have found evidence that both male and female mummies had fatty substances applied to their hair. In some cases, these substances appear to have been intentionally used to shape, preserve, or hold hairstyles in place. In other words, thousands of years before anybody was buying pomade from a barbershop shelf, people were already putting grease in their hair to make it look better.

Some things really haven't changed much.

What are the Origins of Modern Pomade?

At its core, pomade is simply a styling substance designed to give hair some combination of hold, control, shine, texture, or conditioning.

Ancient hair preparations often relied on ingredients that were readily available at the time, including animal fats, oils, plant materials, and wax-like substances.

Today, putting animal fat into your hair probably doesn't sound especially appealing.

Thankfully, modern formulations give us plenty of alternatives.

Depending on the type of product, today's pomades may use ingredients such as beeswax, lanolin, petroleum-derived ingredients, plant oils, butters, clays, emulsifiers, and water-based styling agents. We've come a long way from scooping rendered fat into our hair.

Ancient Egyptians Took Hair Seriously

One of the most interesting things about Ancient Egyptian grooming is how sophisticated it could be. Hair wasn't always simply worn naturally. Egyptians cut it, styled it, braided it, curled it, colored it, shaved it, and wore wigs. Some preserved hairstyles show surprisingly detailed curls and structured shapes. There is archaeological evidence of mummies dating back thousands of years with hairstyles that were intentionally arranged and preserved. Some examples contain tight curls or ringlet-like patterns that look surprisingly modern.

If you removed the linen wrappings and dropped some of those hairstyles into a modern salon, they might not look as out of place as you would expect. Hair dye was also used in the ancient world. Natural ingredients such as henna could be used to alter or enhance hair color. So while the tools and chemistry were different, the motivation was very familiar.

People wanted to look good.

Grooming Was About More Than Vanity

It's easy to look at ancient grooming practices and think people were simply being vain, but appearance often carried deeper meaning. Hair could communicate wealth, occupation, age, social standing, religious beliefs, or cultural identity. The same thing still happens today. A haircut can communicate professionalism. A beard can become part of someone's identity. A hairstyle can connect someone to a subculture, profession, generation, or community. The products have changed, but the role hair plays in how people present themselves hasn't changed nearly as much.

From Animal Fat to Commercial Pomade

As civilizations advanced, grooming products became more refined.

By the 18th and 19th centuries, pomades were becoming more recognizable as the products we would associate with modern hair styling. Formulas often relied on fats, oils, waxes, fragrances, and eventually petroleum-based ingredients.

European upper classes used heavily styled hair and wigs as obvious displays of fashion and status.

Later, commercial manufacturing changed everything. Rather than mixing grooming preparations at home or purchasing them from local apothecaries, customers could buy branded hair products with consistent packaging and recognizable formulas.

Morgan's Pomade, established in England in the 19th century, became one of the better-known names associated with this shift toward commercially produced pomade.

Pomade was becoming a product instead of simply a preparation.

The Barbering Connection

Pomade eventually became strongly associated with barbering and men's grooming.

Through the late 19th century and especially into the 20th century, slick, controlled hairstyles became incredibly popular for men. Think neatly parted hair, slick backs, pompadours, side parts, and eventually greaser styles. The barbershop was the natural place for these products to live.

A barber wasn't simply cutting hair. He was showing the client how to style it afterward. That relationship between haircut and product remains important today.

The cut creates the shape. The product helps the client recreate that shape tomorrow morning.

Why Grease Worked So Well

There was actually some logic behind those early greasy formulas.

Fats and oils naturally coat hair fibers. That coating can add shine, reduce friction, tame flyaways, and help strands stay grouped together. Waxes can add even more structure by thickening the mixture and increasing hold. The downside is obvious. Heavy animal fats and early oil-based products could be difficult to wash out. They could also become rancid, attract dirt, or smell less than ideal. Modern chemistry solved many of those problems while keeping the basic concept alive.

We still use oils.

We still use waxes.

We still use conditioning fats and emollients.

We've just gotten much better at refining and combining them.

Modern Pomade Has Come a Long Way

Today's pomade category is incredibly diverse.

You can find traditional oil-based pomades that stay workable all day, water-based pomades that rinse out more easily, matte products with almost no shine, clay-based formulas for texture, and conditioning formulas designed to keep hair flexible.

Modern consumers can choose based on:

Hair type.

Hold.

Shine.

Texture.

Washability.

Ingredients.

Finish.

A person with fine hair looking for loose texture needs a very different product than someone with thick hair trying to hold a slick back in place all day.

Ancient Egyptians didn't exactly have that many options.

Thousands of Years, Same Goal

That's probably the most interesting part of the entire history.

Technology changes.

Ingredients change.

Packaging changes.

Hairstyles change.

But people don't change nearly as much as we think.

Thousands of years ago, somebody stood in front of a reflective surface, looked at their hair, decided it wasn't cooperating, grabbed some kind of greasy substance, worked it through their hair, and styled it until they were happy. Today we do essentially the same thing. We just have better fragrances.

So the next time you scoop a little pomade out of a jar, remember that you're participating in a grooming tradition that may stretch back thousands of years. Thankfully, we've upgraded from bear fat and lard. Although who knows—maybe the Egyptians were onto something.

Level Headed Magical Animal Fat Hair Grow coming soon.

Just kidding.

Probably.

Thanks for reading!

-S.G.J