Products with the best shine

It seems like a matte finish product is always the most sought after by posts I read here and elsewhere, and is certainly very popular going by all the clays and pastes on the market these days. Now I don't hate a matte finish, I do throw in some clays to my styling routine and I enjoy the results. But I also love having a high-shine hairstyle, I think it just happens to work well with my hair type.

So what are your favorites to give you a shine on the level of Danny Torrence? So far I've tried:

Layrite Supershine - I like it a lot, great smell and finish, and when added atop Layrite's Original or Superhold it reduces helmet-head and makes the hair re-combable without water. That said, when used by itself the hold is lackluster for me, often falls over on itself and adding volume is quite difficult. The shine definitely fades over time as well.

Royal Crown - I like this one quite a bit as well, and there's always a certain satisfaction in using such a classic product. The shine is off the charts, the scent is subtle and masculine, but the hold is obviously quite low. I can get much more volume than with Supershine, but the actual follicles themselves don't stick together as well. I've tried using as a topper with heavier holding products, but I haven't yet had much luck with getting the proportions right.

Tres Flores - Not as shiny as Royal Crown, but it's another greasy classic that holds a special place in my heart as the first oil based pomade I tried. A decent light hold, but the shine seems 'darker' than RC, a more damp look I guess. The scent is also odd in that some days I love it, some days it seems overpowering.

Goon Grease - Love it. Enough has been said about this one, it's well-known for a reason. A combo of great shine and hold that I'm not sure exists anywhere else.

Lockhart's Light Hold - Another great, to me seems like Royal Crown with more hold and a bit tastier scent.

I've also tried some products which promised a high shine but did not deliver. Daimon Barber's Classic Pomade is one, named as a firm hold/high shine product. While I enjoy everything else about this pomade, the shine is definitely just medium.

There are some I've heard of but have yet to try. Flagship's Strait of Malacca is one, I'm very interested in that one but I'm wary since it seems like the smell is quite weed-like. I smoke pot on occasion but I don't really want to walk around smelling like a dispensary all day haha. Another is Templeton's Tonics' Compass pomade, which I actually have coming in the mail, excited to try that one.

So who else here enjoys a good shine and has some favorite products?

Posted Feb 5, 2018, 11:54 PM UTC · edited

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AceHartmann•

Check out www.TheHartmannCompany.com our products are a reflection of those old school hair products. Hartmanns Hair Cream is a high shine and great hold using natural and organic ingredients; Shea Butter, Coconut oil and Honey.

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Friskyseal•

In my limited experience the best shine comes from Flagship's Steel Horse line. They both use shea butter, coconut oil, and lanolin which produces the most nuclear-glow shine I've seen (the oil more so than the water). Check out some of the reviews to get an idea. Unfortunately I don't like the way the oil version smells (it's light but I just don't like it and being an oil-based it persists forever). The water-based smells great though (super light and only really has presence when you're applying).

Next on my radar to try is Nostalgic's reformulated medium oil based, but I'm waiting for them to hopefully have another scent swap so I can get it in unscented. =D

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RomanSenateOP•

I've been meaning to check out more of Flagship's products for a while, I've only tried Black Ship and while it has great hold it honestly seems halfway to a clay to me. Checking their site it seems they describe the OB Steel Horse's scent as sandalwood vanilla, which seems fairly innocuous, but also list sweet orange essential oils, and I've heard essential oil scents can be overpowering. Is that what puts you off, or is it just an indescribable dislike?

I've got my eye on more Nostalgic products as well, I really wanted to try their old medium petro based but it seems they did away with it days before I tried to order some. I have their firm petro and super water based both of which are killer.

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Friskyseal•

It is a fairly innocuous scent, I'm just very picky and sensitive. I'd rather smell like myself or one of the awesome fragrances that I own. I don't like sandalwood at all (I describe it as smelling "dusty"), and orange I generally don't like unless it's done extremely well (e.g. Allure Homme Sport). Putting these two together for me is a big no. The scent is light, which is great, but that just means the only person stuck smelling it is me.

I tried Black Ship as well and the problem with that one for me (besides the genuinely bad smell but thankfully that one is available in other scents) is the use of the black oxide coloring. I have dark brown/black hair and the coloring creates a really artificial "extra black" look that to me looks very harsh and unattractive.

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shawnlorh•

My favourite products with the best shine are shear revival elm street and dax short and neat. I love the shine and the hold of elm street. It’s a light hold and high shine pomade. Dax short and neat is also a very high shine product but it is very greasy and very light hold. Would highly recommend this two products to those people who seek high shine products.

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RomanSenateOP•

Seems like Shear Revival isn't currently making any more Elm Street? A bummer since that sounds great and I love the Nightmare on Elm Street movies. Maybe if I look hard enough I can find an old jar for sale. As for the Dax that's definitely intriguing, I've only tried their Wave & Groom, which worked great in terms of style and finish but was definitely a bitch to degrease. I wasn't initally aware they had so many different lines but I've seen reviews of their various output popping up, I'll have to look into their Short & Neat. Thanks dude

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Halloween3•

They release it seasonally now. In the Fall I believe. They replaced it with their beard balm, which they say can also be used in the hair for a high shine low hold pomade.

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Lillandoniril•

Short and Neat actually surpasses Royal Crown in shine

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amp138•

Pluko Black & White. The scent is polarizing from what it seems online but it holds well for me, is versatile, and shines well.

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RomanSenateOP•

Totally spaced on mentioning that one in my post, but I do have it as well. I actually quite like the scent, but I haven't tried it out in a while, I remember it having a similar damp appearance to Tres Flores, but I've gotten much better at properly applying and styling OBs since then so I should definitely give it another whirl. All the rumors about it being a favorite of Elvis, Johnny Cash, and James Dean definitely give it a cool vibe. Still dunno wtf Pluko means though haha.

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