Templeton Tonics' Atlas first reactions thread.

So if anyone was like me and ordered a jar of Atlas quite soon after it went on sale, there's a good chance some of you have had a chance to use it by now. I just got mine today and gave it a whirl, interested to see how other experiences line up to mine.

For me, it's definitely a mixed bag product. There are aspects of it which I love, but others which really disappointed me.

The good: Everything about the feel of this pomade screams 'classic', in the best sense. Maybe an overused word when describing oil based pomades, but this really does feel like a modernized Tres Flores/Black & White/Sweet Georgia Brown, in terms of the creamy greasy breakdown, and the shine in the hair. Not the extreme glow of Royal Crown, but that lustrous petro shine of the aforementioned pomades (which I think is pretty distinct from current higher shine pomades like Lockhart's Light, say). Probably helps that I ordered it in the Heritage scent, TT's version of a classic barbershop scent, which is a nice throwback. The shea butter is very apparent, and while there may be just a bit too much of a baby powder note in there for my taste, it definitely adds to the traditional aura of this pomade.

The bad: The hold is just not there. By far the most disappointing aspect so far is that this product is advertised as a firm hold, but, in my hair at least, it's definitely light. I got great volume and shape when I first styled my hair, but within minutes it was flopping over and falling apart. At least with medium hold pomades, when my style begins to fall it still holds together enough that it can look kinda cool in itself, with chunks still maintaining shape but sagging. With Atlas, my hair began to totally separate, the follicles came unglued from one another and fell sideways in defeat, turning my pomp into the worlds shittiest fuckin contour. I tried to give myself some added hold halfway through the day by applying a little more pomade at my roots and tried to tug the front into an anchored position, but I just made things worse and weighed down my hair even further.

Now since this pomade has such a classic sense to it maybe I should have expected this going in, but Atlas definitely has a thicker feel and breakdown than any of the traditional oily products, yet less hold than Black & White. And given the fact that this was marketed as a firm holding product, I'm kinda bummed.

This was just the first day though, I haven't even tried showering yet to test out the supposed easy washout of the product. I'm hoping that with some buildup in the hair the hold will get closer to a medium, I really want to love this product and though I don't see how it could ever have a firm hold in my hair I'd be satisfied if it behaved like a true medium with some buildup. If not, maybe it would make a good third-day pick for me after using heavy holds for a couple days.

What have been your experiences with Atlas? I'm sure if one has a contour or a slick back than this product would be kick ass, low volume looks would get the classic feel and shine with modern nourishing ingredients, while not having to worry about lack of volume and collapsing hair.