Origin of the name.
The English word Pomade comes from the French word Pomade, which means ointment. Ointment is a waxy substance that was used as a medical remedy for the skin. Pomade comes from the Latin word pomum (apple, fruit) via the Italian word pomata or pomo (apple). An ingredient of Ointment were crushed apples, today's pomades do not contain apples and have little to do with fruit.
History
The first pomades originated in the 19th century, where they were first used for hair styling. These pomades contain pig fat. References to this time are certainly still there, such as Reuzel 's pomades, which the pigs still have on the packaging.
It wasn't until the 20th century that pork fat was replaced by a combination of beeswax and pertroleum jelly. Murrays , Royal Crown Hair Dressing and Dixie Peach Hair Pomades were at the basis of the rise of pomades in the 1920s. The hair styles in the following years were partly the success of the pomades of the time. Pomades made for shiny and sleek hairstyles.
Pomades 21st century
Where in the early years of the 20th century the pomades were only available on an oil basis, we now also find them on a water basis, with properties that come close to the oil-based variants. With the rise of the old-school barber and the hairstyles of the 21st century, the pomade has made a comeback.