In 1994, Alfonso Añorga — who grew up sweeping floors in his mother's beauty salon — started making a pomade in his garage in Whittier, California, and sold it door-to-door to local barbershops. That first product, Original Pomade, is still in the line today, and the brand it launched, Johnny B. Hair Care, has been a barbershop staple for three decades: quality formulas, distinctive products, and prices that don't require a second thought.
The range we carry at ProHair.ca now runs from the famous alcohol-free Mode Styling Gel through pomades, clays, pastes and powders to shampoo pastes, beard care, shave products and true barber-counter gear like after-shaves by the litre and barber talc. This guide walks the whole lineup so you can pick right the first time.
The Johnny B Difference
- Born in the barbershop. Sold chair-side since 1994 — these are the products barbers actually use to finish cuts.
- Alcohol-free gels. Mode and Fuddy hold all day with no flaking and no buildup, and rinse out clean.
- Multi-use formulas. The shampoo pastes double as shave paste; Utility Cream works on hair, beard, skin and tattoos; All Over washes hair and body.
- Honest pricing. Entry at $12.99, most products under $30, litre pro sizes for the chair.
Who This Brand Is For
- You style daily and are done with gel flakes and buildup
- You want classic pomade looks — slick shine or maximum beeswax hold
- You like matte texture and volume you can shape with your hands
- You're fighting dandruff, an oily scalp, or early thinning
- You grow a beard and wet-shave the edges
- You're a working barber stocking a station with litre sizes and talc
Who Might Want to Look Elsewhere
Honesty first: Johnny B is unapologetically masculine and scented — if you want fragrance-free grooming, this is not your line. Original Pomade is petrolatum-based by design (that's where the shine comes from); if you avoid petrolatum, stay on the water-based side of the range — Fibrous Cream, Dope Texture Gel, Mode. Grow Shampoo supports the scalp cosmetically — it is not a hair-loss drug, and significant loss deserves professional advice. And there's no colour care or women's line here; this is a men's grooming brand, full stop.
The Range, Product by Product
Styling Gels
Mode Styling Gel — $12.99 (100 ml) / $15.99 (200 ml). The flagship. Alcohol-free, no flake, no buildup; thick but rinses out easily. Best for: everyday styling and unmanageable hair.
Mode Lucky Boy — $14.75 (355 ml). Mode with a vibrant green colour and its own fragrance; dries clear, water-soluble. Best for: Mode fans who want a twist.
Fuddy Matte Styling Gel. Incredibly thick, dries fast, strong all-day hold with a matte finish, alcohol-free. Best for: modern matte looks with gel convenience.
Dope Texture Gel. Holds like a gel, works like a pliable pomade — water-based with heavy shine, great on curly or straight hair. Best for: strong hold with movement.
Pomades, Creams & Pastes
Original Brilliant Shine Pomade — $15.49 (89 ml). The 1994 original: oil-based snow-white petrolatum, light 2/10 hold, maximum shine, and a violet tint that counters yellow in grey hair. Best for: buzz cuts and classic shine.
Xtra Hold Pomade — $23.99 (3 oz). The brand's second-ever product: oil-based beeswax hold with an anti-humectant formula that controls cowlicks in humidity. Best for: flat tops, crew cuts, short fades.
Fibrous Cream — $25.99. The brand's No. 1 selling pomade — water-based, pliable and fibrous, strong hold, matte finish, adds thickness and volume, gluten-free. Best for: matte volume on layered cuts.
Street Cream — $18.49 (85 g). The budget fibrous cream: pliable, matte, adds thickness and volume. Best for: the Fibrous Cream effect at a lower price.
Molding Paste — $22.99 (3 oz). A little = light hold, a lot = heavy-duty hold; clean, classy, low shine. Best for: adjustable serious hold.
Clash Hair Gum (3 oz). Pomade, wax and clay in one, 8/10 hold, classic finish — inspired by London rock 'n' roll. Best for: taming truly unmanageable hair with one product.
Smooth Styling Cream (100 ml). Half gel, half mousse: subtle hold, voluminous finish, enhances curl on longer hair. Best for: fine hair that hates heavy product.
GO Texture Creme — $14.50 (100 ml). Humidity-resistant, weightless, 7/10 flexible hold. Best for: the comb-over and frizz-prone hair.
Clays & Powder
Hold Tight Clay Gel — $25.99 (100 ml) / $57.99 (340 ml). Black kaolin and bentonite clays absorb excess oil; buildable strong hold, matte finish, never sticky. Best for: oily hair and defined matte styles.
Lava Clay — $25.99 (85 g). Bentonite clay purifies while beeswax builds hold and shine; creamy, pliable application. Best for: thick, coarse or curly hair.
Hold Up Hair Powder — $25.99 (0.3 oz) / $29.99. Ultra-fine Italian-made silica powder; buildable root volume, matte, all-day hold, with or without a blow dryer. Best for: instant volume on any hair type.
Cleansing & Scalp
Shampoo Paste — Deep Cleansing — $12.99 (100 ml) / $28.99 (454 g). Only 41% water — a concentrated zinc paste with three essential oils for dandruff control and deep cleansing, and a known barbershop trick as a shave paste. Best for: flaky, itchy or oily scalps.
Shampoo Paste (3.3 oz) — $32.99. The three-in-one fan favourite: zinc, cinnamon, peppermint and menthol oils stimulate the scalp and calm razor bumps. Best for: sensitive skin and shampoo-plus-shave duty.
Grow Shampoo — $12.99 (100 ml) / Grow Men's Shampoo — $13.99. Antioxidant-rich daily deep cleanse with vitamin E; clears the scalp so hair can grow freely. Best for: thinning or slow-growing hair (cosmetic support, not a drug).
All Over Shampoo & Body Wash — $15.99 (100 ml). One energizing lather for hair and body; thick, so a little goes far. Best for: gym bags and the busy man.
Conditional Conditioner — $15.99 (100 ml). Jojoba, amino acids and hops fight dryness and add thickness; all hair types. Best for: the missing second step.
Utility Cream — $13.99 (100 ml). Leave-in for hair, beard, skin and tattoos — shea butter, aloe and biotin, anti-frizz, fine to coarse. Best for: one-jar travellers.
Ultra Soap Bar — $13.99 (4 oz). Body, hair and face; rich lather, rinses film-free. Best for: bar-soap loyalists.
Beard & Shave
Beard Wash — $25.99 (100 ml). Low-foaming Italian formulation; cleans daily while keeping natural sebum. Beard Oil — $25.99 (30 ml). Dropper-applied lightweight shine and conditioning. Beard Balm — $22.99 (60 g). Shea butter, natural oils and vitamin E lay stubborn beard hair down; light citrus scent.
Shave Cream — $22.99 (100 ml). Blue daisy softens skin; formulated with Depiline; fights razor burn, bumps and ingrowns.
After Shave Balm — $25.99 (100 ml). Witch hazel cools and calms post-shave redness — the sensitive-skin option, no sting.
After Shaves A.M. / Noon / P.M. / Midnite — $22.99 (100 ml) / $51.99 (1 L). Classic high-alcohol barbershop after-shaves that disinfect and close pores after shaves and short cuts. Scents: A.M. citrus, patchouli, vetiver · Noon bergamot, sage, cedarwood · P.M. juniper berry, violet, musk · Midnite oud, vanilla, vetiver, musk.
Barber Prep
Code B Hair Prep — $22.99 (100 ml) / $57.99 (946 ml). 85% water, 15% hemp oil, with biotin — a cutting agent, styling primer and high-heat thermal protector in one, never sticky. Best for: anyone using hot tools, and every barber's spray bottle.
Barber Talc — $26.99 (7 oz). Fine mineral talc that soaks excess moisture and calms the neck area after cuts; light citrus scent. Best for: finishing cuts like a barbershop does.
Quick Decision Guide
- Everyday gel, zero flakes → Mode Styling Gel
- Matte gel → Fuddy
- Classic shine, light hold → Original Pomade
- Maximum hold, humidity → Xtra Hold Pomade
- Matte thickness and volume → Fibrous Cream (or Street Cream on a budget)
- Oily hair → Hold Tight Clay Gel
- Thick, coarse or curly → Lava Clay
- Fine or flat → Smooth Styling Cream + Hold Up Powder
- Dandruff or itchy scalp → Shampoo Paste — Deep Cleansing
- Thinning → Grow Shampoo
- Beard → Beard Wash + Oil or Balm
- Shave → Shave Cream, then After Shave Balm (sensitive) or a classic After Shave
- Heat styling → Code B Hair Prep
If You Only Buy One Thing
Get the Mode Styling Gel ($12.99). It's the product the brand is known for, the cheapest way into the range, and if the no-flake, alcohol-free hold wins you over, the rest of the lineup follows naturally.
Smart Buying Tips
- Build a trial routine for under $60: the 100 ml sizes of Mode, Deep Cleansing Paste, Grow and Conditional run $12.99–$15.99 each.
- Litre and pro sizes are the value play: After Shaves at $51.99/L, Code B at $57.99/946 ml and Hold Tight at $57.99/340 ml cost far less per ml for heavy users and working barbers.
- The Shampoo Pastes double as shave paste — one jar, two jobs.
- After-shave scent picker: brightest is A.M., herbal is Noon, evening-smooth is P.M., richest is Midnite.
FAQ
Who makes Johnny B products?
Johnny B. Hair Care was founded in 1994 by Alfonso Añorga, who grew up working in his mother's beauty salon and launched the line from his garage in Whittier, California with Original Pomade — sold door-to-door to local barbershops. Thirty years on it's a barbershop staple across North America, still built on the same promise: quality, unique, affordable.
Is Mode gel really alcohol-free?
Yes. Mode Styling Gel is alcohol-free, doesn't flake or build up, and although the gel is thick it rinses out easily. That's why it's been the brand's flagship for decades — strong, workable hold without the crunchy, flaky trade-offs of drugstore gels.
Which pomade should I choose?
Oil-based Original ($15.49) is light hold and maximum shine — buzz cuts and classic looks. Oil-based Xtra Hold ($23.99) uses beeswax for maximum control and humidity resistance. If you want matte and washable, go water-based: Fibrous Cream ($25.99, the brand's No. 1 seller) or Street Cream ($18.49).
How much does Johnny B cost in Canada?
At ProHair.ca, entry products start at $12.99 (Mode 100 ml, Deep Cleansing Paste 100 ml, Grow Shampoo) and most of the line sits under $30. Professional litre sizes run $51.99–$57.99. All prices are in CAD, and orders over $99.99 ship free.
Bottom Line
- Best entry: Mode Styling Gel, $12.99
- Best matte: Fibrous Cream, $25.99
- Best classic: Original Brilliant Shine Pomade, $15.49
- Best scalp buy: Shampoo Paste — Deep Cleansing, from $12.99
- Best beard pair: Beard Wash + Beard Balm
- Barber picks: Code B Hair Prep and litre After Shaves
Every Johnny B product at ProHair.ca is sourced through official distribution and ships from Canada, with free shipping over $99.99.