Morris Motley’s Treatment Styling Balm is a product that has been on the market for some time now. There is no single product more hyped or more aggressively advertised as this one. With so much hype, it should hopefully live up to expectations.
I’ve had two jars of this product and traded them both. There was just something about this product that I couldn’t quite figure out. It would always “swell” too much in my hair and take on too sticky of a feeling. I don’t like my hair to be stuck in place like that. I want to be able to run my fingers or a comb through it all day. Because I couldn’t achieve that with the Styling Balm, I gave up on it twice. However, third time, I managed to get it right…at least as right as I possibly can.
At first, I did not understand the hype. However, as I’ve used it more and more, I can see why it is so popular. In some ways, it feels like a cream, in other ways a paste or clay. It is definitely a unique product with a unique blend of ingredients; all advertised with a firm hold and matte finish.
With this review, though, I hope to present to you a more honest and hype-free take on the Morris Motley Treatment Styling Balm. I know I’m late to the game, but I wanted to review their other styling product, Chrome, and knew I couldn’t do that before reviewing the Balm. So, here I am.
Let’s get to it.
Morris Motley Treatment Styling Balm Video Review
First Impressions
Packaging and Presentation: 10/10. Morris Motley’s product packaging has become a minimalist icon in the men’s grooming community. The standard product comes in a 3.7oz white plastic tub with black lettering along the side with a black plastic lid. The Balm will also be packaged in a small cardboard box containing information like ingredients and directions. Overall, this jar is iconic. I like it.
Scent: 10/10. This is my favorite hair product scent. Ever. For the longest time, I’ve enjoyed this scent. It’s a sweet citrus scent that sounds basic in writing, but it is something that must be experienced to be believed. This is the best citrus scent on the market and an absolute joy to have on your person. Now that I know Morris Motley is getting into making colognes, they should definitely consider releasing this in fragrance form.
Application
Consistency: 10/10. Treatment Styling Balm, though a thick product, is not difficult to scoop. Surprisingly, it will breakdown quickly and with ease as well. It will have a noticeable stickiness and tack to it, but it will not be difficult to spread across your palms.
Application: 7/10. This product is dry, has a grip to it, and has a stickiness to it. You will feel that upon application. This can be minimized by applying smaller scoops in towel dry hair.
Performance
Control: 8/10. Typically, we want a product that is very straightforward to use and easy to style with. If a product has a learning curve, that makes it less desirable. Treatment Styling Balm has an adequate level of control, but the control is completely dependent on two factors: how much product you apply and how much water is in your hair. These factors will completely determine the product’s overall outcome. If your hair is too wet or if you apply too much product, it will become a sticky, pasty, brutally strong mess that will be difficult to work with. If you apply too little, it may not tame your waves or your curls to your liking. I found 3 small scoops into slightly, slightly towel dried hair to be the best bet for me to then use this product as a clay-type of styling aid. With that, you get a strong hold that is nearly weightless and undetectable unless you touch your hair with your hands.
Hold: 10/10. Firm. This is accurate. Noticeably strong without that hold adding additional weight to your hair.
Endurance: 9/10. No product is perfect, but this one does a great job enduring for sure. Its dryness and grip last all day and are perfect answers to hot and humid climates. Products made in Australia typically excel in this regard because the manufacturers are making products to stand up to that hotter climate. Morris Motley is no exception.
Matte: 10/10. Perfectly matte without dulling out your hair.
Texture: 8/10. The texture on this product covers the full coarse-fine spectrum depending on how much you apply. If you apply less, the texture will be more coarse and will follow your hair’s natural flow. Apply more, and your hair will then take on a finer aspect on the follicle level in addition to the coarse texture.
Dryness: 8/10. Never makes your hair feel dried out or unhealthy, but the stickiness can be brutal if you apply too much product. It will make the hair feel somewhat dry with near immovability (but in a bad way).
Restyling: 7/10. Treatment Styling Balm can restyle rather easily, but there is a caveat in some ways. Yes, it can be re-manipulated into shape, but the product may bring out some of your waves if you have them. I usually find that if I add about 3 scoops of product that day, there is enough strength to prevent that. Straight-haired people shouldn’t have that problem. Essentially, it’s possible and the volume is still very much accessible, but the control may suffer if you have wavy hair and did not apply enough product initially.
Rinsing: 7/10. Requires one shampoo rinse to remove for me. When people say this product is water-soluble, I don’t find that accurate. I still always end up having to shampoo at some point.
Final Verdict for Morris Motley Treatment Styling Balm: 8.67/10.
For such a hyped product, I would say that Treatment Styling Balm is good. Would I say it’s the best? No. But, what it sets out to accomplish, it accomplishes. The hold is firm. The finish is matte. The volume is high. It’s a popular product for a reason, and I believe that the hype is somewhat justified but I would not go about saying that it crushes the competition…especially when there are some similar products in the States that don’t come with such a price tag.
If you are someone who is serious about the whole hair product game, I would recommend trying this stuff to at least experience it. However, if you do not want to shell out the money, I would also suggest trying to find it secondhand either on a Facebook Group like Everything Pomade or r/Pomade on Reddit. Should you decide to drop the money on the full price, you can pick it up here.
Morris Motley Treatment Styling Balm Product Comparison
Since this is a popular product, I’ll offer some more comparisons than I normally do.
Shear Revival Northern Lights Matte Paste: Similar levels of hold, texture, citrus-esque scent profile, and volume, but Northern Lights comes at a far lower cost for 4oz and does not get as sticky or dry-feeling as Morris Motley. It is a smoother counterpart to TSB.
Fatboy Perfect Putty: Both products have similar looking jars, consistencies, and levels of hold. However, I would say that Fatboy is waxier-feeling and not as sticky or paste-like as TSB. Fatboy is also cheaper, comes in a smaller container, and has a minty scent.
O’Douds Matte Paste: O’Douds has the same level of hold as TSB, but is far stickier, dryer, and more difficult to restyle than TSB. Both do well at sustaining volume.
Arcadian Matte Paste: Similar consistencies, hold strength, and volume, but Arcadian is less dry and a tad lighter in hold.
Nostalgic Grooming Firm Moon Paste: Nostalgic Grooming Firm Moon Paste has a similar overall feeling in the hair to TSB, but definitely a notch lighter in hold.
Morris Motley Chrome: Chrome has a touch more hold, far more slickness, and a bit more stickiness than TSB. It’s the counterpart Morris Motley developed to give the user options between neat and textured hairstyles.
Daimon Barber Texture Clay: DB Clay is a true water-soluble product and is a touch dryer. Unlike TSB, it can accommodate a neatly-combed look more effectively but can also provide coarse texture if needed as well.
Moroccanoil Texture Clay: Moroccanoil Texture Clay has a dryer, stickier finish and does not achieve volume as well as TSB. It also leans more toward finer texture than TSB. I would put it as a product in between O’Douds Matte Paste and TSB.
Spruce & Sharp 