How to Style Men's Hair Pomade vs Clay vs Paste
Men's hair product labels are almost entirely useless. They all say hold. They all say style. Some say texturising, which could mean anything. Walk into a barbershop and the barber doesn't ask what hold level you want, they look at your hair, ask what you're after, and reach for a specific product for a specific reason. This is that conversation, without the barbershop chair.
Start with what finish you want, not what hold you want
Most men start product shopping by thinking about hold strength. Light hold, medium hold, strong hold. That's the wrong place to start, because two products can have identical hold strength and produce completely different results depending on finish.
The more useful first question is do you want shine, matte, or somewhere between? Pomade gives you shine, that's part of what it does, not a side effect. Clay gives you matte, no shine at all, regardless of how much you use. Paste gives you something in between, a low shine result that looks close to natural. Sea salt spray sits outside this comparison entirely, since it's about texture rather than hold.
Once you know the finish you want, the choice narrows considerably.
Pomade: built for structured, polished styles
Pomade has been part of men's grooming since the 1920s and it's still the right product for a specific set of styles: the side part, the slick-back, anything where you want the hair to look deliberately arranged and the comb lines to stay visible. If your reference point is a clean, sharp look, think Peaky Blinders rather than bedhead. Pomade is what gets you there.
Water-based pomade, which is what we make, washes out with regular shampoo. Oil based alternatives give a slightly higher shine but build up in the hair if you're using them daily, which leaves a residue that no amount of rinsing sorts out. For most men using a styling product every day, water based is the practical choice.
Apply to dry hair only. Warm a small amount between your palms and work it through from roots to ends before combing into shape. The window between application and the product starting to set is fairly short, maybe three minutes, so have a rough idea of what you're doing before you start.
Clay: the barber's go-to for the last two decades
Clay overtook pomade as the most-used product in professional barbershops sometime in the early 2000s, and it's held that position since. The reason is the combination it offers: strong hold with a completely matte finish and genuine volume. Before clay existed, getting a serious hold meant accepting shine. Clay changed that.
The minerals in the formula, usually kaolin or bentonite, absorb oil from the hair as they're worked in, which adds grip and texture simultaneously. On short to medium hair it creates definition that looks intentional without looking done. The key is the application. Clay has to be warmed properly between your palms before it goes into the hair, and it needs to go into dry hair only. Work it through quickly once you start, because it sets faster than pomade or paste, and trying to rework it after it's dried produces a stiff, uneven result rather than a styled one.
For men with fine hair, use very little. An amount the size of a thumbnail is the starting point, not the target. Too much clay on fine hair collapses the volume it's supposed to create.
Pomade vs clay vs paste vs sea salt spray
| Pomade | Clay | Paste | Sea salt | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hold strength | Medium–strong | Strong | Medium | Light |
| Finish | Shine | Matte | Low shine | Textured |
| Apply to | Dry hair | Dry hair only | Dry or damp | Damp hair |
| Reworkable? | Yes | No, sets firm | Yes | Yes |
| Fine hair? | Yes | Use sparingly | Yes | Yes |
| Thick/wavy hair? | Can be heavy | Excellent | Good | Excellent |
Paste: the one most men should probably be using
Paste is the least exciting product to talk about because it doesn't do anything dramatically. Medium hold that stays flexible through the day, a finish that looks like hair rather than a hairstyle, works on most hair types without needing to be warm, suits dry and damp hair equally well. For a lot of men that covers everything they actually need from a styling product, and they spend years using clay or pomade wondering why the result never quite matches what they wanted.
The practical advantage of paste over clay is that you can touch your hair after it's applied. Run a hand through at lunchtime and it resets rather than cracking. For men who move around during the day, work outdoors, or just don't want to think about whether they've killed their style by the afternoon, paste is considerably more forgiving than the alternatives.
Where paste doesn't work: if you need a very specific structured look to stay in place all day, or you want volume and definition on shorter hair. Those are clay jobs.
Sea salt spray: for the look that looks effortless
Sea salt spray is technically not in the same category as the other three. You're not working it in with your hands, you spray it into damp hair, scrunch once if you want, and let it dry. The salt creates a fine residue on the hair shaft that adds texture and grip as the moisture evaporates. The result is what most men are trying to describe when they say they want their hair to look natural but still have some shape to it.
On wavy hair it's the best tool available by some distance. It amplifies natural movement rather than flattening it, and the light hold it provides is enough to keep that movement consistent through the day. On straight hair the texture effect is subtler but it adds body that's difficult to get any other way without also adding weight or shine.
One thing worth knowing: if you apply sea salt spray and then decide you want more hold, a small amount of paste worked through afterwards once it's dry gives you texture plus control without fighting the spray. Don't try the same thing with pomade, the oil content and the salt don't play well together.
A few common questions
Is hair wax the same as pomade, clay or paste?▼
Not officially, though plenty of men use the word as a catch-all for any of them. True hair wax sits closest to a softer, lower-hold pomade, and it's becoming rarer as a standalone product on its own. If you've been buying something labelled wax, pomade is usually the closest match for shine, and paste is the closest match for something more natural.
Can you mix two styling products together?▼
Sometimes, and it depends which two. Paste worked through after sea salt spray once your hair has dried gives you texture and control together, and that combination works well. Pomade and sea salt spray don't get on, since the oil in the pomade and the salt in the spray fight each other rather than combining cleanly. As a rule, pair water-based products with water-based products and leave it there.
Why does water-based pomade actually matter, beyond washing out easier?▼
It's not just about how easily it rinses out. Oil-based pomade residue that builds up over time can sit in pores along the hairline and forehead, which is part of why some men get breakouts they can't otherwise explain. Water-based pomade doesn't carry that risk in the same way, since it lifts out completely with a normal wash rather than accumulating.
Does sea salt spray dry out your hair?▼
Yes, to some extent, since that's simply how salt behaves on hair. Used daily on dry or colour-treated hair it can leave strands feeling rough over time. A couple of uses a week alongside a decent conditioner won't cause any real problem for most hair types, but if your hair already runs dry, it's worth not reaching for it every single day.
What's the best product for thinning or fine hair?▼
Paste first, or a light hand with clay if you want more hold. Paste won't weigh fine hair down and is genuinely hard to overdo, which makes it the safer starting point. Clay can still work well, but use far less than feels natural, since too much collapses the volume it's meant to create rather than adding to it.
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