Skip to main content

The Manual may earn a commission when you buy through links on our site.

Hair products 101: Get all-day texture and hold with the best hair paste for men

Give your dew volume and flexible hold with these hair pastes

R+Co Control Flexible Paste
R+Co Control Flexible Paste
Best hair paste for an all-natural look
Jump to details
Bravo Sierra Hair Grooming Paste
Bravo Sierra Hair Grooming Paste
Best hair paste for an all-day hold
Jump to details
Baxter of California Liquid Styling Paste
Baxter of California Liquid Styling Paste
Best hair paste for a dressy look
Jump to details
Tea Tree Shaping Cream
Tea Tree Shaping Cream
Best hair paste with an invigorating scent
Jump to details
Fellow Barber Texture Paste
Fellow Barber Texture Paste
Best hair paste for textured hair
Jump to details
Murdock London Texture Paste
Murdock London Texture Paste
Best hair paste for dry hair
Jump to details
American Crew Fiber
American Crew Fiber
Best hair paste for short hair
Jump to details
Aveda for Men Pure Performance Grooming Cream
Aveda for Men Pure Performance Grooming Cream
Best hair paste for relaxed hairstyles
Jump to details

Hair products can be confusing to navigate — do you need hair paste? Hairspray? Hair gel? Hair paste hits a magical middle ground between a hair gel and a hairspray. You can apply it strategically like spray without losing hold anytime something touches your hair. It also has the long-lasting strength of a gel without getting hard and crunchy. Paste is the best option to keep your hair's natural texture and allow it to move around a bit throughout the day. A good paste allows you to tweak your style anytime you catch yourself in a mirror and see that something is just a little off, because if we're being honest that happens to all of us. 

We rounded up a list of the best hair paste for men available now. Their properties and functionality vary a bit because, like a fingerprint, we all have unique hair. Half the battle of achieving the hairstyle you want is finding the product that works best for your hair. That can be a daunting task with so many pastes on the market so we've narrowed down the options for you. Just remember, we can help you find the best product to achieve your new hairstyle but we can't stop your mom from criticizing it.

R+Co Control Flexible Paste
R+Co

R+Co Control Flexible Paste

Best hair paste for an all-natural look

When you want to style your hair but keep your natural texture, R+Co Control Flexible Paste is the way to go. Use it sparingly to get control of your hair and make people question whether you're actually using a product or if your hair just looks that way.

R+Co Control Flexible Paste
R+Co Control Flexible Paste
Best hair paste for an all-natural look
Bravo Sierra Hair Grooming Paste
Bravo Sierra

Bravo Sierra Hair Grooming Paste

Best hair paste for an all-day hold

Don't get us wrong, each of our hair paste picks offers plenty of all-day hold and style. Bravo Sierra's Hair Grooming Paste, however, is field-tested by members of the U.S. Army and designed to offer styling potential in adverse conditions. If it's good enough for them, it's good enough for you.

Bravo Sierra Hair Grooming Paste
Bravo Sierra Hair Grooming Paste
Best hair paste for an all-day hold
Baxter of California Styling Paste
Baxter of California

Baxter of California Liquid Styling Paste

Best hair paste for a dressy look

When you want a hairstyle with some polish, reach for this easy-to-use, liquid-based hair styling paste. It's a more unique option as far as hair paste is concerned, but you'll get the hang of using it right away. While you shop for this hair paste, consider picking up other Baxter of California grooming essentials, too.

Baxter of California Liquid Styling Paste
Baxter of California Liquid Styling Paste
Best hair paste for a dressy look
Tea Tree Shaping Cream
Tea Tree

Tea Tree Shaping Cream

Best hair paste with an invigorating scent

Tea Tree hair products are known for simple ingredients and invigorating scents. The brand's shaping cream provides a matte texture that is great for a natural or slightly messy look and for taming medium-length hair. Most importantly, the cool mint, tee tree, and citrus scent will provide you with an aromatic boost all day. It’s subtle but a pleasant surprise for anyone that catches it.

Tea Tree Shaping Cream
Tea Tree Shaping Cream
Best hair paste with an invigorating scent
Two containers of Fellow Barber Texture Paste.
Fellow Barber

Fellow Barber Texture Paste

Best hair paste for textured hair

It's right in the name, but this texture paste is great for creating definition and, naturally, texture. It's a fan favorite and trusted by the pros, so consider this a ringing endorsement as far as the best hair paste for men is concerned.

Fellow Barber Texture Paste
Fellow Barber Texture Paste
Best hair paste for textured hair
Murdock London Texture Paste
Murdock London

Murdock London Texture Paste

Best hair paste for dry hair

Murdock London's Texture Paste provides a low-shine finish and is ideal to use in dry hair to generate a soft hold. If you don't want to fuss too much with your hair in the mornings, this could be an ideal solution.

Murdock London Texture Paste
Murdock London Texture Paste
Best hair paste for dry hair
American Crew Fiber
American Crew

American Crew Fiber

Best hair paste for short hair

American Crew's legendary Fiber is designed to increase volume and texture all at once, while also providing a pliable hold and a matte finish for shorter hair. That sounds like an ideal hair paste to add to your shopping cart ASAP.

American Crew Fiber
American Crew Fiber
Best hair paste for short hair
Aveda for Men Pure Performance Grooming Cream
Aveda

Aveda for Men Pure Performance Grooming Cream

Best hair paste for relaxed hairstyles

Aveda: Men made a hair paste to help fix the damage that wearing the wrong hair paste can cause your hair. Pure Performance Grooming Cream acts like a styling product and a conditioner at the same time. It has a light hold so it is for more relaxed hairstyles.

Aveda for Men Pure Performance Grooming Cream
Aveda for Men Pure Performance Grooming Cream
Best hair paste for relaxed hairstyles

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you apply hair styling paste?

According to styling product manufacturer Aiir Professional, the best way to apply hair styling paste, is to put some on your hands and rub them together to warm up the product. This will soften it from a stiff consistency to more of a cream. Then apply the paste, and as it cools it will thicken to give you style and all-day hold.

What's the difference between hair styling paste and hair gel?

For the most part, when you use gel in your hair, it leaves your hair stiff and it will not move around. Since many of them are alcohol-based hair products, hair gels can also dry out your hair over time. A hair paste allows for more flexibility with your hair without damaging it or drying it out.

What about hair clay?

Just like the name suggests, hair clay contains powdered clay. It will add volume to your hairstyle, but it isn't as flexible as hair paste, which will allow you to brush your hair to change the style much easier than hair clay.

Do I have to dry my hair before using hair styling paste?

It's up to you. While it's probably best to at least towel dry your hair before applying hair paste, the product can by applied to wet or dry hair, so it's not a big deal if your hair isn't completely dry before using hair paste.

Editors' Recommendations

Nate Swanner
Former Digital Trends Contributor

Nate is General Manager for all not-Digital-Trends properties at DTMG, including The Manual, Digital Trends en Espanol (DTES),  21Oak, NewFolks, The Angle, PawTracks, HappySprout, ToughJobs, and BlissMark. He was previously an Editor at Dice Insights, The Next Web, SlashGear, and Android Authority.

A former chef, lifelong snowboarder, documentary fiend, and avid traveler, Nate eats well, learns constantly, and falls down a lot of snowy mountains.

Make shopping easy: The best gifts for men (no matter what he’s into)
These are the best gifts for men in 2023

Shopping for the best gifts for men can at times seem like a daunting task, whether it be for a birthday, an anniversary, or any gift in between. So, we decided to help you out and lend you a hand and make gift-giving a little less stressful with a thoughtfully curated list of tried-and-true gifts suited for men. And at times, no matter how well or how long you have known someone, you just don't know where to look.

From small everyday carry items and others from the cool tech world to experiences that help you disconnect to reconnect, we offer you a gift guide for every guy on your list or some nice ways to treat yourself, too. Ahead, you will find a list of the best practical gifts for every type of guy. With that being said, here are the best gifts for men in 2023.

Read more
A good hair gel is a haircare necessity, and these are our faves
Our top picks for that perfect style
Man putting gel in his hair

Men's grooming and styling products have been significantly growing in the health and beauty market for the past decade, all to benefit you and your unique style; a wonderful thing. There are various types of products that you can use nowadays to help to style your hair. A classic that has been gaining in popularity lately just so happens to be hair gel. That’s right — you’d do very well to pick up some of the best styling gel as you refresh your hairstyle these days, and there are options for both wet and dry hair. No matter your budget, you're sure to find the best option for you in our handy list.

Here are some of the best hair gel options available today that you can add to your grooming rotation. Once you find the one that’s right for you, you'll be looking well-groomed heading to the office or on your monitor if you are still lucky enough to work from home. These are our picks for the best men's hair gel products out there.

Read more
Jack Black, Moroccanoil, and more: The best men’s hair oils are the answer to your dry hair problems
Try these hair oils to nourish and hydrate
A man's hair with hair oil in it

A common misconception in the grooming world is that hair oil is exclusively for guys with medium to long hair lengths. The truth is that these products do wonders for all hair types. Hair oil quickly fixes dry and damaged hair, nourishes the follicles and scalp, and can revive your luscious locks, no matter how thick or thin.

The best hair oils are rich in antioxidants, vitamins, and fatty acids that nourish, hydrate, and protect and can even prevent graying or hair loss. And there is always time to incorporate it into your routine. While many other factors play a role here, specific natural oils, like almond oil, are known to aid in regrowth. We're about to share our picks for the best men's hair oils. 

Read more