Paste, wax or clay: what actually separates them
28.08.2026
On the shelf they look the same: three tubs of the same size. The difference is not the brand but two things — how firmly the product holds, and how much it shines. Everything else is detail.
Paste
Medium hold, a semi-matte finish, hair that still moves. This is the all-rounder: the style shows, but it does not look «done», and you can push it back into shape with your hand halfway through the day. A good example is Kevin.Murphy Free.Hold, with a medium, flexible hold (more on it and the other Kevin.Murphy tubs below):
Wax
Holds harder than paste and leaves a light shine. Wax is what gives you crisp shapes — a parting, a slick back, tidy sides. The price is weight: on fine hair you need very little, or the style sits down flat. This wax is exactly that — firm hold, no gloss:
Gatsby Moving Rubber Grunge Mat
Clay
The mattest of the three and the driest to the touch. It adds lift at the roots and texture — which is what fine or thinning hair is short of. It holds strongly but stiffly: a clay style is best made once and then left alone.
Choosing in a minute
- Fine hair, need volume — clay.
- Short cut, want it to look natural — paste.
- Thick or unruly hair, need a shape — wax.
- Curls — none of the three: they want creams and gels, not a matte texture.
Kevin.Murphy Night.Rider vs Rough.Rider vs Free.Hold vs Super.Goo
Four Kevin.Murphy tubs look almost identical on the shelf, but they are four different products: two pastes, a clay and a gel. Below: the type, hold and shine of each as the brand describes them, and how to use them.
Night.Rider — the matte paste for short texture
A strong-hold paste: the brand calls it the strongest of its moulding pastes. It gives a rough, matte texture and is made for short, choppy cuts such as a textured crop. A pea-sized amount usually does the whole head: warm it between your palms and work it into towel-dried or dry hair. Work fast: the brand's Estonian distributor says the paste starts to set as soon as it touches the hair, which leaves about 90 seconds to shape it. Not for long hair, and not if you want shine.
Rough.Rider — the clay for shape and volume
This is the clay: strong hold, matte finish. Unlike a typical clay it is not dry — the texture is oily and slightly gritty. Wax mixed with diatomaceous earth gives the stiffness a tall, sculpted shape needs; the brand took its cue from the Teddy Boy styles of the late 1950s. Night.Rider breaks a short cut into matte pieces; Rough.Rider holds a shape with volume. It suits all hair types. Rub a little between your palms, spread it through towel-dried hair and lift the shape with your fingers. On fine hair the brand suggests a tiny amount on dry hair, through the ends only. Not for shine, or for a soft, untouched look.
Free.Hold — medium hold, natural shine
The medium-hold paste from the top of this article: flexible hold and a natural shine; the brand places it between separation and control. Carnauba wax adds thickness and shine, and its high melting point, the distributor says, keeps the shape even in hot sun. It suits all hair types and goes on damp or dry hair. A good pick for medium-length hair and for styles you want to fix by hand during the day. Not for a fully matte look, or for a stiff shape on thick, heavy hair.
Super.Goo — the rubbery gel for sleek shapes and curls
The brand jokes that it is neither a paste nor a gel but Super.Goo. In practice it is a stretchy, rubbery gel with firm hold that dries to a slick, natural finish: no flakes, water-soluble, more volume, better-defined curls. It goes on damp or dry hair. It suits a sleek, clean shape — a slick back, a side part — and curls, gathering them into neat clumps. Not for a dry, matte texture.
If your hair is fine or curly
Fine, flat hair lacks lift at the roots. Powder.Puff is a powder with a dry, matte texture and soft hold: shake it onto dry roots and it lifts the hair without weighing it down. On a textured crop it pairs well with a pea of Night.Rider through the ends.
Curls, as we said above, want creams and gels. Besides Super.Goo, Kevin.Murphy makes Easy.Rider, a cream that tames frizz, activates the curl and gives a flexible hold with shine, on damp or dry hair.
Quick pick
- Textured crop, matte look — Night.Rider.
- A shape with volume that lasts all day, no shine — Rough.Rider.
- Medium length, natural shine, restyling by hand — Free.Hold.
- A sleek slick back or defined curls — Super.Goo.
- Fine hair with no volume — Powder.Puff at the roots, then a little paste.
- Frizzy curls and waves — Easy.Rider.
Everything we carry from the brand is under Kevin.Murphy; the rest of our styling products are under Styling.
Three mistakes that ruin any tub
- Too much at once. Start with a pea; you can always add more.
- Putting it straight on the roots. Rub it between your palms and work down the length, or the hair clumps and goes flat.
- Wet hair. Paste and clay work on towel-dried hair; on wet hair they just smear.
One last thing: nearly all of this washes out with ordinary shampoo in a single wash. If it did not, you simply used too much.
