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Paste vs. Pomade: Which Is Best for You?

Untangling the world of hair styling products can be overwhelming, especially if you’re new to the game. With so many options, it can be hard to determine which product is right for your hair type and desired hairstyle. Today, we’ll break down the key differences between hair paste and pomade, two popular styling products, to help you make an informed decision.

What Is Hair Pomade?

Hair pomade has been around since the mid-1900s and was initially made from petroleum jelly to help men achieve the slicked-back look. Today’s pomades are much gentler and more nourishing for your hair and scalp. They are usually made with natural oils and wash out easily with regular shampoo and conditioner.

Pomade offers a robust and long-lasting hold that doesn’t dry out or harden. It’s also known for providing a high-shine finish that can add a classic touch to any hairstyle. When choosing a pomade, consider the hold, shine, and desired look. Lightweight pomades work well for taming flyaway hairs, while thicker products with strong holds are better suited for ambitious styles like the pompadour or slick-back.

What Is Hair Paste?

Hair paste is a versatile styling product for any hair type and hairstyle. It has a thicker consistency than pomade and is usually water-based. Hair paste provides a natural-looking finish that varies from matte to medium shine, making it an excellent option for those who prefer a more subtle look.

One of the benefits of hair paste is that it’s easy to wash out with regular shampoo. It also offers a medium to firm hold to create almost any hairstyle. When choosing a hair paste, consider the hold, shine, and your hair type. Low-hold pastes with matte to low shine work well for messy looks with a natural finish, while stronger holds are better suited for spiked-up hairstyles or waves.

paste vs pomade

So, Which One Should You Use?

Choosing between hair paste and pomade comes down to your desired hairstyle and personal preference. Hair paste is an excellent option if you want a natural-looking finish with a medium to firm hold. On the other hand, if you’re going for a classic look with a high-shine finish, pomade is your go-to product.

Ultimately, both hair paste and pomade offer unique benefits that can enhance your hair styling routine. With the right product and technique, you can achieve any hairstyle you desire. Just remember to consider your hair type, desired look, and the product’s attributes when making your choice.

Other Hair Styling Products to Try

Pastes and pomades are hardly the only options for styling your hair. Some other products you might find helpful include:

  • Clay – Hair clay is ideal for those with short to medium-length hair and provides a high hold and matte finish. These attributes make hair clay perfect for creating structured hairstyles like the slick-back. Clay sets firmly and holds throughout the day, so it’s important to get your hairstyle right before leaving the house.
  • Cream – Hair creams are mild hair products that provide minimal hold and work best for adding volume to hair without committing to a rigid or aggressive hairstyle. They can also smooth out curls and reduce stray hairs. Hair creams are malleable, meaning you can always add more and restyle as necessary.
  • Fiber – Hair fiber is great for those with short to medium-length thin hair, adding texture and fullness to limp or flat hair. It provides a medium hold and matte finish, making it ideal for styling hair according to your preference.
  • Gel – Hair gel is good for any hair length and delivers strong definition, sharp texture, a firm hold, and high shine. It’s perfect for those who want everyone to know they have product in their hair. How much gel you use depends on your hair length, and the more you apply, the more hold you’ll get.
  • Mousse – Hair mousse is light, easy to distribute, and capable of adding more volume to your hair than expected. It’s perfect for those with short, medium-length, and long, thin hair who want to avoid weighing down their hair. You can apply small amounts of the mousse, starting at the roots of your hair and ending at the ends, using your fingertips to style your hair.
  • Wax – Hair wax is best for those with short hair and provides a straitjacket-like hold to weigh down the hair and add some shine. Wax-based waxes are more challenging to shampoo out of your hair, while water-based waxes wash out easily. Use a pea-sized amount, warm it between your hands until it’s soft, and apply it to your roots, working the product through to the ends of your hair to achieve your desired style.

Let Therapy Hair Studio Find the Perfect Product for Your Style

Our stylists carry a wide range of pastes, pomades, and other hair products to help you achieve your perfect look. Call Therapy Hair Studio today or visit our contact page to schedule an appointment.


How Often Should You Use Purple Shampoo as a Blonde?

Blonde hair is undoubtedly beautiful, but keeping it looking fresh and vibrant requires time, effort, and investment. Whether you’re a natural blonde or have color-treated hair, it’s crucial to maintain your hair’s cool undertones to avoid a faded or brassy look.

Luckily, purple shampoo is a lifesaver in this regard, particularly during the summer when the sun, chlorine, and saltwater can damage your hair. If you’ve never used purple shampoo before or have questions about how it works, this guide will tell you everything you need to know, including how often you should use it to keep your blonde hair looking beautiful.

What Is Purple Shampoo and How Does It Work?

Purple shampoo is a pigmented shampoo specifically designed for blondes that eliminates unwanted brassy or yellow undertones from the hair. When a stylist lightens your hair, the process brings up a raw blonde undertone, which the stylist further neutralizes with a toner. However, these undertones may reappear between color treatments, resulting in yellow or orange tones that you must fix at home. You can use purple shampoo to adjust your hair’s tone and neutralize any brassiness you see. Purple shampoos contain violet pigments that act as a color-correcting agent and counteract the yellow tones in the hair, leaving you with a cool, fresh blonde color.

Why Is Purple Shampoo Purple?

If you’re new to the world of blonde hair care, you might wonder why a product designed to counteract yellow tones is purple. The reason is simple: Purple is opposite to yellow on the color wheel. Therefore, the pigmented purple shampoo works by canceling out the yellow tones, leaving your hair looking cool and refreshed. Additionally, the purple shampoo brightens your hair’s color to a cooler tone, which is perfect for those with a slight yellow tinge in their hair.

purple shampoo

How Often Should You Use Purple Shampoo?

While purple shampoo is excellent for maintaining cool tones in blonde hair, remember that it is not a replacement for your regular shampoo. Using purple shampoo every day can cause your hair to look darker and dull, which is not what you want. Instead, use purple shampoo once or twice a week, depending on your hair’s condition and how often you wash it.

Does Purple Shampoo Work for Natural Blondes?

If you’re a natural blonde, you might think that purple shampoo is not for you. However, natural blondes can also benefit from using purple shampoo to neutralize unwanted brassy undertones caused by hard water, sun, or heat styling tools. In addition, those who’ve tried the unicorn hair trend with purples and blues in their hair can also use purple shampoo to help keep their violet hues from fading.

How to Apply Purple Shampoo to Blonde Hair

Depending on your hair care routine, swap out your regular shampoo for a purple counterpart every few washes or once a week. Check out our step-by-step guide on how to use purple shampoo to make sure you’re getting all of its benefits:

  • Apply the shampoo to wet hair – First things first. Apply a generous amount of shampoo to your wet hair, making sure you get the shampoo all the way down to the roots. You might need more shampoo than you typically use in the shower.
  • Massage the shampoo at the roots into a lather – Work the shampoo into a lather until you achieve a soapy consistency with a purple color.
  • Work the shampoo through the length of your hair – Once you’ve saturated your roots, massage the shampoo through the length of your hair.
  • Let the shampoo sit – Keep the shampoo in your hair for two to five minutes, depending on how brassy your hair currently is and the color you want to achieve. A minute or two can make a huge difference in how your hair looks after you’ve finished, so keep a close eye on your hair. Set a timer so you don’t keep the shampoo in your hair for too long.
  • Rinse – Use lukewarm water to rinse out your hair after you’ve achieved the color you want. You can follow up with a purple conditioner to add some moisture back into your hair so you look your best.

Therapy Hair Studio Has Everything You Need to Color and Maintain Your Hair

Whether you’re looking for that bleached-blonde summer look or want to explore a new style, the team at Therapy Hair Studio wants to help you look your best. Our award-winning stylists have everything you need to create your ideal hairstyle. Call us today or visit our contact page to schedule an appointment.


The 7 Best Hair Extensions in 2026: Top-Rated Brands, Compared

Choosing the best hair extensions comes down to matching the application method, hair quality, and maintenance routine to your lifestyle and natural hair. Hair extensions can quickly add length, volume, or thickness to your natural hair, and you can typically choose between human hair extensions or synthetic hair extensions. If you’re shopping for human hair extensions, look for Remy human hair — the cuticles stay aligned, so it stays silkier and softer for longer than non-Remy hair. Extensions also come in a wide range of colors, textures, and lengths, so you can find a set that blends seamlessly with your own hair.

Below, our stylists break down the top-rated hair extension brands for 2026, how each application method works, and how to pick the right one for your hair — plus answers to the questions clients ask us most at our Houston salon.

Types of Hair Extension Applications

You can install hair extensions several different ways depending on how long you want them to last and how much upkeep you’re willing to do. Some of the most common application methods include:

  • Clip-ins: Small clips sewn onto wefts of hair that attach to your natural hair. Easiest to install and remove yourself — ideal for occasional wear.
  • Tape-ins: A semi-permanent method that uses thin, double-sided adhesive tape wefts. Lies flat and typically lasts 6-8 weeks between moves.
  • Sew-ins (weaves): A semi-permanent method that uses a needle and thread to sew wefts into braided natural hair.
  • Bonding (fusion/keratin): A semi-permanent method that uses adhesive, keratin, or heat to bond individual strands to your natural hair for the most seamless, long-lasting result.
  • Halo/wire extensions: A no-clip, no-adhesive method that uses an invisible wire that sits on your head — the fastest to put in and take out.

Stylist holding several highly-rated hair extension brand wefts at Therapy Hair Studio in Houston

The 7 Best Hair Extension Brands, Ranked

Hair extensions have become a go-to way to add length and volume without waiting for your hair to grow. Here are seven of the best hair extension brands on the market right now, based on what our stylists see perform well for clients.

1. Bellami Hair Extensions

Bellami is a favorite for clip-in extensions made of 100% Remy human hair, with high-quality synthetic options available in a wide range of shades. Best for: clients who want an affordable, ready-to-wear clip-in set they can style at home.

2. Luxy Hair Extensions

Luxy offers clip-in and halo hair extensions in 100% Remy human hair, with a standout customization service that tailors a set to your exact color and texture. Luxy extensions are known for blending seamlessly, mimicking natural highlights and lowlights. Best for: clients who want a highly personalized color match.

3. Zala Hair Extensions

Zala, an Australian brand, offers clip-in and tape-in extensions made with 100% Remy human hair using a double-drawn technique, so the hair stays thick from root to tip for a fuller, more voluminous look. Best for: clients who want maximum volume.

4. Hidden Crown Hair Extensions

Hidden Crown specializes in halo extensions that use an invisible wire instead of clips or tape, so nothing attaches directly to your natural hair — a comfortable option for sensitive scalps. Hidden Crown also offers a color-swatch box and a photo color-match service. Best for: clients who want the fastest in-and-out option.

5. Glam Seamless Hair Extensions

Glam Seamless is a strong tape-in option, using medical-grade adhesive that’s gentle on the scalp but holds strong. The tape wefts are thin and easy to conceal. Best for: clients who want a flat, undetectable tape-in.

6. Great Lengths Hair Extensions

Great Lengths is a luxury brand specializing in keratin-bonded extensions. The bonding mimics your hair’s molecular structure for a strong, secure hold, while still being designed for damage-free removal. Best for: clients who want the most seamless, long-term bonded option.

7. Hairdreams Hair Extensions

Hairdreams offers luxury 100% human hair extensions using tape-in and bonded methods, including proprietary laserbeamer nanotechnology that speeds up application while keeping bonds easy to remove. Best for: clients who want a premium, salon-exclusive application.

How to Choose the Best Hair Extensions for Your Hair

The “best” hair extension brand depends on three things: your natural hair density, how much maintenance you want to commit to, and your budget. As a general guide:

  • Fine or thin hair: lightweight tape-ins (Glam Seamless) or halo extensions (Hidden Crown) put the least strain on natural strands.
  • Thick or coarse hair: double-drawn clip-ins (Zala) or keratin bonds (Great Lengths) blend most naturally.
  • Occasional wear (events, photoshoots): clip-ins (Bellami, Luxy) offer the easiest DIY installation and removal.
  • Long-term, low-maintenance wear: bonded or tape-in methods installed by a professional stylist last longest between touch-ups.

Whichever brand you choose, professional installation and regular maintenance appointments are what actually protect your natural hair long-term — that matters more than the brand name on the packaging.

Frequently Asked Questions About Hair Extensions

What is the best hair extension brand overall?

There isn’t a single “best” brand for everyone — Bellami and Luxy are the top picks for clip-ins, Zala for volume, Hidden Crown for halo, Glam Seamless and Hairdreams for tape-ins, and Great Lengths for bonded extensions. The right choice depends on your hair type and how you plan to wear them.

How long do hair extensions last?

Clip-ins and halos last for years with proper storage since they’re removed daily. Tape-ins typically need to be moved up every 6-8 weeks, and bonded/sew-in extensions usually need maintenance every 8-12 weeks.

Are hair extensions bad for your hair?

Poorly fitted or DIY-installed extensions can cause tension and breakage. Professionally installed and maintained extensions, matched to your hair’s density, are generally safe for most hair types.

How much do professional hair extensions cost?

Cost varies by method, brand, and how much hair is needed, and typically ranges from a few hundred dollars for clip-ins up to $1,000+ for a full head of professionally installed tape-ins or bonded extensions.

Get the Best Hair Extensions in Houston

Every brand on this list has strengths, but the right fit for your hair depends on your density, lifestyle, and goals. The stylists at Therapy Hair Studio are experienced in applying, maintaining, and removing hair extensions across all of these application methods, and we’ll help you choose the option that looks the most natural on you.

Ready to explore hair extension services in Houston? Contact Therapy Hair Studio today or call us at (713) 355-4247 to book a consultation.

Related reading: Tape-In vs Clip-In Extensions: Which Is Right for You? | The 4 Best Extensions for Growing Out Hair | Are Hair Extensions Bad For Your Hair?