Difference Between Hair Gel and Hair Paste

Hair Gel vs Hair Paste

Hair gel is a product used to style hair. It is especially good at stiffening hair into a particular style. In this area, it works just the same as hair paste or wax, but is much better than paste; with wax giving the best stiffening results. Hair gels are marketed under various brands and types, and often these types are differentiated by a number. Gel types that are allocated higher numbers give better stiffening results, as well as giving a wet, glossier look than those that have lower numbers. There are also particular gels known as ‘ethnic’ gels, which are made specifically for hair texture common to black people. Hair gels are usually applied to wet hair, and although gels are commonly used for styling hair of different types, they are better suited for providing a ‘wet-look’ to hair.

On the other hand, hair paste is actually a wax-based hairstyling product, used to texturize hair into various pieces, and manage hair in different styles. Hair paste has a thick texture, and contains some wax. Depending on the manufacturer or distributor, hair paste may have different names, for instance, paste, whip, glue, pomade or putty. However, regardless of name, they all contain a certain amount of wax, and just about accomplish the same job of giving hair pieces a particular texture.

Hair paste, because of its wax content, is different from hair gel, because it does not ‘dry’. Similar to gel, hair paste will give the same hairstyle and glossy look, but it will leave the hair supple, unlike the gel which leaves the hair stiffer. On the downside though, wax-based hair products like pastes do not easily wash off from, as they do not contain water in them like the gels. However, because they are flexible enough, they can be used to easily re-style hair in different ways, making it possible for a user to fix many hairstyles in a single day. For regular users to completely rid their hair of the paste, or any other wax product, it is recommended to use shampoo. Hair paste is best applied to clean hair that is free of any conditioners. Pastes give better results with dry hair, although they can also be applied to wet hair. Gels work best on wet hair.

Summary:
Hair gel is a water-based product, while hair paste is a wax-based product.
Hair gel makes hair stiff, and not easy to restyle, whereas hair paste leaves hair supple and easy to restyle.
Hair gel easily washes off from the hair, as it is water-based, whereas hair paste needs shampoo to wash it off, because of the wax content.

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