Matte Paste

Love Arcadian Matte Paste. The hold is just right. Washes out easy with just water. Has a true Matte finish if applied in dry hair but a slight shine if applied in damp hair. I also love the pumpkin spice scent this time of year. Great product. 👍

I have fine curly hair and keep it trimmed in a nice fade down to a #1 on the sides and about 3” on top. This keeps everything in place very well and still allows my hair to curl. I apply to mostly dry hair after my finasteride/minoxidil gel treatment. It defines, holds and keeps my hair looking thicker than a lot of products I’ve tried. If you want a little shine apply while your hair is damp. Smells great too. I do wish it washed out a bit easier, but it does come out with just water. Oh, and just a dab will do!

I’ve currently been in this habit of buying all kinds of different hair products (I’ve done this with other items as well lol), and out of honestly close to 40 products Arcadian’s Matte Paste has topped them all (especially for the style and shine/hold that I’m looking for). I’ll do high shine products on occasion, but pretty much all of the time it’s matte finish for me. With Arcadian’s Matte Paste, my hair ends up looking exactly how I want it to, dry matte finish with strong hold. Verdict: This product checked all of the boxes for me, flat out fantastic product.

I have thick-ish hair (maybe not as thick as when I was younger) and normally do a fluffed up comb over. My number 1 product after trying a number of pastes/pomades is the Arcadian Matte Paste. It really keeps the hold and does not give a shiny look, and also has a good neutral / light smell. Sometimes I may mix this with the Arcadian Clay Pomade if I want a lighter hold. I really do recommend the Paste if you want a strong non shiny hold.

I was using American Crew Defining Paste for years, and I wanted to find an alternative with more natural and beneficial ingredients. I went down the rabbit hole of trying all the relevant products (Firsthand Supply, O'douds, Shear Revival) and this is the one that finally had everything I was looking for. I'll compare to Shear Revival products, as they were the runner up:

Hold - has an actual firm hold, where my hair feels slightly stiff when dried, but still flexible/soft enough to run fingers through and reshape if needed. This was a notch better than Shear Revival Northern Lights

Washout - easily washes out with just water, when I had to shampoo my hair with other products that offered the same hold, ex. Shear Revival American Gardens

Ingredients - made with natural ingredients, omitting excessive chemicals. This was on par with Shear Revival with no sacrifices

Scent - has a natural and light citrus/woodsy smell. Nothing crazy, which I like, and very similar to Shear Revival products. Not strong at all so you wont smell it long after application.

Finish - has a natural matte finish (almost satin) which I love. A lot of the "matte" prodcuts left my hair looking dry, dull, and almost unhealthy.