Every Sebastian Styling Product, and Which Finish Each One Gives You

Sebastian's styling range is nine products that cover every finish from invisible to concrete. The way to choose isn't by the name on the tin — it's by asking two questions: how much hold do you want, and do you want it matte or shiny? Answer those and the right product picks itself.

This is the shelf that confuses people most, because "clay", "putty", "fiber" and "paste" sound like the same thing. They aren't. Here's the whole range organised the way we actually think about it in the salon: by hold and by finish.

How do I choose a Sebastian styling product?

Matte finishes: Craft Clay, Matte Putty and Microweb Fiber

These three are the men's-haircut heartland and the ones most often bought by mistake for each other.

Craft Clay is the all-rounder. Medium hold, properly matte, and — this is the point — re-workable. You can restyle with your fingers at 3pm without adding more. It's the one we'd hand to someone with a short textured cut who's never bought a styling product before.

Matte Putty is softer. Same matte finish but a lighter, creamier hold that leaves hair feeling like hair. It's for people who want it to look like they used nothing. If Craft Clay feels like too much product, this is the step down.

Microweb Fiber is the stringy one — it literally webs between your fingers. That elasticity gives separation: piecey, defined texture that holds its shape. Stronger than the clay, lower shine than a gel. Warm it in your palms first or it clumps.

Gels: Gel Forte vs Liquid Steel vs Texturizer

Liquid Steel is the strongest thing Sebastian make. Maximum hold, high shine, and once it dries it doesn't move. Slicked-back hair, hard parts, wet looks that need to survive a long night. It's not an everyday product for most people.

Gel Forte is a strong-hold gel with a shimmering finish — a notch below Liquid Steel and a lot more forgiving. It's also the gel we reach for on curly hair: raked through wet curls it gives a cast that holds definition and can be scrunched out once dry.

Texturizer is a different animal — a light liquid gel that goes on damp hair before you blow-dry. It adds body and grip so the style holds, without the gel feel. Think of it as a blow-dry primer, not a finishing gel.

Volume: Mousse Forte

Mousse Forte is a strong-hold volumising mousse and the foundation of most of our blow-dries. A golf-ball amount on damp roots, then blow-dry. It gives lift that lasts, and because Sebastian's mousses don't go crunchy you can brush through the result. If your hair is fine and goes flat by lunchtime, this plus a round brush is the fix — more so than any spray you put on afterwards. For a lighter version specifically built for fine hair, see Volupt Thickefy.

Texture and refresh: Texture Maker and Drynamic+

Texture Maker is a matte texture spray for hair that's meant to look undone — beachy, lived-in, a bit rough. It's the finishing spray for the styles the matte pastes start. On longer hair it's the thing that stops a blow-wave looking too "done".

Drynamic+ is the dry shampoo. Absorbs oil at the roots, adds a bit of grip, doesn't leave a white cast on dark hair if you spray from a distance and brush through. Day-two hair, post-gym, or as a texturising base under a hairspray. It's one of only two dry shampoos we bother stocking — here's how it compares to the other one.

A simple way to build your kit

• Short textured hair, one product: Craft Clay.
• Short hair, natural look: Matte Putty.
• Slick or defined: Gel Forte for most; Liquid Steel if it genuinely can't move.
• Fine hair, blow-dry every day: Mousse Forte at the roots, Zero Gravity to finish.
• Long hair, undone: Texture Maker, and Drynamic+ the next morning.
• Curls: Gel Forte or the Twisted range, then Dark Oil on top once dry.

Sebastian questions we get asked

What's the difference between Sebastian Craft Clay and Matte Putty?

Both are matte. Craft Clay is firmer and re-workable through the day; Matte Putty is softer and lighter for a more natural finish. Start with Craft Clay for short textured hair; drop to Matte Putty if it feels like too much product.

Which Sebastian product is strongest?

Liquid Steel. It's a maximum-hold, high-shine gel that sets hard. For a strong hold that still moves, Gel Forte (shiny) or Microweb Fiber (matte) are the next step down.

Is Sebastian Microweb Fiber a wax?

No — it's an elastic fiber texturiser. It stretches between your fingers and gives piecey separation with a low-shine finish. Warm it in your palms before applying or it clumps.

What Sebastian product should I use for volume?

Mousse Forte on damp roots before blow-drying. For very fine hair, Volupt Thickefy is the lighter alternative. Hairspray on top holds the volume but doesn't create it.

Does Sebastian Drynamic+ leave a white residue?

Not if you spray from 20–30cm away and brush through after a minute. Spraying close on dark hair is what causes the cast.

See the full Sebastian range, the hairspray guide, or our men's hair and beard guide which covers SEBMAN.

Free NZ shipping over $75, and every order over $59 comes with a free Kérastase travel-size gift added at checkout. Genuine salon stock, shipped from our Wānaka studio — UKIYO is an authorised Sebastian Professional stockist.

More Sebastian guides

• Dark Oil: the complete range
• Potion 9: the cult leave-in
• NO.BREAKER: bond building explained
• NO.BREAKER vs Olaplex
• Penetraitt: repair for damaged hair
• Hydre: moisture for dry hair
• Twisted: curls without the crunch
• Volupt Max for fine hair
• Hairsprays: Re-Shaper vs Zero Gravity vs Fierce
• Trilliant: heat protection with shine
• Where to buy Sebastian in NZ

Shop the full Sebastian Professional range