Matte Hair Clay: What It Is and How to Use It

Name: Tallow Hair Clay – Stronger Matte Hold, Infused with Egg Yolk Oil
Brand: Moose's Tallow
Price: 20.0 USD
Availability: InStock
Rating: 5.00 (3 reviews)

Matte hair clay gives your hair grip and a dry, flat finish with no shine. The clay and arrowroot soak up oil, so hair looks natural, not wet. Ours is Tallow Hair Clay, Strong Matte Hold. A 2 oz tin is $20 and washes out with shampoo. Start with a pea-size scoop.

By Brian "Moose" Smith, founder of Moose's Tallow · Updated November 10, 2026

What people ask

What does Matte Clay do for hair?

Matte clay gives hair grip, texture and a dry, flat finish with no shine. The clay and arrowroot soak up oil, so your style looks natural instead of wet. Our Strong Matte Hold keeps short and medium styles in place all day. It still washes out with shampoo, and you can reshape it with your fingers.

How to apply matte hair clay?

Scoop a pea-size amount and rub it between your palms until it softens. Work it through dry hair from the roots out, then shape it with your fingers. Start small, because a little goes a long way. You can always add more. Dry hair gives the flattest finish, though slightly damp hair works too.

Should I use hair clay on wet or dry hair?

Dry hair gives the flattest matte finish. Slightly damp hair works too if you like a little extra slip. Soaking wet hair can make clay clump, so towel off first. Rub a pea-size scoop between your palms either way. Then start at the roots and work it out to the ends.

What's better, pomade or clay?

It depends on the finish you want. Clay looks dry and natural, with grip and texture. Pomade usually looks glossier and slicks hair down. If you want no shine, clay is the match. Our Medium Hold has a soft, low shine, and our Strong Matte Hold has none. Pick by finish first.

Does matte clay damage hair?

Fair question. Matte clay sits on your hair and washes out, so how you wash it matters. The American Academy of Dermatology says shampooing your scalp washes away built-up products, dead skin and excess oil. Ours rinses out with shampoo. We haven't tested it against other clays, so the 60-day guarantee covers you.

Can I put hair clay every day?

Yes. Use a pea-size scoop and wash it out when you shampoo. The American Academy of Dermatology says shampoo timing depends on your hair. Straight hair with an oily scalp may need it daily. Dry or thick hair needs it less often. If clay builds up between washes, shampoo a little more often.

Does hair clay harden your hair?

Ours doesn't set stiff. It warms in your palms, so you can run your fingers through and restyle later. Tallow and beeswax keep it workable. A strong hold feels firm, not crunchy. If a style ever feels stiff, you used a bit too much, so start with less next time.

What are the downsides of hair clay?

Fair question. Clay trades gloss for grip, so it won't give a slick, wet look. It washes out with shampoo, so plan on washing it at night. Ours has egg yolk oil, so skip it if you have an egg allergy. Try a pea-size scoop first, and our 60-day guarantee covers the rest.

The timeline

What to expect

Tonight

A pea-size scoop softens in your palms and works through dry hair. Your style holds with a flat, dry finish and no shine. Hair still moves when you run your fingers through it.
Week 1

You learn your amount. A little goes a long way. Reshaping at 4 pm takes your fingers, not a re-wash.
Week 4

Styling is a quick habit. One shampoo at night washes the clay out, so each morning starts clean.

Matte or shine: what changes the finish

The finish comes down to what's in the tin. Here's how each part of ours works. Our Medium Hold finishes with a soft, low shine. Our Strong Matte Hold finishes flat.

In the tin	What it does for the finish	In our Strong Matte Hold
Kaolin and bentonite clay	Soak up oil and add grip, so hair looks dry and natural	Both
Arrowroot powder	A soft powder that cuts shine further	Yes
Tallow and beeswax	Give the clay body, so it spreads and holds	Yes
Plant oils	Keep it smooth in your hands, and more oil means more shine	Castor, coconut and jojoba, in small amounts

How to use matte hair clay

Matte hair clay is strong, so the amount matters more than the brand. These steps keep it flat and easy to reshape.

Start with dry hair for the flattest finish.
Scoop a pea-size amount. Add more later, not first.
Rub it between your palms until it softens and turns creamy.
Work it from the roots out to the ends with your fingers.
Shape your style. You can reshape it with your hands later.
At night, shampoo it out and work the shampoo into your scalp.
It has egg yolk oil, so skip it if you have an egg allergy.

What's in a natural matte hair clay

This is the label on our Strong Matte Hold, ingredient by ingredient. It's matte hair clay for men and anyone else who wants a dry finish. The Naked version has no fragrance.

Ingredient	What it is	Why it's there
Beef tallow	Rendered beef fat	The smooth base. Cleveland Clinic describes tallow as cow fat that is melted and purified.
Beeswax	Wax from the honeycomb	Gives the clay body and hold.
Castor oil	A thick plant oil	Helps the hold feel firm, not stiff.
Fractionated coconut oil	Light, liquid coconut oil	Keeps it easy to scoop and spread.
Jojoba oil	A light plant oil	Helps it glide through your hair.
Kaolin clay	A fine white clay	Builds hold and a flat finish.
Bentonite clay	A grippy clay	Adds grip and volume.
Arrowroot powder	A plant starch powder	Cuts shine.
Egg yolk oil	Oil from egg yolk	Adds a smooth feel as you style.
Vitamin E	Tocopherol	Helps keep the oils fresh.
Fragrance	Spicy Rum or Sandalwood Leather	Left out of the Naked version.

How do we render tallow?

It starts at a local butcher shop in farm country, where one cow yields about 12 pounds of suet. That suet is the fat around the cow's kidneys, rich in vitamins A, D, E and K. Its fatty acids are ones your skin loves, so we render it slowly, by hand.

Day 1 & 2

Two renders of tallow over low heat, six hours each
Day 3 & 4

Dry render for eight hours, cool & dry render again for another eight hours
Day 5

Infuse tallow and oil with organic herbs over low heat for 12-24 hours
Day 6

Add in beeswax and scent (if applicable), cool, whip and fill by hand

Brian "Moose" Smith with his family and their dogs

A note from the maker

I make our hair clay by hand in small batches in Lebanon, Pennsylvania. The label lists every ingredient, so you know what's in your hair. Start with a pea-size scoop. If you don't love it, the 60-day guarantee covers you.

Brian "Moose" Smith, Lebanon, Pennsylvania

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