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Choosing between a natural hair styling clay wax cream often comes down to three practical questions. How strong is the hold, how matte or shiny is the finish, and how does the product feel while it sets? NO GUNK‘s core styling range, built around Matte Lava Clay, Styling Funk wax, and Funky Flex Cream, answers those questions with three distinct formats aimed at different results on the hair.
Matte Lava Clay: Strong Hold and Textured Matte Finish
Matte Lava Clay is made with mineral rich Moroccan Lava Clay, along with Shea Butter, Cactus Seed Oil, and organic Argan Oil, and it is listed as a strong hold, matte finish product within NO GUNK‘s natural hair styling clay wax cream lineup. The formulation is described as 98% natural and organic, and it carries a lightweight, supple consistency that avoids leaving residue on hands or hair after application. The brand packages it in an eco-friendly aluminium tin sized for a pocket, which suits travel or daily carry.
Styling Funk Wax: Medium Hold with Natural Shine
Styling Funk is a natural hair wax for hair and beard, rated medium hold with a natural shine finish that sets it apart from the flatter look of the clay, giving a glossier, funkier result once worked through the hair. NO GUNK positions the result as a nourishing style rather than a simple coating, and the wax has also been recognised as an award-winning product within the lineup. It shares the same pocket-sized aluminium tin format as Matte Lava Clay, keeping the carry case consistent across the range.
Funky Flex Cream: Firm Hold and Textured Natural Look
Funky Flex Cream occupies the middle ground between clay and wax in terms of texture, since it is a natural water-based styling cream rather than a solid balm. It lists firm hold and a matte finish as its defining traits, built from mineral rich Kaolin, Rose Water, and Cactus Seed Oil. This combination is said to give a textured natural look, with an impressive finish highlighted as a point of difference from the other two formats. Because the cream is water-based, it tends to spread differently through the hair than a wax or a clay, changing how it feels while being worked in by hand.
Hold Strength Across the Three Products
Lined up side by side, Matte Lava Clay carries a strong hold rating, Funky Flex Cream a firm hold rating, and Styling Funk wax a medium hold rating, giving a spread from firmer structure to looser movement. That range means a natural hair styling clay wax cream shopper can move between a relaxed, natural movement and a firmer, more sculpted hold without leaving the one lineup. None of the three rely on synthetic additives to achieve their grip, according to NO GUNK‘s own description of its formulas as natural and residue-free.
Finish Profiles: Matte Versus Natural Shine
Finish is where the three products split most clearly. Matte Lava Clay and Funky Flex Cream are both described as matte finish, giving hair a flatter, more textured appearance, while Styling Funk wax stands alone with its natural shine finish and a glossier look. For anyone comparing a styling clay, a hair wax, or a styling cream, this matte versus shine split is often the clearest deciding factor, since hold alone does not determine how the finished style looks.
Scalp Health and Pre-Styling: The Foundation Layer
- Matte Lava Clay is worked in by hand and leaves no residue, thanks to its lightweight, supple consistency.
- Styling Funk wax has a firmer, tackier feel on contact, reflecting its medium hold and shine finish.
- Funky Flex Cream is water-based, giving it a lighter, more fluid feel than the clay or the wax.
- Residue level stays low to none across the range, a point repeated across the product descriptions.
- All three core products ship in the same eco-friendly aluminium tin sized for a pocket, supporting portability for travel or daily use.
Before any clay, wax, or cream goes in, the condition of the scalp and hair affects how the product performs. NO GUNK also sells a 2% salicylic acid Scalp Exfoliator, framed as a pre-shampoo treatment for flaky, itchy-feeling scalps that fights flakes, removes build-up, and balances oils. A Sea Salt Spray pre-styler is also listed for adding volume, texture, and waves with a matte finish, which can sit ahead of a clay, wax, or cream for extra grip. Considered together, these pre-styling steps form a foundation layer ahead of the styling products themselves.
Across the wider range, NO GUNK lists a Fig Barbary Natural Shampoo, described as 95% natural and enriched with Fig Barbary Oil, Aloe Vera, and Argan Oil. That shampoo is positioned as a cleansing step rather than a styling one, but it belongs to the same grooming routine as the clay, wax, and cream. For those assembling a fuller kit, a Grooming Bag is also offered, sized at 22cm long, with an internal mesh zip pocket, two internal side pockets for tins, and a back zip pocket for extras such as a comb.
Hold, finish, and feel remain the three threads that separate clay, wax, and cream in this lineup.
