Paul Nebres Wants to Make Everyone’s Hair Better

Paul Nebres was just 18 when he started doing hair and makeup. 

“Back then, I wasn’t super out. I couldn’t do it on myself. So during break times, I would curl my classmates’ hair. I would also do their makeup when we had school events. My classmates were my first models. That was my practice,” the celebrity hairstylist tells Allure Philippines. 

He saved money so he could buy the tools he needed for hairstyling. “In college, hindi ako bumibili ng cellphone, wala akong luho. I would always go to Divisoria to shop for my supplies.” 

Kim Santos

Nebres started working with makeup artist Jelly Eugenio, who was his friend and neighbor. “Magkasama kami, rumaraket kami ng pageants. We were both doing hair and makeup.”

Eventually, they started doing glam for actress Nadine Lustre. That was when Eugenio asked Nebres a question that would shape his path: did he want to focus on hair or makeup?

His answer was hair. “Hair talaga. I love hair more than makeup. Back then, uso yung sine-set ng rollers yung buhok. Kakakabit ko lang nung rollers, excited na akong tanggalin and i-style. That’s how excited I was about styling hair.”

Kim Santos

Paul Nebres: Career Beginnings in Hairstyling

Over a decade later, Nebres is just as excited about hair. “I never get tired of doing hair. I love to play. I love doing editorials. I love doing cover shoots. It really excites me.”

Nebres has had a lot of success in his career, becoming known as a celebrity hairstylist who works with both local stars and Hollywood talent. The student who used to buy hair supplies in Divisoria has become an ambassador for Dyson Philippines.

Kim Santos

Nebres recalls walking into Sephora in New York. “When you enter, you’ll see that they have so many hair products. I said to myself, ‘Bakit wala tayong ganito? Kailangan natin ‘to.’ When I was starting out, it was so hard to find quality products that worked. It was expensive or wala sa Pilipinas. I used to get frustrated that every time I needed a product, I had to buy outside the Philippines. I wanted accessible products for everyone.”

Nebres had long dreamed of launching his own brand, but it took a nudge from his partner to turn that dream into reality. “He was the one who pushed me to really do it.”

Another push came from fashion designer Vania Romoff who told him she wanted to start a hair brand. They invited photographer BJ Pascual to join them. “Ang ganda nung combination ng mga founders. Sobrang perfect,” Nebres says.

Kim Santos

BETTERHAIR: Formulated for Filipino Hair Types

They called their brand BETTERHAIR because that’s exactly their goal—to give people better hair. “You have good hair already. What we’re saying is we’re here to make your hair better. It’s still your hair, but better.”

Nebres recalls being nervous before launching the brand last December. “I was telling my friends, ‘Oh my god, we put all our savings here. What if it doesn’t work?'” 

But it did.

To introduce the brand to the public, they did a live session on TikTok featuring the BETTERHAIR partners and celebrities like Catriona Gray and Denise Laurel. “At the launch, we had a target. We surpassed it. Nakakaiyak kasi ang daming bumili. We didn’t expect that the products would sell that fast.” 

Not only are the products formulated by a hairstylist, they were also created specifically for Filipino hair and Filipino weather, says Nebres. “A lot of products available in the market now are from Western countries. They were tested for Western hair. We wanted to make sure our products work with our hair type.”

The first product Nebres was determined to create was hair wax. “It had been on my mind. I really wanted to launch it because I was frustrated that there are a lot of wax sticks in the market but there’s no brush. Ours comes with a boar bristle brush.” The Slide & Slick 2-in-1 Hair Wax Stick ended up being their top-selling product. In fact, up until press time, the small version is still sold out. 

Kim Santos

Also part of their first collection were the Cool Root Dry Shampoo and Ready Airset Go Flex Hairspray, both of which also sell really well. “We thought of products that people can use every day. We also added clips and combs to the collection.” 

Nebres and the team devoted months to doing research and product development. “Perfecting the formulation took a long time. I really wanted to make sure that they would work with our weather, which is really humid, and with the hair type of Filipinos. When we finally got the perfect formula, I said, ‘Let’s do this.'”

BETTERHAIR is for everyone, he says. “In the beginning, they were asking, ‘What market are we really targeting? I want it for everyone. It’s for security guards, nurses, people who work in fast food, people who commute, flight attendants, people who need to keep their hair clean and neat. They’re my inspiration.”

It was important for Nebres and his partners that their products didn’t just work well—they also had to smell good. BETTERHAIR’s signature scent, called Solar Zest, is a zesty blend of citrusy tropical fruits, white florals and soft musk that’s an homage to Philippine summer. That’s something customers talk about a lot—how good BETTERHAIR products smell. 

A wax stick, dry shampoo and hair spray in a new scent are all in the works. “It’s called Fresh Form,” Nebres says, referring to the scent. “It’s a more masculine scent because this time, we want to target boys.” 

Kim Santos

BETTERHAIR in Everyday Filipino Haircare

The same approach that earned Nebres a loyal clientele now guides the way he runs his business. “For me, the biggest lesson is consistency. Because consistency builds trust. And trust is really important, especially in the industry.”

Listening is also important. “We listen to people and we build trust so we can produce good quality products. Because when you listen, you collaborate, and you come up with good ideas. That became our foundation for BETTERHAIR.”

Today, he gets to be part of people’s lives in different ways—through the hairstyles he creates for their big moments and the products he develops for their everyday routines.

“It’s amazing. It’s so fulfilling. Now, when I go to events, people keep telling me, ‘Oh, I use your product.’ ‘Uy, I love your product.’ All kinds of people. ‘My mom loves your hair products.’ ‘Hey, my hairstylist uses your products.’ At every event, it’s ‘Uy, BETTERHAIR, uy, BETTERHAIR.’ Sometimes they call me BETTERHAIR. I don’t mind. That’s validation for me. Ang dami naming pinaghirapan and finally, it happened.”

He loves hearing how BETTERHAIR has become part of people’s everyday life. “One customer just had a baby and of course, there are myths that you can’t bathe after giving birth. She said our dry shampoo became her lifesaver.” There’s also the nurse who’s been struggling with curly, frizzy hair, and has tamed her hair with BETTERHAIR products. “These are real people, real experiences. It’s become part of their routine. Nakakatuwa, nakakataba ng puso.”

He also hears from people online. “When I do live on TikTok, people will comment, ‘I love your products’ or ‘Finally, someone released something that works on us.’ People love our formula. They say the hair spray is light but gives them the hold that they need. The dry shampoo smells so good and gives them volume, it refreshes their hair. The wax stick works well, it’s not sticky, it’s perfect for the Philippine weather.”

Kim Santos

The positive feedback motivates him to raise the bar. “Ngayon I feel more pressured—in a good way. I want to push myself to release better quality products.” 

Seeing other hair stylists use BETTERHAIR products also brings Nebres joy. “Kinikilig ako when I see yung mga kasabayan ko using my products. When I was starting, I was getting paid 200, 300 pesos and masaya na ako doon. Iipunin ko yun to buy the products I need. Now, success is having my own brand that other hairstylists use. It’s a full-circle moment. There was a time when I didn’t have the means to buy certain products and now I have my own brand.” 

BETTERHAIR is available on e-commerce platforms TikTok, Shopee and Lazada. By August, the brand will also be available at 500 Watsons branches nationwide. More products are already in the pipeline, including a heat protectant, sea salt spray, hair oil, hair mask, shampoo, and conditioner.

Nebres continues to balance hairstyling with running his brand—a non-negotiable for someone who loves the craft as much as he does. “Hairstyling is my life. I can’t live na hindi ako mag-aayos ng hair. I really enjoy it.”

Photography by Kim Santos. Art direction by Mikiyo Ricamora. Grooming by Angeline Dela Cruz. Styling by Jones Palteng.