There are a lot of ways you can style your hair, and many products boast the ability to help you create the necessary amount of hold for the right styles. Hair gel is one of these products, and if you haven’t been checking it out before, you certainly will after going through this article. Hair gel offers you the freedom of styling your hair any way you want, right inside your comfort zone. Read on to see the remarkable amount of benefits hair gel has for your hair.
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Our Picks for the Best Hair Gels
If you are worried about having to scroll through multiple collections before finding the right type of hair gel, worry no more – here are 15 best hair gels that will work miracles on your style without any negatives in the mix.
1. IGK Rich Kid Coconut Oil Gel
This is a lightweight, coconut oil-infused hair gel that will help you get a soft touchable hold for your hair. It will help you keep any frizz at bay and encourage your hair’s natural texture for that laid-back look that you love. You can use this hair gel for any hair type, so you don’t have to be worried if you have straight or curly hair. Just grab a bottle at Sephora and use it for that perfect, smooth shine.
2. Aveda Confixor Liquid Gel
Aveda makes a hair care product that is not only top of the line but also is infused with quality ingredients for the health of your hair. This liquid hair gel comes with Morikue protein formula, which works to fortify and create great definition. It is excellent for fine to medium hair types and will help you create the required control for any style you want. You can get yours at Nordstrom.
3. DevaCurl Ultra Defining Gel Strong Hold No-Crunch Styler
When picking out the best hair gel, you need to be careful not to take the one that contains ingredients like alcohol, parabens, or sulfates. Well, we have checked out all the ingredients in this product, and it doesn’t have any of those. Anytime you use it, it will help tame frizz and amp up your shine with the wheat and soy proteins that it contains. You should also know that this hair gel is a strong-hold styler and will be great for wavy, curly and coiled hair types. Get a bottle at Sephora!
4. Bumble and Bumble Bb. Curl (Style) Anti-Humidity Gel-Oil
Correctly described as a frizz-fighting and moisturizing hair gel, this is one product that should be part of your hair care kit. It contains ingredients like capuacu butter, nourishing oils and a blend of humectants to give you the best results possible. You can use this hair gel for medium and thick hair texture to moisturize and control your mane. It can be purchased online at Sephora.
5. Big Sexy Hair Blow Dry Volumizing Gel
If you have thin or fine hair and you need something to add the required pump, then you can trust this volumizing hair gel to do just that. There is no alcohol or flakes included to cause hair damage, so you don’t have to worry. It also helps to add medium hold to your strands and more volume right from the roots. Get your bottle from Ulta Beauty!
6. Ouidad Advanced Climate Control Heat & Humidity Gel
This hair gel is a formula that will provide your curls with exceptional definition and give you flexible hold. The product has ingredients like silk protein, wheat protein, and pliable styling polymers. All this will make sure that your hair isn’t crunchy, sticky or weighed down. So, whether the humidity rises or not, you don’t have to worry about getting a tangled mass on your head. Additionally, this hair gel protects your hair from UV rays and environmental aggressors. Pick up a bottle at Sephora!
7. Matrix Total Results Curl Please Super Defrizzer Curl Defining Gel
This is the best hair gel out there for everyone looking for a hair styling product that will not only provide a great hold, but also will keep frizz at bay. It’s humidity-resistant and contains healthy jojoba oil for that ultimate nourishing effect while keeping your hair nice and shiny. You can find this styling hair gel online at Ulta Beauty.
8. Briogeo Curl Charisma Rice Amino + Quinoa Frizz Control Gel
When we pick out hair products for you, we make sure that we take only the best. From Briogeo, this hair gel contains amino acids and quinoa to help you control frizz and give you that lasting hold. It has a 93% naturally derived formula to make sure that you have lightweight, soft and non-sticky curls that last. It’s an excellent formula for those who have coiled, curly and wavy hair. Get yourself this hair gel at Sephora!
9. Pureology Smooth Perfection Shaping Control Gel
With benefits like smooth, soft hair, and color protection, here is the best hair gel that has everything you want. It is infused with many excellent ingredients like camellia oil, vitamin E oil, and an anti-fade complex, all to help you strengthen and protect your hair from any form of environmental damage. You can find this hair gel online at Ulta Beauty.
10. Alterna Haircare Caviar Anti-Aging Replenishing Moisture Leave-In Smoothing Gelee
This hair gel is one lightweight formula that hydrates your hair and smooths unwanted frizz without using parabens or sulfates. It is a versatile formula, and with components like vitamin C, sea silk, and color hold technology, there is all you want in just one bottle. You can get instant smooth perfection for all hair types and get that shiny mane that will be the envy of many. Get a tube of this hair gel at Sephora!
11. Oribe Rock Hard Gel
Even though this hair gel creates a firm hold for your hair, it still allows you to have enough flexibility to create any style you want. There are argan oil, shea oil and hydrolyzed vegetable added in the ingredients list that will help you enhance your hair shine. It also filters UV rays, with no parabens or sodium chloride. Pick up this luxe hair gel at Net-a-Porter!
12. Amika Curl Corps Enhancing Gel
Curly and coiled hair needs to be taken care of and treated with a product designed to make it soft, bouncy and without crunch. And that is what we have here – the best hair gel that is certified vegan and contains no harmful artificial ingredients! Other advantages like frizz reduction, shiny mane and a boost in your curls are all in this package from the very best of Amika. You can pick up this hair gel at Sephora.
13. Not Your Mother’s Curl Talk Frizz Control Sculpting Gel
Keep your curls hydrated with this fantastic formula from Not Your Mother’s. You can use it to sculpt and shape your curls while activating the long-lasting hold this hair gel creates for your mane. The rice complex, keratin, and amino acids used to create the hair gel help to condition, protect and allow you to create a firm and flexible hold for your curls. Get a tube for yourself at Ulta Beauty!
14. Philip B Oud Royal Gravity-Defying Gel
Glycerin is great for adding moisture and shine to your hair. It helps you set fast and beautiful hold to your tresses. And this is why we recommend this hair gel for you. It comes with the sweet notes of Oud essence that sets a warm and loving tone around you. You can also get slick and architectural styles with this gravity-defying hair gel that sells through Net-a-Porter.
15. Redken Velvet Gelatine 07 Volumizing Blow Dry Gel
For the last product on our list, this hair gel is one of the best you will find anywhere. From Redken, you can add that volume you have always dreamt off to your strands. It contains active ingredients that work to expand and make your strands thicker so that your limp, lifeless hair can transform into a cushioned blow-out. Another perk you will enjoy is the frizz-free and naturally shiny hair. You can order yours at Ulta Beauty.
What to Look for in the Best Hair Gel for You?
There are several types of hair gel, and it mainly depends on what it does to your hair and the base ingredients. Some hair gels will help you add colors to your hair, while others will help you with styles specific to various cultures.
Most hair gels use cationic polymers as their main ingredients. There are positive charges in the gel that will make them stretch and resist the flow of the solvent. Also, there is a bond formed between the positive charges of the hair gel and the negative charge on the amino acid present at the surface of hair keratins. What all this does is to allow you to get a firm hold and more volume.
Before getting a hair gel to style your hair, you need to consider some very vital factors. Here are various options of hair gel you will find and which of them is good for your hair.
- Light Gel or Foam Hair Gel: If you want a messy hairstyle with more life and soft strands, then this is what you want. This hair gel helps avoid having stiff hair and is suitable for styles that require blow-drying.
- Medium-Hold Hair Gel: For shiny spikes and disheveled bedhead style, this is the gravity-defying option you want to go with.
- Strong-Hold Hair Gel: If you want to create a style that requires shiny but hard locks, then get a firm hold gel. It will help you get styles that need to be firm and last throughout the day.
Also, stay away from hair gels that contain alcohol, as you don’t want your mane drying or breaking. You should also consider the amount of hair gel that you add to your hair while styling. You can also practice with different products a little, because your hair might respond differently to each of them.
Hair Gel FAQ
Some tips can help you enjoy your hair gel experience even more, and we couldn’t just leave them out.
Hair gel is a styling product specially made to harden your hair to make it suitable for creating any style you desire. It is quite great for helping you stay out of the salon for a period, while you experiment with styles you love to rock best with your hands, comb or styling gadgets.
Using a hair gel for styling your hair is not difficult, and to even make it much more comfortable we have listed the steps that will get you to style your hair just how you like it.
• Prepare your hair! Shampoo your hair the way you usually would. Once you are done washing the hair, towel-dry it until there is no excess water or it is damp. Applying the hair gel on dirty hair will make it less effective.
• Apply the hair gel. Take the gel you have selected and scoop out some of it with your hands. Apply the gel evenly, making sure that you rub it through your entire hair length. The rule of thumb is to add the gel little by little until you get the right amount of hold that you need.
• Now, style your hair. As the hair continues to dry, you need to decide on the exact style you want and get your styling tool ready. Use the comb to manipulate your hair into the style you want. If you want it to dry faster, use a blow-dryer. If you want your hair packed tight, then use your hair to press down the hair. For more height, lift your hair from the scalp.
Other Hair Gel Tips
• You can get a beachy hairstyle by applying hair gel to every part of your hair, from the root to the tips. Then grab chunks of your hair and scrunch them up. You can also use this method to get wavy hairstyles.
• For spiky short hairstyles, put some of the gel on your hands and rub them together. Then use your hands to comb your hair from the front to the back. After applying it all through your hair, run your fingers from the side of your head to the top. Continue until the gel starts to dry and your hair starts getting spiky.
• If you are trying out a specific style and it’s not working, add some heat and then use your hands, a comb or brush to rework the style until you get the shape you want.
• You can also get straight locks without using a straightening iron. Just use your hair gel to straighten your hair instead.
Photos via @natalieannehair, Sephora, Ulta