Wednesday, May 1, 2024

17 Best Gels for Curly Hair 2024 Expert and Editor Reviews

hair gel for curly hair

It’s formulated with marshmallow root that gives the traditional gel a slippery texture to help to smooth the product over your curls, detangle strands, and form a conditioning layer over hair. Plus, the gel also contains sunflower and aloe to nourish curls, and glycerin for moisture, hold, and frizz protection — and it’s free from parabens and phthalates. This cream gel for curly hair comes to us courtesy of one of the leaders in natural hair products. It helps you take styling normally dry hair to a whole new level of hydrated, moisturized, and defined with lasting hold. When creating the right cocktail of products for your next look, including one of the best curly hair gels is key. The thing is, using gel on curly hair can be tricky, and not all formulas are created equally, depending on the amount of hold you’re looking for.

Eco Style Black Castor & Flaxseed Oil Styling Gel

DeLeon Ramirez, who is also a major fan of this gel, loves to use this on his clients with 3A to 3C who have fine, thin curly hair. "It won't weigh fine hair down and has nourishing ingredients like aloe, rosemary, and flaxseed that helps keep thin hair healthy," he says. From loose and wavy 2A textures to super tight and coily 4C curls, here are the best gels for textured hair — straight from the curl experts.

hair gel for curly hair

Kristin Ess Frizz Management Cleansing Co-Wash

Play around with using your gel alone, or on top of a leave-in conditioner and an oil. But this formula uses aloe and mallow extract to define thinner, drier curls and create a strong gel cast—all without weighing them down. It's Curly Girl Method-approved (as are all of these gels on this list), safe for low-porosity hair, and under $10. As a gel and serum hybrid, this GH Beauty Award winning pick doesn't just work double-duty on your curls, it's also affordable.

Best Curl Gel for Fine Hair

It can also help with scalp conditions like dandruff and is packed with healing fatty acids. It even has the unique ability to penetrate the hair shaft, reducing the amount of water absorbed into your hair. If you don't like the strong gel cast, you can leave it alone as it loosens up as the days go on. Or, separate your curls a little (or even use a light serum) to reduce the cast. A light application will give a medium hold for twist-outs once dried. For those of us who find shrinkage a problem, this gel-oil mix stretches out coils for soft definition.

Ceremonia Pequi Styling Gel

"This gel is exactly what my hair needs to look healthy, shiny and styled without me doing anything other than wash and go." She evaluates formulas, textures, ingredients and more, in addition to consulting medical and industry experts. Some of Victoria’s latest conquests include reviewing the viral Korean beauty brand, Cosrx, and testing dermatologist-recommended acne cleansers. Victoria has been creating shopping guides for the New York Post since 2021 and previously held positions at Insider Reviews and CNN Underscored.

In one Beauty Lab test, 90% of consumer testers agreed that it left hair feeling soft and hydrated without weighing it down. It's backed by the Good Housekeeping Seal, so if it doesn't live up to its claims, we will refund you in full. The winner of GH's deep conditioning hair mask test, this pick was super hydrating without being greasy and earned a perfect score for its ability to condition hair and prevent damage in the Lab's wet-combing test.

Silk, as a fabric, is far less absorbent than cottons, allowing the natural oils in your hair (and in your skincare routine, for that matter) remain atop the surface of your strands. “Using a silk pillowcase or a silk cap will reduce friction and tangling while you sleep,” says François. Instead, your hair (and skin) will glide right across the pillow. Slip’s silk is extra soft, and the pillowcases come in a variety of pretty colors, but we do wish they were sold in pairs instead of single cases. I love defining creams because they give you the styling benefits of gel, but with a softer hold for more organic looking curls.

Adwoa Beauty Baomint Moisturizing Shampoo

So, it’s finally the time to show some love to your curls by adding this product in your hair care routine. Fix My Curls Quenching Flax Seed Gel comes with a combo pack of hair butter. It is formulated using ingredients like flax seed extract, olive oil and aloe vera.

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Let’s stick to a breakdown of the numbers for now, which may require different curly hair products. Not very moisturizing, so it's not ideal for extremely dry hair. Doesn't define waves and loose curls as well as it does tight curls. MopTop’s Curly Hair Custard gel combines the hold of a gel with the thick, moisturizing properties of a custard. Made with aloe, sea botanicals, and honey for moisture and shine, and glycerin to hold in that moisture and reduce frizz, it’s no wonder that one reviewer raved that this gel is a life changer.

Most shampoos for wavy hair types contain sulfates that remove grime and create the sudsy lather we’ve come to rely on to feel our scalps getting clean, but sulfates also strip necessary natural oils from hair. Sulfate-free shampoos tend to be gentler, albeit more expensive. When you want just a mist of gel to amplify and hold texture in your curls, look no further than R+Co Freeway Defining Spray Gel.

"This is the only one that holds the curls in place the longest and feels the softest." This gel holds curls in place while also promoting curls to form. Good-for-your-hair ingredients like quinoa extract and keratin amino acids also help strengthen hair. Reviewers praise this product for taming frizz, defining curls, and adding tons of moisture back into their hair. This product is a must if you live in a more humid climate — reviewers say their hair kept its shape no matter how much humidity they had to put it through.

Kayos Curly Hair Gel is especially formulated using ingredients like flaxseed oil, vitamin E, glycerine, Japanese orange oil and xanthan gum. This handmade gel promises to maintain your curls and give it a shiny look throughout the day. Free from harmful ingredients like sulphates and paraben, this gel may deeply moisturise your tresses without drying them out. The presence of vitamin E in this product can promote hair strength.

Are you looking for a gel specifically for defining your curls? Kinky Curly Curling Custard Gel is a top pick in the curly hair community. Eco Style Olive Oil Gel contains several ingredients that can make styling your curls a cinch. Olive oil is a fantastic moisturizer that penetrates the hair shaft and injects your strands with moisture. If you’re a 3, your hair ranges from loopy curls to tight, springy corkscrews. Frizziness is an issue for this hair type, though hair may naturally have some sheen.

Best hair gel for curly hair: 6 top picks to define your curls

hair gel for curly hair

When it comes to selecting a shampoo, François recommends looking for a sulfate-free option. For thin, grease-prone hair, sulfates can help to cleanse and clarify. But, with dry, textured hair, they are often overly stripping, removing too many of the natural oils our scalps need to thrive.

Best Vegan: amika Plus Size Perfect Body Mousse

But that’s not all — the gel even features glycerin and panthenol for further hydration, which is especially important for type three and four curls. Gels can contain a variety of different ingredients that can be beneficial for curly hair. If you require moisture, look for nutrient-rich oils like argan, coconut, monoi, macadamia, and apricot, and butters like shea, cocoa, avocado, murumuru, or mango. Other natural ingredients, such as honey, tomato fruit ferment, and spirulina, can nourish and strengthen your strands. Finally, ingredients like proteins, glycerin, polymers, polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP), silicones, sorbitol, and amino acid extracts can coat your curls to lock in moisture, prevent frizz, and enhance your curl pattern.

Q. I have 4C hair type and experience a lot of shrinkage. What is the best curly hair product for me?

hair gel for curly hair

Arata Advanced Hair Gel comes with a combo pack of a hair cream. Formulated with aloe vera, shea butter and natural oils, this hair gels for curly hair promises to enhance the curl definition without weighing them down. This lightweight gel is water-soluble and claims to rinse out easily. It may also make your curls soft, protect them from humidity, frizz and offer a soft hold for a long period of time.

DevaCurl Defining Spray Gel

” Using the gel is simple, too — just apply from root to tip and air dry or dry with a diffuser. With 98% naturally derived ingredients, Garnier Fructis’ curl-shaping jelly can work for any hair type — curly, wavy, or even straight — though it’s formulated especially for curly hair. Packed with coconut oil to moisturize and glycerin to condition and reduce frizz, it promises definition and shine. The gel has a traditional consistency and is also vegan and free of sulfates, parabens, silicones, mineral oil, and artificial colors. The shaping jelly offers a light hold and frizz resistance for up to 24 hours.

Revel in its refreshing green apple scent and leave all worries of frizziness behind. It’s made with silk protein and panthenol (provitamin B5) along with AG’s proprietary Curl Creating Complex (C3). Expect to improve your hair’s strength and elasticity while conditioning each strand. Among its ingredients are extracts of citrus peel and chamomile oil, along with glycerin and castor oil. Coconut oil, aloe vera leaf juice, and seaweed juice are the standouts.

Briogeo Curl Charisma Frizz Control Gel

The deeply moisturizing formula utilizes shea butter, coconut oil, and hibiscus flower extract to smooth out each hair cuticle and protect against breakage; not to mention it smells incredible. Immediately after one use, you’ll notice less dullness and more shine (hello, fast results!). Adding moisture, defining curls, and finding the perfect sulfate-free shampoo is a full-time job that requires a lot of trial and error. A gel is often enough for curly hair when defining curls and reducing frizz. The best gel should provide enough hold to maintain the curl pattern throughout the day. However, curly hair often requires a comprehensive regimen that includes other products like shampoos, conditioners, and leave-in treatments for optimal health and shine.

hair gel for curly hair

Hair Gels

It's more moisturizing than it is defining, so it'll add softness and shine while helping to encourage your natural curl pattern without a crunchy finish. Waves and loose curls fall into a very finicky territory where the right products can magically enhance their texture...while the wrong products can fully straighten them out. It's lightweight, non-sticky, and silicone-free, so it'll help define your wavy hair without weighing it down. Rub a squeeze of gel between your palms, flip your sopping-wet hair over, and gently scrunch the gel to encourage your wave/curl pattern. "A gel will provide that separation that you like to see when you have curls, and it's also going to give you a little bit more definition," says Leigh Hardges, a Chicago-based hair stylist. "Because of the way it coats the hair, it's going to help prevent frizz." According to Hardges, hair gel works best on 3A (loose, springy ringlets) to 4A (tight, defined, S-shaped curls) hair types.

Is mousse better with dry or wet hair?

As curly girls know, nailing your desired look is as much about the product as how you put it on. Leison recommends applying gel to wet hair as a last step (as she says, think of it as the Parmesan cheese on your pasta), keeping it two inches from the roots so you have some lift and movement. “The best way to apply gel is by taking sections, making sure you evenly distribute product,” adds Pattern Hair ambassador Mideyah Parker. Before you start scrunching, check out our roundup of the best gels for curly hair.

Carol’s Daughter Coco Creme Curl Shaping Cream Gel

She graduated from the University of Colorado, Boulder, with a major in journalism and minor in technology, arts, and media, and earned her Master’s Degree at NYU’s Graduate Program of Magazine Journalism. According to Abramite, a healthy amount to begin with is a golf ball size on fine hair and a pouf the size of an orange on thicker hair. Each texture will benefit from a volume boost, root lift and extra bounce. Be sure to note that while this product was effective on my hair, it was more dense than some others tested. That said, use with caution if you have finer or straighter hair.

This product is known for its strong holding power and is suitable for all hair types, even coarse, thick strands. The active ingredients like olive oil and protein nourish the hair while providing a defined curl pattern. Coming in at the top of our list is this leave-in cream from Briogeo, which works double duty to both define and humidity-proof your curls. The formula is infused with rice amino acids and avocado oil to help your hair retain moisture and reduce static, and the creamy texture is lightweight and doesn’t ever flake or feel sticky.

This sulphate, paraben and silicone-free gel promises to detangle your hair and leave it bouncy for a longer duration. The brand also claims that this product for curly hair is free from cruelty, which makes it a good choice for your curly hair care routine. Often a moisturizing agent, which most curly hair gels contain, will smooth frizz as well. Because curly hair is drier due to its texture, hydrating ingredients are desirable in these gels. One of the most important elements of any curly hair education is identifying your curl type.

With ultra-light hold, this targeted Davines gel works to nourish your hair and scalp, giving you extra strength and a bit of style. Apply it right out of the shower, and finish by either air-drying or diffusing your hair, depending on your desired look. Either way, we’re betting your curls will have a touchable hold without the flakes. Bread Beauty Supply’s Hair-Gel is perfect for styling the sleekest curls. We suggest running it through your hair while the hair is still wet, and letting its moisture-attracting, high-gloss-inducing formula work its magic as it dries down. “Mousse benefits include body and volume, root lift, curl activation, strand density, and frizz control to keep hair soft and moisturized with heat protection,” Abramite told The Post.

The Best Styling Products for Curly Hair, According to the Pros - NewBeauty Magazine

The Best Styling Products for Curly Hair, According to the Pros.

Posted: Fri, 08 Mar 2024 08:00:00 GMT [source]

This defining custard works so well with other styling products. It also adds so much extra definition and moisture to dry curls. Different product categories achieve various goals, but generally, the idea is to add moisture, regardless of the formula. Whether you’re detoxing the scalp or restoring shine to your strands, the more hydration you add into your routine, the healthier, shinier, and bouncier your curls will be. Avoiding heat damage is the name of the game any time you use a hot tool, and our locks loved the ionic technology in this hair straightener for curly hair. The tool delivered a smooth-as-glass finish at just 375 degrees (which also means it heats up in a flash).

"It's great on all hair types but I love the shine and elongation it supplies to tighter coils and curls," he tells InStyle. "When applied to hair sections from roots to the ends, the result is beautifully defined curls. The honey ingredient locks in moisture — resulting in strong hold without the crunchy feeling." Whether you have waves, curls, or coils, Carol’s Daughter cream gel will give you the definition of a gel and the hydration and nourishing elements of a cream, from root to tip. It’s formulated specifically for dry curly hair, so it has coconut oil, coconut milk, mango butter, and murumuru butter for moisture, plus polymers to coat strands and hold curl patterns. Have you ever shied away from using hair gels for curly hair, worried that it might leave your ringlets or coils feeling stiff as a board?

The happiest users state that they prefer this gel over others because of its curl-defining power and the fact that it won’t leave your hair feeling greasy or sticky. Others love that a little bit of this gel really goes a long way. Top-of-the-line hair gels that can be purchased from salons or Sephora range between $24 and $30. These may offer humidity control and quality ingredients to combat frizz.

17 Best Gels for Curly Hair 2024 Expert and Editor Reviews

Table Of Content Eco Style Black Castor & Flaxseed Oil Styling Gel Kristin Ess Frizz Management Cleansing Co-Wash Best Curl Gel for Fine...