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After all, can we really say a skin-care product is the "best" for people over 50 if the only testers we've solicited opinions from folks who have yet to hit 30? Can we honestly deem a high-end diffuser worthy of your hard-earned cash if it’s never been tested on curls? We're proud that our staff spans a wide range of ages, skin tones, hair textures, genders, and backgrounds, which means that we are able to fairly assess any beauty product that comes into the beauty closet.

Should I use mousse and gel for curls?
We may earn commission on some of the items you choose to buy. Cody Renegar is a celebrity hairstylist with over 25 years of experience working in top salons across the country and is regarded as a master colorist & stylist, and master barber – a rare combination. An influential style maker, Cody has been featured in Vogue, People, InStyle, and Oprah Daily, to name a few. Katelyn Ellsworth is a hairstylist as well as a natural color and extension specialist. She’s the founder of The Roslyn salon and Style Icon in San Diego. All products featured on Allure are independently selected by our editors.
Mizani True Textures Perfect Coil Oil Gel
Rake it through your sopping-wet hair in sections, re-wetting each section as you work (trust the process), then air-dry or diffuse. This GH Beauty Award winner is packed full of ingredients like glycerin, castor oil, and aloe, which work to hydrate curls instead of making them crunchy or sticky. “It feels featherlight, gave my hair bounce and tamed flyaways,” a tester says. It's alcohol-free, so it won't dry your hair out, and you can use it on damp or dry hair. If you have curly hair, chances are you want to define your curls without weighing them down or causing frizz.
Best Strong Hair Gel for Fine Curls
Not a problem with this Bumble and bumble favorite, which shapes curls and controls frizz in even the stickiest of situations. Packed with hyaluronic acid, this weightless hold gel will deliver just that. Today, WWD’s breaking news and trend coverage continues to be a trustworthy resource for both fashion insiders and consumers alike. Our shopping editors continue to uphold WWD’s editorial standards and values with quality, expert-backed product selections.
SheaMoisture Curling Gel Souffle
It uses a slew of hydrating oils, aloe vera, and natural extracts to nurture compromised strands. She’s an authority in all hair categories, but is an expert when it comes to curly skin, thanks to her own lifetime of working with her own 2b/3a curly hair. Play around with using your gel alone, or on top of a leave-in conditioner and an oil. Whether you should use a mousse or a gel for your curls depends on what type of style you're going for.
PARABEN FREE / SULFATE FREE /NATURAL INGREDIENTS
Plus, there’s also an ingredient named organic hypericum extract that gets rid of free radicals in hair that keep curls looking shiny and ultra bouncy. Here’s another pick that’s beloved of both curl experts and girlies. Uncle Funky’s Daughter's Curly Magic Curl Stimulator has an aloe-based formula that first gets curls into formation, and then locks them into place without any crunch once it dries down. Innersense’s I Create Hold styling gel tops both Witherspoon’s and Strickland’s lists.

However, when you buy something through our retail links, we may earn an affiliate commission. We independently evaluate all recommended products and services. If you click on links we provide, we may receive compensation. He even walked through how to apply the product to get the best results. Now, watch beauty mogul Huda Kattan nail her everyday glam routine. This roundup was researched and written by Theresa Holland, a freelance commerce writer covering fitness, skincare, makeup, and haircare.
"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. Ahead, we rounded up the 15 best hair gels for every hair type, with a range of options to fit every budget. We included some of the most well-known brand names in the hair gel category, including TikTok-famous beauty products from Got2B, Garnier, and Oribe, along with lesser-known options that need to be on your radar. We also spoke with four professional hairstylists for their expert insight on the best hair gels, and picked their brains for the qualities to seek out in these best styling gels when curating this comprehensive list.
Best for Damaged Hair: Ouai Matte Pomade
Curly Girl Method How To: The Easiest Routine for Beginners 2024 - Cosmopolitan
Curly Girl Method How To: The Easiest Routine for Beginners 2024.
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You won’t have to worry about this featherweight gel weighing fine hair down. It uses not only wheat protein to make curls more voluminous, but also oat peptide to prevent your hair from falling limp or getting frizzy in humid climates. Whatever your hair type and whatever look you’re going for, find the hair gel you need in this list of quality copolymer gel formulas. The answer is yes, you can control frizz and Biolage has the answer with its styling gel. As the weather heats up our hair tends to lose control, but with a dollop of this you can obtain shiny smooth hair with not a strand out of place. Boasting a flexible formula, L’Oreal’s styling gel can also define hair without producing any build-up.
"I have low porosity, loose waves/curls, and this gel is perfect because it doesn’t weigh them down at all," says one reviewer. This gel also provides major hold, so your curls will look just as luscious at the end of the day as they did at the beginning. To be clear, we're not talking about those dry, crunchy gels that make your hair look like it hopped right out of 2003. And we're definitely not here for any gels loaded with alcohol. But zapping frizz, adding moisture, and pumping up the shine factor, while dealing with humidity, to boot? Developed by curl queen Tracee Ellis Ross, this medium-hold gel delivers definition and hold, and has aloe vera and coconut oil to nourish curls.
VO5® stands for 5 Vitamin Oils (Sunflower Seed Oil, Mango Seed Oil, Sweet Almond Oil, Rosemary Leaf Oil, Chamomile Flower Oil) and was originally used to off-set the harsh conditions of Hollywood sound stages. VO5® was purchased by Leonard Lavin in 1955, and moved to Chicago where it was expanded into a full range of haircare products. Enjoy select savings by building your own Johnny B. Bundle, perfect for gifting to your loved ones… or for yourself! This starter pack comes with everything you need to start a daily hair care regiment. We may earn commission from links on this page, but we only recommend products we love.
For shoppers looking to maintain control over their locks in humid climates, Matrix Vavoom Hold My Body is a hair gel you can rely on. Specially formulated for hot and humid climates, this alcohol-free gel holds volume and curls in place no matter how much sweat or humidity it's exposed to. It even provides some UV protection to prevent sun damage when spending long afternoons outside. Add some luxury to your lineup with Oribe Curl Gelée, which will have your hair bouncing (or in this case frozen) with joy. The curly hair product will define curls or can be used to style it as you want.