Styling guide for new users

Moving from light gels to a hard hold

Soft gels coat the hair and stay bendable all day. A hard gel goes on slick, sets firm, and locks each section in place until you wash it out. The habit of scooping a handful will fight you here. A small dab on damp hair is all the formula needs to dry solid.

Start with a fingertip instead of a palmful

Light gels teach you to take large scoops because their grip is low. Our gels carry more hold in a pea-sized drop than weak formulas carry in a full handful. If you load up your hands out of habit, you will end up with too much weight in one spot. Dip a single fingertip into the jar or squeeze a small coin out of the 7.05 squeeze bottle. Rub it across both palms before touching your head, then spread it evenly from back to front. You can always take a second small dab if a section needs more grip.

Work the formula into damp hair only

Dry hair absorbs the water in the gel too fast. When that moisture disappears immediately, the formula locks before you finish shaping your parts. Wet your hair in the sink or towel it dry after a shower until it is damp to the touch. Water gives you two full minutes to comb the gel through your hair and set the direction. If a lock freezes in the wrong place while you work, wet your hands with tap water and smooth the section down again. The gel softens under clean water right away.

The cast is supposed to dry stiff

People who are used to creams expect hair to stay soft to the touch. A hard gel creates a firm shell around every strand as it dries, which keeps the style from falling down in the wind. That rigid feeling is normal and means the hold is set. Do not brush the hair once it hardens, because tearing through dry cast will break the bond and leave white residue behind. If you want to change your look later in the day, run wet fingers through the stiff parts to reset the hold instead of combing it dry.

Pick a mid-range hold number to begin

Our bottles run on a scale up to 10, but jumping straight to the stiffest hold can be tricky if you are still learning the timing. Start on a 7 or an 8 out of 10 while you dial in the right amount of water on your hair. A 2.82 mini gives you enough uses to learn the balance between gel and water without committing to a larger squeeze bottle or a 9.52 jar. Once you know how fast the formula sets on your head, you can move up to a 9 or a 10 for hairstyles that need zero movement from morning until night.

Hard gel holds exactly where you place it. Keep your hair damp, use a fraction of your old dose, and let the shell dry untouched. Water takes it all out when you are done.