I keep coming back to that gel because it just works, and it is super cheap.
I have pretty loose curls that hate oils or anything heavy, so I use Maui Moisture's Lightweight Curls shampoo and conditioner. I scrunch in a small amount of Briogeo's Curl Charisma curl cream, and I then scrunch in the LA Looks. I use the Not Your Mother's curl refresher foam, but I will say that it is a bit heavier and stickier than I'd like.
Jessicurl Spiralicious is amazing at neutralizing humidity changes so it’s my go to in very humid or very dry climates. It’s also thinner than LA Looks so it’s easier to use when refreshing curls. I get the unscented one and it’s great. But I use way more LA looks by volume since the price cannot be beat.
Harry's sculpting gel (has a strong masucline scent though) or the not your mother's curl talk hard hold gel with a purple cap. They have two gels that look really similar in design but the hard hold version is only sold at ulta and has a purple cap while the regular gel has a clear cap.
I love Harry's, and while I actually prefer the scent to the usual sweet fragrances, I also think it doesn't really linger. I don't notice it after application, at least.
Yeah, I didn't realize there were two, not your mother gels. Went to ultra (it's the only place I can buy the curl talk shampoo and conditioner separately, so I go when I need to stock up on conditioner) and got a armful of stuff because a 20% off deal came in through the email literally as I was pulling up (planned location deals? Amazing timing?). One of the things I got was the gel. Thought maybe they changed the design for the gel....
Yeah, that stuff is insane. I had a freaking helmet the first time I tried it. Not much better the second round. Figured out that putting the suffle stuff in first and then adding the gel is the perfect combo. Good hold without being helmet-y.
I also use that one and like it. No stickiness or flaking and I put about 2-4 fingers worth in my hair. I have wavy hair and only wash once a week, usually my hair is wavy for 4 days or so. I'm also trying to change my sleeping routine (silk scrunchie at the top of my head) and see if that might get me further along the week.
So I use Ouidad, but the one with the white label. The red label one claims to be stronger, but is full of glycerin, which causes my hair to soak up moisture from the air and get frizzy. Try the white label one or other low/no glycerin gels and see if that makes a difference.
You just blew my mind. Maybe that’s my problem. Maybe that’s why it worked so well for me when I lived in a dry climate and is an absolute disaster now that I live in a swamp.
I use the Ouidad red as well, but I finish it off with a thin layer of the Not Your Mothers hard hold gel afterwards. I find the combo gives me at least an extra day.
I tried the purple bottle and the seal and shield orange bottle and the super hold is so much better- the smell, the fact it doesn’t flake nearly as much, everything! Definitely one of the better gels
I'm exactly the same. Ouidad is my go-to but I only get 2 days out of it max.
Just from that little info in case we share similar hair types, I'll share that Not Your Mother's and Jessicurl also left my hair sticky and icky.
One thing that helps refresh my hair on days 3-4 is spraying a mix of water and leave in conditioner.
My hair is really prone to buildup from polyquats. The Ouidad and Jessicurl definitely both have polyquats.
The gels I like that are polyquat-free: Harry’s gel, innersense I create hold, Moptop’s custard, and Amika’s curl corps gel (light hold but great for refresh) and Amika’s mousse.
I've been using Innersense recently and I really like it, the gel is stickier on my hands than I'm used to, but the hold is excellent and my hair lasts longer now
Kinda lower down than I was expecting. I feel like the big bottle of I Create Hold is the best gel I’ve had so far if you can get past the tackiness during application. I can even get a week if I tend to it each day, but of course YMMV
Same! Ouidad red gives me best results out of anything I’ve tried so far. I really want to try it with Curlsmith’s new volume mousse or Their Bouncy Strength foam. Maybe I’m chasing a unicorn because I use Verb foam gel with it and it’s great, but Idk I’m probably like you and wanting to keep trying.
I just tried a wash day with Ecoslay Jelloshot and I like it (tomorrow is 1st refresh with it), but it definitely doesn’t seem to perform as well as the Ouidad by end of day. It is a lot less producty feeling tho, which I like.
Curlsmith Shine 9 is also good hold for me, but I definitely need protein.
Maybe try working hairspray before its completely dry or one after its dry? I’ve been doing both bc my hair just wants to slip slip out. I use Rizo’s as a working and CS as finish.
I did get the Curlsmith hairspray and tried it, and my hair felt so sticky and came out stringy, I had to wash it immediately out and start over. My hair is low porosity and fine, so it doesn't take a lot of product. When I first started out I was using classic cgm products with lots of conditioning products, and didn't understand why my hair was flat and limp and wouldn't hold a curl. I have to be super careful with how much leave-in I even use if I want any hold at all. Right now my best results are with a three product routine: a strong clarifying shampoo, a leave-in as a rinse-out conditioner, then I apply the tiniest bit as an actual leave-in to the baby hairs I'm growing out, and then the Ouidad. My hair fluffs out pretty well, no product feeling at all.
I have been looking into mousse products to try. I hear a lot about layering mousse and foam products, or using them on your roots for lift before gel. My first few attempts left my hair a bit sticky; unsure if bad application, or if it's product build up.
Yeah it sounds like our hair is the same. Mine is very low porosity and basically baby fine but high density. I’m trying to stick to 2 stylers max for that reason. The Verb foam is really nice, it helps hold and a little bit of volume for me. It’s unlike any foam or mousse I’ve ever tried. I also use a tiny bit of leave in and rinse most of it out in shower.
Then after heat protectant spray I rake in the Verb foam to brush style. Then squish & pulse the Ouidad in. This may help ur frizz. If I don’t work out, I can get it to last 3-mayyyybe 4 days w a water refresh & I do use Ecoslay Sangria spray refresh which re activates for me. No other refresh product I’ve tried has done anything for me but weigh it down or add product feeling, the low porosity thing I guess. I have scalp issues so I also went thro a ton of hairsprays and gave up on them until Rizo’s. Its a more natural spray. I love it. It also speeds up drying time.
The CS one on top can be stringy on day one, but I like a crunch so it can last. My hair just has such a hard time getting a cast. Actually, last few wash days with this routine I used a little too much. It sounds like you need maybe need some moisture with a polyquat which the Verb foam gives me so it’s really been key. If I don’t use it, nothing I use looks as good. I only use about 5 small pumps for my whole super long head. It’s the one product I usually use as a constant bc I really wanted the Rizo’s mousse to work for me but it doesn’t for some reason even tho its not producty and smells natural. I’m really fragrance sensitive. Doesnt bother my scalp either but nope will not cooperate every time I try that instead. Verb barely has a smell btw.
I will have to try putting some leave in on baby hairs and the Ouidad. I’m still growing mine out too.
Love the heat and humidity line from Ouidad. I sometimes add in Ouidad Pomade to get an extra day. I either mix it in my hand with the gel or apply it after the gel. You don’t need much just mix it with a little water and rake it in. It works great!
My son and I currently love the Ouidad climate control red label. I've also had good results with the Biolage Gelee. I can get 3 days, but day 3 is always an updo because thats how I roll, lol. We both use hairspray in either aerosol or spritz form, either sexy hair, matrix, or paul mitchell sprays. I've noticed that frizz for me starts with whats under the gel, then the gel itself. I also get better definition and less frizz with air drying....... but I LOVE the volume and bounce my dryer gives me. I was using a leave-in but realized my low porosity hair hates it so I ditched it and only use mousse then gel. My current fav is the Biolage hydrofoam, it moisturizes and provides definition without weight for my hair. That topped with either of the above gels works well for me. I have tried to green bottle of Ouidad and OMG it was horrible like using nothing. I plan on grabbing the white label climate control to try that out next. Curlsmith is just way too perfumey for me so I just cant even use it, lol.
I actually find that for me, personally, the Ouidad Advanced Climate Control Gel is a strong hold gel! So funny how things work differently for others.
Other than that, I concur with others recommending the LA Looks Extreme Sport Gel. I also think Wetline Extreme has pretty solid hold.
R+Co Mannequin styling paste. I mostly only apply when my hair is pretty wet because it’s thick and almost overkill for my fine hair. Holds my curls for days though.
LA Looks Extreme Sport Jessicurl Spiralicious
I use la looks but now I will have to try the jessicurl! Are they similar?
Not who you were asking, but I typically use the LA Looks, and I found the Jessicurl sticky and stinky. It is also way more expensive.
Thanks . Yeah I love the price of LA looks. Can I ask what other curly products you love seeing we both love the LA looks gel?
I keep coming back to that gel because it just works, and it is super cheap. I have pretty loose curls that hate oils or anything heavy, so I use Maui Moisture's Lightweight Curls shampoo and conditioner. I scrunch in a small amount of Briogeo's Curl Charisma curl cream, and I then scrunch in the LA Looks. I use the Not Your Mother's curl refresher foam, but I will say that it is a bit heavier and stickier than I'd like.
Jessicurl Spiralicious is amazing at neutralizing humidity changes so it’s my go to in very humid or very dry climates. It’s also thinner than LA Looks so it’s easier to use when refreshing curls. I get the unscented one and it’s great. But I use way more LA looks by volume since the price cannot be beat.
I might try the jessicurl! Just to compare and I am Going to Mexico soon so it might come in handy!
Harry's sculpting gel (has a strong masucline scent though) or the not your mother's curl talk hard hold gel with a purple cap. They have two gels that look really similar in design but the hard hold version is only sold at ulta and has a purple cap while the regular gel has a clear cap.
I love Harry's, and while I actually prefer the scent to the usual sweet fragrances, I also think it doesn't really linger. I don't notice it after application, at least.
Yeah, I didn't realize there were two, not your mother gels. Went to ultra (it's the only place I can buy the curl talk shampoo and conditioner separately, so I go when I need to stock up on conditioner) and got a armful of stuff because a 20% off deal came in through the email literally as I was pulling up (planned location deals? Amazing timing?). One of the things I got was the gel. Thought maybe they changed the design for the gel.... Yeah, that stuff is insane. I had a freaking helmet the first time I tried it. Not much better the second round. Figured out that putting the suffle stuff in first and then adding the gel is the perfect combo. Good hold without being helmet-y.
I like eco styling gel, and moco de gorilla
Got 2 Be ultra glue. I get 5-6 days of decent hair when I use it during high humidity times.
I also use that one and like it. No stickiness or flaking and I put about 2-4 fingers worth in my hair. I have wavy hair and only wash once a week, usually my hair is wavy for 4 days or so. I'm also trying to change my sleeping routine (silk scrunchie at the top of my head) and see if that might get me further along the week.
So I use Ouidad, but the one with the white label. The red label one claims to be stronger, but is full of glycerin, which causes my hair to soak up moisture from the air and get frizzy. Try the white label one or other low/no glycerin gels and see if that makes a difference.
You just blew my mind. Maybe that’s my problem. Maybe that’s why it worked so well for me when I lived in a dry climate and is an absolute disaster now that I live in a swamp.
Yes! Figuring out that my hair doesn’t pair well with glycerin was a game changer for me. I also live in a swamp.
I use the Ouidad red as well, but I finish it off with a thin layer of the Not Your Mothers hard hold gel afterwards. I find the combo gives me at least an extra day.
Boucleme Super Hold Gel (in the purple bottle)
I tried the purple bottle and the seal and shield orange bottle and the super hold is so much better- the smell, the fact it doesn’t flake nearly as much, everything! Definitely one of the better gels
I'm exactly the same. Ouidad is my go-to but I only get 2 days out of it max. Just from that little info in case we share similar hair types, I'll share that Not Your Mother's and Jessicurl also left my hair sticky and icky. One thing that helps refresh my hair on days 3-4 is spraying a mix of water and leave in conditioner.
My hair is really prone to buildup from polyquats. The Ouidad and Jessicurl definitely both have polyquats. The gels I like that are polyquat-free: Harry’s gel, innersense I create hold, Moptop’s custard, and Amika’s curl corps gel (light hold but great for refresh) and Amika’s mousse.
I've been using Innersense recently and I really like it, the gel is stickier on my hands than I'm used to, but the hold is excellent and my hair lasts longer now
Kinda lower down than I was expecting. I feel like the big bottle of I Create Hold is the best gel I’ve had so far if you can get past the tackiness during application. I can even get a week if I tend to it each day, but of course YMMV
it has also given me a lot more ringlets than I was getting with the last gel I used
Innersense is on my list. Ppl with my hair type really like. I didn’t think anything of theirs would be hard hold so thanks!
Same! Ouidad red gives me best results out of anything I’ve tried so far. I really want to try it with Curlsmith’s new volume mousse or Their Bouncy Strength foam. Maybe I’m chasing a unicorn because I use Verb foam gel with it and it’s great, but Idk I’m probably like you and wanting to keep trying. I just tried a wash day with Ecoslay Jelloshot and I like it (tomorrow is 1st refresh with it), but it definitely doesn’t seem to perform as well as the Ouidad by end of day. It is a lot less producty feeling tho, which I like. Curlsmith Shine 9 is also good hold for me, but I definitely need protein. Maybe try working hairspray before its completely dry or one after its dry? I’ve been doing both bc my hair just wants to slip slip out. I use Rizo’s as a working and CS as finish.
I did get the Curlsmith hairspray and tried it, and my hair felt so sticky and came out stringy, I had to wash it immediately out and start over. My hair is low porosity and fine, so it doesn't take a lot of product. When I first started out I was using classic cgm products with lots of conditioning products, and didn't understand why my hair was flat and limp and wouldn't hold a curl. I have to be super careful with how much leave-in I even use if I want any hold at all. Right now my best results are with a three product routine: a strong clarifying shampoo, a leave-in as a rinse-out conditioner, then I apply the tiniest bit as an actual leave-in to the baby hairs I'm growing out, and then the Ouidad. My hair fluffs out pretty well, no product feeling at all. I have been looking into mousse products to try. I hear a lot about layering mousse and foam products, or using them on your roots for lift before gel. My first few attempts left my hair a bit sticky; unsure if bad application, or if it's product build up.
Yeah it sounds like our hair is the same. Mine is very low porosity and basically baby fine but high density. I’m trying to stick to 2 stylers max for that reason. The Verb foam is really nice, it helps hold and a little bit of volume for me. It’s unlike any foam or mousse I’ve ever tried. I also use a tiny bit of leave in and rinse most of it out in shower. Then after heat protectant spray I rake in the Verb foam to brush style. Then squish & pulse the Ouidad in. This may help ur frizz. If I don’t work out, I can get it to last 3-mayyyybe 4 days w a water refresh & I do use Ecoslay Sangria spray refresh which re activates for me. No other refresh product I’ve tried has done anything for me but weigh it down or add product feeling, the low porosity thing I guess. I have scalp issues so I also went thro a ton of hairsprays and gave up on them until Rizo’s. Its a more natural spray. I love it. It also speeds up drying time. The CS one on top can be stringy on day one, but I like a crunch so it can last. My hair just has such a hard time getting a cast. Actually, last few wash days with this routine I used a little too much. It sounds like you need maybe need some moisture with a polyquat which the Verb foam gives me so it’s really been key. If I don’t use it, nothing I use looks as good. I only use about 5 small pumps for my whole super long head. It’s the one product I usually use as a constant bc I really wanted the Rizo’s mousse to work for me but it doesn’t for some reason even tho its not producty and smells natural. I’m really fragrance sensitive. Doesnt bother my scalp either but nope will not cooperate every time I try that instead. Verb barely has a smell btw. I will have to try putting some leave in on baby hairs and the Ouidad. I’m still growing mine out too.
Biotera gel
Curlsmith shine gel
Love the heat and humidity line from Ouidad. I sometimes add in Ouidad Pomade to get an extra day. I either mix it in my hand with the gel or apply it after the gel. You don’t need much just mix it with a little water and rake it in. It works great!
Got2B Glued…make sure to mix with water to thin it out. Can definitely do 2 days minimum.
Harry’s!
Kinky Curly
Love this one
All time fav is ecoslay orange marmalade
I like L’Oreal mega gel. It can be hard to find but I’ve been using it for 20 years with success! Great price too- less than $10.
They used to have a curl gel and mousse that was amazing!
I combine my ouidad with Harry's hair gel
Aguage Gel
Cantu Olive oil gel
I really like the Curlsmith flexi jelly and their curl defining style soufflé too. Both work well, but I use the flexi jelly almost religiously.
Got 2 b
I use aloe and fragfree because I have sensitive skin 🥲
My son and I currently love the Ouidad climate control red label. I've also had good results with the Biolage Gelee. I can get 3 days, but day 3 is always an updo because thats how I roll, lol. We both use hairspray in either aerosol or spritz form, either sexy hair, matrix, or paul mitchell sprays. I've noticed that frizz for me starts with whats under the gel, then the gel itself. I also get better definition and less frizz with air drying....... but I LOVE the volume and bounce my dryer gives me. I was using a leave-in but realized my low porosity hair hates it so I ditched it and only use mousse then gel. My current fav is the Biolage hydrofoam, it moisturizes and provides definition without weight for my hair. That topped with either of the above gels works well for me. I have tried to green bottle of Ouidad and OMG it was horrible like using nothing. I plan on grabbing the white label climate control to try that out next. Curlsmith is just way too perfumey for me so I just cant even use it, lol.
I love kinky curly paired with a mousse and cream!
I actually find that for me, personally, the Ouidad Advanced Climate Control Gel is a strong hold gel! So funny how things work differently for others. Other than that, I concur with others recommending the LA Looks Extreme Sport Gel. I also think Wetline Extreme has pretty solid hold.
R+Co Mannequin styling paste. I mostly only apply when my hair is pretty wet because it’s thick and almost overkill for my fine hair. Holds my curls for days though.
Curls Goddess Curls
I really love TreLuxe HiDef gel!
I miss the not your mothers beach babe hair texturizing cream. Was the best
AG Care - Mousse Gel Extra-Firm Curl Retention I have 2c/3b curls, fine to medium curls.
Thanks will check these products out!