How to Gel Hair

Hair gel offers a clean, polished look with a variety of holding strengths that mousse and hairspray simply cannot. Finding the right gel for your hair type and knowing how to use it can turn your ordinary hair into extraordinary hair.

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Things You’ll Need:

• Hair gel

1. Select the right strength. Hair gels range in consistency from lightweight to extra strong hold. The lighter the weight, the more natural the hold is. Hair texture is an important factor in the type of gel required for your hair. Thick, coarse hair needs a stronger hold than thin or fine hair, which can be controlled easily with a lightweight or normal hold gel.
2. Squirt a quarter-size amount of gel into your palm and rub it between your palms in a circular motion so that it's evenly distributed.
3. Run your palms along the hair shaft first, and then scrunch upwards if you desire a curly, wavy or scrunched look. This prevents clumping. The downward motion prevents frizzies. Tipping your head up-side down and scrunching allows curls to naturally find their place and helps the gel reach different angles.
4. Rub the gel into short, spiky hair, using your palms and fingertips to encouraging the sides and bangs to go where you prefer. Men and women with short, spiky hair tend to use a maximum hold gel or even hair putty to keep their hair from moving out of place.
5. Allow wet hair to air dry or use a finger-tip diffuser. Attach the diffuser to the end of a regular blow dryer and lift sections of long hair into the base for about 15 seconds at a time. The heat from the blow dryer evaporates the water from your hair without blowing air on your hair, which can create frizz and unwanted kinks or volume.

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