Since I started styling my textured hair more frequently and straightening it less often last year, there was something that I noticed about the curly advice out there: Curl gels kind of get a bad rap. Whenever I’d reach out to people for styling advice, they would recommend a curl cream to coax definition into my hair rather than a gel. Yes, using curl gels in the wrong way can lead to crispy, crunchy or stringy curls, but—trust me—adding a curl gel has been the best thing for my styling routine.
For me, I like to use gels when I’m doing my braid- and twist-outs for any hope of getting definition into my thick, coily hair. And if you like to wash and go, then you can actually apply most curl gels to wet hair and work them through with a Denman brush or while you finger-coil. Personally, creams have never given me enough hold thanks to their high moisture content, but if you’re worried about gels leaving your strands feeling parched, then press in a light oil before your hair dries to seal moisture in.
