Gell hair for retention

[katblack]

I know some have had success with this, but how many of you ladies or gentlemen have used gel through out you long hair growth journey?
How do you use these gel?
Has it helped you to retain your growth?

 

[JaszyFaye]

I personally haven't used gel to retain my growth but a girl friend of mine has. The only thing she does to her hair is pull it back in a puff using aloe vera gel (fruit of the earth kind) and she has gone from bc to past shoulder legnth

 

[lilwomen20010]

I know a girl and she is mbl, and natural, she told me she would wash her hair and apply some type of vitamin spray I think Infusion and she would put the gel on her hair from root to tip and put it in a ponytail... and it would look really pretty and curly.. HTH

 

[chebaby]

i use afroveda gel everyday to slick back my puff and retention hasnt been an issue for me. doesnt aloevera have protein in it. if so then thats good for the front of my hair because that area needs protein lol.

 

[AwesomelyNappy]

i didnt know people used gel to help retain length.

I use a few dabs of fruit of the earth aloe vera gel on my hair after cowashing (part of my washngo) and i love it because it helps define & keeps it from frizzing, yet doesn't make my hair crunchy, hard, damaged or dry.

 

[AwesomelyNappy]

I just wanted to add, another gel staple I also use (and love) is Proclaim curl & wave conditioning activator gel. it has aloe vera and protein in it as well. the first two ingredients are water and glycerin and the fourth is aloe.

 

[classychic1908]

I use gel throughout my hair and I believe that it has helped me to retain growth. I use gels with moisturizing properties on top of a heavy moisture layer to smooth my coarse and frizzy strands. The gel acts like a sealant.

My hair is very picky about oils, castor oil is the only one that my hair seems to love and I always use it along with conditioner under my gel.

A good gel to me is moisturizing, water based, has good healthy ingredients, and is heavy enough to combat the frizz.

 

[CherryCherryBoomBoom]

I personally haven't used gel to retain my growth but a girl friend of mine has. The only thing she does to her hair is pull it back in a puff using aloe vera gel (fruit of the earth kind) and she has gone from bc to almost APL in less than a year.

:wow: That is some crazy growth!! I need me some of that

 

[ParagonTresses]

I use gel daily and haven't noticed any problems retaining length.

 

[jupitermoon]

Everyone's different. Pokahontas has beautiful long hair and she uses gels, etc. but gel dries out my hair terribly which leads to tangles, breakage, and splits. I use conditioner (and sometimes EVOO during the cooler months) only.

 

[thehairmaverick]

I use gel throughout my hair and I believe that it has helped me to retain growth. I use gels with moisturizing properties on top of a heavy moisture layer to smooth my coarse and frizzy strands. The gel acts like a sealant.

My hair is very picky about oils, castor oil is the only one that my hair seems to love and I always use it along with conditioner under my gel.

A good gel to me is moisturizing, water based, has good healthy ingredients, and is heavy enough to combat the frizz.

This is all me to a t....I never have crunchy hair when I apply a thick leave-in and castor oil before, but some people's hair gets really crunchy so I understand why a lot of people don't use gel. I stop using gel out of fear that my hair would break of...I should have sticked to what worked for me But I'm starting back so yay for me

Gel really helps my hair from tangling on itself and smoothes it perfectly- less ssk in a nutshell.

 

[Je Ne Sais Quoi]

How does gel help retain length? I'm scratching my head over that one.

 

[JaszyFaye]

:wow: That is some crazy growth!! I need me some of that

yeah she just posted pictures on her facebook. she bc'd august 2009 and she CUT her hair to shoulder legnth. i was like what in the hell!?! she told me all she does is use some CD products and aloe vera gel and she has only used heat maybe 3 or 4 times.

 

[ceebee3]

I use gel to slick my hair down but I haven't noticed any benefits when it comes to retention.

 

[JaszyFaye]

How does gel help retain length? I'm scratching my head over that one.

I'm thinking, (in the case of my friend) the aloe vera is very moisturizing. I know when I use aloe vera gel it doesn't make my hair hard or leave flakes. Eco Stlyer gel on the other hand, that's a whole nother story, I won't even go there.

 

[MOTHEROF3NATURALLY]

I use gel everyday on my hair. I use it to control my new growth and to bring out my natural curl.

 

[Bublin]

I use gel throughout my hair and I believe that it has helped me to retain growth. I use gels with moisturizing properties on top of a heavy moisture layer to smooth my coarse and frizzy strands. The gel acts like a sealant.

My hair is very picky about oils, castor oil is the only one that my hair seems to love and I always use it along with conditioner under my gel.

A good gel to me is moisturizing, water based, has good healthy ingredients, and is heavy enough to combat the frizz.

What gels are you using?

 

[AimWard]

How does gel help retain length? I'm scratching my head over that one.

+1
I use gel (KCCC) throughout the length of my hair once a week and I refresh with water @ about day 3 or 4. Though my hair is growing fine and isn't breaking, I wouldn't go as far as to say that the gel is what is helping me retain length. Sure it's not causing damage, but it's not the only reason I'm retaining length either. It's simply a styler, it's neither here nor there. IMO.

 

[FlowerHair]

If you use a light gel (not black gel) without alcohol I think your hair should be fine.

 

[nikolite]

I can't imagine doing this. Does anyone use gel on their ends? Otherwise, how does it retain length exactly?

 

[Ton 太太]

..............

 

[Ton 太太]

...............

 

[LilMissRed]

I use gel almost daily but never really thought it was for 'retaining growth'... I use it for style and to make my hair do what I want it to do

 

[nurseN98]

I have noticed my retention has impoved since using ecostyler olive oil gel mixed with a little avocado oil. I've been using this combo for about3 months now and I've retained more growth. I'm a few inches to waist length and I think I can make it.

 

[Br*nzeb*mbsh~ll]

That's what I thought.

^^^I use it from root to tip, to wet bun (Military) during my work week. I DC, detangle, rinse, saturate with moisturizing leave-ins, lightly oil, then section my hair into six boxes and coat [root to tip] with a gel, then bun. I alternate between aloe vera gel, flax seed gel, and some Lustrasilk Olive Oil gel.

In March, I cut my hair from midback length to neck length during my last deployment to Afghanistan [It was ****** hot and miserable so gave my battle some desk scissors to chop me up!]. It's a bit past shoulder now and has grown quickly and effortlessly my whole life. BUT--I believe using the gel has worked as a sealant and protected my ends from breaking. Much like Chicoro's Vaseline method.

Does everyone like petrolatum or gel products? No, ladies here tend to avoid it like the plague. But it does it's job well as long as there is plenty moisture underneath, IMHO.

 

[classychic1908]

What gels are you using?

My favorite gel hands down is KCCC. I also use aloe vera gel mixed in with whatever I'm using for moisture.

I used to be a huge fan of smooth n shine curl activator gel, but they changed a few ingredients and I'm trying to use only natural products. It is still a good product, though.

I'm always on the lookout for a new all natural gel (a natural activator gel would equal love). So far I figured out that water based and humectant heavy works for me.

 

[Ms Lala]

This is interesting. I never considered that gel could be used to help w/retention. I've always hear regular use of gel referred to negatively. I may have to give it a try w/my twist outs and see if it helps.

 

[Nina_deF]

I wet bunnytail every other day (depending on the weather) because I don't know what else to do. My hair has been growing but is still too short for the ends to touch my clothes anyway.

I use AO Magic Mandarin Jelly (my frizzbuster) or AO B5 gel (has a tad better hold) over coconut butter. It feels like it gets absorbed into my hair, compared to KCCC, which leaves a producty feel.

 

[Tyra]

I use aloe vera gel on my hair from root to tip and eco to slick down my edges.
Aloe vera gel carried me through that first stage (from less than one inch to neck length) after my bc. I just chalked that up to the moisturizing properties that AV has.
When I see 'gel' my mind always goes to ampro style, eco, etc.
I never really think of aloe vera gel in that sense.
Maybe there's something to it.*shrugs*

ETA: I actually have avoided putting gel (besides Aloe Vera )on my ends since I always thought that most gels are protein heavy. For me daily protein on my ends would equal Setback City.
I don't know how that would go over with a moisturizer under the gel though.

 

[kblc06]

I used gel and spritz to grow my hair out when relaxed. I went from a little past shoulder length to BSL in about 11-12 months (in one school year). What I would do is wash and DC my hair, and I would use Ecostyler gel (level 7) to either slick my hair back into a bun, or rollerset it. I would sometimes use spritz for extra hold. I never manipulated my hair while gelled- EVER! To remove the product I would put conditioner on my hair under running water in the shower. Only until the product had broken down would I continue to wash and manipulate my hair.

My hair styles would last a week. I've found that for me, the key is not to let the hold wear off on it's own- this is when I begin to experience dryness or splits from using gel. I also relaxed very infrequently, maybe 1-3x a year. This regimen worked pretty well when transitioning and natural too. Also, I wouldn't recommend this if your hair is protein sensitive. My hair loves protein, both relaxed and natural, and the protein-based gel helped to strengthen my fine hair.