Q&A for How to Gel Your Hair

Gel can cause the scalp to dry up. That's why it's important to apply shampoo before using gel.

If it has alcohol as an ingredient, it may dry out your scalp. If you don't want this to happen, you can get an alcohol-free gel.

It will work. However, it usually has a stronger hold than casual hair gel.

Unless the gel is labeled for straightening, it would be best to apply it after you straighten your hair. What you should consider applying to your hair before straightening it is a heat protectant spray; it will keep your hair from getting damaged.

Your hair could become crunchy and sticky, and it really takes away the natural look.

Analysis of ancient Egyptians mummies has shown that they styled their hair using a fat-based gel. Possibly human beings added something to their hair even from cave times, to keep hair out of the way and in good condition.

Why not? Try it. Get some feedback.

Use your hands to flatten out your hair. If you are going for a slicked-back look, use your hands, especially if there is a cowlick in place. If a curl pops up, just put the strands underneath existing strands. If you are going for a messy look, it can turn out one of two ways. Either it will work well, or it will be more of a mess. Only test out if you have time at home, and don't bring this style to a event, until you make sure it works. If you are going for a side-comb, try flattening your hair with an iron. Note that the slicked back is best for curly hair. That's all there is to it.

Yes, gel can be used to hold your curled/messy style into place as it hardens.

Get a little bit of wax, rub it into your hands, then into your hair. And slick it back until you achieve the look you want.

Hair gel can be used on a beard, but beard hair tends to have a curly texture. If you decide to proceed and do it, wash your beard with shampoo, then add a small amount of gel (depending on the size of the beard) and then blow dry it.

Yes, it is possible. They contain compounds that dry your scalp and in doing so can destroy keratin that makes your hair color.

In some cases, when a lot of gel is used, it can dry out the hair and leave a light white film on the hair.

Put a tiny amount of gel or wax in your hair and use a comb to get it to be flat. It should then stay flat for the rest of the day.

It's best not to. The hair may burn and crinkle and get a crunchy texture.

If you are trying to re-position a cowlick, you'll need a gel with a strong hold, so check out the gel tube for the strongest hold (usually 5 on a scale of 1-5). For weaker holds, you can check out other products like clay, wax, paste, putty etc.

Try to limit it to maybe 5 days out of the week so you do not damage your hair.

No, don't do this. Your hair will burn.

It may be that the gel hasn't set or that your hands are wet. It could also be that you put too much water on your hair and this reduced the gel's effectiveness, thus preventing the gel from "setting".

It depends on the gel's drying and hardening speed. It shouldn't take longer than 5 minutes.

You should put gel on wet hair. Putting it on dry hair makes it difficult to control and can cause frizziness.

Yes. All gel will wear out, so you will have to reapply it from time to time.

It could possibly work, but gel works better with hair that is wet. Just wash your hair in the basin or in the shower if you have time to get your hair wet.

Of course! Hair is pretty much the same regardless of gender. Women often use gel to tame and style baby hairs.

That is not a good idea because the oil would take away the holding power of the gel.

Traces of the gel could be found in your hair if not put on correctly or if you use too much.

I suggest spiking it up, leaving it non-gelled, or even gelling it to slick backward/forward.

Pomade is a really good gel that is very light and gets the job done. It also makes your hair look shinier and thicker.

If your hair is already stiff and straight, then use a conditioner to transform the hair's brittleness to another direction that you would prefer.

It depends on the hold-level of the gel, the texture of your hair and how oily your scalp may be. The best way to find out is to experiment.