Using gel for braids?

[Becs]

Hello everyone! A week from today I'm leaving to go to Europe to study abroad for a month (Shakespeare in England and Italy.) I'm really excited but also a bit nervous about what I'm going to do with my hair. With class, seeing plays, and site seeing I don't know how much extra time I'll have to braid my hair. I normally leave my braids in for a few days, sometimes up to four. But by the end they're always really fuzzy from hairs that have escaped. I was just wondering if using gel on my hair before braiding would help this so I could leave my braids in for longer. Any experiences with this? Any particular gels that are good? Is gel damaging? Because if so its definitely not worth it to me. I don't want any unnecessary damage. Thanks for any help/ideas you can offer!

[Ingrid]

I'm not a fan of gel (annoying to wash out and smelly), but I use a tiny bit of coconut oil to smooth my hair down so that the braid is neater. Coconut oil also has the added benefit of nourishing the hair and protecting it from protein loss.

Your trip sounds really exciting!!

[Becs]

I'm not a fan of gel (annoying to wash out and smelly), but I use a tiny bit of coconut oil to smooth my hair down so that the braid is neater. Coconut oil also has the added benefit of nourishing the hair and protecting it from protein loss.

Your trip sounds really exciting!!
Yeah the difficulty of washing it out was another thing I was concerned about. I usually use some olive oil before I braid which definitely does help for a while, but after a certain amount of time the fuzzies appear. Perhaps it's just inevitable. And thanks I am really excited for the trip :o. I've never been to Italy before so it should be great

[gthlvrmx]

Do you mean gels like these? http://www.mocodegorila.net/ Or like these http://www.short-hairstyles.website/hair-gel/ ?

Either way, from my personal experience, gel is damaging. That includes using hairspray. If it's not damaging, it is very drying for sure. I used to use gel and hairspray for marching band and my hair was not as pretty as it is now. I did get this giant matted dreadlock thing from where I would wear a ponytail and apply gel with hairspray in band and another program I was in. It was not fun. The matted hair had lots of splits, felt dry, and felt like hay for years until I chopped it off.

I think it's the alcohol in gels that are the trouble. Maybe you can try fresh aloe vera from the plant? Or buy aloe vera gel at the store, the safer kind for hair.

[jeanniet]

Gel shouldn't be damaging or hard to wash out. I use gel every time I wash my hair (over two years now), and I CO and almost never clarify. Just read the ingredients to make sure there's no problems. I use LA Looks gel; the Sport is easiest to find and cheap. It does smell a bit strong, but the smell doesn't linger and you get used to it.

[PalomaSincera]

No clue but that's awesome you're studying abroad. I'm asumming that you're an English major. I'm an English major too. I'll be taking Shakespeare next Spring semester. Also, I'm from Spain so I'm definitely biased towards Europe. Go you!!

[maria_asa]

I use aloe vera gel when I want my braids to stay frizz-free for longer times. At first I applied it when the braid was done but after watching Raychel Emmons' tutorials on youtube (https://www.youtube.com/user/raychelnorberg) I started applying a little every time I add new hair when French/Dutch braiding and the braid holds much better with this method.

I find that if I don't overdo the aloe completely it soaks into my hair and leaves no residue.

[Becs]

gthlvrmx , so if it doesn't have alcohol it'll probably be ok? I could definitely give aloe vera gel a try like you and maria_asa suggested. Is it easy to find? Would it be available at Walmart perhaps? And AlejandraMaria, I'm actually a nursing major, not an English major. This class is through the honors program at my college, which I am a part of. I love English though and am really excited to have the opportunity to take this class and go to Europe. It's great that it is offered during the summer, so I can take it without it interfering with all my science courses

[picklepie]

Lots of curly girls (and guys I'm sure) use gel every day with no ill effects. I second the LA Looks recommendation. You can also smooth some conditioner into your damp hair before applying the gel and braiding.

Your program sounds amazing! Congrats on the honors, you must work hard!

[Nini]

Would it not be an option to just re-braid your hair every morning?

[Dixie_Amazon]

Have you tried aloe vera gel. Maybe a little of something like this, ORS™ Olive Oil Smooth-N-Hold Pudding (http://www.sallybeauty.com/olive-oil-pudding/SBS-311164,default,pd.html). I haven't tried it but I have been eyeing it.

[Madora]

Wouldn't gel attract every living particle in the universe to your braids? Rebraiding every day would seem better for your hair. Have a great time!

[Entangled]

Aloe gel is what many ren faire braiders use, and their braids can hold for more than a week. (Though they use quite a bit)
It holds really well.

[Becs]

All right so from what I'm seeing, I think I'll look for either the LA looks gel or aloe vera gel. The one you linked to looks really interesting as well Dixie_Amazon. Am I correct in thinking that as long as I get a gel that doesn't have alcohol it won't be damaging/drying? Because I'd rather brave the wispies than have that. And the reason I don't want to redo my braids every morning is that I like to do fancier braids so it's easier to just leave them in for a bit. Thank you guys for all your help!

[lapushka]

I don't think gel is going to keep those tiny hairs in your braid for longer. It might help with edge control, but I mean, you can't encase your entire braid in gel, or can you?

[Becs]

I don't think gel is going to keep those tiny hairs in your braid for longer. It might help with edge control, but I mean, you can't encase your entire braid in gel, or can you?

I was sort of thinking I would lightly gel the individual strands of the braid....are you saying that would not work? I honestly don't know as I've never done it before. It was just an idea I had

[Arctic]

If you buy alcohol-free gel, which maybe has some caring ingredients too, I don't think it would be damaging. To be on the safer side yet, try one that is not super hyper strong hold.

If I were you, I would apply the gel after braiding, not before. I have done this (crown braids and such), and the results lasted really well and looked very neat - but my washing schedule is very different to yours, I wash almost daily. And since I mentioned washing, in my own experience there is nothing difficult about washing gel away with normal shampoo.

In any case I think you should try this beforehands, to see how well it would work.

[LeMimi13]

I guess a french brajd would stay put very well even without gel... mine can last 3 days if I want it to. Just sleek the ear wispies on day 2 if you wanna, those are annoying!

[Nadine <3]

Hm, I once used sugar water (a teaspoon of sugar dissolved in a cup of hot water and put into a spray bottle) on my damp hair and put it into two dutch braids. Usually by the time I wake up my braids are falling apart and I have more frizz and escaped hairs than I have braid, but this mixture kept the braids looking nice for 3 days of camping. The only thing was when I got home and went to take them down to wash I had some sticky bits fairly close to my scalp. It came out really easily though once I got it wet it just dissolved away, just don't rip a comb through it and it's fine.

[lapushka]

I was sort of thinking I would lightly gel the individual strands of the braid....are you saying that would not work? I honestly don't know as I've never done it before. It was just an idea I had

It could work. I thought you were going to gel the braid as a whole, but individually gelling the strands might just do it. I really have no idea!

My rec for gel would be Eco Styler (no alcohol, no silicones). I've been using the olive oil version of this gel for... forever! I love it!

[jeanniet]

I don't know of any gels that have alcohol in them, actually. Just check labels to make sure. They don't attract dirt or lint, either, and certainly not as much as oil does. How they would work for a braid, I don't know, because I haven't tried that. Don't know about aloe, either, but aloe doesn't work for my hair anyway. I think it's worth a bit of experimenting, at any rate.

[Becs]

Yeah you're right it is definitely worth some experimenting. I have about 6 days left until I leave, so I'll see what I can find and give it a go :)

[molljo]

You've gotten some great recommendations for specific gels, but I do want to chime in and say that it's not inherently damaging or difficult to wash out. Make sure you use it on damp hair. Gel on dry hair is a disaster.

[gthlvrmx]

gthlvrmx , so if it doesn't have alcohol it'll probably be ok? I could definitely give aloe vera gel a try like you and maria_asa suggested. Is it easy to find? Would it be available at Walmart perhaps? And AlejandraMaria, I'm actually a nursing major, not an English major. This class is through the honors program at my college, which I am a part of. I love English though and am really excited to have the opportunity to take this class and go to Europe. It's great that it is offered during the summer, so I can take it without it interfering with all my science courses

Yes, it's best to get gels that don't have alcohol if you want avoid any trouble. I think there are also gels that have silicones, and if you don't like using silicones, you should avoid them too. If you are concerned about the ingredients in the gels you want to buy, just google them real fast and do a quick search there to see if there are any threads on LHC about them. I have read other threads where people say something about alcohols in gels, but I don't know much about that part http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/showthread.php?t=47744

I just go by experience and it was not pretty after a long time. Just know that it took me some time before I noticed my hair looking bad, it wasn't like in 2 weeks that it felt weird.
The aloe vera gel can be found in CVS, Walmart, and Walgreens I believe, maybe even Rite Aid. Try getting the aloe vera gel bottle that is clear, not green or blue.