Good gels for high humidity and heat

[jeamaria]

Hi,

I went on vacation last year, and my hair stuff totally did not hold up in the heat and humidity. The gel never set, and proceeded to melt, then evaporate out of my hair. it was an extra hold formula and I couldn't even use it to slick my hair back! I'm going again this year and I was hoping for some recs that can deliver in the heat and humid conditions. I am trying not to forego CG, in terms of ingredients, but I will if I have to . TIA!

[Syb]

I alternate between these 2 gels myself: Curls Goddess Glaze(medium hold) and FOTE Aloe Vera Gel(light hold).  But for the strongest amount of hold, going with Herbal Essences Set Me Up Gel is probably your best choice.
It has gotten a lot of good reviews on some of the other hair sites, about it standing up real well to heat and humidity. I personally have not tried it in my hair yet, but I did purchase a tube of it last weekend, and do plan on using it in the very near future.  Also Set Me Up is cheap, and you can buy it at any of your local stores such as Wal-Mart, Wal-Greens, CVS, or K-Mart.

Yes, Set Me Up Gel is "CG" by the way!

[Natakue]

i found that even in the heat and humidity, my fantasia gel worked great. i also just bought the herbal essences humidity defying gel, and used it during that crazy heat wave we had last week and my hair looked fantabulous! but i did have to squeeze out the crunchies...not too many...and my hair was soft after the crunchies were gone. this gel is only about $3-$4 too!

eta: i also like my kccc. that thing keeps my hair looking great all day, no matter the weather!

[jeamaria]

Thanks Syb and Natakue, I will look for both of the Herbal Essences and pick up a new jar of Fantasia. it hasn't worked that well for me here, just OK, but I think its high glycerine content will make it work best in that humidity. I may experiment with layering the Herbal Essence over the Fantasia, my hair seems to like that light-heavy type of combo.
 
I so want to try the KCCC, but I am not going to take my chances and hope for it to arrive in time, given her crazy shipping setup. I haven't had any luck with any of the Curls products I've tried so I am a little hesitant to purchase new ones, though I had been interested in the Goddess Glaze.  Still, I am happy that 3 of the other recs are cheap and hopefully they will do me just fine in the meantime.

One more question; do you dry your hair to set the gel before going out into the humid air, or just let it air dry as usual?

[bubbles76]

If you're looking for something CG and natural, I like Aubrey Organics B-5 Design Gel.  Or Aubrey Organics Mandarin Magic Hair Moisturizing Jelly.  I apply both to wet hair.  For an even better hold, I combine both of them.  For a lighter hold (and what I've started to use more often), I use Qhemet Biologics Honeybush Hair Tea Gel.  For store brands, I love Aura HypoAllergenic Gel, although I believe it's being discontinued.  No cones, sulfates, bad alcohols, PVP, or petroleum. 

[Natakue]

no problemo!

also, i airdry all the time.

and if the fantasia hasn't been working out for you, then maybe it isn't a good idea to buy a whole new jar just for a vacation...   (just trying to save you some money  )

[jeamaria]

bubbles76, what a coincidence that you should mention Aubrey Organics B-5 Design Gel, I was debating whether to buy it a couple of weeks ago. What would you compare its texture and that of the jelly to? TIA.

Natakue, what I didn't like about Fantasia was that I found it drying. I figured this was down to it being very glycerine based and that being more compatible with a humid environment.  It didn't have as much hold as I was used to,  but I think this too could be remedied by layering with a more liquidy strong gel. I noticed that the greasy, glycerine based Let's Jam gel (the one that vibrates if you hit the container) was the only thing that vaguely worked for me, whereas it usually just turns to oil (which my hair refuses to absorb) in a few minutes.

Moderate humidity is my hair's best friend but I cannot deal with the extreme version. I want to experiment with a bunch of stuff because my hair care seems to go out of the window under those conditions. My nail polish even evaporated over there .

[bubbles76]

Jeamaria, I would compare the B-5 Design Gel to slightly thinner than the Fantasia in consistency.  The same with the Moisturizing Jelly.  But definitely thicker than the Aura gel or a liquidy type gel.  If you don't like glycerin products, then I think these will work for you.  I don't believe these products have glycerin. 

The Qhem gel, on the other hand, you may not like, because it has glycerin.  It used to didn't work for me in the summer, but if I add a little jojoba oil it works okay.  It works better in the winter for me.  The Aubrey Gel and Jelly give me too much hold, but I think that's because I don't need that much hold.  It may be right up your ally if you're looking for strong hold! I really look to keep my hair moisturized and frizz free.  Hold is a bonus, because my curls are so tight I don't really need hold

[spiderlashes5000]

I don't know if this will work for you (and it has not worked for me the few times I tried it), but...Lorraine Massey (who wrote Curly Girl) says that to combat humidity, just saturate your hair with conditioner.  Your hair will be saturated to the point of being unable to accept anymore moisture, and the humidity will have no effect on it.  But personally, I cannot go around with more than a nickle-sized amount of conditioner in my hair at the most.  But some people can...and that may be the way to go for them.
 

[Syb]

Jeamaria, here's my answer as to whether I dry my hair to set the gel or just let it airdry.  I always let my hair AIRDRY after applying my styling products to it. I don't believe in using heat at all when it comes to finishing off my hair.

[jeamaria]

Thanks for your reply Syb, I was wondering if it was the fact that I hadn't made sure it got dried firm like a dryer would was part of the reason most of it was disappearing into the air

Spiderlashes, what you said about the conditioner is interesting.  I am really trying to use more conditioner, I just have an old instinct that if I use more than enough to lightly coat all my hair  is wasteful. My sister told me that I used to much when she saw how much I now use, but my hair just drinks it up!

Even when I was being my most sparing with condish, I definitely used more than a nickle size. Only honey, shea butter, and Dax pomade seem able to weigh my natural hair down (though straightened it goes limp easy), so I will try putting even more conditioner in and see what happens. Thanks for that:)

Bubbles, Thanks for the clarification on the gel consistencies. I don't mind using glycerine because though it seems useless on my hair in dry conditions, it seems to be the only thing that can hold up in humidity. My hair is v. tightly curled too, but it likes to escape a lot .