Gels vs. Creams

January 8, 2021

black girls, curly hair, Hair Care, Natural Hair, natural hair products

When shopping for styling products, you want a product that provides shine, hold, moisture, and softness to your child’s natural curls. When it’s time to style, gels and creams are standard styling products for natural hair. However, they differ in many ways that can help or hinder the next hairstyle.

Here are the pros and cons of gels and creams to help you choose the best one for your child’s next natural hairstyle:

Gels

Natural hair gels are commonly used because of their long-lasting hold and definition on curls. Gels typically have a gelatinous consistency accompanied by drying alcohols and other ingredients not moisturizing to natural curls. When using gels, people tend to utilize the LCO or LOC method to seal moisture before coating their hair strands with a gel.

Pros:

Add shine
long-lasting hold
great to use for slick backs
great to hold natural hair down in braids and twist
anti-frizz

Cons:

may contain drying alcohols
do not moisturize hair
can make natural curls stiff or crunchy

Styling Gels:

Mielle Organics Styling Gel with Honey and Ginger
Aunt Jackie's Flaxseed Don't Shrink Curling Gel
Curls Control Curl Sculpting Gel
Eco Style Professional Styling Gel with Argan Oil

Creams

There are plenty of creams that vary in heaviness and consistency for natural hair. Many creams are moisturizing and add a lot of slip to naturally curly hair. Even though creams do not have as hard of a hold as a gel, creams can be used to detangle, style, and moisturize your child’s natural hair. Heavier creams are used in the LOC method to seal in the moisture.

Pros:

moisturizing
can be used in a variety of hairstyles to seal in moisture with a soft hold
provide a voluminous look compared to gel
used in the LOC and LCO method

Cons:

softer hold
some creams do not mix well with other products in natural hair, which leads to flaking

Styling Creams:

SheaMoisture Coconut & Hibiscus Kids Curling Hair Butter Cream
Camille Rose Naturals Kids Brown Butter Melt Mandarin Oil Hair Balm
The Mane Choice Sweet Strawberry Fruit Medley KIDS Moisturizer
Cantu Care for Kids Curling Cream

So what product should you use on your next wash day? Well, it depends on the natural hairstyle. If you are doing a twist or braid out, we recommend using a moisturizing cream that will help your child’s hair stay moisturized for the whole week. If you are styling a high bun, then a styling gel is perfect for smoothing her edges and making sure there are no flyaway hairs at the top. Having a go-to gel and cream in your natural hair product bucket is beneficial.

Understanding what product works for what style is key, and you can teach your child this with Zoe. Zoe’s hair is full of curl power that can be washed and styled, just like real hair with real products.