Why Can’t I Use Gel in My Locs?
If you want to use gel on your locs, please check the ingredients first.
Not all gels are created equal. Many gels will create flakage, buildup or can dry out your hair. This is especially undesirable when it comes to all that beautiful new growth. Now why would you want to weaken that new growth? We both know you wouldn’t! So how do you pick the right gel for your locs?
If you just need that gel
In the past, gels have been designed to define curls after the hair is wet. The gel holds that wet curl, most notoriously, with alcohol - which has been used to hold that pattern. But we don't need to use those ingredients in our curls, and certainly not in our locs anymore. Why not? Because they damage our hair. Gels can create buildup that we don't want. If you can’t do without gel, there are formulas made without alcohol and protein, so there’ll be no unsightly flakage on the surface of the loc or around your scalp.
How to manage frizz and locs without gel
We know you don’t want to hear this but what we really need is patience. We need patience more than anything. There are just going to be those days where our locs tell us what they want and how they want it. Slabbing generic gel on our locs might fix the issue at the moment, but a few hours down the line, and a few months down the line, will only further damage your hair. The Imani locking spray is designed to hold that new growth, because believe it or not, natural essential oils and natural nourishing ingredients do have the power to hold our hair in place without damaging it.
We’ve heard of some people using flax seeds as a gel, but we’ve never tried it so we can’t swear by it. Replenishing essential oils can give our hair what it needs to stay hydrated and not spread itself thin for moisture in the air, i.e. frizz. Our hairs frizz because the cuticles are searching for any moisture it can get. When we use the right buildup free, hydrating ingredients on our locs, regularly, we shouldn’t have to deal with frizz. It’s all about finding the right natural rhythm and formula that works with our natural hair and not jumping to cure-it-all solutions that promise to put a band-aid over it. Learning about ourselves and about our bodies and its tendencies can be a beautiful experience, so why cover up what is real with something that isn't, right?
