Hair Gel.

What gel is actually doing on textured hair

Gel forms a film around a wet curl and holds its shape while the water evaporates. That film is the cast, the slightly crunchy shell you break up once the hair is bone dry. Without it, a curl dries into whatever shape the air and your pillow decide on. Every product in this collection does that job, from the Shine 'n Jam conditioning gels through the Keracare Gel Essence range to ORS Olive Oil Curl Clumping Gel.

Hold levels, and how to choose one

Light and conditioning gels leave a soft cast, suit loose curls and waves, and are the easiest to live with. OSMO Essence Re-energising Curl Gel and As I Am Smoothing Gel sit here. Medium hold covers most people most of the time: Shine 'n Jam Conditioning Gel and Keracare Gel Essence Moisturising Gel give definition without setting like concrete.

Firm hold is for tight coils, humid days and styles that need to survive a full week. Shine 'n Jam Extra Hold, Shine 'n Jam Supreme Hold and Keracare Gel Essence Super Hold all belong in that bracket. A firmer gel is not automatically better. If your curls feel brittle and snap at the cast, drop a level or dilute the gel with a little water in your palm.

Edge gels, braid gels and loc gels are separate tools

Edge control is a small pot of very firm hold designed for the fine baby hairs at your hairline, and it is meant to be used sparingly. Mielle Pomegranate & Honey Super Hold Edge Gel, ORS Olive Oil Girls Fly-Away Taming Edge Gel and OSMO Essence Edge Defining Gel are the ones to look at. Braid and loc gels solve a different problem again. Shine 'n Jam Magic Fingers grips loose hair while you plait, and the Jamaican Mango & Lime Locking Gel range holds new growth into locs while they set.

Technique, and the two mistakes everyone makes

Apply to soaking wet hair, not damp. Rake or smooth the gel through a section, then scrunch upwards and let it be. Air dry, or diffuse on low heat until the cast is hard, then scrunch it out with a drop of oil in your hands. The first mistake is applying to hair that is too dry, which gives you frizz and flakes. The second is touching wet hair while it dries, which breaks the film before it has set.

Flaking, humidity and hard water

Most white flaking is a compatibility problem. Gels containing certain polymers clash with heavy butters and silicone leave-ins underneath, so if you flake with one combination, change the layer below the gel before you blame the gel. Hard water in London and the south-east makes it worse, since minerals sit on the strand and give the film something to catch on.

Humidity is the other variable. British summers reach 75 to 90 percent humidity, and that is when firmer hold pays off. Winter is drier indoors, closer to 30 percent with the heating on, so a conditioning gel over a good leave-in will usually be enough.