A light, foamy gel is effective in creating a playful, messy look. You’ll still be able to have some bounce and some life in your hair. A medium-hold gel is great for shiny spikes, getting your hair to stay in almost gravity-defying ways. A thick gel will give you a slicked-back look, holding it in place firmly all day. You might not be able to run your fingers through it, but it’ll hold fast in a windstorm.
Applying gel to dirty or greasy hair can make the gel less effective and more “crunchy” looking. It also promotes split ends and poor hair health, so it’s always a good idea to give your hair a thorough washing first.
Use a dime-sized amount for short hair. Use a quarter-sized amount for medium-length hair. Use two or more quarter-sized amounts for long (or especially thick) hair.
For a straight-haired look, brush or shape hair to your desired style. Scrunch or twist your hair with your fingers to encourage curls. To give curly or wavy hair extra volume, especially at the roots, flip your head over to scrunch the gel in evenly.
To create this look, spread the gel through your hair using only your fingertips, moving strands in different directions and taming fly-aways. The best gel for this type of look would be a lighter gel, and the best type of hair would be medium-length hair of moderate thickness.
Put a very small amount of gel in your hands, and finger-style your hair, pulling it down the side of your head along the part, in opposite directions. Take a comb and dampen it slightly under the water, then comb along the hair in the direction you started, if you want it to look slightly neater. This type of look is best with thinner hair of moderate or short length, but is also perfectly useful for all types of hair. It can be an effective style for masking a receding hairline, as well.
Spread the gel through your hair, sweeping your hair from the line of your forehead toward the back of your head, without parting it. Use the damp comb to sweep it into place as neatly and flatly as possible. This type of look works best with medium-longish hair of moderate thickness. It can emphasize a receding hairline, so be cautious if things aren’t quite as thick up there as they used to be.
Use a dollop of gel on your fingertips, and spread it upwards through your hair, pulling your hair away from your head and pinching it in between your fingers to create spikes. For a milder look, you can do this only to the front portion of your hair. [3] X Research source Wait a few minutes and let the initial spikes dry, then get a very tiny amount of gel on your fingertips and go back through, strengthening the spikes and building them up slightly, if you want to really emphasize them. This style looks best with medium-length hair of moderate thickness. If it’s too long, you’ll probably need to use hair spray (and maybe even egg whites) in conjunction with the gel to get things to stay in place.
Put a liberal amount of gel into your fingertips and do a basic mussed-up look, getting your hair into a combination of spikes and casual messiness. Then, take a medium-tooth comb, wet it, and run it along the sides of your head, above each ear. If you want a more formal pompadour, you can do a neat part along your natural hairline to one side with the comb, keeping it straight, then do the same straight-back action with the comb on both sides. You might need to use your fingers to get the front tips up as high as you want. This works best for hair that’s longish on top and quite short, or even buzzed, on the sides.
