Tired of cheap hair gel? Check these alternatives

Every man knows those cheap hair gels you can get at any major drugstores like CVS, Walgreens or Target. Those big jars with the brightest colors. Chances are you also use that kind of stuff as your go-to hair product. And there is no shame in that, but many boys and men are using those kind of products because they basically do not know there are many alternatives that will suit their hair needs way better. This blogpost is especially relevant for you if you usually buy your hair gel or hair product at the drugstore, but you are curious to try something different.

What is hair gel actually?

The name hair gel is often used to describe a wide variety of hairstyling products. Some men would even call hair wax or hair cream a hair gel, even though that are completely different kind of products. Initially hair gel was marketed to keep your combed hair in place. The product is relatively wet and usually provides a medium to strong hold with a lot of shine. In most cases hair gels are water based nowadays. Because they are water based, they harden in the hair, so that your hair stays in place whole day long. The downside is that it can get crunchy and flaky, especially when you wake up the next morning. A lot of the cheaper hair gels from the big drugstores work like this.

Alternatives for cheap hair gel

Nowadays you have so many alternatives for those super market and drugstore hair gels. I will admit, hair gel is easy and cheap, but they are not very versatile. Also many woman are not really looking for a guy with super shiny and crunchy hair. It is way nicer if they can just move their hands through your flexible hair.

One of the most popular alternatives for cheap hair gel are hair clays and hair waxes. This is because more and more men are looking for products that provide a high hold without the shiny finish. Matte finish products are very popular and your hair will not harden that much or not at all if you use premium hair wax or hair clay products. These products are great alternatives for hair gel and the results it also way nicer.

Popular matte finish hairstyling products for men

Hairstyling products that are closer to the hair gels at Target, Walgreens or CVS are gel pomades. Pomades can be oil based and water based. Water based pomades have a lot of similarities with the traditional hair gels as they also provide a high hold and a shiny finish. Pomades are usually just a bit thicker and the result is more subtle while also containing better ingredients for your hair.

Popular gel pomades for men

I just mentioned a few other options if you are curious to replace your cheap hair gel for something else, but there are way more products. There are creams, pastes, powders, sprays and more. It is difficult to know all the differences between those products, so that is why I made a blogpost about all the different kind of products.

Conclusion

When you are happy with your cheap hair gel from one of the major drugstores, then that is great and I am glad you found your product. But when you are curious about the other products out there and want to see how you can achieve better hairstyles with better hairstyling products, then think back of this blogpost when you find yourself standing in front of the shelves again. There are so many alternatives to try and luckily there are often travel sizes to test a product without paying the full amount!