15/12/2020
Not a gel cast?
A good gel cast is a desirable feature to protect curls from frizz and external factors such as humidity, wind, heat, etc. while drying. Cast does not determine how well a gel stays on, so if your results are good even without cast, there is no reason to worry.
Here are 8 reasons why you may not be getting a gel cast
1. Your gel doesn't have enough film-forming ingredients. Film-forming ingredients like polymers and humectants do exactly that - form a film/cast around the hair.
2. You've applied a very oily product under the gel. Gels adhere best to clean hair.
3. You applied too much of a product under the gel. Gels adhere best to clean hair.
4. Your hair moves a lot while drying. For example, rubbing on your couch or pillow. Or stepping into a windy day with wet hair. Cast can only form if the hair remains undisturbed. Diffusing instead of air drying helps. But if you don't have time to diffuse until it's completely dry, the easiest way is to diffuse until a cast is formed and let the rest air dry.
5. Your hair has build-up or is too conditioned. Gels adhere best on clean hair (same principle as points 2 and 3). Clarify with a good cleansing shampoo.
6. You're not using enough gel. Kind of obvious I guess.
7. You plop too long. Plopping for too long can absorb some of the gel in addition to the water. About 20 minutes of plopping works best depending on your hair type.
8. Your hair is soaking wet while you are applying gel. I mentioned this point last because styling on soaking wet hair gives the best frizz control. So I would only consider this if you are adept at styling your hair and know how to experiment with it. Just squeeze a little water out of your hair before applying the gel.
