Navigating the world of hair styling products can be daunting, with options like hair serum vs hair gel vs mousse each promising different benefits.
Understanding the distinctions and uses of these products is key to achieving your desired hairstyle.
Hair serum smooths and adds shine, gel provides hold and structure, and mousse offers volume and light hold. Let's delve into the specifics of hair serum, gel, and mousse to help you decide which one will best suit your styling needs and hair type.
Hair Serum Vs Hair Gel Vs Mousse
| Details | Hair serum | Hair gel | Mousse |
| What it is | Hair serum is a liquid form of hair product formulated using silicone. | Hair gels are styling products that are formulated using different ingredients | Creamy, volumizing hair styling product |
| What it does | Protects your hair from environmental factors that might damage your hair. Can also be used in styling | Styling products that tame your hair in a particular style. | Adds moisture to hair, enhances curl definition |
| Benefits | Reduce frizz. Straightens your hairProtect your hair against heat damageAdds shine to your hairAids in repair of damaged hair | Used in stylingMakes your hair appear shinyMakes your hair appear denserAids in hair growth | Decreases frizz, makes curls more curlier, adds volume |
| Side effects | Hair loss, Hair damage, Irritating rashes | Hair loss, Dandruffs, Hair damage | Makes hair limp |
| When to apply | When you want to protect your hair from water, and when you want to deal with damaged hair. | When styling your hair | Right after washing, before using leave in conditioner |
What is a hair serum?
A hair serum is a liquid form of hair product that is formulated using silicone, amino acids, proteins and other ingredients beneficial to your hair.
Silicone which is the main component of hair serum is heavy and waterproof which creates a protective layer on your hair strands. This means your hair cannot be damaged by any environmental factors. The same silicone adds weight to your hair making it easy for styling.
Hydrolyzed protein found in the serum also reduce static charge which is responsible for flyways and split ends.
What is hair gel?
Hair gels are hair products that come in form of a heavy cream. Due to the weight of hair gel, you can style your hair the way you please. Once the hair dries up, your hair will remain in the state you had put it.
Some of the other ingredients used in the hair gel aids in hair growth.
What is hair mousse?
Hair mousse is a lightweight styling foam that offers both volume and hold without the stiffness of gels. It's applied to damp hair and works by coating the strands to enhance texture, define curls, and even control frizz. Mousse is versatile, suitable for a variety of hair types and styles, and is particularly favored for achieving a natural, bouncy look with added fullness and shape.
Should I use leave in conditioner or hair mousse?
Should I Use hair serum or hair gels?
Since hair gels are the most famous hair styling product, if you took someone to a beauty shop to buy a styling product, they would definitely go for hair gels. However, if you have read my introduction to hair serum guide, you know hair serums are also very effective when it comes to hair styling.
If it is the first time hearing about hair serum, you are in the right place. I am going to prepare a detailed guide that aims at differentiating hair serum and hair gels. But before we do that, the table below gives you an overview of what this two products are and what they do.
If you look on the table above, the two products seem to offer the same things. Therefore, the table cannot help you make the right decision when choosing the right product.
We will therefore discuss the two products in details what they are and what they do.
What are the benefits and the side effects of hair serum?
Benefits
The ingredients used in hair serum has so much benefits to your hair aside from styling. Some of the other benefits of hair serum include;
- Reduce hair frizz: Since silicone is waterproof, it will create a protective layer between your hair strands and the environment. This means humidity and water cannot penetrate your hair. When the static charge in the hair is regulated, your hair won’t have runaways and split ends.
- Straightens your hair: Silicone being heavy, static charge being regulated, your hair will look straight and smooth. Aside from the hair being straight, your hair won’t tangle.
- Protects your hair against heat damage: If your hair is too tangled and you decide to use heat to straighten your hair, you should apply hair serum on your hair first before using heat. The layer that will be created by silicone will protect your hair from heat damage. Your hair will also become silky and shiny when silicone is heat up.
- Aids in repair of damaged hair: If your hair is damaged and you decide to use other products that repair your hair, you can apply hair serum on top of the product. Some of the other ingredients found on the hair serum can aid in hair growth.
Side Effects
Aside from hair serum being very beneficial, choosing the wrong hair serum and applying hair serum the wrong way might lead to some side effects. Some of this side effects include;
- Hair damage: Silicone can be both a blessing and a disaster to your hair. If you apply hair serum with moisturizing your hair, silicone will strip off your hair it’s natural oils and it’s moisture. If your hair becomes dry, it might start breaking.
- Hair loss: If you continue using a hair serum that dries up your hair, the breakage might be too severe and lead to hair loss.
- Irritating rashes: Hair serum has other ingredients that might be harsh to your skin. If by any chance hair serum finds it’s way to your scalp, you can start feeling itchiness.
If you don’t want to deal with these side effects, you can use this guide to choose the right hair serum.
Benefits and the side effects of hair gels?
When it comes to styling hairs, there have been very different types of hair gels. Although this hair gels might be for different hair types, they aim at giving you the same things;
- Styling your hair: When you apply hair gels on your hair, you can style it the way you please and let it dry. Your hair will remain the way you styled it the whole day.
- Aids in hair growth: Hair gels not only styles your hair, they also have some other beneficial ingredients that can aid in hair growth. You should however moisturize your hair before applying hair gels.
- Makes your hair appear denser: Hair gels have some hydrating properties that also adds onto the density of your hair.
- Makes your hair appear shiny: After the hair gel dries up, your hair will appear shiny.
Aside from hair gels being beneficial they do not lack some negative side effects. Some of these side effects include;
- Hair damage: If you apply hair gels without moisturizing your hair, your hair might dry up to an extent of hair breakage.
- Dandruffs: Using hair gels frequently will result into your scalp being stripped off it’s natural oils. Due to extreme dryness of the scalp, you might start producing dandruffs.
- Hair loss: If your hair becomes too dry, the damage might become extreme in a way you might suffer hair loss.
How do you apply hair serum?
- Step 1: Wash your hair with warm water and a gentle shampoo. Massage your hair with the shampoo to ensure any other product is remover from your hair.
- Step 2: Rinse of your hair with warm water then apply a conditioner to soften your hair.
- Step 3: Rinse of the conditioner the apply a moisturizer.
- Step 4: Part your hair in small sections the start applying hair serum.
- Step 5: Start serum application from the ends to the mid lengths. If the serum come in contact with your scalp, you might end up developing rashes.
- Step 6: Massage your hair for a few minutes to ensure every part of your hair gets the serum then run a wide toothed comb through your hair to detangle it.
- Step 7: You can go ahead and start styling your hair.
How do you apply hair gel?
- Follow steps 1-4 on how to apply hair serum then go ahead and apply a hair gel.
- When applying hair gel, start from behind and from the roots of your hair going to the hair ends.
- Run through a wide toothed comb to detangle your hair then go over with a brush with soft bristle to make your hair sleek.
- Let your hair dry up and rock the day.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is hair gel good for your hair?
Hair gel has been known to style different types of hair for ages. It has minimal side effects that can be avoided if you apply hair gel the right way.
Ensure you have moisturized your hair before applying hair gels to prevent your hair from breaking.
Can you use hair serum after using hair gel?
Although hair gels are perfect when it comes to styling your hair, they do not protect your hair from environmental factors that might damage your hair.
Hair he might also dry up your hair to an extent of breaking your hair. And dry hair does not look cute.
So, if you want to ease on the hair dryness and protect your hair from anything that might damage your hair, use a hair serum after applying hair gel.
Which is the best styling product?
Depending on what you are going for, you can use a hair gel or a hair serum.
A hair gel will dry up your hair and is ideal for people with dense hair. However, it you have thinner hair strands, you should use a hair serum.
You can also use the two products in combination to achieve whichever style you are going and protect your hair from environmental conditions that might damage your hair.
Conclusion
Choosing the right hair products for styling your hair may seem very obvious. From the many videos of people using gels, you might not give other products a chance.
Other products that can style your hair perfectly include hair serum.
The guide above gives the key differences between hair gels and hair serum. Read the guide before settling on the basic hair gels then make a decision depending on what you learn. You should also subscribe to this page for more beauty hacks.
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