I loved the Jelly
"I need to use fragrance free and this is now the only option for a styler. The gel is heavy, crunchy and I can't even get my fingers through my hair to pull it up. I really miss the jelly, will it come back???"
Heading One
A long lasting styling gel, dermatologically tested, that provides frizz-control definition, keeping your style in place.
Fragrance-free formula
Designed to support healthy curls
Suitable for curl & texture types (Wavy, Curly, Coily)
Find your Curl Match
Fragrance-Free Strong Hold Gel
How does it perform across different curl types?
Wavy (2A-C)
Hair Texture:
Fine
Medium
Coarse
Curls (3A-C)
Hair Texture:
Fine
Medium
Coarse
Coily (4A-C)
Hair Texture:
Fine
Medium
Coarse
Great
Works
Not designed for
Not sure of your type? Take the curl quiz
Product Specifications
Product type:
Styler
Format:
Gel
Best for:
Medium & Coarse Textures prone to Fragrance Sensitivity
Feels like:
Thick but smooth gel
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Reviews
The Formula
Our mission is to provide clean, effective products that help you achieve the curls of your dreams. We’re constantly looking for feedback and finding ways to improve on existing formulas to deliver better results and experiences to our community.
Jasmine Flower
Known for its amazing moisturizing properties.
Lemon peel
Rich in vitamin C, it is known to have been used for centuries to help strengthen the hair.
Lavender Flowers
Renowned for supporting hair health.
How to use
1
Rub the product between your hands and apply on soaking wet hair.
1/4
2
Use the “raking/praying hands method” to evenly spread the product throughout your strands.
2/4
3
Select your desired styling method (scrunch/fingercurls/shingle) to enhance and define.
3/4
4
Air dry or diffuse. Avoid touching your hair excessively while drying as this will create frizz. Once completely dry, scrunch to 'break the light cast' using an oil or serum to make your hair soft and bouncy.
4/4
Build Your Routine
Compare Products
Compare products and discover the difference to find which item fits your needs the best.
Fragrance-Free Strong Hold Gel
$28
Best suited to:
Medium & Coarse Textures prone to Fragrance Sensitivity
Benefit:
Gel
Type:
Styler
Format:
Gel
Awestruck Definition Cream
$32
Best suited to:
Medium to coarse textures
Benefit:
Cream
Type:
Styler
Format:
Cream
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Overall rating: 4.386 / 5 from 500 reviews.
AI Generated Review Summary
This fragrance-free styling gel is praised for its strong hold, excellent definition, and ability to tame frizz. Customers appreciate its long-lasting curls and shine, though opinions on the feel of the gel vary.
Summary topics
- Hold (28%): Customers keep praising the hold of this product, with many describing it as amazing and perfect.
- Frizz Control (7%): Customers appreciated the product for its ability to tame frizz and provide long-lasting curls.
- Curls (11%): It was noted by customers that the product provides beautiful, bouncy, and long-lasting curls.
- Definition (8%): Customers keep praising the great hold and definition this product provides to their hair, making it a popular choice.
- Shine (10%): It was noted by customers that the shine provided by the product is excellent and long-lasting.
Review topics: ["size","shipping","quality","feels","weight","look","results","issues","texture","water","foam","works","service","use","gel","hold","hair","curls","cast","shine","definition","frizz","fragrance","smells","buy","curlsmith","amount","waves","residue","cream"].
Review highlights
- "My fine hair holds its curls much longer, and it gives a little shine, which I love very much." —
- "My curls look great- no frizz, lots of volume and they last for days" —
- "I love the hold it gives and the shine looks beautiful." —
Reviews
Great hold without the stiffness or fragrance
"It’s a win win. The gel doesn’t feel stiff and crunchy like some styling gels and the fact that it’s fragrance free makes it possible for me to use without having to a headache. Thank you curlsmith."
I didn't like this product for my type of hair. Maybe other people like it.
"I didn't love it. I had a different product from the company and I really loved it, but this just makes my hair very dry. I'm not happy with it. I like the samples, but I would not purchase this again. I have dry, curly hair, coarse hair, and I didn't like it at all. I was very disappointed."
Works great—NOT for my hair!!!
"I was so excited at first that my curls were so defined and lasted so long it was to look I wanted. But I have thinning hair from alopecia and I was having large clumps of hair come out after using this gel. My shampoo could not remove the stickiness. It will be great for many but not for me :-("
I didn’t like the gel
"I didn’t like the gel type it left my hair stiff and crunchy. My curls looked great but felt stiff."
Great gel
"My favorite gel! Keeps my curls frizz free!"
This is hands down the
"This is hands down the best gel on the market for curly hair. I’ve tried them ALL ..mixed a bunch together . Been trying to find the perfect gel for decades and now I found it !!"
New fav
"Strongest hold, not stickty or too crunchy when applied in shower. 2A/2B gray hair."
Left my hair stiff too stiff
"I love the curl creme and was never found of the gel but thought I would give another try. Well, it left my hair stiff and not in a good way, my hair look stringy and stiff that's now the look I want or was going for. . not sure if I will ever use it again. Disappointed"
True curl hold
"It really does work very well. I have wavy curly hair, so my hair doesn't always hold curls, but with this gel, it does. It also tames frizz brilliantly. You do have to be careful not to use too much, but it's really effective."
Q&A
- Hi. The ingredients page shows a picture of lavender flowers but lavender is not listed in the ingredients list. Could you please confirm whether this product contains lavender or not? I need to avoid. Thank you!
- Hi Palma, Thank you for reaching out! I can confirm that our Fragrance-Free Strong Hold Gel does not contain lavender. The lavender image on the page is just part of the general design and not related to the ingredients in this product. I hope this helps. Thanks, Curlsmith
- How sticky is this formula? Is this the same as the previous fragrance free 9 hold level? I found it so sticky to detangle my curls when it was wash day and don't want to buy it again if that's the case. Or is this more similar to the previous 6 hold level but redesigned? please help! I preferred the 6 but seems like it's been discontinued.
- Hi Julie, Thanks for reaching out! Our Fragrance-Free Strong Hold Gel is the same formula as our former fragrance-free Level 9 hold gel, just in updated packaging. It does provide a strong hold, which can feel a bit firmer or stickier than our medium hold formulas. If you preferred the softer finish of the Level 6 gel, this one may feel stronger by comparison. At this time, we don’t have a direct equivalent to the previous Level 6 fragrance-free gel. Let us know if you have additional questions. Thanks, Curlsmith