Clairol • Herbal Essences Set Me Up Gel • Styling Products

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*TOP REVIEWER* JenPhil1313 on 2/14/2013 3:28:00 PM more reviews by JenPhil1313

Age: 36-43   Skin: Sensitive, Fair, Cool   Hair: Brunette, Wavy, Fine   Eyes: Grey    

I am surprised at the bad ratings. This is my HG hair gel and I have been using it consistently for about 2 years now. I apply it to wet hair after I have applied my leave-in conditioner. I use quite a bit of it as I have very wavy, somewhat frizzy hair and I also have some cowlicks around the hairline. After I distribute this evenly through my hair, I comb my hair into the exact position I want it to dry in. This does turn very hard after awhile- but that's what I want- my hair dries in exactly the style I combed it into. My cowlicks & frizzy crown area are smoothed down and my waves at the ends are brought out. I wash my hair at night, apply this, let it dry hard, because that's what holds the style into place... and then in the morning, I comb or brush it out thoroughly. All hardness disappears and I am left with smooth, shiny hair that is in the exact style I want it to be in. I know that's not how everyone wants or needs to use gel, but this works great for me!

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highmaintenancepanda on 1/6/2013 1:14:00 PM more reviews by highmaintenancepanda

Age: 25-29   Skin: Combination, Fair-Medium, Warm   Hair: Brown, Curly, Fine   Eyes: Brown    

This is my HG gel. I buy this 2 at a time on sale. It lasts me FOREVER and I only need a quarter-sized amount for my shoulder-length fine curls. I love, love, love this gel. I don't know why it gets negative reviews. I scrunch my hair dry with a t-shirt then scrunch this in after using a leave-in. I diffuse or let air dry. When I air dry, it dries crunchy, but I flip my head over and "scrunch out the crunch" from the underside. The result: perfect, frizz-free curls! I definitely recommend this gel.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.     Was this review helpful to you? Yes   No

squirrelyhell on 12/22/2012 7:53:00 PM more reviews by squirrelyhell

Age: 19-24   Skin: Sensitive, Fair, Warm   Hair: Brunette, Straight, Fine   Eyes: Brown    

I used to use this product at my widows peak, under my bangs, to keep them uniform since I have a callick there. I would dab it on, then take a boar bristle brush and kind of work it in while brushing my bangs down. It worked great, until I started to develop a severely dry, flaky patch right in that spot. I thought it was my brush, that I was irritating my skin with the bristles. Long story short, I discontinued use of this gel and the dryness healed. It did work great, but for whatever reason I had a bad reaction to it. Definitely won't be trying this again!

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*TOP REVIEWER* Susee on 12/30/2011 5:04:00 PM more reviews by Susee

Age: 36-43   Skin: Combination, Fair, Cool   Hair: Blond, Curly, Fine   Eyes: Blue    

Great smelling gel and the flip top tube is very convenient. I didn't like the quality of it though. When I was scrunching it through my wet hair it got really "sudsy," enough to make me think I forgot to rinse out my conditioner. It was difficult to spread evenly through my hair, and when it dried there were some sections which were crunchy, and others that were flyaway. When scrunched out my hair was very soft and almost limp. For reference, I'm 3a, fine, very thick curly hair. This gel was a failure for me.

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Ruby1959 on 9/21/2011 7:02:00 AM more reviews by Ruby1959

Age: 44-55   Skin: Dry   Hair: Brunette   Eyes: Green    

I just don't get all the comments about this product not making hair crunchy and dry as that is exactly what happens when I use it. Maybe my curly hair just reacts to gel differently. But it's not something I would buy again.

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*TOP REVIEWER* DollParts7 on 7/13/2011 12:09:00 PM more reviews by DollParts7

Age: 18 & Under   Skin: Oily, Fair, Cool   Hair: Brown, Curly, Medium   Eyes: Green    

This is basically the same as the Body Envy gel. I don't seen any difference except in smell. It also didn't give me the wet, gelled look I wanted.

And my curls hate gel. So, to the hair graveyard this and Body Envy gel both go!

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*TOP REVIEWER* riotkitty on 6/8/2011 9:00:00 PM more reviews by riotkitty

Age: 30-35   Skin: Acne-prone, Fair-Medium, Warm   Hair: Brunette, Wavy, Medium   Eyes: Hazel    

This was a decent gel, with ok frizz protection, good curl definition and good added body. Unfortunately the smell gave me a headache and made me feel nauseous. It didn't seem that strong in the bottle and when I put a little in my hand, but once I was working it in, it was so strong. I dried and styled, hoping it would dissapate a little bit, but when it was dry, it was as strong as ever....too bad, it wasn't a bad gel.

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*TOP REVIEWER* hhsrunner2005 on 5/1/2011 2:03:00 PM more reviews by hhsrunner2005

Age: 19-24   Skin: Dry, Fair   Hair: Brunette, Curly, Medium   Eyes: Brown    

I have VERY curly hair and unfortunately that alos means it's very frizzy and at times hard to handle. I've been very disappointed in the past with other gels but I like this one alot. Nice smell but no too overpowering. and it doesn't leave my hair feeling crunchy and greasy. Does what I want it to do. My only complaint it that I feel I have to reapply more often than I should to keep the desired effect but that may just be my hair. Will definitely repurchase and do recommend.<3

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*TOP REVIEWER* kissjacksparrow on 4/10/2011 2:28:00 PM more reviews by kissjacksparrow

Age: 19-24   Skin: Combination, Fair-Medium, Warm   Hair: Brunette, Curly, Medium   Eyes: Hazel    

*This is for the regular gel, not the spray gel pictured. There is a separate place to review the spray gel. Please make sure you are writing the review for the right product. TY*


Pros
+smells great
+gives great hold
+ stronger hold then the Totally Twisted Gel
+gives great curl definition and shine

I have very curly 3b hair, that is soft, prone to frizz and breakage and is dry.

I decided to try this because I really like the HE Totally Twisted gel, but I can usually only use it when the weather is nice. TT gives a softer hold, that is never crunchy, but if there is any wind or rain, hello frizz! From what I have read, a lot of crulies who hate TT really like this or the HE Volumizing gel (which I can't ever find) and so I thought I would try it since winter started and the TT wasn't cutting it any more.

Price: around $3 -4, which is pretty inexpensive, but no where near as cheap as LA Looks gel, which is really pretty much just as good. This just smells nicer and is packaged nicer. I have that the tubes are small, I go through them super fast since I use so much on my long hair. You can often find this one sale & use coupons. Sometimes I manage to get it free!

This gel is definitely thicker then the TT gel, but still spreads on easily onto wet hair. I usually apply a little leave in conditioner and then apply the gel. I get great results.

My curls are left defined and shiny. I don't find it to be too crunchy either. Any crunch can easily be scrunched out after it is completely dry without disrupting the curl. Some curl gels weigh my hair down, making is stringy and crunchy - not this gel. It's just the right amount of crunch to hold style without weighing it down.

It smells great, just like all the HE products. However, the older products had a smell that lingered longer then they do now - I miss that, but I suppose that's better for most people.

I would for sure buy this again! I think I will keep both gels in my rotation. This one is far better in terms of hold, so I can see why many prefer this one.

Also, this product has water-soluble silicones, so it's in keeping with the "curly girl" method. That means that this product will NOT cause build up, and is easily rinsed out of the hair without shampoo - and that's good for everyone!

5 out of 5 people found this review helpful.     Was this review helpful to you? Yes   No

LoPSiCLe on 10/19/2010 11:58:00 PM more reviews by LoPSiCLe

Age: 18 & Under   Skin: Oily, Tan, Neutral   Hair: Black, Fine   Eyes: Black    

This was a good product, it had a really nice smell. It could hold up my curls up all day and it doesn't flake. it will still allow you hair to flow and bounce while holding that style. It wont clump you hair (unless you put way to much on)

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*TOP REVIEWER* lotusfairy on 7/20/2010 5:09:00 PM more reviews by lotusfairy

Age: 25-29   Skin: Oily, Medium, Neutral   Hair: Brunette, Curly, Medium   Eyes: Brown    

I love the way this smells and it imparts great curl definition and shine. It gives some decent weight to my hair without sacrificing any body so it makes it perfect for those with fine to normal hair and doesn't dry out my hair or get crunchy. It is very affordable which is a plus and usually some drugstores have the HE styling products on sale. The only gripe I have is the staying power. I have to use a lot of this gel to get the hold I want which is not economical in the long run. This could probably be mixed with other stylers since it has a good consistency.

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smarmysariner on 4/11/2010 11:00:00 PM more reviews by smarmysariner

Age: 19-24   Skin: Combination, Fair-Medium, Warm   Hair: Brunette, Curly, Medium   Eyes: Brown    

Great gel! I'm on the CG (curly girl) method (naturallycurly.com) and this is the gel I always come back to after trying others and have decided to stick with. I guess you could say its my HG! It doesn't dry out my hair, has medium-firm hold, and gives my curls definition and root definition! I like it because any other gel I've tried dries out my hair even though its CG or it doesn't have enough hold.

I do wish this gel wasn't as thick (I like thin liquidy gels spreadibility but not their lack of hold) and I also wish this gel had a bit more hold but I don't think there is currently a gel out there like that for me!

I find the HE Body Envy gel to be almost identical to the Set Me Up but is much harder to find. I haven't tried the Totally Twisted gel because I heard it was much lighter hold.

I go through this pretty quickly (month or less) but its sooo cheap I don't really care!

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*TOP REVIEWER* onethousandcurls on 1/3/2010 12:45:00 PM more reviews by onethousandcurls

Age: 19-24   Skin: Combination, Fair-Medium   Hair: Brunette, Curly, Medium   Eyes: Brown    

I absolutely LOVE this gel.

The packaging is great - a simple inverted tube so you can actually get the gel left in the bottom of the tube (you paid for it!).

The price is a steal - $3-4 for a great sized tube and it's readily available on the ground everywhere! That's great for when I'm not in my hometown and don't have any for some extended period.

The smell is great - not overpowering but definitely lingers just a little (I always get compliments!).

It does the job - it gives me great hold without being sticky, crunchy, hard, or leaving me with a wet look (ew). If I accidentally use too much, I just scrunch my dry hair (I have 3b/c curls) and the crunch is out instantly. It's very forgiving, which is good because I tend to be heavy-handed with product application.

Love it.

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*TOP REVIEWER* Kandinsky on 6/5/2009 11:07:00 PM more reviews by Kandinsky

Age: 25-29   Skin: Combination, Medium   Hair: Black   Eyes: Brown    

I'm on third tube of this, and figured it was time for a review. My hair: 2b/2c waves, Asian. My routine: CO-wash, scrunch in A/G Recoil + gel, plop, diffuse, hairspray if needed. This gel provides really good hold on its own (without hairspray), and I get decent wave definition (even without the Recoil). What I like about this gel is the consistency: it is thick enough to coat hair but still leaves hair soft. You may need to do some scrunching to get out the crunch, but I find that for the most part, my hair doesn't need it. Great packaging (tube) and cheap - like $3-4. The scent is nice too - floral without being too girly, and not too overwhelming.

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*TOP REVIEWER* joiseygirl27 on 3/24/2008 9:51:00 AM more reviews by joiseygirl27

Age: Unknown   Skin: Normal, Fair   Hair: Brown, Straight, Fine   Eyes: Brown    

I like this gel, I bought the one in the tube. I have wavy hair & use it over HE Totally Twisted Mousse. For curly/wavy hair- use a curl enhancer first then use this gel over it for frizz control. Make sure you scrunch out the little bit of crunch, every curl product I have used has it, its quite common & nothing to be alarmed about.

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suerte99 on 2/15/2008 10:50:00 PM more reviews by suerte99

Age: 25-29   Skin: Combination, Tan   Hair: Black   Eyes: Brown    

I love spray gels. Seriously. And I love the no-gunking-up pump spray action of this bottle.

So I used this the other day when I set my hair on my hot curlers. I didn't expect it to hold as well as it did, but it held great! It had a tad bit of crunch because I am heavy handed with my products but with normal use your hair is soft and delicious smelling.

I even brushed it out with no ill effects and my hair had lots of body after brushing out the curls.

I recommend it and I will be buying this and the hairspray... frequently!

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*TOP REVIEWER* sunshine824 on 2/12/2008 7:54:00 PM more reviews by sunshine824

Age: Unknown   Skin: Combination, Tan   Hair: Black   Eyes: Black    

After reading rave reviews and how this was a HG product for many on naturallycurly.com I gave it a try a few months ago. Instead of curls, I had stiff waves that gave up very quickly and ended up soft poofs. I gave it away. I forgot about this, however, and recently bought it again.

This time I tried using it several times and in different ways. When I put it in wet hair, it almost lathered! It was strange and I was scared I would have tons of flakes, but I didn't. As it dried(over night) it became very stiff and I had hoped that once I scrunched out the crunch it would give me nice hold. It gave me *very* soft waves that came apart and frizzed within 2 hours. The top of my head was flat with no body or volume at all and it frizzed too. I tried applying a second layer of gel to dry hair, but this gave me stringy waves and flaked in some spots. I had to re-wet it to get rid of this, but it left me with virtually no hold and I just ended up frizzing all over the place. And it's the middle of winter - no humidity anywhere. Unfortunately, this gel didn't live up to the hype for me. :-(
Would not repurchase.

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Infraredhead on 2/10/2008 7:54:00 PM more reviews by Infraredhead

Age: 36-43   Skin: Dry, Fair   Hair: Red   Eyes: Green    

As far as I know this is CG friendly. I believe I saw a thread on Naturallycurly.com about this and thought I would give it a try. I am Ms. El Cheapo and always looking for that next fabulous find at my local Walgreens. It is sick that the sales lady knows me by name there. This gel smells good, keeps my waves and curls in check, inexpensive, and co washes out easily from what I can tell so far. I like to mix this with my Biosilk Rock Hard Gelee or other gels in my arsenal when I am trying to make them stretch. I tried the one for curly hair a while back but didn't like it as much. I can not use this alone though because I need a REALLY strong hold gel. I have read frequently that this causes crunch but I haven't seen it so far. This isn't the HG that I am looking for but glad it works for others.

2 out of 2 people found this review helpful.     Was this review helpful to you? Yes   No

*TOP REVIEWER* diggity on 1/3/2008 7:12:00 PM more reviews by diggity

Age: 19-24   Skin: Dry, Fair-Medium   Hair: Brown   Eyes: Brown    

I love this gel too! I have thin, fine, naturally curly hair that I like to weigh down a little bit (so as not to be so flyaway and crazy). I layer this gel over Bedhead Control Freak serum (I think the Bedhead has only water soluble cones). I like the two products together for extra frizz control. Anyway I love Set Me Up. I airdry with it, and it's not hard at all for me to scrunch the crunch out after hair is dry. Leaves my hair shiny and soft. What a great product at a bargain price!

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shellynot on 11/18/2007 5:07:00 PM more reviews by shellynot

Age: 18 & Under   Skin: Combination, Fair   Hair: Brown   Eyes: Brown    

I absolutely love this gel. I have curly hair, and after trying many expensive hair products for hold and frizz, I picked up this for less than $3. It's amazing! I do layer it over some other products, but this gel provides the best frizz control and curl hold that I have ever used, and its so cheap! The smell is great, its clear, which I love, and its easy to distribute into sopping wet hair. Highly recommend this stuff.

I gave it a 4 on packaging quality only because the bottle gets really slippery and shoots out of my hand in the shower!

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