Reddit mentions of Eco Styler Olive Oil Styling Gel

I've only been CG for about 4 months, possibly less, and I've definitely had my ups and downs, but my advice to anyone who is struggling is to just keep trying new things! I've been through way too many brands of conditioners and gel's, and just this morning I realized that the ever-so-loved squish to condish method everyone raves about on here just isn't for me! Just because someone else's holy grail doesn't work for you doesn't mean you're hopeless, it just means that you need to put in a bit of effort to find your own. With that said, here is my routine!

•First I shampooed my scalp with L'Oreal Paris' EverSleek Intense Smoothing Shampoo because I have yet to find a good cleanser/co-wash that makes my hair feel clean without drying it out.

•Secondly I de-tangled and conditioned with TRESemmé Naturals Nourishing Moisture Conditioner

Here's where this video comes in to play.

•First off I used a quarter sized amount of As I Am's Leave in Conditioner all over my hair.

•I then used a quarter sized amount of Una's Designing Oil Non Oil all over the hair because it makes it really silky and shiny without making it look/feel greasy.

•I put my hair into 3 sections; one big one clipped on the top of my head and then two smaller ones on the bottom on each side. I clipped one of the smaller sections up, split the other section so I had about a 1 inch chunk of it, and clipped the rest up and out of the way. (the video will help you understand this better since I'm not the best at explaining, haha)

•I brushed out this mini-section with my Denman Brush to make sure there was zero tangles and the hair was smooth all the way up to the root.

•Then I used a dime sized amount of Yes to Carrots Pampering Conditioner. This stuff has the most amazing slip in the world so a little bit goes a long way!

•After that was all smoothed in I used a nickel sized amount of Eco Styler Olive Oil Gel and thoroughly raked that through. I think that I could have used less gel because when my hair was drying I definitely had to scrunch out A LOT of crunch, haha!

•Watch the video to see how I shook the hair. (sorry if me saying to refer to the video is getting really repetitive!)

•I did this to the entirety of my hair, flipped it up side down and lightly shook it to make sure my roots were lifted, and then gently flipped it back to its rightful place.

•I used my space heater to dry it, but you could use your diffuser on low or air dry it! Whatever you fancy most. I'm just impatient and wanted to be done asap.

Your hair is going to feel like a gigantic crunch-ball if you apt for using the gel (I say this because you could definitely skip the gel part, I might try doing that next and see what happens), so you'll need to scrunch the crunch out as it's drying but I promise you that as long as you're gentle this won't give you any frizz!

Lastly just split some of the curls, flip your hair around and upside down, and fluff up the roots as much as you want to give it more volume!

You can tweak this however you want really, this is just how I did it my first time and I'm already in love! Thanks for reading, and I hope I could help at least one person out there!

Wash Day: Morrocan Curl Cleansing Conditioner

Or, I Co-Wash with Trader Joe's Nourish Spa Moisture balance conditioner. I also prefer the TJ's shampoo when I need to wash my hair to remove product buildup (which I do once every two weeks).

Post wash I use the LOC method to moisturize.

Leave In - Giovanni Direct Leave-In Weightless Moisture Conditioner


Oil - I use my own mixture I created with Peppermint Oil, Tea tree oil, Black Castor Oil, Almond Oil, Avocado Oil and Olive Oil. My hair really loves it.

Cream - I wear my hair in twist outs, the cream I use for my twist outs is the Cantu Conditioning Curl Cream

I retwist my hair once a week (personal preference).. and I use a bit of Cantu Shea Butter for Natural Hair Moisturizing Curl Activator Cream, but sparingly, as it makes my hair feel slightly crunchy, I only use it in the front for my bangs to curl up very tight when I twist them.

For edge control, I use the Olive Oil Eco Styler gel..

My hair is 4b/4c. Chopped two years ago -now past my shoulders, nearly 16 inches in length. I tried a LOT of products before I found those my hair likes.

Also, I recommend checking out Amazon's Texture's and Hues page. It's for women of color.. and it's AMAZING.

Routine/products used:

Shampoo – L'oreal Elvive extraordinary oil shampoo (I need sulphates, don’t judge me)

Conditioner – Garnier ultimate blends almond crush conditioner (cheap and does the job)

Masks – l'oreal botanicals safflower rich infusion masque (slightly pricier, get it on offer) or Garnier ultimate blends argan richness mask (good cheap mask)



When deep conditioning, I find that method matters more. So as I have low porosity hair, I need heat to open the cuticle so the moisture can penetrate. So once I've conditioned, I’ll run my hair under the hot water and soak it and then I’ll apply the mask, while it’s still soaking. I’ll work the mask into the hair and then clip it up for 5-10 mins while I exfoliate or shave. Then I’ll take it down, scrunch the mask into the hair some more and then run my hair under the water and keep scrunching – basically squish to condish.

If I’m styling my hair, I’ll use a gel. I like Ecostyler gel, and also Umberto Giannini Scrunching jelly. I struggle with styling products because I hate the feel of anything in my hair. If I touch my hair and I can feel a product it makes my skin crawl. I basically do the squish to condish method, I dilute the gel a bit before applying as it's a bit tacky.

Leave in - L’oreal Botanicals Softening ointment

If I’m not styling my hair I’ll use a leave in conditioner. I like L’oreal botanicals safflower softening ointment. It’s the only leave in that seems to actually moisturise my hair and doesn’t weigh it down. I’ve tried the Garnier ultimate blends argan oil leave in, but I don’t think my hair liked it very much.

Edited: fixed link

First of all, your hair is beautiful! Love the curls.

My only suggestion would be to add layers. It looks like you may have some in the back but they should be trimmed up a bit. That'll help a little with volume.

My hair is alot like yours. To get the volume I want, I use gel and scrunch the living heck out of it. Add the gel when your hair is soaking wet and scrunch upside down. Make sure you use enough as all the water dilutes it. You'll have to play around with this to find the right amount.

I also use a diffuser with long teeth (does this make sense?) and use it to lift my top layers for added volume. Diffuse on low/hot setting. I alternate diffusing by lifting and by putting my hair upside down. LOTS of volume. Also, when my hair is almost dry, I scrunch in additional gel. It gives me better curl formation. If your curls come out crunchy you can scrunch out the crunch. It'll all depend on the gel you use.

Don't worry about using Deva products. There are others just as good and 1/4 the price. Also, what other others may recommend for styling products may not work for you. I use Kinky curling custard
https://www.amazon.com/Kinky-Curly-Original-Curling-Custard/dp/B00KJSAT86
and others swear by Eco Style Gel-Olive https://www.amazon.com/ECOCO-Eco-Style-Olive-Ounce/dp/B003E7UNE4/ref=pd_lpo_vtph_194_lp_t_4?_encoding=UTF8&refRID=TJ18SNCBJKDZD98F22B3&th=1

The curling custard is expensive and I use it when I want my curls to look spectacular. Otherwise, I go for a good strong hold gel.

Look at Youtube videos too. There are a bunch out there on getting volume for curly hair.

Here's a link --- ECOCO Eco Style Gel, Olive, 32 Ounce https://www.amazon.com/dp/B003E7UNE4/ref=cm_sw_r_other_apa_0yVyyb1JYNGVE

Oh my god you are fabulous, thank you so much for the information.

I have been buying products at Bleu Libellule and MGC Beauté, (their websites don't list ingredients, it pisses me off), and there are hundreds of pharmacies throughout Paris that carry a lot of beauty products that you won't find in a typical supermarket (Avène, Klorane, La Roche-Posay, René Furterer, Vichy, Bioderma, etc.).

I found the styling gel on Amazon.fr! I found the As I Am products, but they are very expensive (25-37 euros, as opposed to 8.99 USD at Walgreens). The can of Herbal Essences mousse is 46 euros, haha.

I think I will try Aubrey Organics GPB (I found it on French Amazon, too) and a silicone-free conditioner called Timotei here in France. I have a curly-haired friend that has had luck with it.

Thanks so much for your input, that is so nice!

that just seems to be the drawback with gels... gets all crunchy and looks like dandruff when it breaks apart and of course you gotta wash it off with something like shampoo which is a huge no-no. I've only used a few gels but this one gave a softer appearance without too much crunch ECCO. You can find them at Sally's beauty supply also, and it has to be the olive oil one. I tried one that was clear and it sucked.

Your hair is beautiful and I really love the color with your rosy skin. You look like the quintessential English girl. 😊

Since your hair likes olive oil, have you ever tried Eco gel?
https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/aw/d/B003E7UNE4/ref=mp_s_a_1_1_a_it?ie=UTF8&qid=1505972741&sr=8-1&keywords=eco+gel&dpPl=1&dpID=51nq7Go2JqL&ref=plSrch

Start with a small amount, and build up from there to see what your hair can take. I really like mop top but it's superexpensive in the UK.

Eco Style Gel is pretty good about not going crunchy. You have to way too much on for it to crunch and even if you do just spray some water on it and scrunch it a bit and it will soften. I love this gel :)

I love Design Essentials. I have red ends on my hair so those bits are dryer than the rest of my hair. This hair masque by Shea Moisture leaves my hair looking so juicy after I rinse it out. I use the Almond and Avocado leave in conditioner always. For any style I do including braid outs or wash n gos, I always use Curl Stretching Crème and Eco Styler Gel. Throughout the week to refresh or moisturize, I’ll either add oil (I’d link it but they don’t make it anymore) or spray some water and add a little bit of leave in conditioner.

My hair is also low porosity, so even though we have a similar texture what works for me may not work for you. After experimenting for a year I finally found a regimen that works for me :)