Have you ever wondered about the difference between a hair gel and an edge control cream or wax?

There is one thing that is common when styling your hair - whether you are putting it in a bun, braiding it, or adding hair extensions. Laying your baby hairs!

While some people use hair gels to achieve swoops or swirls on their edges, others prefer to use edge control wax for a firmer hold. Choosing between a gel or an edge control depends on what you want to achieve.

Before we go on to talk about the difference between a gel and edge control, let us take a look at the meaning.

This article is about:

• What is edge control?
  

• What is hair/styling gel?
  

• Difference between edge control and styling gel
  

• The consistency of the mixture
  

• The hold they have on the hair
  

• For specific hairstyling purposes

What is edge control?

Edge controls are hair styling products that are purposely made to smoothen and sleek down the strands of hair along your hairline. Edge controls are often referred to as edge tamers because they help to keep stray hairs in place.

Edge controls function basically like styling gels, but it has less fluid than styling gels.

Edge controls have a thick consistency, it feels like a mixture of gel (because it is sticky) and pomade (because of the shine). Edge controls are made to have a stronger hold than traditional gels.

What is hair/styling gel?

Hair styling gel is a thick hair styling product that often contains resin and essential oils. These jelly-like products are applied to the hair before or after styling to keep the hairstyle in place or lay baby hairs.

Styling gels or hair gels are usually liquid-based. It means that it may take a while for it to dry off after applying it to your edges.

Since we have looked at the meaning of both edge controls and styling gels, let us take a look at the difference between edge controls and styling gels.

Difference between edge control and styling gel

There are some basic differences between edge controls and styling gels. In this article, we are going to look at three factors that make edge controls different from styling gels

The consistency of the mixture

The major difference between the traditional gel and edge control is the consistency of the mixture. While regular hair gels contain more liquid and have a jelly-like feel, edge controls are thicker and stickier than regular gels.

While styling gels contain more liquid and give the hair a dryer finish, edge controls have a pomade-like finish and leave the hair with more shine.

The hold they have on the hair

Another difference between the styling gel and edge controls is the hold that they have on the hair. You can use both the styling gel and edge control to lay your baby hairs, but edge controls have a firmer hold on the hair than the styling gel.

If you have thick edges, then the edge control is a better choice for you than the regular styling gel.

For specific hairstyling purposes

The question of whether to use styling gels or edge controls sometimes depends on what you want to achieve. Just like we said earlier, edge controls have a firmer hold than regular gels, so if you want to sleek down a full ponytail, the edge control will work better.

Gels are better when you are using them to lay your edges rather than using them on the full hair. Since gels contain more liquids, they tend to take a longer time to get dried. On the other hand, edge controls dry quickly and anyone can work well with it.

If you are not a professional or not used to using styling gels, things might get messy when you are trying it for the first time.

Whether you decide to use edge controls or styling gels, make sure the product you are choosing is made to protect your edges from damage.

Do you have any questions? Let us know in the comment box below.