hair gel

noun

plural hair gels
: a gelatinous preparation used in styling hair
… a tall, thin man named Artie, who manages, with enough hair gel, to slick back a crewcut.Eric Konigsberg
Her hair is back, not the locks I loved so much, but a shorter, goofier version that grows unevenly and will only stay in place with hair gel.Heather Wright and Mark W. Wright

Examples of hair gel in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Ever since the guidelines were put in place TSA checkpoints have been the scene of travelers quickly guzzling water, digging through luggage to find and discard a too-large tube of hair gel and chucking jars of everything from jam to bottles of coffee that didn’t meet the size requirement. Eleanor Pringle, Fortune, 17 July 2025 And it’s thwarted untold numbers of Americans who had to watch as their souvenir jars of salsa, their bottled water or their flasks of pricy hair gel went tumbling into the big garbage cans by the TSA checkpoints. Orlando Sentinel Editorial Board, The Orlando Sentinel, 17 July 2025 The best hair gels can perfectly slick back a bun, lay stubborn flyaways to rest, or coax your curls into a uniform spiral, but the wrong ones will lead to mid-afternoon hair lined with flakes, frizz, and even damage. Jailynn Taylor, Allure, 26 June 2025 More alarming is a 2023 study from Columbia University, which noted that children who’ve been exposed to personal-care products—not just makeup but also some hair gels—might absorb toxic chemicals from the formulas into their skin, eyes, and mouth. Faran Krentcil, The Atlantic, 14 May 2025 The Styling The Monkey Photo-Illustration: Vulture; Photos: NEON One Theo James is hot and mean in a leather jacket and hair gel; the other one dresses like a boy on school-picture day in wire-frame glasses and a collared shirt. Fran Hoepfner, Vulture, 22 Apr. 2025 The chemicals also help lubricate substances and carry fragrances in various personal care products including deodorant; nail polish; perfumes; hair gels, sprays or shampoos; soaps; and body lotions. Kristen Rogers, CNN Money, 2 Apr. 2025 View 3 Images Hydrogel is something that most of us are familiar with from it being used in contact lenses, burn dressings, and hair gel. David Szondy, New Atlas, 11 Feb. 2025 Did Tom’s hair gel melt down his body and collect under his armpits? Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 14 Jan. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1960, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of hair gel was in 1960

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Cite this Entry

“Hair gel.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/hair%20gel. Accessed 7 Aug. 2025.

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