Below average gel for my hair, at least (Alberto V05 Firm Hold Styling Gel)

Member Name: pmcds

Product:	Alberto V05 Firm Hold Styling Gel
Date:	14/05/09 (58 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Smells nice

Disadvantages: Doesn't hold for long enough

I have the relative misfortune (some would say different!) of having rather hard to control, curly hair when it starts to go longer than about an inch on top. As a result, to avoid more regular cuts, I try to use gel or wax to control my hair and give it hold for my working day. Some products work, some don't, and sadly this V05 doesn't really completely do the job for me.

For a few hours, it's a great product, giving my hair a sort of wet look and holding firm, but any form of touching it seems to make the firm hold disappear, and it just ends up feeling and looking greasy as opposed to controlled. Even without touching, it has a lack of hold once the afternoon comes around, bearing in mind I usually apply it at about 8.30 in the morning.

Applying it is very easy, with the flip top nozzle meaning you can just squeeze and the gel comes out, and not too quickly either. Thumbs up for the containe, then! The gel feel slimy on your hands, and once you've run it through your hair or applied as much of it as you want, the problem is that your hands are greasy with the gel, and then subsequently sticky if it tries on your hands, giving you a tacky feel to your hands. You'll need warm water to wash it off, but this isn't too much of a bind.

The gel smells quite nice, though, not too chemically, but with enough of a pleasant smell to not worry about whether someone is going to turn their nose up at you when you walk near them. It is easy to wash out, and I don't wash my hair every day, so this is ideal. However, the main problem is still that it doesn't hold for long enough once touched, and winds up looking and feeling just too greasy. For this, I don't really use it much. The smell is nice, so if my hair is short and I'm going out at night, I might use it for brief effect and then subsequent smell, but for longer hold I'd probably try something else.

Price wise, you can probably get this for quite a decent price from Boots or Superdrug, and you can often get them on offer, but generally it'll cost you just under the £3 mark, depending on where you shop. However, I wouldn't necessarily recommend this product if it's long lasting hold without a greasy look that you're after.

Summary: Disappointing product from V05