Taliah Waajid Tight Hold Gel Product Knowledge

People are always in a rush for their hair to loc and looking for products that will loc their hair even if the cost is heavy build up. One product that is advertised to be for starter locs and offer “superior hold” is the Taliah Waajid Tight Hold Gel.

In almost any beauty retailer you will find the Taliah Waajid Tight Hold gel next to the Lock It Up gel. The Tight Hold gel however markets promises to hold the hair longer and be better than the Lock It Up gel, so you would likely choose the Tight Hold gel. But the Tight Hold gel comes with the same warning as the Lock It Up gel plus some!

Taliah Waajid Tight Hold Gel Ingredients

There are 11 ingredients in the Tight Hold gel, 2 of which are not in the Lock It Up gel, and they include:

Water (Aqua), Carbomer, Triethanolamine, Soy Bean Oil (Glycine Soja), VP/DMAPA and Acrylates Copolymer Styrene/Acrylate Copolymer, Yarrow Roots Extract (Achillea Millefolium), Rosemary Extract (Rosmarinus Officinalis), Nettle Extract (Citrus Aurantium), Caprylyl Glycol, Phenoxyethanol, Fragrance (Parfum)

The Tight Hold gel differs from the Lock It Up gel because it is expected to provide more hold for hair types that are harder to loc and it is done with the addition of two ingredients:

VPDMAPA/ Acrylate Copolymer / Styrene and Soy Bean Oil (Glycine Soja).

Did you know VPDMAPA/ Acrylate Copolymer / Styrene is also found in Jamaican Mango and Lime Locking gel?

Understanding What’s Inside Taliah Waajid Tight Hold Gel

It is assumed that the ingredients are listed in order of strength, from most concentration to least.

1. Water (Aqua) – Good Ingredient – Average hair care products contain about 50% to 90% water. The rest of the ingredients determine the look, feel, and performance of the product and it is standard practice for water to go through a purification process.
2. Carbomer – Cautionary Ingredient – Gel-like thickener that tends to flake in high concentrations.
3. Triethanolamine – Cautionary Ingredient – Sometimes functions as an emulsifier (keeps the oil and water components in a product from separating) and pH adjuster (it’s alkaline). Known as an irritant in higher concentrations because of its alkalinity, so it may cause problems if it is present in higher concentrations in a product, though it should be fine in small amounts.
4. Soy Bean Oil (Glycine Soja) – Okay Ingredient – Derived from Soybeans and acts as a diluting agent for essential oils that can be used to treat your hair.
5. VPDMAPA/ Acrylate Copolymer / Styrene – Cautionary Ingredient – Film-forming/ plasticizing polymer. Can build up and get sticky.
6. Yarrow Roots Extract (Achillea Millefolium) – Okay Ingredient – Plant-based anti-inflammatory for scalp. In rare cases can cause severe allergic skin rashes and with prolonged use can cause skin photosensitivity.
7. Rosemary Extract (Rosmarinus Officinalis) – Okay Ingredient – Used as a hair tonic and growth stimulant, and thought to prevent dandruff and premature baldness,.The leaves are known to have relatively high levels of antioxidants. However, in the very tiny amounts found in hair care products, the chances of it being able to do anything are slim.
8. Nettle Extract (Citrus Aurantium) – Okay Ingredient – Plant-based anti-inflammatory for scalp.
9. Caprylyl Glycol – Okay Ingredient – Used for conditioning and as an emollient that’s made from both plant and synthetic sources, specifically it is made from capric acid and glycol.
10. Phenoxyethanol – Okay Ingredient – This is an oily, white to off-white liquid that smells a bit like roses. Phenoxyethanol is a preservative that kills bacteria and is believed to be less irritating than others and it can also be used as a fragrance. It also has some conditioning and emollient properties.
11. Fragrance (Parfum) – Cautionary Ingredient – The word “fragrance” or “parfum” on the product label represents an undisclosed mixture of various scent chemicals and ingredients used as fragrance dispersants such as diethyl phthalate. Fragrance mixes have been associated with allergies, dermatitis, respiratory distress and potential effects on the reproductive system.

Professional Recommendation

I would not recommend using the Taliah Waajid Tight Hold Gel. The addition of VPDMAPA/ Acrylate Copolymer / Styrene and with Triethanolamine, both of which are known to cause build up, puts the health of your locs at risk. As I mentioned before, people are always in a rush for their hair to loc but the price of build up is not worth it. Your hair will loc with or without product, despite what society would lead you to believe, but if you do use products use one that will benefit your crown.

Share your experience with Taliah Waajid Tight Hold Gel in the comments!