Curly Hair Society
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Gel · Curlsmith

Fragrance Free Strong Hold Gel

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Not enough opinions for a Curl Score yet

5 opinions from 5 people

Positive
4
Mixed
0
Negative
1
How is the Curl Score calculated?

We read 2 public Reddit discussions and logged each person's opinion of each product as positive, mixed or negative, and members add theirs when they review a product here. The Curl Score puts those on a scale of 1 to 5: every opinion positive would be 5, every one negative 1, and an even split 3, with a mixed opinion counting as half positive. Passing mentions aren't opinions, so they don't count, and each person counts once per product. Every brand is scored the same way, but these are comments, not verified purchases or a survey. Sources and method

The verdict

A strong, scent-free gel that fans call a holy grail, though it isn’t the Shine Jelly it replaced.

The full verdict

Fans call it a holy grail and their favourite gel, and one says its hold is very close to the In-Shower Style Fixer, making it their go-to on very humid days, thinned with a little water over a leave-in. For reviewers sensitive to scent, it’s the way to use Curlsmith without fragrance near the scalp. One reviewer who loved the discontinued Shine Jelly says this is not the same.

Best for
Strong hold for scent-sensitive or humid-climate curls

Reviewer experiences

A representative mix, good and bad, from the commenters.

See all 6 reviews

  1. PositiveReddit comment

    The hold is incredibly similar to the In-Shower Style Fixer (level 9 vs 10); my go-to on very humid days, thinned with a little water over a leave-in.

    u/TheChocolateWarOf74Mix of soft and rough texturesr/curlyhair, 2026Original comment

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    Let me elaborate a bit… The hold is incredibly similar. I think the ISSF has a few more conditioning agents in it. The FF has a low level of conditioning and texture/grit which adds more volume and is good for people with softer hair textures. My hair is a mix of soft and rough textures. I use a a good leave in or cream under it and thin the FF gel out with a bit of water before I apply. It works great as long as i add some moisture, and it’s one of my go to gels on very humid days.

  2. NegativeReddit comment

    The new fragrance-free strong-hold gel is not the same as the Shine Jelly.

    u/demons_soulmater/curlyhair, 2026Original comment

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    my hair was fine with the flexi jelly (it HATED the entire frizz line lol) but yes the shine jelly was my favorite. the new fragrance free strong hold gel is just not the same

  3. PositiveReddit comment

    A holy grail.

    u/Absolutely_RegularFine; wavy; medium density; super soft baby-fine hairr/curlyhair, 2026Original comment

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    This brand is love or hate for me, very little in between. I have super soft baby-fine wavy hair. LOVE: the XXL Diffuser, the Fragrance-Free Strong Hold Gel. Both are HG. HATE: the Wave Spray, the In-Shower Style Fixer, and the Air Dry Cream. I also loathe the scent of the moisture line, so I realllly hate the new packaging because I can’t tell what’s going to have that “orange line smell”. Tempted to try the Hydro Style Flexi Jelly, but I’m on the fence because the Shine Jelly worked poorly for me… Also tempted by the Mousse and the Foam but it’s tough because omg it’s so overpriced.

  4. PositiveReddit comment

    The favourite I've found, for sure.

    u/AustenNutr/curlyhair, 2026Original comment

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    Their fragrance-free strong hold gel is the favorite I’ve found, for sure!

  5. PositiveReddit comment

    I like the Fragrance Free Strong Hold Gel.

    u/Reasonable-Garlic-67r/curlyhair, 2026Original comment

  6. PositiveReddit comment

    I love the fragrance-free gel.

    u/Reasonable-Garlic-67r/curlyhair, 2025Original comment

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    Love the souffle and fragrance free gel. Volume foam and protein gel are meh. Volume mousse is okay. I remember LOVING both their foam and mousse the First time I tried them but could never recreate it again. I like the fragrance free leavein okay. Didn’t love the fragrance free shampoo and conditioner. Absolutely hated in shower style fixer and hold me softly style balm. Also strongly dislike the miracle shield

What reviewers say

  • Strong, humidity-resistant hold
  • No fragrance
  • Not the same as the old Shine Jelly

More from Curlsmith

The brand review
  1. Weightless Air Dry CreamBest likedLeave-in23 positive·1 mixed·8 negative
  2. Hydro Style Flexi JellyBest likedGel20 positive·1 mixed·7 negative
  3. Curl Defining Styling SouffléBest likedStyler16 positive·2 mixed·3 negative
Show all
  1. In-Shower Style FixerBest likedGel15 positive·4 mixed·7 negative
  2. Bond Curl Rehab SalveBest likedTreatment11 positive·2 negative
  3. Feather Light Protein CreamBest likedLeave-in7 positive·1 negative
  4. Curl Conditioning Oil-in-CreamBest likedLeave-in6 positive
  5. Hold Me Softly Style BalmBest likedCurl cream5 positive·1 mixed·1 negative
  6. Curl Quenching Conditioning WashBest likedCo-wash5 positive·1 mixed·2 negative
  7. Bouncy Strength Volume FoamMousse2 positive·3 mixed·3 negative
  8. Effortless Waves SpraySpray gel1 positive·2 mixed·3 negative
  9. Multi-Tasking ConditionerConditioner2 positive·1 mixed·1 negative

Best liked: rated by at least 4 people, more than half of them positive.

How we collated these reviews

Drawn from 6 comments in 2 Reddit discussions below. We read every comment in each, logged each product a commenter had an opinion on, and classified each opinion as positive, mixed or negative. This is public commentary, not verified purchases or customer ratings. Our full method

Sources