Hair Gelling Resources

Hair Gelling Tips

Supplies: Knox Unflavored Gelatin, Bobby Pins, Hair Net, Old Towel, Boiling Water, Fork, Paint Brush*, and Comb or Brush.

• Pull hair back into a high tight ponytail.  Try not to leave any large bumps. 

• Wrap hair into a bun using just enough bobby pins (2 - 4) to secure the bun before wrapping it with the hair net. 

• Wrap bun in a hair net.

• Smooth any flyaway hairs with wet hands. (Pin any shorties)

• Wrap shoulders in towel.

• Empty 4 packets of Knox into a wider bowl, a Cool Whip sized bowl works good.

• Pour 1/3 cup of boiling water over Knox.  

• Stir quickly with a fork until all lumps are gone.

• Gel should be the consistency of warm syrup. If it is too thick the gel turns white and comes off in clumps. It needs to be able to saturate the hair. If it is too think add more water. If too thin a another packet.

• Starting at the front hair line, use the paint brush to spread a thin layer of gel from the hair line to the bun base.  Work your way quickly around the head instructing the swimmer to tilt their head accordingly.  Once around, give the bun a thin gel coat as well.  Pick clumps off the head as you go and don't worry about full coverage at this point - the second coat will get the holes.

• In a separate bowl, place the paint brush in a bit of the boiling water to keep it soft between coats. Squeeze out the excess water with a paper towel before using it on the next layer.

• Sit. While you wait, empty the next 4 packets into the gel bowl - no need to rinse between batches.

• When the first layer starts to get hard, add the water to the next batch.

• The second layer should be thin as well but this time, try to get closer to the hairline edge and fill in any holes from the first layer.

*Note on the paint brush:  The cheap, thin, short bristle brush works best (2" wide, 1.5" bristles).  It's not a heavy, sharp edged, paint brush that would work well for painting a wall. (see examples of what our team has used below)