Long shot- dupe for Biolage hair gel?

[PunkyBoo]

I've used Biolage Styling Gelee (more recently named Blue Agave Gelee) for over 20 years. I've tried other gels on and off and always return to the Biolage. I have extremely coarse long curly hair that is very finicky (can't tolerate any "cones", doesn't react well to proteins, I wash 2x per week with sulfate free shampoo followed by conditioner, and just touch up on no-wash days with a little watered down gel.)
Well I can't really find the gel to buy anymore. It's no longer on Amazon or Target, Ulta says no longer in stock, and it's not even on Biolage's website.. I've suspected for several years that they were discontinuing it. Anyone know of a good substitute?? Or a website that lists good duplicates? I spent about an hour yesterday searching online and came up empty. I really don't want to start over with the whole "try something for a week and see if it works" quest- it's expensive and wasteful and so frustrating.
ETA I want gel with little too no smell, water soluble, strong hold but can scrunch out of it's too crunchy, not drying...
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[Moneypenny]

I've never used the Biolage Gelee so i may not be much help, but I really like the Aveda flaxseed gel and I think that ticks most of your boxes. It doesn't always have quite enough hold for me, so I sometimes mix it with Aussie Instant Freeze Gel (yes - the super cheap stuff from the 80s!). The Aveda gel is very liquidy, so it's easy to mix. The Aussie gel has a light fragrance, but I really need very very little of that to give me that extra bit of hold. I think flaxseed might be considered protein, but I also don't do well with other protein hair products and this doesn't bother my hair at all.

I do sometimes make my own flaxseed gel, which has a stronger hold and my hair just loves, but DIY hair products aren't everyone's thing!

[Globetrotter]

Are you on The Curly Crew Facebook group? You could ask there. They also Have albums of protein free product, etc. I know it is such a pain to replace beloved products!
I needed to find a sub for the devacurl one condition, and I got some ideas there.

[ahisma]

I have similar hair and have found my best success with the $2 LA Looks blue gel. I use a bit, watered down. Still blows me away, but I've tried so many other options that were far more expensive and that darn $2 bottle is the best.

[AnnieW625]

Are you on The Curly Crew Facebook group? You could ask there. They also Have albums of protein free product, etc. I know it is such a pain to replace beloved products!
I needed to find a sub for the devacurl one condition, and I got some ideas there.

Let me know what you find. I need to find a dupe for Deva Curl’s light weight spray gel, which has been discontinued. A dupe for Deva Curl’s One Condition is needed too as the last formulation from 2020 gave me an itchy scalp (I haven’t tried the newest formulation though). Prose is probably the closest tbh but it is so expensive and I wish it came in a liter for the price.

[mm123]

I have very thick, curly hair, and it took me a long time to find a gel that works for me, and doesn’t break the bank. My curly-hair hairdresser suggested Eco Styler Gel to me a few years ago. It works well for me, is very reasonable, and I haven’t bought anything else since. Lots of versions, but I use the one the ‘olive oil’ version that’s in the green jar.

It has no smell, and is pretty cheap, so may be worth a try.

https://www.walmart.com/search?q=eco...&typeahead=eco

[PunkyBoo]

Thank you for the suggestions! I wrote them down to try. I do have the blue LA Looks one, I usually use that on muggier days when I need more hold (which we're having now) so I could always fall back on that. I was at Target today and bought the jar of Eco styler recommended, because it was cheap enough to try.

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[Globetrotter]

Let me know what you find. I need to find a dupe for Deva Curl’s light weight spray gel, which has been discontinued. A dupe for Deva Curl’s One Condition is needed too as the last formulation from 2020 gave me an itchy scalp (I haven’t tried the newest formulation though). Prose is probably the closest tbh but it is so expensive and I wish it came in a liter for the price.

I’m still experimenting but I think this works. It has protein. I find I have to mix protein product with protein free, to avoid overdoing it.
https://notyourmothers.com/products/conditioner-2

[gatorsmom]

I have thick, wavy hair. Mine is fine and frizzes up easily in humid weather. In the winter I can straighten it easily but in the summer it’s a lost cause. I have used Tres Semme MeganControl gel for the last 20 years. I also used the Aussi Gel too. They are both very thick but do a decent job holding. But before I diffuse my hair dry, I always spritz it with Aussi Sprunch Spray (yes the purple stuff from the 80’s). It does become crunchy but I can run my fingers through it to soften the crunch. That’s the only way I can get non-frizzy curls in the summer. Maybe the Tres Semme of Aussi gel would work for you?

[PunkyBoo]

I have thick, wavy hair. Mine is fine and frizzes up easily in humid weather. In the winter I can straighten it easily but in the summer it’s a lost cause. I have used Tres Semme MeganControl gel for the last 20 years. I also used the Aussi Gel too. They are both very thick but do a decent job holding. But before I diffuse my hair dry, I always spritz it with Aussi Sprunch Spray (yes the purple stuff from the 80’s). It does become crunchy but I can run my fingers through it to soften the crunch. That’s the only way I can get non-frizzy curls in the summer. Maybe the Tres Semme of Aussi gel would work for you?

Thank you, I'll look into it too! The Eco styler gel I tried recommended by PP didn't work for me. It's been relatively humid here and my hair looked like the gel had zero hold at all. I'm going to try combining it with the LA Looks one also recommended (which I have).

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