Curly-haired people are raving that this viral gel is the ONLY product needed to style their hair. So, I decided to give it a try.

If you have curly or coily hair, you're likely accustomed to layering multiple products for styling. I enjoy experimenting with new things, but I’ll be honest: having a routine with several products can be costly — not to mention it takes up a lot of storage space.

When I started seeing TikToks about this viral "one-product" wash-and-go routine featuring the Tropical Oasis Hair Gel by Miche Beauty, I was immediately intrigued and grabbed one for myself.

The brand claims that this gel is made for curls, coils, and wavy hair. It’s designed to keep your hair lasting longer in humidity while fighting frizz. For the viral wash-and-go routine, all you have to do is apply the gel to clean, wet hair that's thoroughly saturated with water. Then, dry your hair (preferably using a diffuser or a hooded dryer), and you're done!

In this TikTok from Miche, they say the results last for the entire week, which seems almost too good to be true (but I’m hoping it is!).

When I style my hair, I typically use at least two products on damp hair – a leave-in or moisturizing cream and a gel. So, using just one product felt a bit strange. I wondered, won’t my hair dry out?! But after seeing plenty of reviews from people with shiny, defined, and long-lasting curls using the gel, I was totally influenced! I had to give it a try.

Let me introduce myself: I have low-porosity, Type 4 hair. My curls struggle to survive in humidity and tend to get frizzy within moments. Below, you can see my natural curls, but I typically prefer braid-outs over wash-and-gos because they hold up better and keep my hair tangle-free.

For my usual routine, I wash and deeply condition my hair once a week. After styling, I typically refresh my curls throughout the week (by rewetting them and adding more product) before my next wash day to keep them hydrated and well-defined.

To test whether this gel is truly long-lasting, I set two rules: 1) Besides water, I'll only use this gel all week, and 2) I’ll resist the urge to refresh my curls! So, I'll apply the gel only once on wash day and track how my curls hold up for seven days. Then, I’ll assess the gel in three categories: longevity, frizz control, and moisture. Here’s the breakdown:

I followed my usual routine of shampooing and deep conditioning. Then, I sectioned my hair and began applying the gel, using a brush to distribute it evenly.

First impressions: This gel has a fruity, tropical fragrance, and it melted right into my hair. My curls absorbed the product instantly, leaving them shiny, defined, and surprisingly stretched. I absolutely loved it, and my hair felt so juicy!

Again, I'm not a wash-and-go girl, so I'll be doing a braid-out this week to test the gel (and TBH, I was curious to see how it would hold up since I haven't yet seen it done on a braid-out!). But here's what the product looked like on my natural curls before I braided this section:

After applying the gel, I braided my hair into five sections. Then, I sat under my hooded dryer and unbraided my hair once it was fully dry.

Note: You’ll know when your hair is fully dry — it will likely feel a bit stiff/hard due to the gel cast.

DAY ONE: First off, I absolutely LOVED my curls. But here's the bad news: My curls were *very* crunchy, and there was a fair amount of flaking from the gel cast. But I wasn’t shocked — this gel is known for its strong hold, so the cast helps the curls stay in place.

Now, for the good news: Even though I wasn’t thrilled about the crunchiness, I found that separating the curls helped break up the cast. I was really impressed with how my curls looked. They were shiny, defined, and my hair still had plenty of movement.

DAY TWO: I still loved my curls and the gel cast was intact. However, I noticed that my ends, especially on the left side, were starting to frizz (maybe I didn’t apply enough water or gel there?). But the top of my hair, where I usually experience frizz, and most of my strands, stayed frizz-free, which was incredible.

DAY THREE: After rain the night before and more rain today, the gel was really put to the test. My curls held up; usually, just a bit of humidity would ruin my curl definition. By now, the gel cast had mostly faded, leaving my strands softer with a lot of shine.

However, I noticed my ends started to get even frizzier, and it’s likely to continue. So, I gently refreshed just the frizzy ends with a little water and more gel (because dry ends lead to breakage, which I’m trying to prevent!).

DAY FOUR: By now, I could really see the impact of the rain on my hair. The gel cast was completely gone, but my curls still had definition; they weren't shrinking, but I had more frizz than before. Surprisingly, my hair didn’t feel dry at all, though it started to look less moisturized than it had earlier.

I knew I needed to keep my ends nourished and protected, so I lightly refreshed the ends again. After four days and a very rainy week, my hair was still holding up!

DAY FIVE: I still had some definition, and while I could wear my curls out without needing to throw them into a bun, my hair felt drier at this point. It wasn't brittle, but it just didn't feel hydrated anymore. That said, my hair wasn't excessively frizzy, and most of my curls stayed in place.

DAY SIX: My curls were beginning to stretch out, and by now, it was clear that my hair would keep losing definition each day. Even so, I was surprised that my hair never felt stiff; the curls remained light and had plenty of bounce.

DAY SEVEN: My hair was feeling quite dry, and I knew I couldn't go another day without giving my curls some hydration. I was looking forward to washing my hair and applying a leave-in conditioner. But even after seven days, I was surprised to see my curls hadn't completely lost their shape; I still had some definition left, and I could easily refresh my hair with water if I wanted to keep my braid-out going a bit longer.

FINAL RESULTS: Here is a comparison of my curls on Day 1 versus Day 7.

Day 1: My curls were tightly set in a gel cast, and there were some small flakes left from the product, but they had the best definition. Even though they were crunchy, they still had bounce and shine! Day 7: The gel cast had disappeared, and my curls were more stretched out. I could tell my hair needed moisture, as frizz had started to appear, but my curls made it through the whole week.

Now, let's dive into my final thoughts on how the curls held up in terms of longevity, frizz, and moisture...

1) Longevity: Compared to the products I typically use, this gel definitely lasts longer.

Aside from my ends, I didn't need to touch up most of my curls, but I'm not sure I'd make it through the entire week without some touch-ups. I could see myself refreshing my curls, probably with just water, around Day 4.

2) Frizz: Yes, this gel does a great job of keeping frizz at bay! Even though I faced a lot of rain this week, I didn't have to restyle my hair like I usually would. The hold was solid, and a lot of my curls stayed in place. But is it completely anti-humidity/anti-frizz? Not exactly...at least not for me.

By the end of the week, many of my curls had stretched out and lost their definition, though I had very few flyaways at the top of my hair. Overall, you’ll probably need to do a little touch-up midweek, especially if it’s humid, but this gel worked far better than any other gel I’ve tried in preventing frizz.

3) Moisture: I was a bit concerned about how moisturized my hair would feel without using a leave-in. To be honest, with the gel cast, my hair didn't feel as hydrated as it did when I initially applied the product to wet hair, but it never felt fully stripped of moisture either.

If I were to do this again, I’d experiment with spritzing my hair with water throughout the week to see if it softens my curls faster by breaking the cast and keeps it feeling more moisturized. I might even try layering a moisturizer under the gel to see how it affects my hair's performance.

All in all, I enjoyed trying out the gel and would definitely incorporate it into my routine again! Since this was my first time using it, I might need to adjust how much gel I apply next time. Below is a summary of my personal pros and cons:

Would I recommend this gel? Absolutely! It’s definitely worth a try, particularly if you’re someone who frequently does wash-and-gos or prefers using fewer styling products.