I have been growing for 8 months before finding this site and although it seems common sense now, blow drying and harsh towel rubbing etc may have damaged my hair a little. It's not extreme but my hair is rather dry and uneven.
I'm wondering if using gels can damage hair at all, seems a strange question but i'd like to be sure. :)
This is definitely a fair question. Optimally, you shouldn't use gel or any kind of product, as it will leave your hair in its natural and healthiest state. However, as we all know, this is not reality, so my suggestion would be to try to use an alcohol-free gel. It also depends on your hair type (straight, curly, frizzy, etc.). You may want to look at L'Oreal Melting Wax. I've used it in the past and it doesn't do hardly (if any) damage to your hair and leaves it manageable. Hope that helps. =)
-James
Female lurking! My haircutter recommends a light spray of lime juice instead of hairspray, etc. NOT lemon juice, which will damage and lighten hair. Lime juice has never damaged my fine, dark hair and rinses right out. My haircutter believes in no dye, no perms, no hairspray, no gels, no moose and no conditioners (except a very light coating of peanut oil once if it gets dry in the winter.) She recommends the shampoo with the least number of ingredients.