Why a £2.66 Tub of Eco Style Olive Oil Gel Splits the Room Over One Word: Hold
One reviewer calls it the best gel her daughter has ever used. Another says it couldn't hold her leg hair down. The same £2.66 tub, two completely different verdicts, and the dividing line is almost always the same word: hold.
One reviewer says her daughter calls it the best gel she has ever used. Another writes, in full, "This couldn't even hold my leg hair down. Rubbish." Same product, same 236 ml green tub, same £2.66 price tag. So what is actually going on with the Eco Style Olive Oil Eco Styler Hair Gel?
It carries a 4.4 average across more than 63,000 Amazon ratings, which is a serious number for a gel that costs less than a coffee. But when we read through 100 of the most recent reviews, the picture got more interesting. Roughly 55 of those 100 were five stars and 23 were one star, and almost every argument between the two camps comes down to a single expectation: how hard this gel is supposed to hold. Get that expectation right and people adore it. Get it wrong and they feel cheated. Let's sort out which group you fall into before you buy.
The hold argument, settled
Here is the core of it. A lot of disappointed buyers came expecting a maximum-hold, sculpt-it-into-place gel. "Is not a 'max hold' hair gel. Doesn't last 5 mins," one reviewer wrote. Another simply said, "Not max hold at all." One especially blunt one-star described it as a "watery mess with zero hold" and warned that the high average rating fooled them.
But look at what the listing itself actually promises. It describes a "weightless hold formula" built for "ultimate flexibility," not a rigid, set-in-stone cast. That is a meaningful difference. This is a flexible, moisturising styling gel, and the reviewers who treat it as one tend to be thrilled. The ones expecting concrete are the ones leaving one stars. If your styling goal needs a stiff structural hold for thick or heavy hair, this probably is not your gel. If you want a smooth, flexible, shiny finish that still moves, read on.
Where it really shines: slick-backs and updos
If there is one use case this gel was born for, it is the slicked-back ponytail and the dance-hair updo. This came up again and again from happy buyers. "Was bought for my daughter's dance hair up-dos and to create the current 'slick-back' ponytail trend. It works a treat and only requires a small amount," one four-star reviewer wrote, adding that the tub is "huge and has already lasted months."
Nadine called it "perfect for slick backs / up do's." Katie K said it gives "good stickiness" and "great for a slick back," and that it "holds well, even in rain and wind." For neat, smoothed styles that sit close to the head, the flexible formula does exactly what people want without going crunchy. Several reviewers specifically praised that it does not leave a crispy helmet feel, which is the usual trade-off with cheap gels.
Curly and textured hair: it depends on your curl pattern
This is where reviews get split right down the middle, and the deciding factor seems to be how much hold your curls need. On the love-it side, one five-star reviewer with curls wrote, "It gives me fantastic, long-lasting hold while keeping my curls soft, defined, and frizz-free. No flakes, no sticky residue." Stella Oshin said it "holds back my curly hair pretty well and tames frizz."
On the other side, sara, who describes 2a/3c curls, was unimpressed: "This gel has the least hold ever but also simultaneously feels like wallpaper paste in your hair." One reviewer with wavy hair noted, "It doesn't form a cast so maybe best for finer or looser curls." The pattern that emerges: looser curls and people after soft definition tend to be happy, while those wanting a firm gel cast on tighter or thicker curls often want more hold than this offers. A couple of reviewers also mentioned a white residue on afro hair, so that is worth knowing if you have darker, coily hair.
The quiet winner: kids' hair and everyday tidying
One use case gets almost universal praise and barely any complaints: taming children's hair. A detailed five-star review summed it up well. The reviewer bought it "for my eight year old son to help tame his hair before the morning school run" and loved that it is alcohol-free with olive oil, "much kinder on a child's scalp," and "washes out very easily in the bath at the end of the day."
That easy wash-out came up repeatedly. Ross said it is "easy to wash out and no flaking." Several parents flagged that it is gentle, cheap and forgiving for daily use. D. Arv called it "good for kids hair" that "easily wash out." If you mainly want a low-fuss gel to neaten hair each morning, the gentle alcohol-free formula and the sheer size of the tub make this an easy recommendation.
What you actually get for the money
At £2.66 for a 236 ml tub, the value is the part nobody argues about. The formula is vegan and alcohol-free, infused with olive oil to add moisture and shine, plus hydrolysed wheat protein for water retention according to the listing. Reviewers consistently mention the tub lasting for months, with one saying it had "lasted me for almost a year." Because it spreads easily, most people use only a small amount per style.
Two practical warnings did surface enough to mention. First, packaging: a handful of buyers received tubs that had leaked or arrived with the lid popped off in transit, with gel "everywhere but in the tub." Second, size confusion: a few reviewers felt the tub they received was smaller than expected, so double-check the 236 ml size on the listing before you order. These are delivery and listing gripes rather than complaints about the gel itself.
So should you buy it?
Buy it if you want a flexible, shiny, moisturising gel for slick-backs, ponytails, updos, kids' hair, looser curls or general daily tidying, and you like the idea of an alcohol-free, vegan formula for a couple of pounds. For those jobs, the volume of happy, repeat-buying reviewers is hard to ignore, and the price makes it almost risk-free to try.
Skip it if you need a firm, all-day structural hold for thick, heavy or tightly coiled hair, or if you specifically want a strong gel cast. The one-star reviews are real, and they cluster almost entirely around people who needed more hold than a flexible olive oil gel can give. Match your expectation to what this actually is, a soft, nourishing styling gel rather than a maximum-hold one, and you are very likely to be in the happy 55 percent.
Eco Style Olive Oil Eco Styler Hair Gel, 236 ml
A vegan, alcohol-free olive oil gel for flexible, shiny slick-backs, updos and everyday styling at a price that makes it easy to try.