Cream vs Gel
There are many types of beauty and skin care products in the market that are available in the form of crèmes, lotions, gels and ointments. Even medications today are available in tubes containing creams and gels. It is common to see even products like shaving crèmes and toothpaste in the form of gels today. There are many people who cannot appreciate the differences between crèmes and gels. This article will highlight these differences based upon their physical features and usage that will be helpful for those who do not know when to use a gel or a cream for skin application.
A gel has the appearance of a jelly and is transparent. It looks like a cross between a solid and a liquid and does not behave either like a solid or like a liquid. In reality, they are closer to liquids than solids but behave like a solid because of the presence of cross linking of molecules that prevents a steady state of flow. Most of the gels are water based and are known as hydrogels. Gels can be made of many substances by adding thickening agents and water which is why we see so many types of gels in the market these days. Whether you want beauty products or medications that are meant to be rubbed on skin to get relief from sprains and pains, gels are every where. While medication gels are mostly colorless, those that are found inside toothpaste tube are given a color tint or even filled with smaller, colorful particles to make the paste look like more attractive.
Crèmes are rather well known as they have been available for a long time now. Most of the crèmes are also water based though some crèmes do contain a little bit of oil base also. Creams also make use of thickening agents to give them a smoother appearance. Creams are thicker and take more time to get absorbed under the skin. In the case of gels, one sees them disappear as they are mostly colorless. Despite having a color base, creams also are not visible once one has rubbed them on body.
There was a time when men and women had to apply creams on their hair but today, because of the introduction of gels, there are all sorts of body gels that have become very popular as they disappear once applied on hair.
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