Can You Bring Hair Gel on a Plane in Carry-On and Checked Luggage?

Traveling by plane is always fun, mostly for all of us, but if you’re a caring person, you might have a question in your mind, just like shampoo, lotion and deodorant: Can you bring hair gel on a plane? This is a big question that most travelers face while traveling by air.

Picture this: You’ve packed everything in your luggage and are now ready to show off your awesome hairstyle. But, oh no, you get confused about bringing hair gel with you. Not cool, right? Don’t worry at all. This is why you and I are here.

This guide helps you understand the rules with regards to hair gel so that you can travel confidently. The TSA, the organization that makes the airplane rules, has some guidelines for almost every product, including hair gel. We’ll dive together further to find rules by TSA to ensure safe and happy travel.

So let’s find out how you can bring your favourite hair gel on a plane with you.

Rules for Flights in the USA

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TSA Guidelines about Bringing Hair Gel on Planes

According to the TSA, hair gel like cream, wax and shampoo is also considered a liquid product; that’s why the TSA 3-1-1 liquid rule applies over here as well.

So, as the TSA has mentioned on its official website, you can bring hair gel in your carry-on luggage but with some restrictions. When it comes to checked luggage, there are no restrictions with regards to the limit.

For carry-on luggage, your hair gel container must not exceed 3.4 ounces or 100 milliliters; it must be packed on the quart size in a transparent and resealable bag. You can keep it in your carry-on luggage.

Note: Remember, the TSA says the capacity must not exceed 3.4 ounces; they mean the total capacity of the container, not the liquid inside the container.

Also read: Can You Bring Dry Shampoo on a Plane?

Can you bring hair gel in your carry-on luggage?

As we’ve mentioned above, yes, according to TSA (Transportation Security Administration), you can bring hair gel in your carry-on luggage with some restrictions and guidelines.

To reiterate, the container of hair gel must not exceed the limit of 3.4 ounces or 100 milliliters; it must be packed in one-quart size bags that must be resealable and transparent. Each passenger is allowed to carry one quart-size bag with him or her.

You might be thinking, What if I want to carry more containers?

Don’t worry! You can carry more than one container in your carry-on luggage but each container should be less than or equal to 3.4 ounces or 100 milliliters, as per the TSA 3-1-1 liquid rule.

Another thing to keep in mind is that you should keep your quart-size bag in your carry-on luggage in such a way that you can easily and quickly take it out at the security checkpoint.

Can you bring hair gel in your checked luggage?

If the limit of the container of your hari gel exceeds the limit of 3.4 ounces, or 100 milliliters, you’re required to bring it in your checked luggage.

But for checked luggage, you must follow the guidelines of the FAA (Federal Aviation Administration) for aerosol items. They’ve set some guidelines that you must fulfill when you’re checking in your checked luggage.

You can carry hair gel in higher quantities, but according to the FAA, if your hair gel is an aerosol item, the aggregate quantity must not exceed the limit of 2 kg or 70 ounces or 2 liters, which is 68 liquid fluid ounces.

And each container must be under or equal to 0.5 kg or 18 ounces. Which is around 500 ml or 17 fluid ounces. So keep in mind while packing hair gel in your checked in large quantity.

Also read: Can You Bring a Knife on Plane?

Rules of Other Countries

TSA is an organization that’s responsible for maintaining the safety and security of airports across the USA. In the same way, different countries have different authorities that have certain rules and regulations, as TSA has.

Beside these authorities, different airlines also have different rules and regulations; sometimes you’ll have to take care of the airline’s rules in addition to the guidelines of government authorities.

In the USA, generally all airlines follow the guidelines of the TSA, but in other countries, airlines might have even stricter guidelines than the security agencies. So make sure to check the guidelines for both.

Talking about the rules for flight in other countries, in the case of liquids, aerosols and gels, most of the countries, like the United Kingdom, Canada, European countries, China and many other countries, follow the same guidelines as TSA, which are as follows:

For Carry-On Luggage: The container of hair gel should not exceed the limit of 3.4 ounces, or 100 milliliters and it should be packed inside a quart-sized, transparent and resealable toiletry bag.

For Check-In Luggage: There is no limit; you can carry as much as you want.

The key is that if you want to always be safe, just follow the guidelines of the TSA. You’ll be covered for almost every country but we’d highly recommend you go through the official website of the airline you want to fly with.

Also read: Can You Bring Nail Clippers on a Plane?

How to Pack Hair Gel in Your Checked Luggage?

It’s essential to pack the hair gel container properly to avoid any leakage in the air. Packing a container or bottle of hair gel can be tricky and complicated but don’t worry at all.

Just give your time and read this entire step-by-step wikihow guide on how to pack liquid or gels on a plane. Once you go through the guide, we assure you that you won’t have any questions with regards to packing hair gel in your luggage.

Closing Thoughts: Should You Bring It?

Summing up, you can bring hair gel in both your carry-on luggage and checked luggage as well. But with carry-on luggage, you’ll have to follow some guidelines of the TSA, which we’ve discussed above in detail.

If your hair gel exceeds the quantity of 3.4 ounces, you’ll have to bring it in your checked luggage, but if you’re hair gel is an aerosol product, you’ll also have to take care of the FAA guidelines in this case. We’ve explained the FAA guidelines as well.

This was the entire guide on how to bring hair gel on a plane. We hope this guide helped you find the answer you were looking for. If you still have any questions, do let me know in the comment section below. We’ll be more than happy to help you out.

Thanks for reading.

Also read: Guide to 3-1-1 TSA Rule: Everything You Need to Know

Frequently Asked Questions