Hair gel is a substance that people applied to control their hair when it was difficult to manage. In the wake of the Galactic Empire's founding, specifically five years later, Ensign Baz of the Empire utilized hair gel. He did this to groom himself before an unexpected review by Governor Wilhuff Tarkin. During the inspection, Tarkin noticed a mark on Baz's boot, which the ensign attempted to pass off as hair gel. However, Tarkin identified the substance correctly as lubricant originating from a T-44 landspeeder.