DC: Light Defining Gel Alternative?

First of all, about my hair: I have a combination of 3A hair (usually the back of my hair) and 3B hair (usually the front and sides of my hair) but some random textures throughout depending on the day. It's color treated, and a smidge away from being shoulder length. It's a suppose it's 'middle/average' porosity? It soaks up a lot of water, and product, but takes a fairly decent/average time to dry I'd say, not to long, not too quick. It takes about 2 hours to air dry when I have nothing it in it, sometimes a little less, and 3-4 hours when I have product in it. (correct me if I'm wrong about the porosity.)

Basically I shampoo and condition once a week, if my scalp is feeling extra cranky I will do it a second time but co-wash and not shampoo. 

After, I distribute Cantu Leave in Conditioning Repair Cream, and then if I am going out I put in DC: Ultra Defining Gel. I really like how the gel makes my hair look. I get a lot of volume with it, and even though it's slightly frizzier than normal, the definition is great, however, I've noticed as I've been using the product once a week or once every two weeks for hte last 4 months, that I can't really get more than day 1 hair with it. 

I always end up just putting my hair into a puff because by the end of the first day, my hair feels really...strange. I'd say a cross between tacky and greasy at the same time, and it just feels quite heavy on my head by the end of the day, and no matter what protective way I sleep the next day my hair is just molded left or right based on what side I slept on which is often both sides so it gets pushed up to the middle of my head and isn't able to be moved except to comb it into a puff/ponytail. 

It's definitely not the leave-in, because when I just use the leave-in without the gel, my hair is very soft, not tacky or anything, and generally I can get day two and day three hair. I've tried using both more and less of each product. Using less leave-in and less gel, more leave-in and less gel, more leave-in and more gel, less leave-in and more gel, and just gel. Everytime the gel just makes my hair feel a tacky sort of greasy by the end of the day. 

So I could really use some suggestions for defining products, espeically since DC is so expensive, I really don't want to spent $22 on a product again, so cheaper alternatives would be really great. 

**Note: my scalp doesn't feel sticky or greasy, just my actual hair.