I use gloves... chalk seems too messy for my liking. My boyfriend uses these grip gloves he got from work for moving boxes.

I use some pretty thin gloves for everything, but now that I'm starting to get really heavy (for me) on DLs I may have to stop using them on that lift and change up my grip some. My gym doesn't allow chalk.

Chalk. You can make do with regular calcium carbonate chalk (blackboard or sidewalk kind, even). Magnesium carbonate is preferred by many lifters as it has less slip. That's the chalk that rock climbers use, too, and you will find it in stores that cater to climbers. The sidewalk variety is less messy, but mag carbonate gives you a more secure grip and is easier to use since it's designed for the purpose of, well, chalking your hands.

Gloves will be a problem if you have small hands. The bigger the diameter of whatever you are gripping, the harder it is to hold on to. This is especially a problem for many women, so keep that in mind--it could be the reason your grip fails on deadlifts, and the reason your presses feel weak. You need a secure grip to transfer force to the bar and to protect your shoulders and elbows.

Within the last couple of months I've dumped the gloves (& straps) and started using chalk for Deadlifts, Romanian Deadlifts, and Power Cleans (and eventually other Olympic lifts I hope to include in my workouts soon). Everything else I do wear my gloves simply because I like wearing them, always have, and if it's not a heavy pull it has never been an issue for me as far as grip is concerned.

I dislike gloves. They cause more problems than they solve.

I do own a pair, however. The only time I use them is when I want to use the pull-up bar at the local park, and the metal is too hot from being out in the sun...

I don't use them for barbells.

I have a pair that I keep in my bag for chin-ups, when I do them at the gym and my only choice is the cheese grater bar.

I was told by the guys on the SLIC that are pulling 300+ lbs "Gloves just add extra thickness making it harder to grip, and adds more creases and folds to make callus formation worse" You may want to get wrist straps if you are having trouble with grip strength, but starting out with chalk is your best bet.

I only listen to dudes that pull 600+

When I first started lifting my delicate gamer hands hurt even holding the bar to squat. I used my cycling gloves and gradually toughened up my hands. Now I use chalk on my last 2 sets of deads, and go barehanded on the rest of my lifts. They do have a chalk substitute available that does an okay job according to the internets. If your gym doesn't allow chalk hit up amazon and give it a shot.

I use gloves on everything except deadlifts mostly because it helps with calluses. For some reason, even if my hands get sweaty, I feel like I can grip the bar better. I also wish I could use chalk, but my gym doesn't allow it either.

I'm on Team No Glove these days. Ditched the gloves and now using hook-grip when I need to and improving my grip strength overall.