CurlyNikki's New Twist-n-Curl Regimen

Up until 2008, there was a dearth of natural hair information online (other than forums and Motown Girl”>. Enter the Blogger/Vlogger– Afrobella, BlackGirlLongHair, KimmayTube, NaturalChica and myself– and while I can’t speak for everyone, our mission was to not only bring accessible, relatable information on transitioning to natural hair, but to share honest, objective product reviews with the readers– to save y’all time and money. I stopped doing reviews a couple of years ago for 3 reasons:

1. The natural hair movement exploded all over the internets and there were tons of excellent, objective reviews available via Youtube and various blogs.
2. It’s hard to get motivated to try new things when you know that using Holy Grail ProductX will yield mostly predictable results.
3. I stopped accepting boxes of product from brands because paid reviews aren’t a part of my business model and I haven’t been impressed in a long, long time.

But here’s the thing– since so many people think that natural hair blogging & vlogging is big business, it seems that there aren’t many objective reviews out there anymore… just little whack commercials. #DoBetter All of that to say, I found myself on the hunt for a new product to set my dry twist-n-curls. I like the finance-disrespecting Ouidad Hydrafusion, but you have to apply it to damp hair, lest you get ALL the flakes. Giovanni Direct Leave-in is okay for a dry set, but you bet’not try to re-apply that joint in a few days… all the flakes. And finally, Oyin’s Hair Dew is awesome and moisturizing on dry hair, but it’s a conditioner and has zero holding agents and can get heavy after re-application.

So I went to Target and spent about 30 min. in the aisle reading label claims and comparing ingredients. I peeped all the usual suspects (most of which I’ve tried”> and some newbies (which I want to try!”> but found myself eying Taliah Waajid’s Crinkles and Curls and her Protective Mist Bodifier. It was on the bottom shelf and while I’ve seen the brand before (at nearly every beauty supply since nineteen hundred and ninety-five”>, I’ve never been swayed to purchase. I jumped on Amazon (one of the only places I can get an honest review these days”> and saw that both had great reviews… the price was right too. #Boom

I’ve used it 4 times now with the same results– shiny, defined, moisturized, full-looking hair. It doesn’t build-up (at least it hasn’t yet”> and it has some of the same active ingredients as Ouidad’s Hydrafusion at a fraction of the price! #Winning

On dry hair (an old, dry Twist-n-Curl”>, I created 11 two strand twists (flat-twisted the roots”> and rolled the ends (up to my chin”> on gray perm rods. I used the Bass brush to gently detangle each section after applying a little Mist Bodifier (no water, just product”> and then twisted with the Crinkles and Curls. I allowed it dry (which was quick as hell– much quicker than with Oyin or Giovanni”> overnight and then released the twists and fluffed with my scalp massager. Next up, I’ll be trying the products out on a wet set and on Boogie!

The Mist Bodifier looks like a liquid leave-in, but it isn’t. It reminds me of Giovanni Direct, just a little thinner and with more moisture. The Crinkles and Curls looks just like any other foaming setting lotion, but it’s magic, though (unlike Jane Carter’s Twist-Out Foam and Creme of Nature’s Argan Oil Style and Shine Foam which left me crunchy, dry and confused”>.

This article was originally posted on CurlyNikki.

What say you? Have you tried these products?