When is Styling Gel Expired?

With so many places to buy styling gels, from the drug store to the grocery store to the beauty supply store, how do you know if the gel is fresh? Very few have expiration dates on them.  Well, based on the consistency of the two "lumpy" gels above, I consider them expired based on the following characteristics:

1) jelly consistency
2) slight discoloration
3) slight stickiness

The two "expired" gels that are pictured are 1) NuExpressions High Sheen Styling Gel and 2) Kinky-Curly Curling Custard.  I had both gels for a couple of years or more.  I had not used them often and have since moved on to the IC Hair Polisher Styling Gel for the clear option.

The "fresh" styling gel should be smooth and spreads on like "soft butter."

Even the Ampro Pro Style brown styling gel which is an "old school fan" of many people has a smooth consistency when it is fresh.

Expired gels are not going to harm the hair, but it is not going to deliver optimum performance.  For example, when doing the quickweave, you need the styling gel to coat the hair uniformly and properly to protect the hair from the glue.

I do not know if anyone ever wondered about when to throw out gel, but the characteristics described within this article should be a guideline for twist and lock gels to styling gels.  So lumpy or jelly-like gels should be tossed into the trash.

So your hair will not hold curls?

The True Indulgence Relaxer delivered fabulous results again . . . on another client who decided to return back to the relaxer! She and I were very pleased with the beauty of the finish. So the True Indulgence relaxer is still my favorite relaxer so far, but as you know from my last post, I feel that my hair won't hold curls as well now. I had been fighting for a while to get my hair to hold straight without burning up my scalp. Well, my wish has come true! But now, I want my curls to hold better. As you can see from my picture, I figured out how to make them hold! Yeah!!

So the secret to making your curls hold in case you potentially get overrelaxed is: Use a generous amount of Lightweight Curly Leave-in Conditioner to roll/wet set your hair with. (I fully saturated my hair with Mixed Chicks Leave-in conditioner after my shampoo, then rolled my hair.) The results are soft, hydrated, defined curls!

Your brain is churning right? Remember when using curl defining creams and leave-in conditioners, straighter ends will show up as you were trying to enhance your new natural curl pattern? Most people trying to grow their relaxer out to transition into natural would snip those straight ends away. So why not embrace the fact that the curl defining cream or leave in conditioner could be used as a setting cream for those straighter pieces? Now, apply that same principle to a whole head of straight hair that will no longer hold a curl. The curl defining cream absorbs into that straight, wet hair. The hair will feel heavier than foam or lightweight setting lotion, but you wrap the wet, generously saturated hair around the rollers the same as usual. The hair dries in the same amount of time or quicker because it is a leave-in conditioner versus a setting agent.

So how do you select the right leave-in condiitoner or curl defining cream? Because I learned a lot this summer experimenting with my natural hair, I know which creams dry stiff and which creams dry soft. You want the curl creams and leave-in conditioners that absorb easily into the hair, but they dry soft. The Mixed Chicks Leave-in conditioner was my obvious choice because it has a lot of glycerin in it. Kinky-Curly's Knot Today Leave-in is organic and leaves the hair soft as well.

The "cheap" curl creams may not work as well nor be as healthy. Then again, they may do just fine. You choose the cream or leave-in that works for you. This article is to give you the concept of how to make your potentially overrelaxed hair hold curl using a wet set. Enjoy experimenting!

Product Line Review: Kinky-Curly

I finally bought all the Kinky-Curly components. I did not get excessive crystallization nor flakes by using their "Come Clean" shampoo. Actually, the shampoo bottle says " Oils, butters, silicones, wax and grease must be washed out of your hair before using Kinky-Curly styling products in order to achieve the best results. Products that contain oils, silicones or butters will coat the hair and may result in white residue, flakes or frizzy."

The shampoo is sulfate-free. The detangler "Knot Today" can be used as a leave-in conditioner for coarse hair or a rinse-out conditioner for fine hair.

The "Spiral Spritz" was lightweight, but it did not prevent shrinkage on my coarse, type 4c hair. I think that I will have to experiment with this line some more. I believe - I need the Curling Custard for better control for my hair type. I still saw a few "powder sprinkles" of residue. I think that I overused the Leave-in conditioner before using the Styling aids.

Without a doubt, the synergy of using the whole line yields optimum results.

Type 3 hair - skip the "Curling Custard" unless you are molding your hairline or edges.

Type 4 hair - skip the "Spiral Spritz" unless you want extreme curl shrinkage.

The Kinky-Curly line leaves the hair very soft. Day 5 is usually my best styling day. However, I will have to figure out how to get to Day 5 without product build-up. If I have to start over, Day one starts my count over. I believe that water and "Curling Custard" will be my daily maintenance regimen if I stick with this line. I still like my KeraCare defining Custard regimen. Please see my other articles on daily maintenance hair.

I promised myself to try the whole Kinky-Curly line without crossing over into any other product line. So I am fulfilling my promise. Using Kinky-Curly product line did not cause as much hair curl shrinkage like the Ouidad line, but it was close. Also, I noticed that the Ouidad product line did not moisturize my hair as much as the Kinky-Curly line. The Kinky-Curly line does seem to be very moisturizing and more natural/organic.

Product Review: Chi Deep Brilliance Relaxer

The Chi Relaxer definitely maintains the integrity of the hair. Those that are sensitive scalp must base really well, but it is tolerable. There are expiration dates on the container which is a plus. The product consistency is a little more "lotion like" versus cream so careful with application. Overall, I like the relaxer system based on the first try.







Pictured is the "before" picture of client who was eight weeks from last texturizing touch-up.












Pictured is the "after" picture of Chi relaxer touchup. Client has Type 4c hair and the Normal strength Chi relaxer was used to texturize or texlax hair. Finishing products included Kinky-Curly Knot Today Leave-in followed by KeraCare Defining Custard. Hair by Benita Blocker.

August 16,2011 Update: I have used the Chi Deep Brilliance Relaxer about four times now. The hair integrity is good even with the Super strength. However, the Super Strength Chi Deep Brilliance relaxer can be very drying to the hair. I found that the Chi Reconstruct conditioner that is recommended with the relaxer service does not provide enough moisture to the hair. I found the Mizani Moistufuse conditioner which is recommended for the Mizani traditional relaxer system works significantly better. Under normal conditions and normal strength relaxation, the Chi Reconstruct was sufficient. However, I still recommend layering the Mizani Moistufuse in with the Chi Reconstruct under normal relaxation. I also recommend substituting the Mizani Moistufuse in lieu of the Chi Reconstruct. The hair seems to drink the Moistufuse immediately after Super relaxation and shampooing. Please note: Mizani has a "Butter Blend line" and a "Moisturfusion" line. I am NOT referring to these Mizani categories at this time.

A note to the sensitive scalp consumers: The Chi Deep Brilliance relaxer is tolerable with a well-based scalp. "Well-based" scalp means that base is applied with thin partings but keep the base on the scalp not the hair. Cross section your base if you have to but do NOT squeeze too much out at a time. The "bad news" is that the combination of resistant hair and a sensitive scalp may not process long enough to get straight before burning. This relaxer will burn. You feel the burns more from the water hitting the scalp during the rinse than the dry application. So if the client feels burning, but they say it is tolerable, then I recommend taking them to the shampoo bowl and start rinsing anyway.

For some reason the burning does seem tolerable during relaxer application, but the water rinse will tell the real story as to how badly the burn is. The Paul Mitchell relaxer system causes more "false" sensations during the relaxer application, but not too much burning at the bowl. However, my Chi relaxer experience was the completely opposite. I felt less pain at relaxer application; more "pain" at the bowl. Overall, I recommend caution with the Super Strength Chi Relaxer. The tensile strength is fine, but watch for dryness. Prepare to add a lot of "moisture" during the conditioning phase.

Product Review: Kinky-Curly Knot Today and more

One of my clients that did the big chop told me that the Kinky-Curly line builds on top of itself so you need to use the whole line. I had played with the Curling Custard over a year ago. I could not get the hang of it. However, now that I started using the KeraCare Defining Custard, I realized they are both about the same product consistency. I just purchased the "Knot Today" leave-in conditioner to use with my existing Curling Custard.
Voila! Day one hair with Kinky-Curly leave-in conditioner and Curling Custard. Most Target stores have the leave-in conditioner and the curling custard. The SuperTarget stores with larger ethnic displays carry the whole Kinky-Curly line. I still used my KeraCare cleansing cream first! I will have to buy the Kinky-Curly shampoo soon. On a separate note, the leave-in conditioner is more organic than the Mixed Chicks leave-in conditioner. Because the Mixed Chicks Leave-in conditioner does have some silicone in it . . . it is probably a better fit for Type 3 hair as a final step. For those who need one extra final step . . . the Knot Today Leave-in conditioner seems healthier for the Kinkier hair that need a gel finish. I am looking forward to Day 5 hair . . . I will update this post then!