Review: Kinky-Curly Knot Today

What curly doesn't love a good, slippery conditioner? What's even better than that? A conditioner that does double-time, working as a detangler and a leave-in. Kinky-Curly Knot Today is just that conditioner. I can't believe I didn't tell you ladies about it months ago, because it's been in my rotation since last September. I used it on and off all winter long, but now that warmer weather is hitting full force, I've been using it daily. Of course I pair it with my staple styler, Kinky-Curly Curling Custard. The two work in unison delivering moisture, definition, bounce, and shine.

Kinky-Curly Knot Today is a conditioner that has the most amazing amount of slip, and for my hair, a little goes a long way. When I use it as a rinse-out I only need about a silver-dollar size amount, and when I use it as a leave-in, I only need a pea-size amount. In the bottle it looks sort of white, but it's virtually see-through once it's in your hands. Much like the Curling Custard, I've heard the smell described a multitude of ways, and I have no idea what it's scented with, but it smells good.

This is one of those rare products that stands on it's own two feet, but really shines when paired. Paired of course with KCCC. If you have kinky hair, or just have a lot of hair, and your ultimate goals are curl elongation and you need products that will add some weight and therefore decrease volume, then using the Knot Today, and shingling the Curling Custard over it, are your best bet. On the other hand, if your like me and your goals are tight, voluminous curls with definition, then raking the Knot Today through, and scrunching the Curling Custard in are the way to go.

I cannot say enough about Kinky-Curly hair products, and the Knot Today is no exception. I love that the entire line is organic, and makes caring for your hair so simple. I can honestly just use the Knot Today with the Curling Custard, and have the most amazing hair. I don't know why I even bother continuing to try new things. If you haven't checked out the Kinky-Curly line, you definitely should. I have yet to find anything else that delivers that same gorgeous results on a consistent basis.

 

Kinky-Curly Curling Custard Review: Wow, it's a miracle!

Hello ladies, I’m back! This time we’re back to discussing our hair, and we’re talking about a product that I swear has a cult following; Kinky-Curly Curling Custard! This product is completely fabulous, and I use it everyday. It’s natural, it’s moisturizing, and it delivers results. Don’t take just my word for it, it’s won the Best of the Best Award on Naturally Curly.

So let’s talk about what’s in it, and what isn’t before we get on to the review. Kinky-Curly Curling Custard is protein-free, paraben-free, silicone-free, and glycerin-free. It’s also organic, so it’s a product that you can feel good about putting on your hair, or your children’s hair. I’d use it on my gorgeous curly son if he would ever let me fix his hair, alas he won’t so I’ve stopped trying. The Curling Custard is loaded with humectants, so if your hair is sensitive to humectants like aloe or agave nectar, this isn’t going to be a product for you. However, my hair loves humectants year-round, and KCCC. Yeah!

To catch you up on my hair type: I have a mix of 2b, 3a and 3b curls. If you aren’t familiar with hair typing on Naturally Curly, that basically means I have some sections of hair that are wavy and some sections that are loose curls, and a few tight curls. My hair texture is medium, so it’s pretty soft. It’s relatively porous, from years of heat styling and coloring, however since I henna’d, my porosity has changed a little.

I originally tried Kinky-Curly Curling Custard back in September of last year, and I loved it the first time I used it. However, as I’ve mentioned before, a lot of products are sent to me to review for you ladies and my Examiner page, so I tend to forget a few of my loves from time to time. So, about 2 months ago I decided to pull the Curling Custard back out and give it a go. Just like I remembered, my hair + KCCC= L♥ve! Like I’ve mentioned about a million times already, curly hair needs moisture to thrive. If your curls are dry or simply aren’t getting adequate moisture they’ll never look as great as they could. I deep condition my hair once a week at the very least. Since I’ve gone modified CG, my hair is in the best shape of my life, and I probably don’t need to deep condition as often as I do, but I want to make sure that I keep the health of my hair where it is right now.

Kinky-Curly Curling Custard probably has the strangest consistency of any product that I’ve ever encountered. It’s sort of like snot, and I know that sounds gross, but it isn’t at all. It smells edible almost, which I love. I have a huge issue with funky product smells. If a product smells bad, I won’t put it in my hair. I’ve heard the smell described as vanilla cake, but I don’t know what they scent it with. Anyway, back to the texture. It’s weird to say the least, it isn’t like a typical hair gel at all. It comes in a tub, and if you dip your finger in it, it will hardly pick any product up. This is actually a great thing, as the product is super concentrated, so a tiny amount goes a long way, regardless of your hair type.

The Curling Custard gives me super shiny, bouncy, defined curls. I know a lot of curlies use a hard-hold gel on top of it, but my curl pattern is strong enough on it’s own so I don’t need anything else. I've heard some of the ladies on Naturally Curly say it can take a long time to dry, this is compounded if you use products with it that contain ingredients that interact with the Custard. My hair is porous, so it dries pretty fast, and the Curling Custard doesn’t really affect my drying time. However, the Curling Custard doesn't always play well with others.

I can’t say enough about this product, and I’m sure if I sat here long enough I could think of a ton more to say about it. However, I think this post is long enough already. Try Kinky Curly Curling Custard, it stands up to the hype!

Kinky-Curly Part 1: Q & A with Shelley

Hi ladies, I'm back. This time we're talking about Kinky-Curly products, and how much I love them. I recently talked with Shelley, the owner of Kinky-Curly. I asked her a few questions, and I thought that I'd share her responses with you gals. Coming soon, I'm going to do a review on Kinky-Curly Curling Custard! I would've put this all into one post, but as I was writing I discovered that I had so much to say, it would be a ridiculously long post, so I'm going to break it up into two.

On with the Q & A:

I know you get a lot of questions about what's in the Curling Custard, and how you formulated it. I promise I don't want any information like that, but what gives the Curling Custard the ability to have such fantastic hold, yet when I rinse it out, my hair is really soft and moisturized?


lol, yes we do get a lot of questions like that... basically people underestimate the power of herbs and natural ingredients. The Curling Custard truly is an innovative product. We are so used to products that contain alcohol or synthetic polymers to create a hairstyle. Or silicones to create a shine. We use this blend of herbs to create the same effect. We use natural ingredients that nourish the hair shaft as opposed to coating & suffocating it with plastics.

If someone doesn't use the entire line together, what ingredients in other products should they watch for, that will cause unfavorable results when used in conjunction with the Curling Custard?

Because the Curling Custard really is this pure natural product and it is water based it doesnt mix well with oils, silicones and butters. Any greasy product buildup must be washed out of the hair before using the Curling Custard. We encourage customers to use the COME CLEAN + KNOT TODAY + CURLING CUSTARD as a system when they first try Kinky-Curly in order to see what the products will actually do for your hair..then if they desire, feel free to mix and match from other product lines.

When I get emails from customers saying help them get better results. I ask them to explain to me what they did step by step. When they go on to say that they did a pre-poo with olive oil , then they did a wash with castile shampoo then an avocado and mayo deep treatment followed by a co-wash with VO5 and sealed with an oil rinse THEN they applied the Knot Today & Curling Custard it drives me a little crazy. Hair care doesn't have to be complicated. With ANY new product line customers should just follow the manufacturers directions and suggested use first. That is the only way to see true results.

If I used Come Clean for my initial cleanse before using the Kinky-Curly products, could I use Knot Today as a cowash? I have used the entire line together, and it's fantastic, but I have to restyle my hair everyday, and I love cowashing.

Yes, the Knot Today can be used as a co-wash. Me personally, I don't do co-washes but everyone is different and since many women swear by co-washes I don't discourage it if it works for them.

What gave you the inspiration to start a company, and where did the idea come from for the Curling Custard?

The Curling Custard was created one summer when I traveled to my native homeland, the island of St Vincent in the West Indies, and lost my bag containing ALL my makeup and hair products. I was already natural and used a cocktail of several products to get my hair looking just right, Needless to say I couldn't find any thing on St Vincent besides some DAX hair grease and Revlon relaxer. I was freaking out trying to figure out what the heck I was going to do with my hair for 2 weeks. A family friend took me in her kitchen and cooked up some aloe and some various roots and herbs from her yard. The resulting concoction looked disgusting (to put it nicely) and my initial reaction was "there is no way I am putting that in my hair" but since desperate times call for desperate measures and with the humidity and my hair rising each minute I tried it and was pleasantly surprised. She instructed me to keep it refrigerated and for the balance of my trip this was my stand alone styling product.

When I returned back to the States all my co-workers and friends kept commenting on how healthy my hair looked. It was then I realized the value of herbs & natural ingredients.
I set out on a mission to re-create the "brown colored sludge". I took some courses in cosmetic chemistry (my background is Marketing) and met with a chemist to help me create an elegant formula that was all natural and that would perform to deliver results. About a year later I put up a website and said let's see.....

Now, 6 years later we are in salons, beauty supply stores and Whole Foods Market which means a lot to us. Whole Foods being the leader in natural & organic products confirmed that we stayed true to our goal of keeping the products natural.

Today, all products start out in my kitchen. I work out what I want and then sit down with my chemist to help me do things like preserve it and ph balance it. It is a lot of hard work but since I am so passionate about healthy hair I couldn't see myself doing anything else.