Weird Product Wednesday: Biosilk Rock Hard Gelee

There's a tendency among products to overstate their properties: creamy, rich, glossy, light, refreshing, and so on. We buy these products hoping they will be and do what the label says but we always know that they will probably fall short of their promises.

When Biosilk tells you that its gel is rock hard, however, you may believe them. This product stiffens faster than a corpse on CSI. You can read about Jaime's experience or that of A Girl and Her Curl, but now I'm going to give you the skinny on this crazy product we affectionately refer to as BRHG (Biosilk Rock Hard Gelee).

Yes, it's a little pricier than most of the other gels at the drugstore, but note that it is in the drugstore nonetheless, so it's still in the ballpark of affordability. I find that it's usually $8 or $9 most places I've seen it. Yes, L.A. Looks gels are cheaper but they can't keep Dorothy Gale's pigtails in place during a tornado like BRHG can.

I know what you're thinking. "Sheesh, I don't need that much hold!" Uh huh. Sing it sister. Then talk to me again after you get caught in a windstorm or a sudden rain shower. Who you gonna call then, huh?

In my experience, using BRHG straight is overkill. You don't need this kind of hold unless you're headed for the drive-thru car wash in a convertible. But if you're currently using a gel -- or the much-revered Kinky Curly Curling Custard -- that isn't quite delivering what you need in terms of hold, guess what? You can add of wee bit of BRHG and voila! you get improved performance from your tired old gel.

Here are a couple of ways I use it:

* Three parts Kinky Curly Curling Custard to one part BRHG. For me, it is the perfect combo. I get softness and clumps from the KCCC, and frizz control and smoothness from the BRHG. And scrunch-out is just crunchy enough to let you know that you'll have decent hold. (I promise to post a photo of my hair with this combo soon. There are days I can't believe it's really my hair, it looks so good.)

* Three parts TheraNeem Leaf and Aloe Gel (or just regular aloe vera gel) to one part BRHG over an application of Boots curl creme. Wow. This is another reliable combo for me. Boots delivers the clumps, the aloe vera offsets the tiny bit of alcohol in the Boots, and the BRHG holds it all together. In warmer weather, this combo is surprisingly great.

But there's no reason you couldn't mix this with a host of other products, such as:

* Dilute it with conditioner (probably something along the lines of something from the Suave Naturals line but hey, use your imagination!) and scrunch it into wet hair.

* Mix it with Aubrey Organics Mandarin Magic Ginkgo Leaf and Ginseng Root Hair Moisturizing Jelly (that just rolls off the tongue, doesn't it?). Kathymack recently mentioned that she mixes AOMM with lots of different products and I suspect that BRHG would be an absolutely perfect addition. That whole clumps + hold formula, you know?

BRHG is a product that's easy to overdo. It begs to be cut or diluted with something else because it is just too powerful on its own. Unless you've got some thick, unruly hair, you might want to find ways to lessen the hold that BRHG provides.

Cold weather hair care, day four

Xcptnl (sound it out phonetically and you get "exceptional", which is what her hair is, if you ask me) is not only known at NaturallyCurly.com for her pretty hair but for her relentless experimentation with products. (Msgiblet and Xcptnl tie for honors in this regard.) I've always felt that Xcptnl may not realize just how wonderful her hair is, so because I am queen of this here blog, I am using this cyber-pulpit to show her off to the world!

Here is the story of how she gets these beautiful curls in horrifyingly low dew points.

"I feel like a celebrity!! How exciting to be part of Jillipoo’s blog!

"This winter was the first winter I had noticed issues of flyaways/frizzies -- whatever you want to call them. And it’s no wonder -- I don't think our dew points have been above 20 for weeks! For example, today the dew point is 2!

"I started paying attention to other curlies on Naturallycurly.com and their discussions of glycerin/honey (humectants) and their effects on hair in low dew points. To maintain some of my curls and get rid of those flyaways, I started avoiding or reducing glycerin and other humectants in products such as stylers and leave-ins that stay in my hair.

"Lately I have been using MOP C Curl Enhancing Shampoo* every two or three days. When I do not shampoo, I use Devacurl One Condition as a co-wash (or I just water-wash) and follow it with Giovanni 50/50 conditioner (glycerin is low on the list of ingredients), Avalon Organics Olive & Grape Seed conditioner, or Lustrasilk Shea Butter. I use Lustrasilk Shea Butter as a leave-in. This is put on VERY wet hair while I'm still in the shower and upside-down, after I have rinsed out my rinse-out conditioner upside down. I only use about a nickel-sized blob. My best stylers in these low dew points have been Kinky Curly Curling Custard or Boots Pink Curl Cream. When I use the Curling Custard, I mix it with Biosilk Rock Hard Gelee for good hold while my hair dries. When I use the Boots Pink Curl Cream, I emulsify it in my hand and scrunch into my ends. Both are added to very wet hair while I'm upside-down. When I use the Boots, I mix Biosilk Rock Hard Gelee with any other medium-hold gel that is glycerin-free. In these photos, I mixed it with Pantene Curl Defining Scrunching gel. As any reader of Naturallycurly.com knows, I am a certified product junkie so I am trying to use up these tubes of gel that are everywhere in my house!

I then flip right side up, get my part organized, and then scrunch out the water with my Curlease towel. I do this upside down first and then upright. Then I move on to diffusing with a deeper bowl attachment. I do this upside-down for about five minutes to get the products to set then I go upright. I spend some time on the ends with the deeper bowl attachment and then I move on to the diffuser that came with my blowdryer -- it's shallow and I can use it to get at the top of my head and the roots. I place it midway on my head and then move it up to get some volume at the roots, turn it on, and hold it there for a minute or so. I do this all around my head. I only dry my hair 50% dry with the hairdryer and then I let it air-dry the rest of the way. Once it's dry, I decrunchify with my Curlease towel. I have found by using the towel, my fingers, rings, and whatever do not get caught in my hair and create frizz. TA DA! Curls.

I cannot wait until the dew points go above 30 and I can start using all the products I bought containing glycerin, honey, and other humectants in them. It's very hard for me to ignore all those pretty bottles, tubes, and tubs but soon they will get their day in the rotation!

*This is sulfate-free, folks!

Weird Product Wednesday: Boots Curl Creme

There are many ways in which a hair product can be weird, and Boots Essentials Curl Creme is guilty of several.

First, the makers of it certainly don't want you to find a picture of it on the Web. Maybe the product has some sort of spiritual quality -- like, maybe if you see a digital representation of it, you will be cursed. Or die. Or be destined to live out your life with bad hair. Hmmm. Maybe Boots Curl Creme is like a vampire and it cannot be photographed. (I tried photographing mine but the jar is clear, the print is white, and the product is pink. I think it would take more than my iPhone camera to capture its charms.) A site in Italy had this one up so I stole it. Although you cannot possibly read what's on the jar, you must trust me that it bears a striking resemblance in color, shape, and size to the one sitting in my bathroom.

Now, then. About the smell. It's not exactly unpleasant but it is perfumey. You could even say cloying. Definitely a product for girls and very pretty boys. I find it a little overpowering but that quality has not stopped me from using it.

When I was new to CG, I had no idea what a curl creme was. I don't think I'd even heard of curl creme. And when I started visiting NaturallyCurly.com and read about people using them, my initial reaction was, "Sounds like something for older people." For eleven thousandth time in my life, I was incorrect.

Curl cremes in general are moisturizing, smoothing concoctions that help to define and separate curls. They are best used in colder temperatures yet many a curly-headed human enjoys their benefits in warmer weather, as well. I prefer them in winter, myself, because I need all the help I can get in feeding my hair moisture and preventing it from getting flyaway and dry-looking.

Curl cremes are generally used after a leave-in and before gel. But I have heard of curlies who use curl creme over gel or who scrunch out their crunch with curl creme. This curl creme, in fact.

Which leads us nicely back to the topic at hand, which is: why Boots Curl Creme is weird. I have a bit of a beef with this product because the directions provide no guidance whatsoever about application quantity. And in this case, that information is hugely important because you need to use about half as much of this curl creme as your instincts tell you to use.

I was reading Katrina's Colorado Curly blog and saw where she reported product failure when trying to get this stuff to work its magic. From what she described, it sounded like overdose (the symptoms of which I knew all too well). Not only do you need to use a teeny tiny bit of Boots, you need to emulsify it before you apply it.

I shall demonstrate. Here is a photo of how much I use.


Basically, you dip a finger into the jar and use whatever coats that finger. Next you spread it over your palms. Here's what that looks like in the first swipe:



You see how my hand just looks wet and shiny. As you would expect upon spreading a slippery hair product between your palms. But then you rub your hands together for about 7 seconds and look what happens to the product:



It almost lathers! It seems to multiply and definitely becomes more than what you thought you were dealing with. It plays a similar role once it's in your hair, too -- when it's in mine, my hair has more volume (not lots more but more than other curl cremes give me).

Another weird performance feature of Boots curl creme is that it does contain alcohol. Not much, mind you -- it's the last item in the ingredient list -- but enough to prevent me from using it daily. I have to be sure to leave in a little more conditioner than I normally would whenever I use this creme or my hair gets a skosh dry if I use it more than one day in a row.

Other curl cremes define curls by, well, defining curls. But Boots gives you clumpage to the fifth power. Seriously. I used to think that Jessicurl Rockin' Ringlets was the ultimate clumper until I tried this. Only KCCC comes close to rivaling it in terms of clumps.

And now for the final reason why this product is weird. It's made in the U.K. and sold there in drugstores (or whatever they call them there!). It's super cheap -- kinda like the equivalent of Suave here in the U.S.A. I think it's available in other countries, too -- but you can't buy it here it in the United States. What is up with that? Not only is it unphotographable but it's also unavailable. I think the best word for this product here in the United States is elusive.

But you can order it online from a place in Great Britain called Brit Super Store. The Boots Curl Creme will cost you about $4. Shipping, however, will be considerably more. Is it worth it? I have to say it is, especially since you will have the jar for most of your adult life, even if you are now currently 16.

Let's review.

Pros: Great price, excellent clumpage factor
Cons: Perfumey smell, finicky application process, teeny bit of alcohol, not available in the U.S. (and let's not forget the no-picture thing)

See if you can score some on the swap board at NaturallyCurly...