Nanda Has Curly Curiosity… Hi there! Thanks for your great work on your blog. I have thick curly hair, 
and it seems the only thing that reliably defines my frizzy curls is a little known product called Dudley’s Fantastic Body Texturizing Setting Lotion. It’s fairly inexpensive, since my hairdresser has me mix it with water before spraying it on my head. It’s water-based, and so unlike gels and creams, it doesn’t build up at all. Also, I keep hearing raves about another product that sounds very similar, called Curly Hair Solutions Curl Keeper. Could you help me determine if they’re as similar as they sound?
The Right Brain Chemically Corresponds:
Nanda, the products that you’re considering are quite different based on the ingredient lists. Let’s take a look:
Dudley’s Fantastic Body Setting Lotion:
Deionized Water, Polyquaternium-11, PEG-75, Lanolin, Polysorbate-60, Diazolidinyl Urea (and) Iodopropynl Butylcarbamate, Fragrance, FD & C Blue No.1.
Curly Hair Solutions Curl Keeper:
Deionized Water, PVP/VA Copolymer, Propylene Glycol, Hydroxyethylcellulose, Laureth 23, Glycerin, DMDM Hydantoin, Fragrance, Polyquaternium 10.
The key active ingredient in Dudley’s is Polyquaternium-11. A conditioning ingredient used in many mousses. It will make your hair soft and help defrizz curls.
Curly Hair Solutions, on the other hand, contains PVP/VA copolymer which is a pretty powerful film former. This product also has the ability to shape your curls but it will leave a crispy feeling styling crust, more like a gel or hairspray.
Both products could keep your curls controlled; it depends on the type of feel you like. If you like a very soft feel, stick with Dudley’s. If you want a firmer feel, go for Curly. But in neither case should you be diluting them with water. By adding water you could inactivate the antimicrobial control agents in the formula leaving the product open to bacteria growth which is not a good thing. If you’re on budget shop around for the least expensive product, but you really shouldn’t take cut corners by taking chances with bacterial contamination.
And thanks to Beth Robinson at Strangedolls.net for the image. We LOVE her creepy custom made dolls!
Do you have problems with curly hair? What solutions have you found? Leave a comment to help the other curly-haired brains.
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The problem with all water soluble products that supposedly control frizz is that they dissipate or dilute eventually, the moment you step outside your door.
Regardless of the ingredients these products also create build up if the polymers are either low quality or out dilute the water in the product sometimes leaving powder deposits.
There is a product that is shampoo soluble called Moisture Block. It creates a protective barrier on the hair shaft that tames heat, humidity, cold climates or even swimming. It does not create a build up and your hair is completely frizz free until the next shampoo. Check it out: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2LjdynKkxd0
I use curl keeper and it in no way feels like a gel or hairspray. I use it specifically because it does not feel firm or crispy, and I use a lot of it. I know nothing about the other product so I can’t say whether or not your description is accurate, but the description of curl keeper is not. I highly recommend it for soft curls-and if a stronger or firmer hold is desired, you can always just pair it with a gel. Naturallycurly.com and makeupalley.com are good product review resources.
You raise an interesting point about water and bacteria. Water is one of the top harborers of bacteria. I was once told that given a choice it was better to stick dirty hands (or fingers) into a jar of cream rather than a clean wet hand. This is hard to believe until you think about how a wet sponge left sitting smells!
my hair type is not pure curly but it is wavy..i want straight hair.. can styling products help me?
Yes, you can use styling products to get your hair straighter.
sometimes the products are too thick. it seems that water is a good way to thin out gel or cream. I have a UV light water purifier that removes contaminates from drinking water. Could this tool also help with the bacteria level if you add water to hair styling products?
i spent many many dollars and countless hours trying different combinations of products to get my sort of curly/sort of wavy hair to be curly all over. the best thing i found wasn’t even a styling product.
i bought “One Minute Scrunch & Curl” on clearance because i figured it couldn’t hurt. the lotion is crap. it made my hair “crunchy” which i don’t like. however, it comes with a glove that is made out of some kind of thermal material. you wear the glove and hold sections of your hair with it, while scrunching and aiming the hair-dryer at it. i use the highest heat, but a lower speed and it works SO well. i do add the John Frieda Frizz-Ease “Dream Curls™ Curl Perfecting Spray” which makes a difference for me.
but, that little glove is the real difference maker. you could probably use any cloth glove to protect your hand from the heat, but the thermal material and the large size of it really help.
For me, the most effective hair-product I’ve found is Garnier Fructisse’s Curl Construct Mousse. It’s very effective in helping keep down frizz as well as giving my curls more crisp form. Also, it leaves my hair soft without leaving a crispy residue as do gels. All I have to do to ‘style’ my hair in the morning is, while my hair is still damp, flip my head over, scrunch in the mousse with my hands, scrunch my hair with a towel to remove excess mousse and water, and voila, I’m ready to go.