Kinky Curly Gel: What You Need To Know For Beginner Success

Without a doubt, Kinky Curly Curling Custard (KCCC) is one of the most popular hair gels from USA. This is a curl custard used for styling curly hair after wash. Do you have mixed feelings about it, though? Got trouble using it? Absolutely hate it?! Or are curious to try it? Here’s why I don’t recommend it for beginners. But if you already have it then I hope this review and tips help you.

Common Complaints about the Kinky Curly Gel

• ❌No hold 
• ❌Flash Drying
• ❌Greasy sticky mess
• ❌Heavy weigh down hair 
• ❌Hair dries out the next day
• ❌Feels like I wasted my money 

I felt the same way too! I bought it for INR1,825.00 from Amazon, May 2017. That’s when I first started to really take care of my curly hair. As a desperate beginner I didn’t mind spending that much. But I had no idea how to troubleshoot this gel, and gave up almost immediately. Fast forward four years later here I am, tried it again, and FINALLY cracked the KCCC code! 

Weighing Kinky Curly Gel Pros

KCCC is different from regular hair gels. It’s actually a custard with runnier more slimier consistency. The biggest difference though? The natural botanical oils and ingredients in this gel moisturise hair also. This is the main reason why it feels heavy or weighs your hair down. So tip number one – don’t use too much!

The ingredients horsetail, nettle and marshmallow, organic aloe vera juice are humectants. As explained in my humidity-tips article here, humectants absorb water to keep hair hydrated. This can be a good thing and a bad thing. Bad thing being it can absorb too much water from the atmosphere making your hair frizzy. Again – don’t use too much!

SO! If you apply a hair gel like this, on your dry hair or hair that is not moisturised enough, it will suck moisture out of your hair. This is one of the main reasons I don’t recommend KCCC for beginners. Curly hair gets healthier with time and extra care which beginners may not be doing. For hair help Book 1:1 Coaching with me today.

Key Benefits

• Smells good 
• Very easy to use on fine hair 
• Excellent detangling abilities 
• Soft Shiny hair
• Protein-free 
• Glycerin-free

Is kinky curly custard curly girl approved? YES! It has clean ingredients. If you’re tempted to try KCCC or any other curly hair product for that matter, it’s best to start with brand instructions. Here’s a video from official Kinky Curly company website, in case you missed it.

Pro Tips!

For best results apply Kinky Curly Gel to freshly washed hair clean, clarified hair.
After trying KCCC in many ways and different product combinations I noticed this gel works best on non-buildup hair. So I suggest you don’t prepoo your hair. If you’ve been using oils or butters in your routine, then Detox your hair frequently. Reset your hair! Doesn’t surprise me the only shampoo from this brand, Kinky Curly Come Clean is clarifying. It all adds up, doesn’t it? 

Work on Moisturised hair.
Does kinky curly custard make your hair hard? Sometimes products react with water (or other products) causing more drying. If hair dries out immediately after applying this gel it’s likely “flash drying”. It feels like hair is rejecting water becoming stiff and dry “in a flash”. Focus on moisturising and hydrating your hair before applying this gel. Do this by deep conditioning or using a generous amount of leavein conditioner before this gel.

Apply on very wet hair 
This advice is purely for coarse hair types like mine. If you have fine hair or looser texture like wavy hair then try styling on damp hair. Anyway. Flash drying is caused by humectants also. And this gel has a LOT of humectants. So apply on soaking wet hair. Or spray water after applying the gel just to make sure your hair has enough hydration. 

Use minimal quantities
This is the most important tip. As a beginner you may not know how much to use and I understand that. But even after four years of experience I sometimes forget listen to my own advice. And this gel comes in a tub! So you may scoop out more than necessary. That’s the biggest problem with this gel. Don’t be heavy handed, apply in small amounts section wise.

My Preferred way to use KCCC

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A post shared by Liz | Your Curly Mentor (@honestlizhere)

In the post above, I cowashed my hair and then applied very little amounts. Other times, I’ve added a sealing oil in between the leavein and gel for more moisture. This Kinky Curly Gel worked better on my coarse hair when there was extra moisture like that (with cowash + styling oil). I gather an oil was better for styling here because there was no hair cream to substitute (my hair loves creams!)

Method: You dip your fingertips in the tub, take a tiny bit at a time. Rub your wet palms together to emulsify that. There should be no lumpy bits in your palms. if you see lumpy bits you’ve taken too much. Now use your wet gel-coated palms to apply on small sections with the praying hands method. I always use these two together.

Beginner Video to watch:

Dos and Don’ts for Kinky Curly Curling Custard

Watch Kadian’s fantastic video explaining top pointers for beginners; I couldn’t have explained it better!

Leave a comment if any of these tips helped you! Let me know what review you want to see next 🙂

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