There’s a lady at church who has fabulous hair.  This lady’s name is Terese; her curls always look well hydrated and defined down to the last coil.  After complimenting her hair for the nth time, last month she offered to show me her technique.  As a lover of natural hair and a girl who is always willing to learn about maintaining my hair, I jumped at the opportunity.  Terese told me to buy three As I Am products – Cowash, Leave-In Conditioner, and Curling Jelly – and meet her at her house the following week.

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              I went to the beauty supply to purchase the aforementioned items and came across the Curling Jelly and a Coil Defining Jelly.  As my texture is more of a kink rather than a curl, I was uncertain which product would work best for me therefore I consulted the cashier.  Although he was kind and guided me towards the Coiling Jelly I knew he did not know what would best suit my type 4 hair texture.  Afterall I was not surprised as he is an Asian man and does not personally use the products.  Nevertheless, I bought the Coiling Jelly and went to Terese’s house the following day.

              She washed my hair and then began the detangling process.  While she detangled my hair, she rubbed in the leave-in conditioner along with a homemade oil spritz and sectioned my hair into small sections.  Then came the time to apply the jelly.  Boy oh boy did my hair suck up that jelly! Terese carefully combed through my hair and shaped the curls with her fingers.  She repeated the same method section after section until she arrived at the front.  Then she asked me how l liked to part my hair to which I responded that I had no preference.  She gave me a pretty side part revealing baby hair previously unnoticed by me.  I fell in love with my juicy tight coils and donned a smile the rest of the evening.

              Before leaving the house, I asked Terese how to care for my hairstyle as I usually plait my hair at night when I am wearing my hair out; however, plaiting changes the curl texture.  She discouraged me from plaiting my hair and instead suggested I sleep on it and revive it in the morning using a spray bottle filled with water and fluffing as necessary.  Using her method, I wore my hair out for 5 days.  (5 days!) Admittedly my hair became more difficult to refresh each day even when adding product and water.  My hair felt less moisturized as the days passed until I finally washed it on the sixth day after hiking to the Hollywood sign.

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              I loved how pretty my hair looked using the Coiling Jelly; although I will likely not purchase this product again.  It’s a little more than $13 per jar, hence, it would be unsustainable for my time and my pocketbook.  I need an economical choice – a more affordable product or one which didn’t require me to use the majority of the jar on one use.  Applying the jelly for this hairstyle is an investment of time.  I need a hairstyle that is less input and maintenance.  While I may not use this product for a daily look, I would use it for a special occasion or weekend look.  Next time I will purchase the Curly Jelly and see how that reacts with my hair. 

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