Hola Chicas!
Back in the day, like circa 2004, I only rocked wash and gos and I was incredibly gel (and headband) dependent. I was unawares at the time that styling creams or a simple leave-in conditioner would have sufficiently defined and held my super-fine curls, without that dreadful ramen noodle look. But I wasn’t there yet, despite my desire for volume, I felt that I NEEDED gel to control my situation. My favorite gels were pure aloe vera gelly or Fantasia IC.
A trick I utilized to combat the struggle-crisps was to remove half the gel from the jar and store it away and then whip a tablespoon or two of unrefined, cold pressed coconut oil or raw shea butter into the remaining gel. This turns the clear gel into an opaque cream that yields soft, shiny, moisturized definition. Using this DIY gel/cream with a leave-in underneath (I believe I was using Giovanni Direct at the time) resulted in far fewer single strand knots too! My Aunt Toney still uses this mix to this day!
Later Gators,
Nik
p.s. Be sure to use the cream/gel within a week of whipping it up, and/or store it in the fridge! As an aside, storing your leave-ins and stylers in the fridge are awesome for summer months because they feel good going on and the cool temp smooths the cuticle. Finally, check out this link for handling homemade or home-altered products!
Do you have a a homemade curl definer and styler? Share below!
