3 Best Products for Growing Long Natural Hair With the Old-School S-Curl and Gel Method
by Nikki Walton
My son’s 4c hair has never been this moisturized lol. We did it for Halloween, remember? The jheri curl without the jheri? He dressed as MJ and wanted ‘Beat it’ hair, but his hair does grow down, it worships, it stands, it’s Glory in form! So I did what I knew to do- we applied S-Curl no drip to wet hair to moisturize and define, and then applied Ecostyler to small sections, shingling, smoothing, and finger styling as I went to shape each curl. It took forever, but it was worth it! After sitting under the soft bonnet dry as long as he could stand it, it was mostly dry the next morning in time for school and was GLORIOUS! He had the hangtime he wanted, the baby hairs he wanted, and said, ‘this is my hair now’ lol. And apparently, we’ll be doing this once a week. But we didn’t do it this week and it still lasted! His hair has shrunken and the baby hairs are back with the rest of the family lol, but the moisture, the shine, the Glory, all there! And as long as we pull it down each night into two low pineapples, and one at his bang, the shag still shags! He’s got the textured mullet style he wanted with no drama!
So, if you or someone you know is trying to achieve curls on hair that is mostly undefined coils, this routine may be worth a try! I purchased a new Denman (haven’t owned one in like 15 years), and a candy brush for our next wash session to see if it’ll make styling easier and shorter! I’ll keep you posted! What I will say is that, days before I bought what I knew would work, we tried The Doux (foam) because of the reviews, and it wouldn’t hold any of his curls together. If you want curls that hang down, you need a gel that knows this territory, and thankfully they are exceptionally affordable for the amount you’ll require for each section lol! Also, I’m linking these for good measure lol so you can see which ones I’m talking about, but just go to a local beauty supply to get them. They are OUTRAGEOUSLY priced online. Like $4 on the ground. Plus, waltzing into a beauty supply after years in my inner monastery is funnnn! Maybe it’ll be for you, too!
The S-Curl and Gel Method Compared
| Product | Its Job | Best For |
|---|---|---|
| Luster’s S-Curl No Drip | Moisturizing and defining base – your curls will be like Mrs. Doubtfire, ‘hellooooooo!’ | Softening dry hair and bringing the curl pattern to the front lines! |
| Eco Style Olive Oil Gel | Definition and hold – thick but still somehow slippery. You’ll feel like an architect. It holds holds lol. SHELACKED. | Stronger curl grouping |
| Fantasia IC Hair Polisher Styling Gel | Smoother hold- from what I can remember. It used to be my holy grail. I have a brand new jar on the counter waiting for our next styling session this Sunday. | Shiny, controlled curls with more body |
1. Luster’s S-Curl No Drip
The moisturizing foundation.
S-Curl is a glycerin-rich, water-based activator with thickening\plumping ingredients like panthenol. It’s designed to soften our hair and improve detangling and manageability overall. I find that it defined the heck out of my son’s hair- gave it slip and provided the perfect base for the gel. It felt like hair food, like I was doing something good for his hair before shellacking it lol. I would NEVER use this without the gel, it would’ve dried like water. Moisturized, and maybe even for a while, but definitely no hold.
Important: Too much can leave your hair sticky, and layering it with certain gels may create flakes. Test the combination first. I definitely wasn’t light-handed and while it felt a little tacky on day 1, we are beyond day 7 and his hair is LUSCIOUS. Like, juicy, and we haven’t re-moisturized at all!
2. Eco Style Olive Oil Gel
Best for: Stronger curl grouping and longer-lasting definition.
This. Does. The Work. Eco Style contains styling polymers that help curls maintain their shape as they dry. The layers of shingles, the curl groups you create stay grouped until they’re dry. They stay stretched a bit, too. His shrinkage was reduced by like 40%. And he was worried about the large curl clumps and wanted to break them up but I wouldn’t let him haha. We carefully broke them up AFTER his hair was dry and the result was glorious.
Again, if you’re using something other than S curl under it, test it first. Even while styling the s curl + eco was white, but it dried clear and shiny. If something doesn’t mix well with the gel, it would bead up, not just turn white. Like, curdle.
The tradeoff: A firm gel cast can feel crunchy and look…fake. Don’t touch it. Trust the process and then break the cast and fluff where necessary. I’d mostly let gravity and the natural humidity do the work of fluffing out.
3. Fantasia IC Hair Polisher Styling Gel
Best for: A polished finish with controlled curls.
This was a super favorite among all of us naturals back in the day. I forgot all about it until my son was reading my own review aloud to me in the car. I bought a new jar and we will try it on Sunday on his hair. I remember liking it better than Ecostyler on my fine hair because it holds the curl clumps, but with a less firm hold and allows for volume. You can use it over S-Curl with no problems; just be sure to let it dry completely.
The tradeoff: You may need a harder hold. But if you have fine hair, you may find you like this one better!
How to Use the Method Without Creating a Mess
Start with freshly washed, thoroughly detangled hair.
Apply S-Curl sparingly to a wet section. Smooth your chosen gel over it- pressing and sliding the section (no bigger than what you’d flat iron) together between your fingers, smoothing it from root to tip, and then finger curling the ends. We call this process shingling because the end result looks like shingling on a roof. Rows of plastered together curls that you’ll later pull apart. But the grouping is what makes them heavy so they keep the stretch!
Repeat throughout your hair.
Then dry the style completely before fluffing, separating, or touching it unnecessarily. At night pull sections into claw clips or satin scrunchies for stretching overnight and sleep on a satin pillow case!
I love a good curl cream, but there is something wonderfully uncomplicated about revisiting the basics.
A moisturizer that softens. A gel that holds HARD.
Curls that look like they’re actually working together instead of fighting for individual representation lol. A community effort!
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