In an age of Mass Market hair products containing a various types of synthetic chemical or petroleum based ingredient, many consumers including myself has opted for using less harmful and more plant based hair and skin cosmetics. The product ingredients are the foundations of quality; I stand firm that bad ingredients or overly chemical synthetics are the source of dry, dull and damaged hair and scalp.
Therefore it is essential to not only read the front of the bottle or jar but read the ingredients with a basic understanding of what is these chemical are and what they can and can’t do.
Kinky Curly Original Curling Custard Natural Styling Gel
KCCC according to the label, “Instantly transform, thick, dry, frizzy hair into silky spirals and wonderful waves. The advanced botanical formula will
- Eliminate frizz
- Define Curls
- Provide long lasting hold
- Lock in moisture
- Give brilliant shine
Used regularly Curling Custard will help maintain you hair’s moisture balance and reduce breakage resulting longer healthier hair. The high performance product is formulated with all natural ingredients and will not change the natural texture of your hair.
These are very impressive claims because if you are looking for curls then who does not want moist, soft, silky, non frizzy hair. Most people, I am assuming will stop reading before the ingredients and assume that what is written on the label is a Fact for their hair. What exactly is a botanical?
A botanical is a drug, medicinal preparation, or similar substance obtained from a plant or plants. A Botanical Ingredient is a component of a cosmetic or personal care product that originates from plants (herbs, roots, flowers, fruits, leaves or seeds). Specific ingredients derived from biological sources are classified based on their chemical structure and how they are isolated from plants. Read More:
http://www.cosmeticsinfo.org Botanical Ingredients
In reading the Ingredients of KCCC what stands out is that this product does not contain any natural or manufactured oils or any synthetics and silicons. It is basically an expensive jar of the gels found in a few plants with a few medicinal plants. And if you don’t need the medicinal extras, then using Organic Aloe Vera Gel alone or Organic Aloe Vera Gel combined with Marshmallow, Agave (or Honey) will also produce a slippery curling gel.
The KCCC is best used after shampooing and then applying the Kinky Curly Knot Today, natural leave in detangler on wet not damp hair. I emphasize wet because the product is very concentrated and it requires to properly distribute the gel through the hair stands and to cause the hair strands to curl together.
KCCC and NT worked on my hair, meaning it did produce a defined, shiny curls that lasted for 24 hours. However because the natural curl pattern of my hair is 4bc, with tight and knotty curls, I had a tremendous amount of shrinkage. My shoulder length hair (12 inches) reduced to ear length thick curls. This was not the look I wanted but it is a look I can accept, given that I like the KCCC botanical based ingredients as well as it recyclable packaging.
My hair must have oils, I am sorry KCCC and NT, these two gels will leave a residue on the hair and after 48 my hair began to feel drier, especially near the scalp. The residue sticks to the scalp and after repeated use, the residue built up on my scalp, so I had to really scrub the scalp to get it clean.
The KCCC ingredient list does not specify the name of the Fragrance, but judging from the smell, I believe the company uses a coconut or nut based fragrance. The NT has a light lemon peel and mango scent.
It is too early to judge whether I will buy the KCCC or NT again, for several reasons. First I can only get at the most 3 days of holding curls, then I have to repeat the application. Second, it takes long time to dry after application, about 2 to 3 hrs on my hair. Third, I don’t get flakes or crunchy-ness after it dries but the hair is not as soft as I would like. Fourth, too much build up the scalp that does not wash or rinse out with vigorous nail or comb scrubbing.
Yes, I do suggest buying the KCCC and the NT especially if you have curly and wavy hair, but for those with 4bc hair just note it will not decrease the normal shrinkage for our hair types but it will go a wonderful job with detangling the knots and naps.
The KCCC Ingredients Listed on the 8oz Jar are:
infusion of water
An infusion is a very simple chemical process used with botanicals that are volatile and dissolve readily, or release their active ingredients easily, in water, oil or alcohol. The botanicals are typically dried herbs, flowers or berries. The liquid is typically boiled (or brought to another appropriate temperature) and then poured over the herb, which is then allowed to steep in the liquid for a period of time.
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Horsetail Equisetum arvense, the Field Horsetail or Common Horsetail, is a herbaceous perennial plant, native throughout the arctic and temperate regions of the northern hemisphere. Horsetail contains 5-7% silicic acid, nicotine, palustrine, palustridine, phytosterol, beta-sitosterol, malic acid, vitamin C, volatile oil, potassium salts.
Chamomile
Nettle
Nettles is the common name for the herbal plant, Urtica dioica, also commonly,called Stinging Nettle. Nettle has been used since ancient times as a hair tonic, growth stimulant, and to restore natural hair color and luster.
Marshmallow (Althea officinalis) — the herb, not the white puffy confection roasted over a campfire — has been used for more than 2,000 years as both a food and a medicine. The Romans, Chinese, Egyptians, and Syrians used marshmallow as a source of food, while the Arabs made poultices from its leaves and applied them to the skin to reduce inflammation.
Both the root and leaves contain a gummy substance called mucilage. When mixed with water, it forms a slick gel that is used to coat the throat and stomach to reduce irritation. It is also applied topically to soothe chapped skin.
Marshmallow contains vitamins A and C plus natural plant proteins, mucilage (polysaccharides), starch, pectin, phenolic acids, sucrose, asparagine, oil, flavonoids, cellulose, sugar, glutinous matter and phosphate of lime.
For your hair: Marshmallow is a medicated, conditioning, mucilaginous herb that provides an abundance of ‘slip’ which helps to nourish and detangle thick naturally curly, wavy & Afro type hair.
Read more: Marshmallow and Natural Hair and Skin Care
Organic aloe vera juice
Aloe Barbadensis Flower Extract, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Extract, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Polysaccharides and Aloe Barbadensis Leaf water are ingredients made from the plant Aloe barbadensis, which is also commonly called Aloe vera.
Other specis of aloe, such as Aloe andongensis, Aloe arborescens and Aloe ferox may also be used to derive cosmetic ingredients. These ingredients include Aloe Andongensis Extract, Aloe Andongensis Leaf Juice, Aloe Arborescens Leaf Extract, Aloe Arborescens Leaf Protoplasts, Aloe Ferox Leaf Extract, Aloe Ferox Leaf Juice and Aloe Ferox Leaf Juice Extract. Read More: http://www.cosmeticsinfo.org Aloe
Agave nectar extract
Read More: Agave and Marshmallow-Not Just Sweeteners Anymore!
Tocopheryl acetate (vitamin E)
Because it causes capillary growth, vitamin E can help hair to grow. The increased circulation speeds the growth of hair in many people. The additional nutrition can prevent split ends, help heal hair damaged by excessive use of a hair dryer, and cure dry hair as well.Vitamin E is a vital nutrient known mainly for its benefits to heart health. But vitamin E has many other properties that maintain health and has long been used both internally and externally. Vitamin E has been shown to help with the growth of hair as well as preventing hair loss. The exact mechanism is not known but vitamin E may prevent hair loss by the same mechanism that it prevents heart problems. Vitamin E helps with the growth of capillaries. When there are more capillaries, the circulation improves and it is thought that the improved Pectin is a naturally occurring compound found in the cell wall of plants. In cosmetics and personal care products, Pectin is used in the formulation of body and hand products, as well as makeup foundations, shampoos, hair conditioners, permanent waves, personal cleanliness products, and other hair products to the scalp is the trigger for preventing hair loss.
Read More: Vitamin E
Pectin
Pectin
Pectin is a naturally occurring compound found in the cell wall of plants. In cosmetics and personal care products, Pectin is used in the formulation of body and hand products, as well as makeup foundations, shampoos, hair conditioners, permanent waves, personal cleanliness products, and other hair products.
Pectin is a purified carbohydrate product obtained by extracting the inner portion of the rind of citrus fruits or from apple pomace. Under acidic conditions, Pectin forms a gel and is commonly used as a thickening agent and for making jams and jellies.
helps to keep an emulsion from separating into its oil and liquid components. It also holds together the ingredients of a compressed tablet or cake. Pectin increases the thickness of the aqueous (water) portion of cosmetics and personal care products. Read More: http://www.cosmeticsinfo.org Pectin
Citric Acid
Citric Acid is a white, crystalline powder that can be extracted from citrus fruits or made from fermented sugar solutions. Lemon juice contains 5 to 8% citric acid. Citric Acid is an Alpha Hydroxy Acid or AHA.
Citric Acid is an organic acid that is widely distributed in plants and animals. Calcium Citrate, Potassium Citrate and Sodium Citrate are salts of Citric Acid. In cosmetics and personal care products, Citric Acid and its salts have a wide variety of uses including aftershave lotions, baby shampoos, mascara, and lipstick.
Citric Acid and its Calcium, Potassium and Sodium salts are used in cosmetics and personal care products to preserve products by chelating (complexing) with metals, and to adjust the acid/base balance. Citric Acid may be used to impart a lemon-like fragrance to cosmetics and personal care products. Read More: http://www.cosmeticsinfo.org Citric Acid
Potassium sorbate
Sorbic Acid is a white, free-flowing, crystalline powder. Potassium Sorbate, the potassium salt of Sorbic Acid, occurs as a white crystalline powder, white granules, or pellets. In cosmetics and personal care products, Sorbic Acid and Potassium Sorbate are used primarily in the formulation of facial and eye makeup and skin care and hair products.
Sorbic Acid occurs naturally as para-sorbic acid in berries of the mountain ash tree, Sorbus aucuparia, Rosaceae. It can also be synthesized by various processes. Sorbic Acid and Potassium Sorbate have a broad spectrum of fungistatic activity but are less active against bacteria. Optimum antimicrobial activity is attained at pH values up to 6.5.
Sorbic Acid and Potassium Sorbate kill microorganisms, or prevent or retard their growth and reproduction, and thus protect cosmetics and personal care products from spoilage.
Natural Fragrance
According to the U.S. Food and Drug Regulation, the term “fragrance” on a product label signifies “any natural or synthetic substance or substances used solely to impart an odor to a cosmetic product.” In Europe, the labeling name for Fragance is Parfum. Read More: http://www.cosmetics.org Fragrance
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