Hey Daizies,
This year I’ve tried a lot of new products and this curl stretch pudding is by far my favorite new product of the year. It gave me the best twist outs ever for grad season and so much more. In the past, I’ve never felt strongly about any product that was allegedly for twist or braid outs because they typically worked like any other leave-in conditioner or moisturizer. But I was amazed with the results of this one.
Pre-Purchase Research
I heard about the Red Palm Oil line on The Friend Zone podcast wellness segment and I was interested in learning more about the red palm oil ingredient because I had never heard of it being used in hair products. Upon further research I learned that red palm oil comes from the fruit of the oil palm tree. The oil has a reddish tone which is where the name “red palm oil” comes from. It wasn’t super easy to find information on red palm oil benefits so I had to do a little digging to find out what it was all about. According to Dr. Ericz, red palm oil is full of Vitamin E, “water soluble antioxidants”, and phospholipids. A lot of science terms basically saying there’s some good stuff in there.
The Red Palm Oil Shea Moisture line
Aesthetics Review
This product is perfect for those allergic to coconut oil. There are so many products infused with coconut oil, especially in the Shea Moisture line, but this product uses cocoa butter instead which definitely adds a familiar scent. I loved that the product was very thick and creamy. I mean thick as in if you gently shake the jar from side to side, the cream won’t move. This is perfect for my dense and coily 4c/4b hair and I was excited to have such a luscious product. The smell was so unique, especially since I’m used to the typical shea and coconut oil combo scent.
Twist Out Application Process
I washed my hair 2 days prior to starting the twist out process. I like to stretch my hair for two days so that it’s easier to divide my hair into twists and I don’t have to detangle as much. I applied the curl pudding to each section and then finger detangled the piece to make sure I would have a nice and neat twist. I wanted a ringlet look so I used smaller sections.
Does it Do What it Says?
“Curl Stretch” ” Elongates and Defines Curls”
How can a product stretch your curls? I sure found out with this product. The curl stretch pudding contains flaxseed oil, which is known to aid in stretching natural hair. When using any water based product, it’s common for a little shrinkage to occur just by nature. Normally when I do twist outs, my twists hang at the back of my neck. But with the curl stretch pudding I could feel my twists hanging at my shoulders and even my collar bone. So it actually DID stretch my curls! I know I’ve already posted tons of my grad photos, but of course professional pics are the best way to show off what I’m talking about!
I used this product the day before my grad photos. An Interesting day to try a product for the first time but I tell you I had never seen such an amazing twist out in my life as I was getting ready for my pictures. I was so happy with the results! I used it again for my actual graduation and I knew then that this was the product for me for twist outs. I had a full and lengthy twist out without having to wait for the second or third day for volume and hang time.
Shea butter is more prevalent in this product, seeing as how it is the 3rd ingredient listed and cocoa butter is the 14th. So it’s hard to tell if what I’m loving so much is the shea butter or indeed the cocoa butter. Either way, it’s a good pairing of both the cocoa and shea butter. All together, it felt moisturizing without being too oily or heavy.
“Frizz-free finish”
I didn’t have any problems with frizz during the take-down process. The strands came out exactly in the form that I had twisted them. I simply unravelled them and didn’t even have to separate them too much in order to get my desired fullness.
“Light hold”
The style lasted throughout the day and maintained it’s look. With the humid weather, the twist out expanded and got a little poofier as the days went on. To make the twist out style last for a few days, I recommend sectioning hair into about 4-5 ponytails at night and moisturizing with a light oil. You can even twist the front few pieces to allude to a fresh twist-out.
Overall
I love the red palm oil curl stretch pudding. It’s my favorite product right now. I haven’t tried it with a braid out yet but I am excited to see those results. It’s a pricey product, so I am trying my best to use it sparingly. I’m interested to see how the entire line works for my hair. There’s a conditioner, shampoo, shine butter, and styling gelee that I hope to eventually try.
Shea Moisture Curl Stretch Pudding, 12 Pound
What are your favorite curl stretching products? Feel free to share in the comments.
Love,
Daizha