Kinky Curly Curling Custard

As I sit here writing this let me tell you that I am impatiently waiting for UPS to deliver my KCCC. This seems to be the product that works for almost every curly and some swear by it as their HG (holy grail) of hair products. And it won my curl cream poll. When I asked for reviews of KCCC I got immediate responses from almost all my fellow curly reviewers and I wanted to include them all so if this post is a little long please forgive me.

I asked Laura Lee of The College Curly first and when she replied she told me she could go on forever about KCCC. I told her to have at it and I'm glad I did:

"I don't remember who told me about KCCC or how I decided to order it. On CurlTalk, it's a hugely popular product, and it was one of the first things I purchased after going CG. I balked a little at the price (around $36 for a 16 oz tub), but that was in mid-November 2008, and here we are in mid-March 2009 and I'm about half way through the tub, and I use it regularly (at least 2-3 times a week). So all in all, even for the price, I've found it to be a well worth it investment.I think KCCC is a fantastic "starter" product once a newbie to CG has gotten through his/her adjustment period. I personally think my adjustment period was made extremely easy by simply using a cowash and a clear gel until I was sure I was ready to go and explore the wide world of products. KCCC is a good starter investment product because it works well for a huge variety of hair types and porosities. Everyone from a 2 to a 4c has used this product with success. I also think it's a good choice for a newbie because it's such a popular product. Even if you try it and you just absolutely hate it, KCCC sells on the CurlTalk swap board in about 5 minutes after it goes up on the swap board, because people are always looking for it. You can invest in the big tub, try it and experiment with it, and very very easily get rid of it if you don't like it (you can always send it to me!). Another reason it's a good product investment is that it's a fantastic product to work on perfecting your technique. How you put stuff in your hair is just as important as what you put in your hair. One curly perfected a method for applying KCCC and has became famous for it: mysteryflavored. Her video on applying KCCC is the model for how I apply all of my products, but it's especially useful for KCCC.

KCCC has the consistency of snot. To me, it smells like snicker doodles. It's very butter creamy to me. It's strong, but it doesn't linger. Because of it's very odd consistency, it's earned a reputation of being difficult to distribute. Using the mysteryflavored scrunching technqiue solves this problem of distribution for me. I would not recommend trying to rake in KCCC. Maybe it works for some, but it's utter disaster for me. I'm just not that good at distributing. If you can rake it, more power to you. But especially if it's your first go with the product, I recommend scrunching ala the mysteryflavored video.

Another reason to love KCCC is that is doesn't have any of those ingredients that people are so often afraid to try because they don't know what their hair likes/dislikes. When you get to nc.com, it's really overwhelming to hear "my hair loves protein!", "my hair hates magnesium sulfate!", and "my hair loves glycerin!" when you didn't even know that shampoo was causing you issues. KCCC doesn't have protein, mag sulfate, or any of the other ingredients that some people find that they have problems with. That's another reason I think it's a great starter product: you can use it before you know what specific ingredients disagree with your hair. It's protein free, silicone free, paraben free, animal cruelty free, it's organic, and it's glycerin free. So I feel it's a great product to try even if you don't know what you hair specifically loves and hates, because it's free of those things that can be offensive to some curls.

When I apply it, I use about a two dimes worth on each side (so four dimes worth total) and then another two dimes worth upside down. A lot of people say there is a learning curve with this product, and maybe I just got lucky, but I had great results the first time I used it. I know that it will weigh you down and make you stringy if you over do it, so err on the side of too little rather than too much.

KCCC works great with a variety of other products. It's extremely versatile. I can use it in a product combo containing anywhere from two to four products. I always use a leave in with this product. That's just the nature of my hair. I've heard from some curlies that if they don't use a leave in, it can get ugly because their hair soaks up the KCCC in more spots than others. I personally recommend a leave in. On that note, Kinky Curly Knot Today, the leave in by the same company, plays incredibly well with this product.Sometimes, between the leave in and the KCCC, I'll use an additional curl creme, such as Boots or re:coil. This serves to enhance and tighten my curls. On certain humid days, I'll scrunch in a tiny bit of gel on top of KCCC. I've used both Herbal Essences Totally Twisted and LA Looks Sport Gel (the blue version) on top with great success.

I get a little annoyed when I hear that some people have been discouraged from using this product because of the crunch. The crunch is the hallmark of the product. I love the crunch, not because I love the wet look (I actually hate that look), but because it's super easy to scrunch out, and it's really fun to watch the hair transform from encased in a hard gel shell to soft, frizz free coils. Honestly, scrunching out that KCCC is one of the most fun parts of my hair routine! I really encourage people to not shy away from this product because it's got crunch factor. The crunch is easily scrunched out with your hands, and there won't be any left.

For me, KCCC is a fantastic first-time big product investment. It's good for newbies because it's good for working on product technique, it works for a variety of curls types and textures, it works well in a variety of climates since it is glycerin free, it's free of most of the ingredients that experienced curlies have all that info on like protein and mag sulfate, there is a huge amount of information on it on curltalk, including mysteryflavored's influential video on applying it, it plays well with a variety of products, it smells good, it lasts forever, and it's really easy to get rid of on the swap board on the off chance you don't like it. I know what you're thinking, and no, Kinky Curly did not pay me to write this review, but if they did, I would want my payment in KCCC!"

amy51373 of Curl Stuff and More replied next and I laughed when she did because she said the same thing as Laura Lee:

"KCCC is definitely one of those products I could go on and on about. It is amazing. Yes, there is quite a learning curve with it...I'll be honest there. Once I figured it out though it has been my go to product for great hair days. I don't use the typical KCKT with it, although I have. It works great for me with any leave in I've tried, with any gel I've tried with it. I use it as a curl enhancer and not a gel as some do but I also like a lot of hold. I can pair it with a light gel in the winter and about a pea size of BRHG in the summer and it always gives me good results. The smell is to DIE for. It smells like vanilla and marshmallows to me. It does have an odd consistency...sort of like snot but it's still one of the best products out there."

kathymack gave a review too and was much happier to write this review than the last:

"This one is a pleasure to write. I still remember my "first time" with KCCC, like it was yesterday! It was Thursday, April 24, 2008. For some reason, I took a chance on this new product. I was leaving the house and would be out in public all morning. It was THE most incredible hair day I had had in my four months of using styling products. I couldn't stop looking at and touching my hair. There was a big grin on my face. Driving home, all I did was look in the rear view mirror. And just a few days before, I was lauding the virtues of another product! I felt like such a product wh*re! It's all I could think about that whole morning. KCCC is a very unique, special product.

For some reason, people talk about a learning curve with KCCC. For me, it was "first time fabulous." I don't know if I'll ever recreate that day. My hair has looked better as I've gotten better with my product and technique--but that day will always be special."

When I asked DEL2C I wasn't sure what response I was going to get. I knew she had been struggling with it lately but had had success in the past:

"I'm not going to use KCCC again until Spring, I've had very mixed results with it over the Winter. I've come to the conclusion that I need some humidity for it to work and a good dose of glycerin. One of my favorite ways to use KCCC was with I with Re:coil on top for extra hold. Another combo was with CK underneath and BRHG on top. "

Oooh me..pick me...

I first got KCCC as a sample from kathymack and had mixed results. I could see it wanted to make my hair curl more but I definitely couldn't use it alone. I wasn't getting good clumps and something was just off. I kept wondering why curlies loved it soooo much. I decided to get another sample when I placed an order from km for soaps but put it on the back of the shelf waiting for warmer weather. The only reason I was posting a review was it was curl creme week here so I figured why not. When I received Laura Lee's review last week it really made me want to try it again. I watched mysteryflavored's video again and gave it another shot. The first day I used some Giovanni DLI then scrunched out some water with a curl towel as heard this could help with the drying time (KCCC is notorious for long drying times). I dipped two fingers in the KCCC, emulsified it, and started scrunching. At first it was the same but as I really scrunched it in I could see the most amazing clumpy ringlets in my normally wavy hair. I started to get really excited. I kept dipping two fingers and then really scrunching each section of my hair. I topped it with BRHG making sure to really scrunch that in too, then diffused. The shrinkage I was getting was incredible. I couldn't believe all the curls I was seeing. I diffused til about 80% then air dried the rest. I had such hard helmet head and was really worried but as I started to SOTC it was great. Tons of huge ringlets that were soft and shiny. I will never forget being amazed that my hair could even do that. But the best part came the next day when I had 2nd day hair. I NEVER get 2nd day hair. I thought maybe it was a fluke but nope. The next time I washed I did the same routine and again got 2nd day hair. I can't wait to try KCCC with everything in my PJ cupboard!