Andalou Naturals: An Almost-Clean Curl Cream
I’m about to do something kinda wrong. I’m about to review a product that I know for a fact isn’t entirely clean. But before I plan my own crucification let me explain why I’m doing this:
Before I went clean, the curl cream was a major staple in my product arsenal. Does anyone remember (or use) Aveda’s Be Curly? Well, that was the creamy crack in my family—we easily went through a bottle a week.
The perfect curl cream is really thick and sometimes a little sticky—it helps hold the curl without making it crunchy, tames frizz, and generally make a woman with curly hair feel like she can leave the house and not come back later looking like an entirely different person. This is a problem that no longer plagues me, mostly because I don’t wash my hair. But I also now live in Los Angeles and every time I take a trip back east I’m reminded what a big role that plays in the manageability of my hair.
These humid summer heat waves taking over the country are beastly for curly hair (and other hair, and skin, and and). This is why I felt compelled to tell you about this Andalou Naturals Styling Cream that showed up in my mail a few weeks ago. I’d kinda skimmed the label and saw things I loved like argan oil, shea and a slew of other hair-loving ingredients—so I tried it a few times. Just from the texture I could tell that it was a winner for curls and I made a mental note to inspect it more closely.
Then last night I spoke at an event at the Soho House hosted by Tata Harper—fancy times! Needless to say I really didn’t want to risk any hair surprises, and Andalou delivered: When I got home, at a shockingly late where-did-the-time-fly 1am, my hair looked exactly as it had when I left the house. It didn’t fall, it didn’t fluff, it didn’t frizz.
But under the loupe this morning I saw that it was a little too good to be true. The product contains bad boy phenoxyethanol and a silicone (Amodimethicone)—granted one that gets a zero on the Skin Deep Database but still not the kind of ingredients we endorse. However, because this is the first cleaner curl cream I’ve come across that really works, and because I know how hard certain transitions can be for women with curly hair, and how especially hard this recent weather has been, I wanted to tell you about it. The end.
Now the million dollar question: Do you have a clean curl cream that you love? Is this a blind spot for me? Say it’s so.
This is one I like – it’s not perfect, but it’s pretty clean, and smells divine – it’s called Coffee Coco Curl Creme Lite, by Curl Junkie:
http://www.curljunkie.com/Coffee-Coco-Curl-Creme-Lite-p/ccccl8.htm
Hi Alexandra,
Have you tried the Amazon Rahua finishing treatment? I haven’t I just wanted to see if it’s worth the try.
well i use shea moistures curl enhancing smoothie for my really curly hair and it works for me leaves my hair moisturized,smells good, and keeps it in place. :D your soo right about it being hard to find clean products for curly hair that actually work thats why i have been having a hard time giving up my favorite mousse. i think if you like the curl cream and it leaves your hair nice you should keep using it or use it until you find a clean replacement because at least for me my curls are hard to tame and if i find a product that leaves my hair how i like it i stick to it.
I feel your pain. Nothing I’ve found (yet) that actually works is clean. Becasue I’m a cancer survivor I can’t play around so I make my own gel with flax seeds. It’s clean, cheap and good enough.
If that’s not “you” I hear Botticelli Botanicals on Etsy makes a flax-seed based gel.
http://www.etsy.com/listing/56351051/16-oz-all-natural-flax-gelee-custom?ref=sr_list_1&ga_search_submit=&ga_search_query=gelee&ga_search_type=handmade&ga_facet=handmade
btw – Here’s the ingredient list for the Curl Junkie product. And it’s a 5 in Skin Deep-
Water, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice, Cetyl Alcohol, Cetearyl Alcohol, Behentrimonium Methosulfate, Camellia Sinesis (Green Tea) Leaf Extract, Panthenol, Stearamidopropyl Dimethylamine, PVP/VA Copolymer, Glyceryl Stearate, Propylene Glycol, Coffea Arabica (Coffee) Seed Oil, Cocos Nucifera (Coconut) Oil, Gardenia Tahitensis Extract, Mangifera indica (Mango) Seed Butter, Oryza Sativa (Rice) Bran Oil, Vitis Vinifera (Grape) Seed Oil, PEG-100 Stearate, Hydrogenated Vegetable Oil, Silk Amino Acids, PPG-5 Ceteth-20, Cetrimonium Chloride, Butylene Glycol, Polyquaternium-7, Hydroxypropyl Starch Phosphate, Algae Extract, Hydroethylcellulose, Polyquaternium-10, Lactobacillus/Wasabia Japonica Root Ferment Extract, PEG-8 Dimethicone*, PEG-8 Raspberriate, Agave Nectar Extract, (Vegetable) Glycerin, Sodium Chloride, Tocopheryl Acetate, Guar Hydroxypropyltrimonium Chloride, Phenoxyethanol, Caprylyl Glycol, Tetrasodium EDTA, Fragrance. *Water soluble-rinses clean!
Ooh, this is good news. I’ve recently managed to ditch my Bumble & Bumble hair serum on an experimental basis in favor of John Master’s Bourbon & Vanilla hair texturiser on an experimental basis (i.e. I’m a week in and so far it’s ok, but I still have the fear every day that it will all go wrong), but I can’t imagine not using B&B’s curl cream (yes, I have used both curl cream and serum together for years – either on their own has never worked exactly as I like). I still have the huge, huge bottle they sell and I’m working my way through it on the basis that it would be wrong to throw away (as per Siobhan’s article earlier), but every day the day I fear creeps closer – yes the one where it finally runs out and I have to work out what to do next…. this looks like a good next step. But keep us posted! I can’t see anything so far in other product lines that look like it would do the job (I had vague hopes for the John Masters defrizzer, which were sadly misplaced). Semi-clean must be better than not at all.
Based on your book recommendations, I use a GOB of aloe vera gel + 2 squirts Intelligent Nutrients leave in conditioner + 2 squirts oily goodness (whatever serumy thing I have around) … mix in palms, scrunch through, and dry w/diffuser. Recently got a sample for some bamboo oily spray stuff for curl refreshing that sounds intriguing but has a LOT of ingredients to sift through.
I tried Beautiful Curls Shea Butter Curl Activating Cream by Alaffia after reading your review of Alaffia’s daily conditioner. Love it! A huge tub is only $13 at my Whole Foods. The fragrance is not over-whelming and my curls stay defined, shiny and very natural looking.
This coud not be more topical! I LOVED Be Curly. I haven’t yet really found anything that comes close to making my hair look good. I was honestly thinking this week that I was going to just get some BE Curly again and try hard not to put it right on my scalp. definitely going to give this a try!
Does anyone know about argan oil brands other then kahina giving beauty?
Depending on the level of curl I want to show and how long my hair is, I like some combination of John Masters Bourbon Vanilla & Tangerine Texturizer (smells oh so amazing), John Masters Shine On, and spritzing a DIY sea salt spray w/argan oil. Lately I’ve just been doing the sea salt spray and some extra argan oil to smooth flyaways.
You have not tried Alaffia’s Beautiful Curls? both the cream and the gel are amazing! They smell super good and give a great hold!
BTW, I have not had frizz since I changed my routine for hair cleansing and styling. I don’t know if the products or routine have a big place in this:
1. Wash my hair 1-2 x week with Everyday Shea by Alaffia.
2. Would use Apple Cider Vinegar once a week after shampoo, or instead of shampoo.
3. Condition with either Alaffia’s Daily Conditioner -coconut & shea-, John Master’s -Lavander & avocado- conditioner, or the Beautiful Curls’s intensive conditioning treatment (also in a tub). I change conditioner, I don’t use the same one in a row.
4. Either the Curl activating cream or the gel, or, at times, a bit of both, to finish off and voila! definition, bounce, shine, softness, and I always get compliments with my hair.
Do try Alaffia!
Oh and Btw, I have tri-textured hair:
Mostly wavy all around, a bit extra curly-kinki in the middle (maybe because of the way that I sleep), and crazy straight in the bottom. It drives me insane to have three textures! am I the only one with this issue? what do you do to balance it all out?
I received samples of the Rahua shampoo, conditioner, finishing treatment and hairspray and purchased the conditioner and finishing treatment. For the record my hair is thick and wavy to curly. I can definitely see a difference with these products. My hair is much softer and shinier and the curls are more controlled and smooth. It has really helped with the frizziness thankfully. You need very little of the finishing treatment so use very little on your hair or it might become greasy. The two ounces in the finishing treatment should last months. I would recommend this for folks with curly, unruly, dry, or frizzy hair but use a light hand because a little goes a long way.
@sam – Have you tried Josie Maran products? I’ve only ever used her pure Argan oil (AMAZING!!) but she has other products and cosmetics with argan oil..
Question: Will the amodimethicone build up on hair if you don’t use shampoo?
@Andreina, I have the multi-texture thing too – generally wavy, curly in back, straightish around my face. For years I flat ironed to get it straight everywhere, but recently was inspired by the curlies here to be curly again. I find the key is a really awesome stylist that understands my hair. She takes the weight out of my thick hair quite a bit in the curly back, and somewhat at the sides too, so it all works together. A really experienced stylist should be able to do whatever would work for you. The products I mentioned in my comment above work well for all my textures.
I appreciate your honesty and hope no one is crucified because of it. No one can be 100% “clean” 100% of the time and it’s important to be transparent about that fact.
I also use organic argan oil to enhance my curls (though they are more waves than tight curls). Works great & everyone always asks what I use. It’s so simple and easy.
@Stancie I smell another summer hair challenge coming on. Get excited!
I use a dab of Argan oil and some moroccan oil cream. I am constantly running my hands through my hair (which is a big nono for curls like mine!) and I find that these products help keep everything pretty much intact!
Does anyone have any good hair care recommendations for curly hair that is also very fine and brittle? A lot of the products I have tried which address my dry hair, also weigh it down and make the curls limp and gross. I feel like I am always choosing between curls like frizzy candyfloss or damp straw…and I am spending all my money trying to find the “perfect products”!
Kinky Curly Spiral Spritz!! It’s less of a cream and more of a serum but it keeps my curls extra bouncy and frizz free. Ingredients: lavender water, extracts of horsetail, nettles and sage. aloe vera gel, vitamin B-5, glycerin, citric acid and grapefruit seed extract. That’s it! It never leaves a residue and never weighs my hair down. I use it on wet hair, run a wide tooth comb through and don’t touch until it’s dry…then I just shake it out. It also works to refresh dry curls…They market it as an alternative to those silicone smoothing serums… I swear it’s the most versatile, low maintenance hair product I’ve tried…and actually makes me love my big crazy hair.
@Siobhan- Yes, please do a Summer hair challenge! That is what I need to motivate me to make some changes in the hair department. My coarse, curly hair is a challenge and the thought of not shampooing is scary. I think a hair challenge is just what I need. :)
I love Beautiful Curls gel and Reviving Tonic. I have a mixture of straight-ish pieces and Shirley Temple ringlets and those products help keep the frizz down. Changing my hair routine helped too.
@Rachel Thanks! I do agree with you with having a stylist that really works with what you want and what you hair is like. I’ve never flat-ironed my hair myself, and have had it done probably 5 times in my life because I just don’t see myself doing it. I love my hair, but I want that to be the quickest step I take towards getting ready to go out anywhere, and I have found that the less I do, the better it looks.
I do need a haircut badly… I’m trying to let it grow… I think I need layers again!
There is no reason to compromise; there are plenty of clean curly hair products on the market that work great. Like others have mentioned, Shea Moisture Curl Enhancing Smoothie is awesome and clean. A more expensive, but amazing and clean product is Kinky Curly Curling Custard. Kinky Curly is a signer of the compact for safe cosmetics and also supports a clean water charity.
http://www.target.com/Shea-Moisture-Coconut-Hibiscus-Smoothie/dp/B0038TVH3Y/ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&searchView=grid5&keywords=shea-moisture&fromGsearch=true&sr=1-5&qid=1312041659&rh=&searchRank=target104545&id=Shea%20Moisture%20Coconut%20Hibiscus%20Smoothie&node=1038576|1287991011&searchSize=30&searchPage=1&searchNodeID=1038576|1287991011&searchBinNameList=subjectbin%2Cprice%2Ctarget_com_primary_color-bin%2Ctarget_com_size-bin%2Ctarget_com_brand-bin&frombrowse=0
http://kinky-curly.com/
I’m not gonna lie….how \clean\ a product is isn’t even a consideration when it comes my curls. I don’t use shampoo, and I avoid products with protein and most silicones. Other than that, I’m on a \whatever works\ regime. My hair is too much of a PITA for me to do otherwise. That said, I think most of my styling products are actually pretty clean, but that’s purely coincidental. This summer I’ve been conditioning with either alaffia (blanking on which one) or Aubrey Organics honeysuckle rose. For styling I’ve been alternating between Giovani LA Styling gel and AO’s B5 gel, with the occasional curl junkie product (which don’t seem to work to well for me in the summer, though they’re fabulous in winter).
So, yeah, do whatever you have to.
At the very inexpensive end, Garnier Fructis Pure Clean Smoothing Cream 24 hr Frizz Control Strong is silicone free and works great on my curls in the deep south’s humidity.
Thanks for posting this. Like Kristen, I too had been contemplating returning back to my beloved Be Curly (after a failed experiment with John Masters’ Sea Salt spray), and was just going to try not to put it on my scalp at all. What are your thoughts on this?? I mean, I know it’s ideal not to even support a company that isn’t clean, but if it’s the only thing that works, how bad is it to only put stuff on your hair? I mean, it’s dead, right? :)
Interesting to hear how different people look at the whole “clean” thing. On the one hand, I want to be like, oh, come on girls, you can find a clean option. But then, I know there are people who think stuff I do is not clean enough…so who am I to criticize? Ultimately I believe it’s like anything else – you consider all the aspects you can – personal, ethical, environmental, etc. – and then make a decision you feel good about. I think the most important part is that you actually think about it, try not to harm anyone else, and then we all just do the best we can given our circumstances. If everyone did that, the world be probably be a much better (and less toxic) place. The people here are really thinking, so that’s a good start : )
does anyone know of a clean gel or mousse for 3c curls i tried kkkc but i hated it flakes and its just horrible.. i just bought the giovanni LA sprits but it smells awful i was just wondering if anyone has tried any thing that gives hair a good hold without having a strong odor. i have ecostyler gel but im pretty sure thats not really clean either.
I went out and bought the Andalou the day after this was posted, since the other cream I had been using ran out. I think it works pretty well so far (and it smells delicious), although I’m not sure if it’s up to par with what I’ve been using for a while- Alba Botanica Soft Hold Style Cream (not 100% clean I know, it has phenoxyethanol, among other things, but seems to do a good job so I can’t seem to quit it). I have very, very curly hair and am still trying to find products that work the best for it, and are the cleanest.
I have a question for anyone willing to help a fellow curly-haired girl out- I’m a competitive college swimmer, so when the season starts up again in a month, I’m back to shampooing my hair every day (Eek! I know but the chlorine already wrecks enough havoc on my ‘do). Any suggestions for a gentle and clean shampoo that could possibly reduce frizz?
Just to add my new curly hair product love/experience: I have recently started using Max Green Alchemy. I use the conditioner, the styling gel, and the sculpting gel. I love them. They do have protein in them (hydrolysed soy protein), which my hair has never been able to handle before, but this doesn’t seem to matter for these products. I use half styling gel/half sculpting gel after the conditioner. I love the way they smell, too! I walked to the bus this morning in near-100% humidity and my hair (albeit now in an air conditioned office) looks better than ever (really, they look like I’ve always wanted them to look – not greasy, not weighed down, bouncy, and well-formed). I also use Alaffia’s Beautiful Curls Curl Reviving Tonic which I also love – I use it in the morning when my hair is still dripping wet and throughout the day as a curl-reviver, and Yarok Volumizing Mousse, which is also really effective. I can’t speak for the Max Green Alchemy shampoo, as I don’t use shampoo, but the rest of their stuff that I’ve tried I’ve really loved. Also, the ingredients are squeaky clean.
My hair isn’t really curly, more wavy/ with a propensity to frizz if left to its own devices, but I tried this technique with argon oil, and it worked pretty good for me:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SF0_JN7lqsU&feature=player_detailpage
(You can also find the video on the Amal oils website)
Any suggestions on how to keep hair smooth and untangled while blow drying without using leave ins??
For curly hair, Santé (a german brand) have a really good styling mousse, and this brand is very cheap in Europe, I don’t know in USA, but this is a homemade lotion, use each day if you want :
-water 150 ml
-vegetal glycerin 5 ml
-organic jojoba oil 5 ml (it doesn’t grease your hair, I promise)
-organic apple vinegar 5 ml (it doesn’t hurt your hair)
-organics essential oil of lavande vraie (lavandula angustifolia) 5 drops (la lavende vraie is a miracle for every type of hair or skin).
put in a clean glass bottle with spray and check it before use ;)
(the essential oil can be attack the plastic, speacially the “bad-made” one)
lotion from “Cosmétiques naturels”, auteurs Baron and Chagnoux , éditions Sully. The authors use sometimes the borax, I’m skip it in my recipes.
Agree with Maeve try the Kinky Curly products. I have biracial daughters and use their products on both. Clean, VERY affordable and sold at Target so almost everyone can get them easily.
Although I avoid silicones on my daughters, amodimethicone is not nearly as bad as the others and very effective.
Love Max Green Alchemy shampoo and conditioner. I’ve tried the no shampoo and conditioner thing and just found that my hair was too tangled all the time. I have really curly thick hair. But I love these products!
OMG…I am in love with the Alaffia Beautiful curls Wavy to curly line. Mine arrived yesterday from the US. It does the job as well as BeCurly (Aveda). Today is second day and all I did was spray water in the morning. I also have the curl tonic and cannot wait to try it. Yeaeee!
@Andreìa…thank you for your detailed description it was very helpful for me…I ordered Aliffia ..can`t wait to experience with it…
Since going “no pooh” (June 23rd 2011) I only wash my hair w/ACV and used Intelligent Nutrient Harmonic conditioner and the Gel from Intelligent Nutrient, though using only one Conditoner is not ideal …but still I haven`t had a real bad hair day. On the day I wash my hair it looks kind of limp and thin but with every day passing it keeps looking better…by day 4 it looks thicker, healthier and the curls are just bouncing …that’s my day…
For the past 10 years I suffered from hair loss/breakage and since I am already compromising w/hair dye I will not compromise on the rest of the hair products.
thanks everyone great blog…
Has anybody ever had a problem with the coconut oil in the alafia products? I’m afraid to try them, although I hear the curl creams are great, I don’t think it would be worth breaking out everywhere my hair touched.