I was contemplating buying some Kinky-Curly Curling Custard the other day to take with me on my honeymoon, but the expensive $30 price tag on it, had me thinking of a cheaper alternative. Getting married is expensive, and I just couldn’t afford spending the extra $30 right now so I decided to think of a solution. From what I gather and have experienced, the Kinky-Curly Styling Gel is just that, a GEL! It locks the natural curls and coils in place. The only difference it has from other conventional gels is that it is completely natural and it does not contain protein which dries out the hair. Also, the Kinky-Curly Curling Custard isn’t what defines the curls, it’s actually the Knot Today that defines your curls. All the custard does is lock the curls in place.

I did a search on the net to see if anyone else was opting for a cheaper gel and read about women using the Fantasia IC gel instead with similar results. There are a lot of different types of gels made by Fantasia, but the one that I liked the best based on ingredients was the Fantasia IC Olive Styling Gel.

Ingredients: Purified Water (Aqua), Glycerin, Carbomer, Triethanolamine, Olea Europaea (Olive) Fruit Extract, Hydrolyzed Silk, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice (Aloe Vera), Dimethicone Copolyol, Tocopheryl Acetate (Vit. E), Hydrolyzed Wheat Protein, Polysorbate-20, Benzophenone-4, Methylchloroisothiazolinone, Methylisothiazolinone, Disodium EDTA, Fragrance (Parfum).

Of course I had to look up those hard to pronounce ingredients to see what they are, for our hair’s sake:

Carbomer – Thickening agent
Triethanolamine – pH adjuster, Emulsifying agent
Dimethicone Copolyol – Silicone/Conditioning Agent
Polysorbate-20 – (A.K.A Cetyl Alcohol) Emulsifying Agent
Benzophenone-4 – Preservative
Methylchloroisothiazolinone – Preservative
Methylisothiazolinone – Preservative
Disodium EDTA – Viscosity Controlling

I really don’t understand why the gel has to have 3 different preservatives which is my only concern about the Fantasia IC Olive Styling Gel. If you are really particular about using natural products then it’s best not to use this gel and opt for the Kinky-Curly Curling Custard instead. For those of you on a budget, it’s a good gel to try out paired with the Knot Today. It only cost me $3.99 as opposed to the $29.99 for Kinky-Curly. I do not recommend using this gel everyday due to the protein contained in the gel because it can and will dry your hair out and cause breakage, unless you are someone whom co-washes your hair daily, which will counteract the drying effects. The Dimethicone Copolyol can also cause build up in the hair so you will need to clarify your hair often if you use this gel often. Personally, I recommend this gel for that “just in case” or “I’m in a rush” days.

Below is a shot of my son’s 4a/b hair with the Knot Today and Kinky Curly in his hair:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

(I know this isn’t the best pic, but I didn’t take this pic for hair showing purposes.)

Below is 2 shots of his hair with the Knot Today and the IC Fantasia Olive Styling Gel:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

(Yes, his hair has grow quite a bit in the last few months)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

As you can see the Fantasia IC Styling Gel works just as a good as the Kinky Curling Custard.

Again, this is not something that I suggest to use daily, but it’s a much cheaper alternative to the Kinky-Curly Curling Custard.