Posted on by Michelle
After many months of searching for an alternative to Eco Styler Gel, I finally resigned to the fact that it’s the only gel that gives the hold and definition my curls crave. Still, I always got the dreaded dry, crunchy feeling everytime I used it. I usually apply a leave-in to my wet hair and seal the moisture in with an oil underneath the gel. No matter what, I kept getting the same result. After reading through the book, Curly Girl, by Lorraine Massey, I found out that the crunch or “cast” the gel leaves behind is actually a good thing. This is when you know your curls have been set into place. I found this to be true because after air drying, I’m usually able to fluff and style my hair without worrying about losing my curl definition. The book suggests that you scrunch the hair to remove the crunch but I sometimes kept getting a dry feeling after this step.
I figured out that the combination of an oil and a mositurizer underneath the gel gave me much softer hair. This however led to applying lots of products one by one. By the time I reached the front sections of my hair it was dry and not as manageable. I wanted a way to apply the products quicker so I decided to just whip them all together and came up with a nice custard consistency. I’m realizing that this is a much easier way to apply my products and my curls love it!
Here’s the recipe I came up with
Eco Styler Gel Custard
6 oz. Argan Oil Eco Styler Gel (or fill a 12 oz container half way)
2 Tblsp. Hollywood Beauty Olive Creme Hairdress for Dry Hair*
1 Tblsp. Castor/Coconut Oil Mix**
Place ingredients in a small container. Whip together until all ingredients are combined. The mixture will have a pudding like consistency.
*You can substitute another moisturizer; one that pairs well with Eco Gel
**I use a 50/50 Castor/Coconut oil mix to seal my hair. For this recipe I just used 1 Tblsp of my pre-mixed oil.
The Application
After cleansing and conditioning, I apply my leave-in conditioner (currently Paul Mitchell’s The Conditioner) to my hair while it’s still wet. Next I section my hair into four sections to keep my hair up while I’m styling. Within each section I make small parts and apply my Eco Gel Custard. I use a smoothing and raking motion to help give the curls definition. I’ve also started sealing the hair with oil after applying the gel custard for an even softer hold but this is optional. Then, I let it airdry for about an hour or so before I use a blow dryer on the roots. You can also plop the hair with a T-Shirt to help with the drying time or just continue to air dry.
Final Thoughts
I’m finding that the mixture also works on my edges when I wear my hair up. I haven’t done a braid-out or twist-out with it yet but it looks like it may give good results. I’m going to continue to play with the recipe but this version seems to work well on my hair which is a 4a/4b texture. I’ve also started using it on my son’s curly 3b/3c/4a hair and it is also responding well. The only thing I noticed is that I’m getting a lot more shrinkage because my curls just love the moisture. To get more hang time I usually just stretch it by pulling it back at night.
Kiki J. says:
I would love to share this on my blog as a guest post(www.naturalbecomesher.com), this is really good info and I think a lot of chicas would benefit from this! Just a thought, no pressure lol!
See AlsoFresh Tomato Homemade Lasagna Recipe - This Is How I CookHow to Make Aloe Vera Juice - Swasthi's RecipesClean Eating Instant Pot Steel Cut Oatmeal RecipeWhite Chocolate Holiday Bark RecipeReply
at 8:54 pm
Kiki J. says:
Okay see, now this is really good info! I've been having issues with Ecostyler, more of a love/hate relationship. It's the ONLY gel I've found that works extremely well in laying my hair down but the downside is that it is a bit harsh and is causing my edges to thin.
Reply
at 8:54 pm
nappy headed black girl says:
Thanks for this post. My mother has been struggling with finding a good mixture of product for her hair. I'm going to pass this on to her.
Reply
at 3:04 am
Anonymous says:
Can i post/share this onfo in facebook? I have many friends that would love to know.
Reply
at 9:25 pm
Mimi says:
Sure, just use a link in the post so it will bring 'em back here to read up on it. Thanks for sharing it. This has helped me so much that I really want others to know about it. 🙂
Reply
at 9:28 pm
Anonymous says:
This is similar to what I have been doing. Our hair type is pretty much the same. My question is the substitute moisturizer. What other would you recommend. I have the hollywood beauty olive oil hairdress at home but it left residue in my hair. Please help?
Reply
at 10:15 pm
Mimi says:
I recently saw a vid by KinkyCurlyQueen where she uses the Butter Creme Everyday Moisturizer by Keracare. I don't have any experience with the product but it doesn't appear to have that white flake reaction with the Eco Gel. Another suggestion would be the Curl Enhancing Smoothie by Shea Moisture. HTH 🙂
Reply
at 10:21 pm
Djones says:
That definitely helped me. I have the Shea moisture. Can't wait to try this out. Thanks for sharing!!!
Reply
at 2:37 am
Anonymous says:
I haven't tried this combo with the eco gel but I have tried the following:
1/2 cup blue eco styler gel
1 tbsp grapeseed oil
1 tbsp evooThis works wonders but I want to swap the evoo for my trader joe nourish spa conditioner and hopefully the hold will be a little softer.
Reply
at 7:43 pm
Anonymous says:
I didn't get the hard hair or crunch.I guess because of the style I was trying to achieve, finger shingling. I followed a young lady on You tube . She stated to keep spraying with water or it would be hard. It worked as I air dried I could run my fingers they my curls.
Reply
at 10:17 pm
