Ouidad Curl Shaper Volumizing Jelly

Most Helpful Positive Review

Great Lightweight Volume/Texture Product, Just Nourish First

When it comes to styling products for hair like mine that is easily weighed down or easily made dry, nothing ever really seems to be a magic bullet. I still wouldn't consider this product to be that either, but it is among the best I've used as a finisher to give my hair just a *touch* of hold and ...texture. Where it shines is, for me at least, lacking that gunky effect pastes, waxes and mousses tend to leave behind in my hair and scalp. It also doesn't leave my hair crunchy and parched like volumizing tend to either. This product also has a light, woody scent that is much more tolerable than most hair care products out there. Some concerns I've been seeing in other reviews are that this product seems to be drying. Ouidad's site suggests this jelly has nourishing properties, but nowhere does it seem like this is a SUBSTITUTE for your leave in conditioner or curl cream. I use it much like I used other volumizing or texturizing products, such as waxes or sprays, as a finishing styler. A bit of my briogeo curl cream after a wash, giving it time to dry almost completely either by air or diffuser, and then application of this product does the trick for me. This product feels very anemic to me used alone or without an additional nourishing step before application. I mean, this stuff is so light it runs off almost instantly when I run my hands under the faucet to remove the residue. The bottle even recommends using Ouidad's curl revitalizer, which I have zero experience with, but it seems to follow my intuition that you need to put something on for your hair to soak up before application. Final note: great product for finnicky product-sensitive finer hair, but give your curls a drink first.