Curlsmith Frizz Rescue Curl Retainer

I can't figure out what the issue is that people have with this gel!! I LOVE it!!! This and Hyrdo Style Flexi Jelly are my 2 top gels from Curlsmith. I tend to use this one on humid/rainy days, as it has a bit more hold for me than Flexi Jelly does. I like to use the Feather Light Protein Cream underneath both gels, mainly because my curls love protein and it's light enough that - unlike most other creams - it doesn't weigh my curls down. I use a lot of this gel - like a palm full - every time I use it. But I'm like that with most gels because I like excellent, all-day definition. I like shiny, bouncy, non-crunchy curls with lots of definition, and I get that with Frizz Rescue Curl Retainer. I am not crazy about the other matching products in this line. But I do LOVE this gel.

I love this gel. I do wish the fragrance was slightly less aggressive, but even as is, it's my favorite gel. Would probably prefer a pump too, but again, i love it.

This is a product that has a learning curve, and I used 1/3 of the bottle before figuring out how to use it on my fine waves/curls. It's moisturizing so I don't use a leave in conditioner with this product. I shampoo and condition as normal and then apply liberally to wet hair. I smooth it through my hair, no need to apply on scalp, then I apply my other styling products and scrunch them in. Frizz Rescue has a light to medium hold so I use a stronger hold gel with it and a volumizing mousse at my roots. I diffuse it dry and scrunch out the crunch with Curlsmith's bonding oil. It does seem to help with frizz and I smooth a little on dry hair if the frizz gets too bad on subsequent days. This technique gives me great hair for two days, good hair for one more day, and on the 4th day I start over.

I was surprised to see such negative reviews for this. I cocktail this with the hydro jelly and my hair has very little frizz and great curl for up to 3 days (normally wash every other day). I don't think using it alone would do much, but with the hydro jelly, I literally don't prefer anything else. I have coarse, 3 a/b curls. I do add a small amount of the ouai frizz creme to touch it up in between washes also.

My daughter and I smelled this in store and said we had to try it. Unfortunately, the smell overhyped us on the product. My daughter has corkscrew curls, while I have big waves. She said she prefers the shape up aqua gel for her curls, as it gives her a much better hold for her curls to last longer. This only really gives my hair a good hold on day one, then my waves slowly loosen each day after. I'm hoping to have better luck with the Hydro style flexi jelly because I'm allergic to one ingredient in the Aqua gel. Our hair isn't really frizzy, we were truly persuaded by the scent. If you aren't worried about the hold longevity of your curls or waves, then this might be a good choice. We would probably keep buying this, if the hold lasted past day one.