Kinky Curly Product Review

I've been searching for a great wash and go product since my hair has grown out.  I haven't really done wash and gos since my teeny weeny afro days because I had no other choice.  As soon as my hair became long enough, I started wearing my hair in either twist outs or a blown out afro.  After being natural for six years now, my hair is extremely thick and long when stretched so I have been waiting for the perfect wash and go.  Now, it takes me approximately 3 to 4 hours to two-strand twist my hair and as a working mom of a busy body toddler, I don't really have the time.  Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated :). 
I tried the Kinky Curly hair products a little over a year ago hoping that it would evenly define my curls.  My hair usually has several different textures going on(fuzzy in the back, curly on top, shrunken on the side) and that's why my twist out is my signature style.  So this is my experience using the Kinky Curly hair products.

I purchased the following products at Whole Foods (you can also purchase the products at Target):

COME CLEAN SHAMPOO - 8 OZ.

$20

It's expensive, I know, but you can order it online for a much cheaper price.

Kinky Curly Knot Today Conditioner-8 oz. (Pack of 3)

$12

Kinky Curly Curling Custard 16 oz

$30.00

Yes, I got the big bottle thinking that I would need alot for my thick hair.

Washing my hair with the COME CLEAN SHAMPOO - 8 OZ. produced fair results. It adequately washed my hair and scalp which is what I need after all the product I put in my hair. Definitely not worth the $20, though. This was the only Kinky Curly product that I used entirely.

After shampooing, I applied a very generous amount of the Kinky Curly Knot Today Conditioner-8 oz. (Pack of 3).  I detangled each section of my hair with my detangling brush which seemed like a mistake because, even with my hair dripping wet, it made my hair very thick and puffy.   It doesn't work well as a conditioner at all.

Then, I applied the Kinky Curly Curling Custard 16 oz last.  I smoothed it through my hair from root to ends. A little seemed to go a long way.  I was apprehensive to add too much because I didn't want any flakes.  Once my hair dried, there was definitely no flakes but my hair looked like a clumpy hot mess.  I had horrible shrinkage and parts of my hair were more shrunken than others.  So, okay, it was my first time using the product. I thought that maybe I didn't apply enough of the Curling Custard.  So, I tried it again two weeks later but this time, I applied very generous amounts of the Curling Custard.  What were the results?  They were the same as before. It was a hot clumpy mess again and right before Valentine's Day. I was so disappointed that I actually took my butt to the hair salon the next day and had my hair flat ironed. I had to have everything together for Valentines Day.

This is what Kinky Curly pushed me too.

It was a nice change and my pooh bear ended up proposing that night!. But after a couple days, the straight hair became boring so it was back to my beautiful natural hair.   Since then, I have not tried a wash and go. I have yet to find the right product for that style.  I sometimes used the Kinky Curly Knot Today Conditioner-8 oz. (Pack of 3) to detangle my daughter's hair but the Suave Detangler for kids works better and it only costs $1.99.   This product is way too expensive not to work.  I still have a jar of the curling custard 16 oz and it's almost full.  $30 wasted. I even tried to give it to my mom because she has softer hair than I do and she left it behind.  I believe that Kinky Curly products and probably even most of the wash and go products out there are for people who have the fine curls like this:

And not for hair like this:

But you never know what product will work until you try it.  To find a product that works as a wash and go for my hair is going to be my quest for 2012.  The next product I will try is the Ecoco Eco Styler Krystal Styling Gel, 16 Ounce (Pack of 3) next. Hey, this time I'm only out 3 bucks if it doesn't work.