Hey beautiful people!  This week, I finally used up the DevaCurl Must-Have Curl Kit, which I won as a prize from a contest (yay for free stuff).

I did a deep condition overnight with Curl Junkie Hibiscus Banana Deep Fix Conditioner.  I like this conditioner, but it isn't cost effective for me anymore.  With my current hair length and thick density, I used half a jar in one wash.  That is $10 per wash.

In the morning, I started off with the DevaCurl No Poo.  This has great slip, and my hair felt clean.  The only thing I did not like is the smell.  It is strong perfume like.  Next, I used the One Condition.  This also had great slip, and the smell reminded me of a baby.  I just didn't understand why the bottle was so small.  It's conditioner.

For styling, I used the Deva Styling Cream and the Deva Ultra Defining Gel on my right side.  For some reason the styling cream I received has a tiny pump spout, instead of the normal pump.  I had to push the pump about 12 times just to get enough to cover a small area of my hair.  When I spread it on my hair, it felt a little like water, so I knew it wasn't going to do much for me.  For my left side, I didn't want to risk tangles, so I used a heavier leave-in conditioner under the Ultra Defining Gel -- Curl Junkie's Coffee-Coco Curl Cream.

After 12 hours, my hair is about 90% dry on the right side and 70% dry on the left.  I'm actually a little surprised.  The DevaCurl styling cream left my hair softer than I thought, but there is not much definition.  My hair dried shrunken and frizzy.  I am also getting white flakes on my clothes now that it has dried.

Total styling time:  ~30 minutes

1. Pink Eco Styler Gel ($6 / 32 oz)- This is not marketed as an edge control, but it had the most long-lasting hold by far, and it it the cheapest.  I just have to use ALOT.  Also, I have to tie down my edges after I apply it, to let it dry.  Because it takes my hair awhile to dry, even if I apply the gel on dry hair, the results are not instantaneous.


2. Cream of Nature Perfect Edges ($4.50 / 2.25) - This is my favorite "edge control".  It gave me both high shine and hold.  It also spreads easily, and it actually smells a little like argan oil.  It just didn't give me all day hold. As the day went on, my edges started to puff up.  For people avoiding parabens, do not purchase this one. It has 2 - methylparaben and ethylparaben. 


3. Carol's Daughter Black Vanilla Edge Control Smoother ($8 / 2 oz) - This is my second favorite "edge control" product.  It performed very similar to the Cream of Nature, including the fact that it also gave me great shine.  It also smells deliciously like vanilla. However, like the Cream of Nature, it also didn't give me long lasting hold. Unlike Cream of Nature, it does not have any parabens. I really like the ingredients in this product.


4. Oyin Burnt Sugar Pomade ($14 / 4 oz) - I use this as a second day product after using gel on the first day.  I typical spritz my hair with a little water, then smooth on the pomade and tie down my hair with a scarf. After about 30 minutes, my hair usually good to go with a nice sheen and it is soft.  Do not expect this to last longer than a couple hours though.  The pomade has amazing ingredients.  I prefer the Burnt Sugar Pomade to the Sugar Berries Pomade based on smell alone. They perform and cost the same. The Burnt Sugar smells like cookies.  The sugar berries smells like plants to me.  This is on the higher side of price per ounce, but a little goes  along way.  I've had the same jar for at least a year.


5. Shea Moisture Jamaican Black Castor Oil Strengthen, Grow & Restore ($10 / 4 oz) - While the jar says that it smooths, this is more of a treatment, than an edge control.  The protein seems to strengthen my edges, and this product keeps my hair soft with a nice sheen.  When I'm stressed, my temples thin, so this is a keeper, just not as an edge control.  The only thing I don't like about this is that it seems to leave some residue on my hair after a few days of use.


6. Gorilla Snot Gel (Punk) ($6.59 / 11.9 oz) - Someone suggested this gel because it is kind of like glue.  It did work on my edges to a certain extent, but it worked pretty much like Eco Styler Gel and it didn't last as long, even though I put a ton on. 


7. Curls Control Paste ($8 / 4 oz) - I was actually surprised that this did not work for me. It was my favorite product while I was transitioning because it smoothed my edges.  However, when I tried it as part of this experiment, while it smoothed my edges, the smooth edges did not last long.  It also left a white residue.  I tried it on both "dirty" hair and freshly washed hair.  It gave me the same white residue each time.


8. ORS Olive Oil Edge Control ($5 / 2.25 oz) - This simply did not spread easily on my hair, so it was not effective.


9. Smooth 'N Shine Edge Smoothing Pomade ($2.59 / 2 oz) - This performs similarly to the ORS Edge Control. 


10. Got2B Glued Spiking Glue ($6.50 / 6 oz) - I only tried this because someone suggested it.  It did not give me hold, but it did leave a sticky film on my hair.  No bueno.