Cookie's Natural Hair

Curling Pudding Recipe: Only 3 Ingredients and It Whips Up in Minutes

2011-09-12T14:43:00.000-07:00

I am starting to wonder if I should have tried a curling pudding recipe before going straight to the expensive products for my natural hair. Maybe a homemade curling pudding works as well as Miss Jessie's but at a fraction of the price. I have been using Miss Jessie's curling pudding and buttercreme for almost 2 weeks now. The product definitely retains my texture better than anything else I have tried. It's a bit crunchy the first day but by day 2 I like the way my hair looks.

Curling Pudding Hair Products: Store Bought Ones

But I still cannot believe that I shelled out $70 for just 2 products! My husband didn't mind me making the purchase. He actually is quite happy with the results. And believe me, I will use every single drop of both of those products.

I have also been using the Kinky Curly Curling Pudding that I purchased awhile back but then stopped using after only a couple of applications. That and the Knot Today leave in conditioner cost quite a bit as well. The KCCP still dries my hair out rather quickly so after the first day I apply some Motions moisturizer. I am not going to lie to you, it is greasy! But it's inexpensive (Motions not Kinky Curly) and it works. I just make sure to use as little as possible.

Homemade Curly Pudding Revisited

But the frugal part of me (and that's a big part) feels like I should have explored ALL of my options before I made those purchases. So, I started looking for curling pudding recipes again. And I keep coming back to the same one in various natural hair forums and in several You tube videos. Lots of people with different hair textures report having success with just 3 easy to find, inexpensive ingredients.

I listed this curling pudding recipe on Cookie's Natural Hair a long time ago; but, I never tried it. Originally, I found it on NaturallyCurly.com's forums from a poster named Shae.

Homemade Curly Pudding - Shae's Way

20oz jar IC Hair Polisher Styling Olive Oil Gel
4oz Unrefined Raw Shea Butter
1oz Extra Virgin Olive Oil -what you use to cook with

First you whip the shea butter with a mixer and then you add the olive oil. After that's all mixed, add the gel a little at a time until well blended.

Looks Like We Have a Winner
I like this recipe for several reasons. It is great that it only involves 3 ingredients. (Currently I am only missing shea butter.) It looks like it is not complicated to whip up a batch. And I wrote about how economical Kinky Curly Curling Custard can be. And like I said before, I like the fact that numerous people have said that it is an inexpensive alternative to name brand curling custards.

The Recipe in Motion
Check out this video that shows how to use this curling pudding recipe to make your own product.

This video shows that you don't even have to use a blender. You can just melt the shea butter and then mix everything together. This may add some time to the process but in the end it will be less messy sticking hair products in your mixer.

Curling Pudding : Homemade and Lazy Approach

Yes, I said it. Back when I used to use shea butter regularly I would make a "curly creme," kind of, in the shower just moments before applying it to my hair. I would just take equal amounts of shea butter and gel and mix them as best as I could with my fingers and the palms of my hands. Then I would apply the concoction to my wet, shampooed hair and work it through with my fingers. And that was it.

I can't really say how long it lasted because that was when I used to wash my hair almost daily. I recently did the same thing with gel and the Motions moisturizer in a hurry one Sunday morning. My hair looked great all day. But the next morning it was obvious that the style wouldn't last another day.

But I'm thinking that I might put a little of the 3 ingredients together in my bathroom and give it a test run before committing to making an entire batch.

Curly Pudding On a Budget

I found this video inspirational but it also made me giggle. It looks like the Youtuber put a little of every single styling product that she owns in a bowl and stirred it up. Ha ha! But that actually might not be a bad idea. I have several (that might be a bit of an understatement) products underneath my sink that don't work quite right. And now they have been relegated to the product cemetery.

Why not whip them all together and see how it goes? You might wind up with a really great homemade curling custard. And even if you don't, no harm done. The products weren't being used anyway. But to save some time, you may try using the formula below to see if you can come up with a product that works well in your hair with fewer ingredients.

Curling Pudding Ingredients Formula

As best I can tell, a good curling custard needs to have a few key ingredients to stand a chance at working well.

something to "hold" or retain texture - a gel of some sort
a product with weight to help elongate the curls - shea butter is a good example of this
something to keep hair from becoming dry - olive oil, for example

I am not a scientist and this list is based on what I've read from others and on my personal experience(which is limited at this time). But this list seems to be consistent with Shae's recipe. And the results seem to verify this.

Help Me Miss Jessie

2011-07-31T14:29:00.000-07:00

I have tried to maintain my natural hair in as economical a manner as possible, as evidenced by my attempts at homemade curling pudding. But I have finally reached a point where my hair is not responding positively to any of my frugal methods. So, I am going to give Miss Jessie's curly pudding a try. I know, it 's hard to believe, right? You know I must be in a very tough place with my hair to have come to this conclusion.

Disappointment can be Expensive
I might have tried Miss Jessie's sooner. But I was so disappointed after paying so much money for Kinky Curly products and all they did was dry my hair out WORSE than it already was. I didn't really want to shell out that kind of money on something else and then wind up not being able to use the products again. So I pushed the thought of name brand curling pudding to the back of my mind.

Can a Girl Have it All?
Instead, I went with Carol's Daughter Hair Milk. I didn't like the product at first. But I quickly discovered that the issue was the way that I was applying the product, and not the product itself. The hair milk is great for moisturizing. However, it does not allow me to retain my curls and elongate them. I used to use shea butter for that. But over time shea butter was no longer my friend.

My Afro Puffs are Old

This was my SONG back in the day. I wonder if Lady of Rage ever tired of her puffs?

For months now I have felt that afro puffs are my only option because the shrinkage is so intense if I try to wear my hair down. Now my husband and I are both over those tired (albeit convenient) puffs. I have rocked rough and tough with my afro puffs a little too long (sorry, couldn't resist). So, I HAVE to take action. And after reviewing You Tube videos and reading numerous reviews (again), I am going with Miss Jessie. My only hope is that Miss Jessie will not let me down.

Kinky Curly Curling Custard Alternative

2010-08-05T08:35:00.001-07:00

Update: Here is a free curling pudding recipe that has only 3 ingredients, can be prepared in just a few minutes, and some say it is just as good as the expensive curly puddings on the market today.

I have been searching for a Kinky Curly Curling Custard alternative. I bought the original product and I like how it makes my natural hair pop. At first the product made my hair extremely crunchy. But then I did some research online and found out that a little goes a long way. Since then I began using it sparingly and the product has lasted a long time. I still have a little over half a jar but I'm already wondering what I'm going to do when the jar is empty. The product is well worth the price but it would be great if there was a more economical homemade pudding.

I know, I know. Hair products can be expensive, especially natural hair care products. I have been wanting to try Miss Jessie's puddings for years now. But I refuse to pay over $40 (after shipping) for 16 ounces of a hair product. I don't care how good it is. I know there's a smaller size available now. But I'm still not OK with the price. I wasn't really alright with the price of the KCCC. But it was less than MJ so I decided to go for it.

Anyway, I am extremely frugal. I accepted that fact about myself a long time ago. If there's a less expensive alternative out there then I will give it a try. So I was thrilled when I found a recipe for homemade curly pudding. I love that Shae said that it's "curly pudding for the financially challenged." :)

I don't have any of the ingredients needed for the pudding, except the EVOO. So the initial cost might be a bit much, especially since I need to go with the recipe that gives extra moisture.

Let me do some math here.

IC Hair Polisher Styling Gel, 16 oz - $3.99 ( + $0.33 tax) at Walgreens
Aloe Vera gel, 16 oz. - $5.99 ( + $0.49 tax) at Walgreens
Raw shea butter, 16 oz. - $10.78 at Amazon (shipping charges included in total)
EVOO - already have
Vitamin E oil, 2.5 oz. - $4.99 ( + $0.41 tax) at Walgreens

OK. So initially, I am going to have to invest $26.98. Actually, I'll use a $5 Amazon gift certificate that I earned from doing searches on Swagbucks. So, I'm down to $21.98. Now let's see how much it cost to make one batch of the hair pudding.

16 oz. IC gel = $4.32
4 oz Aloe Vera gel = $1.62
4 oz. shea butter = $1.45
1 oz. EVOO = $0
1 oz. vitamin e oil = $2.70

So I am looking at a grand total of $10.09. This recipe will produce 26 oz of curly custard alternative. So we're talking about $0.39 per ounce for the homemade curly pudding. The KCCC 16 oz jar is $1.87/oz (not including shipping and possibly tax). And MJ's 16 oz pudding is $2.38/oz (not including shipping and possibly tax). Even if you take advantage of MJ's BYG1F Christmas deal, you are still looking at $1.19/oz.

Wow! I had no idea the savings for a homemade kinky curly recipe would be so large. I will definitely make the necessary purchases within the next week and give it a try.

Writing Natural Hair Care Articles on Associated Content

2010-05-25T08:10:00.001-07:00

In 2006 I wrote a few articles about natural hair on Associated Content. In March of this year I applied to be a Featured Beauty Contributor there. And based on my hair care articles, I got the position. So, I will be writing a minimum of 4 beauty articles a month.

Technically, I could write about any topic that is beauty related. AC wants articles that are unique to their data base with a personal angle. So, that pretty much limits me to writing about my hair. I am enjoying getting paid to write something that I had I had planned on posting here for free.

If you are interested in writing for AC as well then you can sign up using the button below.

Any U.S. citizen can join AC and start earning money for articles. You can earn upfront payments as well as residual income. You won't get rich there (or even close to it) but it is an easy way to earn some extra money if that interests you.

Since learning about my hair has become important to me, it is not that difficult to come up with things to write about. I also write homeschooling articles but that's another blog.

Carol’s Daughter Hair Milk Review

2009-01-29T12:09:00.000-08:00

Let me start off by saying that I am frugal to a fault. I am the last person who you will find buying “boutique” hair products. However, my hair has been ridiculously dry for several months now and I finally reached the point where I didn’t care how much money it took to get my hair healthy again. I had read numerous good reports about Carol’s Daughter products. So, I decided to give the hair milk a try. $18 a bottle may not seem like much to some; but, that is a steep price for me. But I took the plunge because I really needed to get my hair healthy again.

As of this moment, I have mixed feelings about Carol’s Daughter hair milk. I really was hoping that I could give it a great review, mainly because I didn’t want to feel like a fool for spending so much money on a hair product. But honestly, I’m not sure that I like it. Every time that I use it, my hair frizzes. Now, this is the exact problem that the product claims it helps tame. But that seems not to be the case with my hair. I wish that I could say that it was not the hair milk but something else that is making my hair frizz. But here’s the deal – I NEVER had frizzy hair until I started using Carol’s Daughter hair milk.

I have used the hair milk several times for twist outs and each time about an hour after I untwist my hair it seems like it is retaining moisture and it frizzes. My hair definitely is not dried out anymore. But moisturized frizzy hair is not the look that I was hoping to achieve.

On a positive note, I do have to mention that Carol’s Daughter hair milk smells wonderful. But nice smelling, frizzy hair still won’t do.

I definitely want to get my $18 + tax worth. So this weekend I am going to apply the hair milk in my wash and go. Hopefully, I’ll have better results. I’ll let you know. But as it stands right now, despite it being voted "best of Sephora", I have to give Carol’s Daughter hair milk an unfavorable review.

Going Natural

2009-01-28T18:10:00.001-08:00

I had relaxed hair from the time I was 13 years old until a month before my 31st birthday. I never really planned on going natural. Read here to find out how I wound up doing the big chop.

It's been over three years now and I can say with certainty that I will never go back to relaxers.

Here I will share my trials and triumphs of caring for my natural hair.