Pros: Defines and seperates curls as promised; curls feel natural and soft to the touch.
Cons: Pricier than drug store brands, but still worth it!
The Bottom Line: I recommend this for people with curly hair of all textures; the product does not weigh hair down or cause hair to get stiff. It creates perfectly soft frizz-free curls!
mset31's Full Review: MATRIX Curl Life Contouring Cream
Background: In my 20+ year search for the perfect curly hair cair products, it seems I've finally found the answer to my prayers. A little background on my curly hair: when I was young, I had "little orphan Annie" curls (very tight, kinky, soft curls) that needed no product; they were naturally frizz-free. As I aged, my hair changed texture several times, from thick and wavy, to course and curly, to puffy and frizzy (my nickname in grade school was "fro girl"), to now soft and curly (big curls--not kinky) that tend to frizz easily.
What I've Tried: • I've tried scrunching my hair, wrapping each individual curl around my fingers, braiding my entire head of hair, air-drying, and diffusing with at least 5 different diffusers in my lifetime.
• I have tried every product under the sun: Sebastian Laminates, DevaCurl, Frederic Fekkai, Nexxus, Jumping Curls!, Dep, L.A. Looks, Redken, Tigi, Paul Mitchell, Sunsilk, Samy, Mark Anthony, Christophe Beverly Hills, Thermasilk, Infusium, Pantene, Biolage, Frizz-Ease, and Naked Naturals, just to name a few. I've tried gel, mousse, hair spray, creams, liquids, and anything else you can think of. I'm sure there are several more, but my memory only goes back so far!
In short, I've tried it all. Every product, every gadget, every technique.
What I Wanted: Nothing seemed to work on my curls; every product either weighed them down too much or not enough, contributed to the frizz problem, made them greasy/oily or too dry, damaged them, made them crunchy or too soft, or some variation/combination of the above. I needed a product that allowed my hair to FEEL like there was nothing in it, all the while taming frizz and allowing my curls to actually CURL and not fall down due to globs of product in my hair. Tall order!
What I Found: I went to a new salon on recommendation from a reliable source (friend of my mother) who swore by a particular stylist there. She said that if anyone could help me, she could. So I went. I left my expensive NYC Frederic Fekkai salon in exchange for a tiny neighborhood salon about 20 minutes from my home in Connecticut. Needless to say, I was nervous. I'll skip the part where I got the greatest haircut of my life (turns out shape is just as important as product) and simply tell you what the owner of the shop told me.
She said: "All you need is Matrix Contouring Cream. That's it. Sure you can try the shampoo and conditioner with the line, but I'm telling you, all you need is Contouring Cream. Buy it, try it, and call me when you use it."
She seemed so certain that this was THE product for me, so of course I had to try it. I was pretty fed up with my current routine: gel, mousse, and hairspray. It was just too much junk. I needed to downsize, so I went to the beauty supply shop.
I'm a sucker for "systems" so I bought it all: Matrix Curl Life Shampoo, Conditioner, Contouring Cream, and Every Weather Hairspray. I will review the other products in later reviews, as I am very happy with them all!
What I Got: So, I tried it, and after several months of perfecting my "system" with these products, I can say with 100% certainty that the Contouring Cream, along with the other products mentioned above, is the perfect system for curly hair. I am now in my seventh month of use and am in love with these products. I get compliments on my hair more now than ever before. Most importantly, my hair doesn't feel like there's any product in it. My curls are incredibly soft, shiny, bouncy, and FRIZZ FREE!
Specifics About the Product: Matrix Contouring Cream comes in a small green plastic jar, containing 5.1 oz of cream. It is pure white with a light lemon/lime fragrance. The cream is not sticky or drippy; it reminds me of a very lightweight body lotion in weight, but does not feel oily. Some reviews I've read said that the Controuring Cream is messy--I do not agree with this statement. Gel and mousse are messy. Contouring Cream is a WELCOME change!
I paid $11.95 for the jar and this is the only size it is available in, to my knowledge.
After much trial and error I find that a little bit goes a long way. Use too much and you risk flattening your curls, but use too little and risk a bit of frizz. I'll admit, it does take awhile to perfect how much you need for your hair, but to me, the trial and error are SO worth it.
How much Cream I use varies; right now my hair is shorter (above my shoulders) so overall I probably use 2-3 quarter size amounts.
Here's what I do for perfect curls, and I have to follow this as closely as possible or the curls can fall:
• I wash every other day with Matrix Curl Life Shampoo and Conditioner (reviews to come!).
• After washing, I towel dry my hair, but do not put it up in a towel for several minutes the way I used to. I put it up with an elastic until I'm ready to style.
• When I'm ready, I wet it down again so the little flyaways around my face and nape of my neck are wet again--this is KEY!!! Your hair must be wet in order for Matrix Contouring Cream to work effectively! (You don't need your hair to be soaked like you just came out of the shower, just wet it down with a spray bottle).
• Once my hair is wet again, I put the Contouring Cream in. I do NOT brush or comb it first--this is crucial as I noticed it really helps the curls form better when you don't brush them out. I work this through my hair, root to tip and run my fingers completely through to work out any knots. I find that this actually encourages the curl, as opposed to combing it through with a comb.
• Then I diffuse my hair on high heat, low speed with a diffuser. I HIGHLY recommend the Belson Curlmaster Diffuser (which is evidently hard to find now). It's not the mini diffuser that's widely available; it's large and has the "fingers" in it to help create volume. I love this diffuser because of its wide opening, but I'm sure any "finger" diffuser will do. It's imperative that you dry your hair on low speed, high heat, whatever you use. After it seems mostly dry, I change to medium heat, still on low speed, then finally to cool air/low speed. Drying with cool air helps the hair cuticle to close and adds shine.
• I then spray just a little bit of Matrix Curl Life Every Weather Hairspray on my hair and allow it to dry on its own (which is does--VERY quickly). And that's it! Sometimes I "scrunch" a little bit if I feel like it, but it's not imperative. The entire process takes me about 20 minutes. Voila! Soft, frizz-free, shiny curls!
• When I sleep I where my hair down but lift it up when I put my head on the pillow, so that the underside of my hair is actually touching the pillow. In the morning my hair looks like it did before I went to bed. To re-energize the curls I just spray a little bit more of the hairspray, scrunch, and go! The Verdict: I know it sounds too good to be true. I thought it was, too. But again, I've used the system now for seven months so I know it's not a novelty that my hair just needs to adapt to. The system really does create beautiful curls as promised, and the Contouring Cream, to me, is the flagship product of the line. It produces the shiny "full-of-life" curls I've wanted my entire life.
A Note About the "Sister Product," Matrix Contouring Milk: If you are interested in the Contouring Milk, I've actually tried that too and here is the difference: if you have thick hair (I don't mean a lot of hair--I mean if your individual STRANDS of hair are thick), go with the Contouring Cream. If you have fine hair (strands of hair are thinner/finer), go with the Contouring Milk. My hair strands are thick so I use the Cream. The Milk didn't provide enough control for me, but for someone with finer hair, it should work perfectly. Final Recommendation: I cannot recommend Matrix Contouring Cream enough. It is well worth the money and a little goes a long way. I really hope that you can achieve the perfect head of curls as I have. For the first time in my life, I actually LOVE my hair instead of wishing it were straight like everyone else's. Good luck!
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