So recently I got my hands on some OBIA Curl Enhancing Custard. I had a chance to use this with a couple of different styles, and I actually like it a lot. It comes in a basic little plastic tub and it has a really nice smell. It’s sweet, but not too perfume-y.

The jar suggests that you use this product: “to define curls, to smooth edges, or to aid in up-do styles.” I decided to take the jar’s advice and try this product in all three of these styling scenarios. First, I used the Curl Enhancing Custard to smooth my edges. I just put a decent amount on my fingers and smoothed it upward to put my hair in a bun. I used a brush to try and get that super slick look that I’ve seen others achieve. I really like the way this product smells. I also like the texture; it reminds me of vanilla pudding.

 

One thing I noticed about this product is that my hair still felt like my hair after I used it. Instead of the crunchy, plastic-like feel that gel can sometimes leave on my hair, this gel did smooth my bun out without giving me an icky feeling. However, I did not get the super slick look I was going for. Even when I tried using the product later, no matter how much of the gel I used, my hair was not shiny and, while my hair was really smooth at first, after a few minutes my hair began to frizz up again on the edges. Now, I am not really too concerned about this—I’ve never really been concerned with laying my edges down flat, so long as my hair looks neat. However, I know that many of you out there may want a gel with better hold, so if you are looking for a product with a lot of hold, this is not the one.

Unfortunately, I haven’t yet had a chance to try this product in place of a setting lotion, but perhaps it will work better for setting curls or twist-outs. I really do appreciate the moisture it leaves in my hair, though. I used it in my French braids a few days later, after my hair was washed, and it did a pretty good job of keeping my braids nice and tight.

I also used this product, again on freshly washed hair, to define my curls. Now, this concept of “curl definition” is not really something that I am used to seeing with my hair. I’ve heard a lot of women with hair like mine say that they don’t really have a curl pattern, but I’ve found that I do have a curl pattern, it’s just very tight and uniform. With this product, i was actually able to keep my tiny curls super defined throughout the day.

So, with this Curling Custard, I just followed the instructions on the jar and i rubbed a generous amount of product on my hands and then started shaping my ‘fro like I normally would. I did try to scrunch a little extra product into my hair a bit to make sure my hair was evenly coated, but mostly I just shaped like I normally would and the product on my hands transferred onto my hair. The result was a rather nice, curly afro:

 

I suppose many would call this a wash-and-go, and my technique was pretty much the same, but I just call it a curly “fro, since that’s really all it is on my hair texture. So this product did a nice job of making my curl pattern stand out, I think. Although, when my hair was dry the curls were a little stiff in some places where the product was more saturated, but the hair was still soft even though it was a little stiff. It wasn’t that crunchy, burnt-barbie-hair effect that gels sometimes produce on the hair. Overall, I was really pleased with the results. This was my favorite use for the Custard.

So, if I were to rate this product, I would give it a 4/5, at least for us tightly-coiled ladies. I think for those of you with a looser curl pattern, you may really like this product for up-dos and smoothing, etc. If you’re looking for a new product to try think this product is definitely worth picking up.

Obia Natural Custard retails for $15.00.