I have 4b/4c hair, which means it stays in place for a good two, three days after a twistout takedown. If I don't play in it or fluff it too much, I might get a fourth day. These tresses have a mind all their own, and usually require a re-twist days later. Add on some good ol' fashioned Chicago humidity and heat, and it's every other night. Since the temps have been going up and down, you bet my hair has been going all over the place. No matter the weather, I still want my freshly un-twisted hair to stay put for a while!
(FYI, I wrote this part on Weds. night.)
I took out my little sample can, sprayed all over, and went about my day. This had to be about 11:30 AM CST. Once my hair dried, it was the usual hardness one feels with a hairspray. Same aerosol smell, too. Here it is 9:43 PM CST, and this stuff is still in my hair. My hair has stayed in place all day. I've played in it, shook my head a few times, and have played with the curls off and on. It even has a little bounce and lift. Not bad, Spray It Hard, not bad at all.My issue? The hardness. The stiffness. I don't quite like that part! This is usually why I avoid hardeners and hairsprays. While they keep tresses in place, they give hair that hardened, slightly sticky feeling. It's almost as if I applied a light coating of glaze to my hair, and then it hardened. No bueno.
Now, the argument may stand that this isn't for African-American hair. I've come to find out during my hair journey that this is something that can be true or false. Some products made for Black hair don't work for me at all. Some products that are...um...how do I put it like the advertisers...."made for non-ethnic hair" can work for me. Like, Garnier Fructis, Herbal Essences 3 and 4 level hair gel, Suave, V05's line of shampoo and condish. This is why I kinda frown on that whole "it's not for you" thing. In some cases, yes, it's blatantly obvious this isn't for my hair. In other cases, I think there's an open-gate type deal.
Anyway, since I really don't use hairspray, I probably won't be using this that often. Maybe a light mist when the days are running hot. Since I also style my grandmother's hair, I might use it to keep her hair in place. Her hair is a little thin, but also wispy and semi-straight. Since holding a curl is a 50/50 toss up, perhaps this holding spray would be better suited for finalizing her hairstyle. :-)
To make a long story short, I'll give this 3 out of 5 stars. Decent hold, kept my style in place all day, didn't fade out. I like the familiar bounce (most hairsprays give teased hair lift) it left in my tresses. However, the stiff feeling made my hair feel weird. A little sticky, a little stiff. Give 'er a shot! While you're at it, hit up Swaggable and "try something new" today!