In an industry where there is an overwhelming amount of product launches daily, Product Of The Week cuts through the noise. To help you find your new beauty and wellness favorites, this series highlights the tried-and-true products that our writers can’t live without.
If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. A rule I generally go by, but as a beauty writer who is constantly reading about new innovation in the beauty space, the rule is often broken. Now, as a natural hair girl with very dense, low porosity, type 4 curls, when I find a product that penetrates my hair, nourishes it the way it deserves, and provides me with the style outcome I am going for, I stick with it.
For the longest time, I have not wavered from my holy grails when it comes to wash n go styling. I use two botanical gels, one to activate the curls and another for premium hold and definition. After extensive trial and error, those two have never steered me wrong and I still use them to this day. I never considered switching up the routine, that is, until I came across Bread Beauty Supply’s hair-gel.
One particular wash day I reached for Bread’s curl capturing gloss to test out for the first time. To say I was pleasantly surprised is an understatement. The slip, definition, and soft touch it provided once dry was all I needed to experience to know that this gel will be one of my new staples.
Formulated with Yuzu extract, snow mushroom, and red algae, it is a clean and effective botanical gel, optimum for curl health. The beauty of botanical-based gels is that they nourish and repair the hair as they style. Bread beauty is also vegan and color safe, and cruelty, silicon, and paraben free. It is moderately-priced for quality botanical based gels on the market currently, with a retail value of $26.
It has a strong hold but is not heavy, it doesn’t weigh down my curls—in fact it brings them to life. They are bouncy, defined, hydrated, and lively. They are not overly crunchy, and clump well for a long lasting wash n go style. The gel also gives my curls a nice shine which was an unexpected but added plus.
In my experience, working the product into my curls emulsifies it into a foamy texture. The presence of foam of course adds to the hair’s volume, and, coupled with the gel’s definition properties, makes for great overall payoff. The way my porosity and density are set up, I have to do my wash n gos in the shower, directly after I wash my hair. That said, the pump top on the bottle is convenient and user-friendly too.
The lightweight consistency also allows for versatile use, doing well with wash n gos, slick back updos, and juicy twist-outs. Altogether, the product smells great, is easy to use, and has sleek, intuitive packaging for long hair days in the shower.
I can’t say enough good things about this product, really. To top it off, it is Black woman-owned, made for us in mind but effective for everyone. Following its acquisition, it’s also now part of the Topicals family, another beloved Black owned beauty company that keeps melanated beauty in mind from formulation to outreach. It’s a win-win-win. Get it. That’s all I have to say.