HAIRCARE REVIEW: CURLS PROFESSIONAL STYLING PRODUCTS

I've been using the CURLS product line for several years to maintain my natural 4A/B hair (plus my extensions) and it's been a fantastic journey. I transition from straight styles to curly locks on a whim and can easily say this product line is positioned in my top 3 Natural Haircare products (Aveda and Moroccan Oil are the other loves) of all time. So I felt the need to share the Amazing, Disappointing and downright confusing details of my experience for any newbies out here.

For starters, I discovered this product line at Target. And it looked and continues to appear to be (packaged) like this:

But I also see it Online, at Mall Kiosks, and Beauty supply stores like this:

Disclaimer: I cannot vouch for the products that carry this wine bottle packaging. It could be formulated exactly the same but I've never picked these up as I enjoy the redcard discount of 5% that Target offers. So just to be clear - I have not used this cutesy version nor do I understand why the company would maintain different packaging for the same product line. 

Although I sing its praises very highly, I actually do not standby the entire Curls product line. However every single item that I've used has been very gentle to my hair and that means a lot to me. I have problem hair and it hasn't damaged it, caused any fallout or anything bad ever. There are a number of things that I cannot use (or intake for that matter) with alcohol and silicone topping the list of topical no no's, and these products truly do not contain those ingredients as stated on the bottles.

My no-nonsense breakdown is as follows:

Can't Live Without
Curls Passion Fruit Curl Control Paste - only paste I've found to not only smooth edges but hydrate them. Love this at the roots! Not the strongest hold you can have but better - because it's flexible and not hard to the touch. Also the least expensive item from the line and smells yummy.
Curls Cashmere Curl Jelly - the true standout of the line and the most expensive. Gives me Shine, Intense Hydration and Hold. Eliminates Frizz which I still cannot get over. It's a bit less than $20 bucks but worth a whole a lot more!
Curls Creme Brule Styler - great for refreshing curls when I don't want to use a wet agent. The smell is amazing!

Decent results:
Curls Lavish Curls Moisturizer - a substitute for the Cashmere Jelly but does nothing for Frizz. A thinner consistency and useful as a wet agent when doing braidouts or twistouts.
Coconut Curlada Conditioner- OK at best. I've found a better conditioner for hydration and de-tangling in the Moroccan oil product line. Your hair texture will ultimately determine how best this will work on your locks. My hair is too dry for it to be my regular conditioner.

Offers little to no results:
Curls Creamy Curl Cleanser - very weak. Strikes me as a good baby shampoo at best. Cannot de-tangle whatsoever. I use the Moroccan Oil Shampoo in place of this item. I can't even tell when it's in my hair just to give you an idea of how gentle it is.
Curls Goddess Curls Gel - Can't figure out what this is supposed to do as it currently hasn't done anything. I've used it a gazillion times as a wet agent for setting my braidouts & twistouts but it can be easily replaced with a number of other products such as Lavish Curl. Lavish Curl has better moisturizing abilities or is at least silkier.

Bonus Tidbit: There is another item called Gel-Les'C and I suspect that it's the same formulation as the Cashmere Curl. I rec'd a deluxe sample size Gel-Les'C with my Creme Brule purchase and it mimicks the results of the Cashmere Curl, and vice-versa. The product description offers the same benefits and it's priced the same. This leads to my major gripe with the brand, which I'll get into now:

Disappointments:
1. Curls needs to provide better and more clear descriptions of what each products intends to do. I've wasted a lot of time and money using the wrong items to achieve desired results over the past 3-4 years. Many of the formulations look the same (clear, liquid gel) and the product description repeats itself on most items. Way too much redundancy! The packaging variation also falls into this category. Why confuse your clientele?
2. This line is missing is a good leave-in conditioner. Until they create one, I rely on Aveda's Dry Remedy Leave-In which is dynamic but PRICEY! 

Have you used any Curls Products? I would love to get others feedback! I have also used the products on my hair (sans braidouts) and will post pics of those results as I soon as I can dig them out.