Editor’s note: We originally republished this article in April 2021 as part of Natural-Hair Week. We’re republishing it again today because it’s now enabled with our on-site shopping tool, so you can buy this curl-defining cream without leaving the page.
Four years ago, I made an impromptu decision to chop off all of my hair — ten of 16 inches of curls. Two hours and many snips later, I was left with a miserable, awkward bob. My hair stopped right under my ears, and the back was inexplicably longer than the front. So much for trying a new style (and a new stylist).
In an effort to grow my hair back out as fast as possible, I decided I’d stick with natural, organic products that would nourish my hair. I didn’t know how much it would help, but I knew it couldn’t hurt. With a lot of patience (nearly four years’ worth, in fact) and a very clean hair routine, my curls eventually grew even longer than they were pre-chop. But while the length was right, my thick, 3B ringlets were suffering. They used to be shiny and bouncy; now they were flat and frizzy. In search of something that might revive them, I dug up Adwoa Beauty Baomint Moisturizing Curl Defining Cream, a long-forgotten product that had been in my beauty cabinet for years, plucked from a photo shoot I’d once worked on.
I opened the tub to find a potion that smelled like mint, looked like whipped cream, and felt like pudding. When I applied a medium-size dollop to my damp hair, I was surprised at how effortlessly my curls detangled. I let them air-dry and found the formula to be fast-absorbing with a medium hold. My ringlets looked great — bouncy and hydrated. The next day, I freshened up my hair with a few spritzes of water and a small blob of the cream. The day after, I did the same.
Now, after a few months of regularly using it, I have shiny, healthy curls that last all day. This stuff makes my wash days faster, because it dries quickly, and since it revives my curls so well between washes, I’ve gone from washing my hair twice a week to every nine days. It’s replaced all of my other styling products — the instructions suggest pairing it with a leave-in conditioner and a curl gel, but in my experience, it’s potent enough to use on its own.
I’ve had curly hair all my life, and this is the best thing I’ve used. I’ve tried literally hundreds of curl-defining products, many of which claim to be “clean” but actually contain added sulfates, parabens, and other synthetic chemicals that eventually strip my hair of its natural oils. This one’s full of natural ingredients, like honey and shea butter, plus a variety of superfoods and vitamins E and A. It’s also cruelty-free, and founded by a woman of color (which explains why it works so well).
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