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It's never been a better time to shop for hair products as a black person with kinky, curly, or coily hair. Between the wealth of affordable beauty supply and drugstore options and the comparably priced or slightly more expensive Instagram-friendly brands (many of which are owned by black women), there is no shortage of choices for folks with access to a good drugstore or the Internet when it comes to highly textured hair.
As a beauty editor, I've tried just about every curl pudding, gel, cowash, leave-in, and oil from a wide range of brands. But I always noticed when it came to luxury brands, there were options I could use for cleansing and conditioning my hair, but for the most part it stopped there. For styling, I was pretty much on my own, as the wave sprays and curl-enhancing creams they offer typically didn't do anything for my curly, Afro-textured hair. Even when I was told, "This works for all curl types" or "Yes, this can work on your texture," when I actually went to try the products, I couldn't help but wonder if they even so much as bothered to test them on anyone with hair similar to mine.
It's incredibly frustrating, especially in a culture that obviously admires and emulates the aesthetic styling choices of black women — as long as said aesthetics are presented on anyone but black women. Plus, black women have money to spend on beauty products. In fact, we outspend everyone else in the beauty market, so it is still curious to me why more luxury brands haven't rolled out collections to perfect your wash-and-gos, twist-outs, or locs. (OK, maybe it's not that much of a mystery: At this point, given the dearth of options high-end brands typically have for Afro-textured hair, it's just bad business as usual.) It sometimes feels as if many luxury hair-care brands are simply choosing not to address the hair needs of black women with natural hair.
But the folks at Oribe are making a change: The luxury hair-care brand is rolling out its latest, a collection for highly textured, type-4 hair, tapping pro stylist and textured hair educator Stacey Ciceron to develop it. The four-piece range is an extension of the brand's Moisture & Control collection and includes a Deep Treatment Masque ($63), a Priming Lotion Leave-In ($38), a Curl Gelée ($44), and a Styling Butter Curl Enhancing Crème ($46), all with the signature Oribe scent.
"The [natural hair] community had been trying to figure out natural hair on its own, and people had to search high and low for things to meet their needs," Ciceron said in a press release. "Now there are more options, but people want to have an elevated experience. Because this market is not saturated with options, we want to be one of the first to offer this upgrade. It's time for everyone to be #oribeobsessed."
The minute news of the release hit my inbox, I was pumped, and not just because the brand has fabulous products. Oribe has some of the best packaging in the game, and as someone who has not one but two vanity trays in their room, the idea of having one of those beautiful bottles — full of product I could actually use — to put on display was irresistible. I knew my shelfie game was about to level up, but my hair game? Well, I'd have to try the products to determine that.
Wash day couldn't come soon enough. After washing and conditioning my hair with Crème of Nature's new Clay & Charcoal shampoo and conditioner, it was off to the races. In the shower, I applied a generous amount of the Oribe Deep Treatment Masque to my hair, making sure to load up my (rough) ends with extra product. I covered my head with a plastic shopping bag (anyone else do this?) and let it sit for at least half an hour. First of all, the mask is thicka than a Snicka — so thick, that if you turn the jar upside down, the product doesn't fall out. From the texture alone, I knew this was going to be serious stuff and I was right. After washing the mask off with cool water, my hair felt extremely hydrated and soft. Pretty much how you want your hair to feel after a major deep conditioner.
Then, it was time for styling. This is where the meat and potatoes of the testing are, folks. I've used plenty of high-end deep conditioners that have worked for me, but as I mentioned before, I haven't had as much luck with stylers. So, I decided to do my typical twist-out routine using the products. I started by moisturizing my hair with the Priming Lotion, which is super lightweight but has a ton of slip for detangling.
Then, on my wet hair, I raked in small amounts of the Styling Butter section by section before going over each section with some of the Curly Gelée, and then smoothing it all out with my Denman brush. I twisted each section and then put on a durag underneath my satin-lined bonnet and went to bed.
The next morning, the twists were mostly dry, but I did have to go over a few slightly damp ones with my Harry Josh dryer and diffuser attachment. Then, it was time to unravel the twists. I rubbed a bit of Living Proof No Frizz Vanishing Oil in my hands, and started separating my curls in the places they naturally divide. After taking out the first few twists, I knew Oribe had absolutely nailed this line.
Though the Gelée and Styling Butter are both quite thick and moisturizing, they dried to a weightless feel on my curls. Seriously. My hair was bouncing absolutely everywhere, and it remained defined for days. My hair felt moisturized, but not overly so, and best of all, I smelled like an Upper East Side mom who just spent an entire afternoon at the salon for the sole purpose of stunting on the other moms picking their kids up from school.
Not only did I smell expensive but honey, I felt expensive after using this stuff. I attended the launch event for the new collection with the product in my hair, and I got so many compliments from everyone in attendance. And these are people who know their stuff — hairstylists, influencers, and editors.
Overall, Oribe did that. It was right of them to tap a black woman to create this collection, to communicate with the brand the needs of kinky/coily hair, and show them just how to execute it in a way that actually works well. There's no half-steppin' here. From the mask, all the way down to the gel (which is now one of my favorites), Oribe really created something for the naturalista looking to satisfy their bougie tendencies. Now if you'll excuse me, I'll be taking plenty of shots of my vanity with these teal bottles on full display.
Shop the entire collection, hitting shelves April 4.
The Oribe Curl Gelee is a 2020 Allure Best of Beauty winner. Check out the full list of Allure's 2020 Best of Beauty winners.
All products featured on Allure are independently selected by our editors. However, when you buy something through our retail links, we may earn an affiliate commission.
More hair product reviews to check out:
The Ouai Scalp & Body Scrub Soothed the Eff Out of My Itchy Skin
Carol’s Daughter Pracaxi Nectar Frizz Tamer Made My Edges So Shiny and Sleek
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