I bet you didn’t even know you were waiting for a product review, did you? Well it seems many of my readers have been!
Since I went natural, the drumbeats have slowly been building. When I started Afrobella back in August, they almost became deafening. Must. Try. Miss. Jessie’s. Curly. Pudding! And I wanted to so, so much. But like I said then, playing with my money is like playing with my emotions. $58 is a LOT to shell out for a hair product. Even if it’s one that’s got the Oprah seal of approval.
Miss Jessie’s has become the holy grail of curly hair products for many a well-to-do afrobella, and I’ll admit, I was skeptical. But the drumbeats kept going strong. Of all of the 234 posts I’ve written so far, my one little Miss Jessie’s post has gotten the most reader feedback. Months after I’ve written it, they keep coming. 73 comments and counting, from bellas who have tried it and liked it, hated it, want to dish dirt about the salon, or came out transformed by the experience. I didn’t know WHAT to make of the disparity of comments. But recently, I was lucky enough to get my hands on all four Miss Jessie’s products. Now that I know the score for myself, I’m gonna break them down for you as raw and honest as you’ve come to expect.
Finally I understand why these items are so darn expensive — you’re paying for a full, heavy 16 oz of product. That’s a pound of hair goop! They’re salon size, with detailed instructions included. I use a LOT of hair product, so usually I go through jars of moisturizer very quickly. But my experience so far with Miss Jessie’s definitely proves that less is more when it comes to this stuff. And having started to use them, I think I’m gonna have enough to last me till 2008.
Miss Jessie’s Baby Buttercreme
The first product I tried was the Baby Buttercreme, which costs $58. I will definitely be passing this jar along to my niece Dominique when she comes to visit in May! I think it’s exactly what her mom’s been looking for — a super hydrating hair product that leaves hair soft, moisturized, satisfied, and manageable. The scent is my favorite of the four, it’s like mild vanilla frosting. I like the baby buttercreme, but my mistake may have been in using too much at once; it left my curls limp and heavy, albeit very moisturized. But just a dab when my hair’s still wet from the shower is all I need for a day of moist, well behaved, deliciously scented hair. It’s perfect for parents who need something to make their little afrobellas’ hair behave before you pack them off to school.
Miss Jessie’s Curly Buttercreme
I can’t decide which is my favorite Miss Jessie’s product — Curly Buttercreme, or Curly Meringue. I love the results from both! The meringue is a heavier product, and smells like lemon creme. The Buttercreme is a thick, mint-scented moisturizing cream that slathers on thick and leaves my curls super-moist and heavy. It has a strong scent that eventually fades, and it also has a refreshing minty tingle on the scalp. But both products really worked to bring out the existing curl pattern in my hair.
Each tub of Miss Jessie’s comes covered in teeny text that gives directions for their best styling methods. Seriously, my friend Jessica spent like 15 minutes just reading the jar!
Buttercreme is perfect for two-strand twists, puffs, and wash and go styles, and it’s definitely more of a moisturizing hairdress.
Miss Jessie’s Curly Meringue
Meringue is a styling product that comes with detailed fingerstyling and shingling instructions, which I definitely plan to try when I have the time. Those processes could take ages with the amount of hair I have! Just to comb out my hair takes a while, then to part it all, liberally apply product, Stretch it, position it, THEN sit under a table top dryer and completely dry it? Oh, man. That’s more than a three hour tour.
How I’ve been using this stuff is a shortened method that I just tried because I was in kind of a hurry — combed my hair out in the shower, then when my hair was still very damp, I applied Curly Meringue and stretched out my curls as best I could. Then I was gonna be late for work so I had to go! But I left my windows partially down on my commute, so my hair dried. Sort of. These products REALLY keep your hair moist, to the point that that I touched my hair mid-day, and it still felt kind of cold and more moist than I expected. But I couldn’t be happier with the curl results.
My hair texture tends to be very dry, and my hair usually tends to frizz out, leaving my defined curls with lots of loose halo hairs emerging. But both the Curly Buttercreme and the Meringue made my curls behave, and the weight of the product made for guaranteed curlage and touchability. Which is what makes me not love Curly Pudding as much as I thought I would.
Miss Jessie’s Curly Pudding
As arguably the most well-known product in the line, I waited last to try the pudding. I expected to fall in love the hardest with this lilac colored, minty hairdress. But surprisingly, no.
And the bottom line is, Miss Jessie’s is a really good line of hair products, and if your hair is dry and unruly, you definitely should check them out. BUT, and this is a big but… it’s not a miracle worker. If your hair doesn’t already have naturally defined ringlets, slapping on some Miss Jessie’s won’t transform kinks into curls.
Those before and after photos you’ve been admiring all are after hours of styling processes, some of which involve chemicals. So if you’re planning to purchase and you have very kinky, very thick hair, don’t expect your hair to look like Rachel True’s after using Miss Jessie’s. Your hair will be nourished and sated, but unless you take the time to shingle, finger curl, and dry your hair, the results won’t be as dramatic as the befores and afters.
Everyone’s big beef with Miss Jessie’s is the PRICE. Few of us can afford to drop a minimum of $38 on a product that isn’t guaranteed to work. Well, there’s good news in that department. Miss Jessie’s will soon be unveiling 2 oz travel sizes that range from $7 to $9! So that’s a GREAT way for curious afrobellas to give the products a try and decide which one works best for them.
Stay tuned to find out when they hit the shelves, and to hear about some NEW Miss Jessie’s products set to debut soon. And keep reading for a big interview with the one and only Titi Branch!
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