Not Your Mother's curl cream is the center of a Tampa brand that started with six items in 2010 and built a whole Curl Talk line in 2018. This edit covers the creams, gels and mousse, the rest of the brand's shelf, and curl creams from other makers.
Six Products in 2010, and Now the Not Your Mother's Curl Cream I Reach For
Not Your Mother's lists itself as established in 2010 in Tampa, Florida, and the origin story is refreshingly practical. A married couple, Rocky and Bethany Pagliarulo, launched it with six items, which landed in 400 stores that year. Six products is not a lot. It tells you the idea came first and the range came second, which is the order I trust.
The Curl Talk line arrived later, in July 2018 according to a university study, and the original collection reportedly had five items. Beauty Independent reports that the Defining Cream, the Activating Mousse and the Sculpting Gel are its bestsellers, so that is where the conversation around not your mother's curl cream usually begins.
The Curl Talk Defining Cream is the soft one. It is made for curls, and on damp hair it gives a softer-feeling clump without a crunchy cast. The Activating Mousse is lighter and I use it on days when I want volume and bounce rather than weight. The Sculpting Gel is the firmer option, and the Defining Spray Gel is the same idea in a fine mist, good for refreshing a curl that has gone flat on one side.
Flash Freeze Gel is the one I pick when I want a curl to hold its shape for hours. Put a little on after your cream, scrunch, and leave it alone until everything is dry. Then break the cast with dry hands. That last step is the one most people skip, and it is where the softness comes from.
The rest of the shelf
The rest of the brand is worth a look too, because not everything in a curl routine is a styler. These five do different jobs.
Way to Grow Leave-In Conditioner is described by the label as made for longer hair care, and that is all I will say about it. I treat it like any leave-in: a light layer on clean, wet ends before styling. Curl Talk Bond Building Conditioner is the wash-day conditioner in the family, the one to keep next to the creams so the two feel like a set.
Beach Babe Texturizing Sea Salt Spray is for loose waves, the kind you scrunch into damp hair and let dry. On tight curls, use it sparingly, since salt can leave hair feeling dry. Plump for Joy Thickening Hair Lifter Spray is a root spray for fine hair that goes flat at the crown.
Clean Freak Refreshing Dry Shampoo is the one I would keep in a gym bag. It does its best work at the roots on day three, and it pairs well with a quick mist of water on the ends to wake up your curls.
A tip that applies to all of them: change one thing at a time. If you switch your conditioner, cream and gel in the same week, you will never know which one your hair liked. Give each new bottle a couple of washes first.
More from Not Your Mother's
Other curl creams, other textures
A good curl cream is a matter of texture, and these six from other brands are all a little different.
Fenty Beauty's The Homecurl Curl-Defining Styling Cream is a defining cream, and the name tells you it is built for curl definition. Cantu's Moisturizing Curl Activator Cream is the classic, thick and conditioning, the one I would try if your hair usually asks for more conditioning. OUAI's Anti-Frizz Curl Cream is named for frizz control, and I would try it first on second-day hair when curls need a little smoothing.
BASED's Instant Definition & Frizz Control Curl Cream is the quick fix for humidity, made for frizz control without a heavy feel. SheaMoisture's Coconut & Hibiscus Curl & Style Milk is milky and pourable, and it is the gentle end of this group. Marc Anthony's Strictly Curls Curl Envy Cream rounds it out, a bouncy cream for defined ringlets.
What I would skip: piling a heavy cream on top of a thick gel when your hair is already dry, and raking product through curls with a brush. Use a cream on soaking-wet hair and your fingers to scrunch. I would also skip switching to a richer option just because a bottle looks nicer. If your hair feels coated by the end of day two, you used more than you needed.
A cream that feels great in the shower can disappoint you once it dries, so test each one for a full day before you decide.
Curl creams from other brands
Building a wash day around it
On wash day, I start with a conditioner, rinse most of it out, and then apply a cream to hair that is dripping wet. A gel goes over the top, and then I scrunch upward toward the scalp.
The test is the next morning. If your curls still have some shape and feel softer-feeling rather than crunchy, your balance is right. If they look flat, use less cream. If they feel stiff, use less gel.
Dry shampoo and texture spray are for the days in between. A light spray on the roots and a few drops of water on your hands will usually bring a curl back to life. Sleep with your hair loosely piled on top of your head in a soft scrunchie or on a silk pillowcase, and the shape lasts longer the next day. I do both most nights, and it helps more than another layer of product.
Keep it simple, keep notes on what you used, and let your hair tell you what it wants.
