I figured it’s a good idea to seek out and experiment with hair products at all price points. I’ve been looking for products that can give me good hold, so I decided to try L.A. Looks Absolute Styling Nutra Curl gel. I got this 20-ounce bottle of gel for about 3 bucks at the grocery store. I’m pleased with the results— my curls look pretty defined, they’re super bouncy and soft, and they’re holding their shape.

What I did: Please bear in mind that I’ll probably be a lifelong wash-and-go girl. So I conditioned my hair in the shower, rinsed it all out, then followed with a nickel-sized amount of Giovanni Direct Leave-in Conditioner. I put the gel in my palm and raked it through my hair (about a coin and a half’s worth size for reference), also scrunched my hair. Had slight stiffness as it dried, as is the case with many gels, but of course you can scrunch this out later after it dries. Later in the day, hair was super soft. Smell is pleasant—not overly strong. I had no flaking. Good product for a good price. I have to experiment more to see if it gives me 2nd day hair, 3rd day hair, etc. If it doesn’t, however, I can’t complain too much because it was a really small investment, money-wise! The pic below shows my results.

Cons: If you’re a stickler for all organic or “all natural” products for your hair, this won’t cut it (but most hair products at this price wouldn’t be organic anyway). Also, if you have a “no parabens” rule for your cosmetics, then this won’t be a good product for you, as it does have methylparaben.

To read about my decision to embrace my hair’s natural texture, please click here to read “A Curly Girl’s Homecoming.”

My hair-- in this pic styled mainly with Nutra Curl gel

Ingredient list for L.A. Looks Absolute Styling Nutra Curl gel: Aqua (WATER), PVP, Polyquaternium-11, Carbomer, Panthenyl ethyl ether, Phenoxyethanol, Aminomethyl propanol, PEG-40 hydrogenated castor oil, PPG-5-Ceteth-20, Methylparaben, Propylene glycol, Disodium EDTA, Benzophenone-4, Methylisothiazolinone, Parfum (FRAGRANCE), Limonene, Geraniol, BHT, Citral, Hydroxycitronellal, Linalool, Citronellol