Miss Jessie's Hair Care

Miss Jessie's product are not organic; they are a niche hair care line, made with some natural ingredients.

Sometimes I think if you see a black woman associated with a product, you assume that it's only for black people to use. Not so! I have a white friend who has crazy curly hair and was complaining about not finding a product that tames her hair. Since I had some products from Miss Jessie on hand, I gave her a sample of Curly Pudding. She was initially a bit freaked by the color, but decided she'd give it a try. Miss thing is now hooked on Miss Jessie's and my thought is that you will be too!

History:

If you haven't listened to the interview with Titi Branch, co-owner of Miss Jessie's Salon, you should! She and her sister Miko have created a store and product line specifically for this curly hair market. Being bi-racial (Japanese and black) these women know the "drama" associated with thick, curly hair and have set out to provide assistance.

Products:

Curly Pudding, 16 oz, $38

This product was the first in the hair care line and offers super hold for curly hair without the crispy, dry feel. Remarkably, it's not even greasy! I used this yesterday on my son's hair and was surprised to discover that my husband, my man, had been using this is Sebbie's for a while. My shock stems from the fact that my husband is the whitest man (he is actually white, so no emails, please) in America and usually hates to use "the hair stuff." So yesterday after giving Sebbie his bath, Joe asks me to get the hair stuff and I had to do a double take! Sebastian has fairly thin, super curly hair that left alone is just a huge fluff of curls. After using the Curly Pudding, his curls are defined, shiny and super cute. And, according to Joe, "he looks like my little man." Enough said.

Pros:

* Works really well with straighter texture of hair

* Provides outstanding hold without leaving hair greasy and conversely, your hair is not dry and crispy

* Use very little product to produce the look you need

Cons:

* The smell is very intense (but there are plans to launch an unscented version Spring 2007)

* In my opinion, best used by those with fine, straighter hair

 

Curly Meringue, 16 oz, $38

On their website, this product is sold as a medium hold styling creme. I found this product offered a milder hold than the pudding, though the scent is much tamer. With both this product and the pudding, it's advised to use on wet hair for best results. Again, I found a better outcome when used on straighter hair.

Curly Buttercreme, 16 oz, $58

Talk about a hair quencher! This product is extremely thick, super hydrating and leaves your hair feeling soft and looking smooth. I used this product on Marley's thick hair and although it didn't define, it did allow her natural waves to share the stage. It made combing a lot easier though, when her hair got wet it caused a little scalp build-up so I would advise to fully wash hair, not just wet for best results.

Pros:

* Super hydrating and works well on thick hair

* Has a very pleasant scent that lasts for days

* Keeps hair soft and manageable

* On days when funds are low, doubles quite nicely as a body butter!

* Also works great when used to twist new hair growth for locs

Cons:

* Some will say the price is too much, but considering this is a POUND of product, this is actually a bargain. The cream is so super rich that you use very little to get great results.
 

Baby Buttercreme, 16 oz, $58

Similar to the Curly Buttercreme, Baby has a great light scent and keeps baby's hair curly, soft and ultra manageable.

Overall:

When Miss Jessie's launches the new sizes this spring, I suspect that her customer base will increase exponentially! Often times companies come out with products that are essentially the same, but have different names so they market them as unique. In this case, it's true. Each of these products are vastly different and used for different hair textures. I was at first skeptical because of the price, but ladies, you get a pound! And they don't just fill a 16 ounce jar halfway and call it full, either. That jar is filled to the brim full of great product. Of course, if you've never tried the product, I would suggest waiting until the two ounce sample size becomes available. Maybe they'll have a sample set where you get all four products and you can decide which is best for your hair type.

Check out their webstore for tips on how to use the products, view the fabulous before and after salon pics and purchase product. They now ship worldwide, so Miss Jessie's is just a click away!

Comments

[Lisa]

I actually first tried curly pudding in 2005 and HATED the results. I had to shelak a lot of product and by the time it dried..my hair was dry, hard, and shriveled. I have type 4a curls, and withtout doing the "shingling method" described on the miss jessie's site...the product simply didn't work for me and you MUST followup with the baby buttecream ( 58 bucks). Shingling at home is cool, but it takes hours and hours to accomplish. Time i just don't have. Also, with any kind of humidity or moisture in the air, your hair tends to shrink again. In the morning you essentially have to reshingle your hair with butterceam, bc shingling really only lasts a few days and you have tp restretch your curls in the morning with the blow dryer and buttercream. Way too much heat and time for me. So I retired the Miss Jessies. But, yesterday, I purchased the Stretch curl cream which hasn't yet launched on the site, but was available at the Roosevelt Field Mall in Garden City, NY. The rep there claims that the product will launch online tomorrow ( 6/15/08). We'll see!

[M]

I purchased the small travel samples ( 1 2oz. jar of each Miss Jessie's product) and was very unhappy with all of the products. I did not like the way the products smelled at all, they smell very strongly and of super glue or the like. Secondly, they don't work at all. I'm white and have naturally curly hair. These do not have much hold at all and flattened out my curls. Not at all worth even thinking about in my opinion, don't waste your $.

[Sweet P]

I bought the curly butter creme, and the curly pudding and i have to say i was really happy with the results, I am of african descent and my hair is very kinky, but as soon as i washed and conditioned my hair and put the product in my hair and went under my hood dryer i was amazed at the results. My hair was soft manageable and curly, i think this is an amazing product, the butter creme makes your hair feel so moisturised and soft, I would definitely recommend this product for mixed heritage individuals as well as those of african decent, i normally get fed up of leaving my natural hair out for long periods of time and resort to having it cornrowed or having single plaits but with the pudding and buttercreme i can leave my hair out, go to the gym and my hair still looks good, Im now going to buy the recovery creme as i really like the miss jessie products. Two of my friends with natural hair have also bought the products and have been really happy with the results. Although i have to admit the the products are expensive, they do last long as you dont have to use too much to get good results as the buttercreme and the pudding are quite thick.

[Mechelle]

The Baby Buttercream saved me from shaving my daughter's head (LOL)! She has super thick, curly hair that if left to its own devices ends up as one big fizzy mess.
I stalled on paying $58 for this stuff. Now I think it's the best $58 I have spent on her in the two years she has been here.

[Diana]

Well I guess I'm eating my words. I got so sick of running out of mousse every week(my main reason for being interested in this product), that I decided to bite the bullet and buy a tub of it. I figured, what the hell, right?
So I put on my credit card, and tried it. The first time I didn't really like it too much. I'm sort of afraid of change.
But I decided to use their instructions that come with it-I used the shingling method, only I couldn't help myself-after applying the product I spritzed a little spray gel.
I like it! My main problem with products is that since I have alot of hair, I usually have to use alot of product on my hair. Also, they never work. I guess you could say I have "ethnic" hair, being of Puerto Rican descent. But my hair is neither kinky nor non kinky. It's sort of...in between I guesss. I would use pink oil, which works well but leaves my hair too greasy, and can't be used in the hot summers of new york.
So I like this product because I don't use all that much in my hair, and I like that it doesn't make my hair "curl up" so that it looks shorter than what it is. I hate products that do that. I don't need a product to activate my curls-I already have curly hair. I just need a product that makes my hair look fabulous.
Although I am really not crazy about the price of this product at all, I really have to say, I like it!
I didn't think I would at first, but if you apply the product according to the manufacturer's suggestions, it works well! It gives me good hold and doesn't make my hair curl up more than it does naturally. What it does is just bring out the beauty in your natural hair, not altering it at all. That's what I love about it, is that it doesn't alter your hair at all. Just makes it look wonderful and holds the hair. The only thing I would suggest-if you tend to have fly away hair like I do, keep a bit of pomade with you in your purse or bag.

[Andrea]

Diana,

I have to agree that $38 is a lot if you're not sure whether you like the product. Most commercial products can sell cheaper because they have fillers (ingredients that don't have any real beneficial properties). Miss Jessie's is coming out with 2 oz sizes pretty soon and depending on your hair type, I would highly recommend trying the smaller size.

Trust me, I like to hold on to my money, too and some companies do try to just take every last penny. I've tried all four products and think they work really well and is worth the price if you want a pound of it! Keep on eye out for the smaller size, though.

[Diana]

I don't know...$38 is awfully high priced for a hair care product.
It is almost a crime, when you think about it.
I try and try to find natural products that don't pollute the environment, but in all reality, I just have to stick to my loreal studio line mousse for curly hair, and thick conditioner to tame the frizz.
I wish I could afford this product, honestly I do...but I have very long hair. And I have alot of it. I go thru about a can of mousse a week. So I highly doubt that this product will last me more than perhaps a month. I mean, that's still alot of money.
And its....$38!!
that's a crime, really!!

[Meya]

I have multi-textured hair and I used the Curly Meringue (thank you Organic Beauty Expert) and I liked it quite a bit.

The product did seem to work better on my areas which are more curly/wavy than the kinkier areas. I noticed less shrinkage and the scent was nice.

In the future I will apply a creme or thicker leave in conditioner prior to the CM as once my hair dried it was, well a bit dry. I cannot wait until the smaller sizes are on the market and I will definitely try the Buttercreme.

Ciao

m

[Charlene]

If i had to choose, I'd choose Curly Meringue! Curly Pudding was great when my hair was shorter, now that its long, I find it needs hold, I thought Curly Meringue worked WONDERS! It held REALLY WELL, really awesome defrizzer, it didnt poof,the bottle will last long depending on how often u use it too i guess,andd it smells like mango! lol. Ppl were asking other ppl around me, "who's eating Mangoes", (being from Jamaica, and we love mangoes, ppl almost ate me lmao). Miss Jessie's was my first every "for curly" hair product! They truly set my trend! SO nuff respect Miss Jessies!!