Kinky-Curly Curling Custard vs Camille Rose Curl Maker

Kinky-Curly Curling Custard and Camille Rose Curl Maker are often recommended in the same breath. Both are botanical gels that people with curly and coily hair have relied on for years. Both moisturize as well as hold, and both have loyal followings. They are not interchangeable, though, and reviewers' comments show clearly where each one works.

The short version: Curling Custard gives more clumping and definition, while Curl Maker gives a softer, more hydrated finish. Neither is at its best in heavy humidity.

At a glance

	Curling Custard	Curl Maker
Hold	Medium to strong	Medium
Finish	Clumpy, shiny, defined	Silky, soft, hydrated
Humidity	Halo frizz for some	Curls soften or swell for some
Best on	Curly to coily hair, diffused	Fine curls to coils, alone or under a stronger gel
Common complaint	Price, white flakes from some tubs	No firm cast, slow to dry

Kinky-Curly Curling Custard

For many reviewers this has been their holy-grail gel for a decade. Fans describe clumpy, shiny curls, good second-day hair and a rare combination of firm hold and hydration. A single tub lasts some people years, and it works on a wide range of hair, from fine 3A curls to 4A coils.

It does need technique. Reviewers who love it tend to diffuse rather than air-dry, and too much weighs fine hair down. The complaints are consistent: halo frizz and weaker hold in humid weather, too thick for wavy or thin hair, and a few reports of recent tubs turning white and flaking. Price comes up more than anything else. It has risen steadily, and some long-time fans have started looking around.

Read every reviewer comment on Curling Custard.

Camille Rose Curl Maker

Curl Maker is Camille Rose's most reviewed product and its best liked. Reviewers describe a hydrating, silky gel with a balance between gel hold and cream-like softness. One reviewer, on their fifth bottle, calls it "ride or die" for loose curls. Another found it gave a strong cast and finger coils that lasted more than a week, with nothing else added.

It is a medium-hold gel, and most of the doubts follow from that. Reviewers who want a firm cast, or who live somewhere humid, found their curls went soft or swelled. It can be slow to dry, a couple of people found it flaked, and several think it is overpriced, though the price varies a lot by retailer.

Read every reviewer comment on Curl Maker.

Custard is the one to choose for definition. Curl Maker is the one to choose for curls that feel soft.

Which to choose

Choose Curling Custard if you want the most clumping and definition, you are willing to diffuse, and your hair is medium to thick. It is especially good for wash-and-go styles on 3B to 4A hair.

Choose Curl Maker if your curls are dry and you want them soft and touchable, or if gels usually leave your hair feeling stiff. It is also a good base under a stronger gel. Several reviewers use it that way to get both moisture and hold.

Skip both if you live somewhere very humid and frizz is your main problem. Gels made for humidity, such as Ouidad's Climate Control, are built for that. See Ouidad vs Curlsmith.

Getting the best from either

Both gels work best on soaking wet hair, applied in sections and smoothed down the hair shaft. On coily hair, both work well for finger coiling. Use less than you think you need, especially with the Custard. Most reports of heaviness or flaking come from using too much, or from layering it over a cream that doesn't agree with it. If flakes appear, try the gel on its own over a leave-in before blaming the tub.

The verdict

Both have earned their reputations. If definition matters most to you, Curling Custard is still among the best gels for curls and coils, if you can stomach the price. If softness and moisture matter more, Curl Maker is the better match and the gentler introduction to gels. In humid climates, neither is the right tool on its own.