Four bottles that all claim to define curls. Here's what each one actually does, so you can stop buying the wrong one.
The short answer
Custard defines and clumps. Gel holds the shape. Mousse gives lift and definition with less weight. Serum finishes — shine and frizz control on dry hair. If you buy one, buy the custard. If you buy two, add the gel.
Curl custard — the definition layer
Thick and creamy, sitting between a curl cream and a gel. It coats the strand, encourages neighbouring strands to clump into a curl, and adds moisture on the way.
Curl La La Defining Curl Custard is the workhorse of the range and the one most people should own. Applied to soaking wet hair in small sections.
Best for: coils and tighter curls that need help clumping. Skip if: your hair is very fine and everything weighs it down.
Styling gel — the hold layer
Gel forms a cast around the clump as it dries and holds the shape until you break it. It doesn't create definition on its own — it preserves definition the custard created.
Hold Me Down Styling Gel goes over the custard, smoothed on rather than raked through.
Best for: anyone whose curls fall flat by the afternoon, and anyone in humid weather. Skip if: you genuinely don't mind soft, looser definition.
Mousse — lift without weight
Foam that delivers hold and definition with a fraction of the weight of a gel or custard. It also gives root lift, which creams and gels tend to flatten.
Foam-A-Licious Styling Mousse can replace the custard entirely on fine hair, or go under a gel for volume plus hold.
Best for: fine, low-density or wavy hair, and hot days when heavy product slides. Skip if: your hair is coarse and dense — mousse alone won't hold it.
Serum — the finish
The only one of the four that goes on dry hair. A few drops on your palms, scrunched through once the hair is completely dry, breaks the gel cast and leaves shine and softness.
Bounce Back Serum does this without the greasy weight that oil sometimes leaves.
Best for: scrunching out the crunch, taming day-three frizz, adding shine. Skip if: you're not using a gel and have nothing to break.
The layering order
- Leave-in, on soaking wet hair
- Custard or mousse — definition
- Gel — hold
- Dry completely, untouched
- Serum — scrunch out the cast
Thinnest to thickest, wet to dry. Getting this order wrong is why layering sometimes produces flakes or pilling.
Common questions
Can I use custard and mousse together?
Yes — mousse at the roots for lift, custard through the lengths for definition. It works well on dense hair that goes flat at the crown.
Why does my product pill or flake?
Usually incompatible layers, too much product, or applying to hair that was too dry. Try fewer layers on wetter hair first.
Is crunchy hair bad?
No — it's the cast doing its job. Scrunch it out with serum once dry and you get softness and definition together.
Which one for a twist-out or braid-out?
Custard on damp hair before twisting. Gel makes twist-outs stiff, and mousse usually isn't enough to hold the set.
Do I need all four?
No. Most people do well with custard plus gel. The mousse and serum are refinements for specific problems — weight and shine respectively.
All four together
The Curl La La Styling Kit has the custard, gel, mousse and serum in one box, which is worth it if you're still working out what your hair responds to.
Need the wash side too? The Curl La La Wash & Define Pack covers shampoo through to custard. Or browse the full Aunt Jackie's range.
Shipped Australia-wide.