I’ve never recommended a curl cream before, but that’s about to change with this new gel cream styler for fine hair, from Innersense Organic Beauty. If you’ve been following me for any length of time, you’ll know that curl creams are not something I’ve ever recommended. Not because I haven’t tried them – I have, plenty of times. But because all the curl creams I’ve tried have left my fine hair feeling too soft, weighed down and over-moisturised. And my curls are completely limp and lifeless, and if I do manage to achieve any definition, it’s completely gone by the next day.
Innersense Air Dry Styling Cream Review
So if that’s been your experience too, I want you to know: that wasn’t your hair. That was the product, and the new Air Dry Styling Cream from Innersense Organic Beauty is unlike any curl cream I’ve used before. Probably because it’s nothing like a curl cream at all – and that’s exactly why it works for my fine hair and looser curl pattern. As soon as I squeezed the it into my hands to use it for the first time, my immediate reaction was “oooohhh! This is NOT what I was expecting!” It’s more like a serum-gel-cream, and feels really lightweight on the hair.
AD | This article is sponsored by Innersense Organic Beauty. You can get 15% off your first purchase on their website using code CURLMAVEN and up to 20% off their distributors listed below using the same code CURLMAVEN.
If you’ve used a curl cream before, you’ll know that the more you emulsify it in your hands, the more creamy it becomes – usually making your entire hands white. Not the Innersense Air Dry Styling Cream! It’s a new gel cream styler that’s clear and absorbs into the skin, because it’s not rich and moisturising like that. It’s lightweight, hydrating and defining – which is why my fine hair and loose curls and waves love it. So if you’ve got hair like mine, or you’ve tried curl creams before and didn’t like how your hair felt or how it looked. I’m about to introduce you to your new favourite gel cream styler!
A Gel Cream Styler Made For Summer
Every Summer, I simplify my haircare routine as much as possible. I take time off work to be with my kids, to actually be present and enjoy the season. Days in the back garden reading and soaking up the sunshine, long evenings spent at the lake and maybe a Summer vacation too. The last thing I want to be doing is spending extra time on my hair. But I also don’t want to sacrifice the results I work hard to maintain the rest of the year.
Summer brings its own hair challenges and can cause damage to our hair. The protein moisture balance you’ve heard me talk about so many times can be difficult to maintain as humidity increases the moisture levels in our hair. Causing our hair to become more soft and frizzy. Whereas UV exposure damages the hair cuticle and breaks down the protein in our hair which keeps it strong and our curls defined.
The Innersense Air Dry Styling Cream has been formulated to handle all of it. To protect against humidity, pollution, environmental stress, UV damage and occasional heat styling. I’ll come back to that later in the article. This new gel cream styler for fine hair is designed to enhance your natural texture, smooth frizz and seal in lasting hydration for soft, resilient hair in any climate. But in a unique lightweight formula that doesn’t weigh the hair down or make it feel too soft like curl creams usually do.
Why Most Curl Creams Don’t Work for Fine, Wavy + Curly Hair
Most curl creams are formulated with rich butters, heavy oils and high concentrations of moisturising ingredients designed for coarse, thick or very dry hair. For that hair type, they’re brilliant. But if you’re like me and have fine hair and a looser curl pattern, they’re a disaster and just don’t work for our hair. The result is almost always the same: definition that drops within hours, roots that go flat and a curl pattern that looks more stretched out and undefined than when you started. And that’s just after using the product once! Nevermind using it as your styling product washday after washday, week after week.
This is why I’ve never posted about them, never recommended them and honestly never expected to. Fine, wavy and curly hair that gets easily weighed down needs products that add definition and hold without adding excess moisture or heaviness. Until now, I hadn’t found a curl cream that understood that.
Meet The Gel Cream Styler That Does What Curl Creams Never Could
The first thing I noticed was the texture. It’s not what you’d expect from something called a “cream.” It’s much more like a creamy, serum-like gel. Lightweight and fast-absorbing, it disappears into the hair rather than sitting on top of it or flooding it with moisture. There’s no heavy feeling when you apply it to the hair. No thick coating from heavy oils and butters. It’s a flexible gel cream styling product that enhances your natural curl pattern with light hold. Smoothing the cuticle and reducing frizz with added protection against UV and 450° F (232°C) heat. And it achieves all of this without silicones, synthetic polymers or anything that causes buildup.
If anything, it feels slightly drying on the hair — and I mean that in the best way. For fine hair that’s prone to over-moisturisation, that slightly drying quality is something you actually what you want from a styling product. It means definition that holds, curl pattern that lasts and hair that doesn’t go flat by the end of the day. And when it comes to humidity, products that smooth the cuticle is what prevents the hair from absorbing the moisture in the air. Which is what creates big “poofy” undefined curls that make you think of Monica in Friends when they go to Barbados.
My Favourite Styling Combos using the Air Dry Styling Cream
My preferred method is to apply the Air Dry Styling Cream as my first styling product. I apply it to wet, but not soaking wet hair to freshly washed, as always applying from the ends and gradually working my way upwards. You can absolutely stop here and use this as a “one-and-done” styling product if you prefer a simpler routine. Especially during the Summer. It provides frizz control, definition and lightweight hold for soft, touchable curls.
I’ve had weeks to play around with it, layering it with sprays, serums and gels. But my favourite results are when I do one of these styling combos:
- For more root lift, volume and body: I apply 8-10 pumps of Innersense I Create Lift Volumising Foam as my final styling product before diffusing. I only air dry when I’m on holiday, especially if I’m somewhere really warm like the Canary Islands.
- For more definition and hold: I apply 3-4 pumps of Innersense I Create Definition Styling Foam instead and diffuse. This foam gives my really hard hold and tighter definition, which is why it works so well with the new Air Dry Styling Cream from Innersense Organic Beauty.
Who is this for?
The Air Dry Styling Cream is suitable for all hair types, curl patterns and textures. But it is particularly well-suited to:
- Fine, wavy + curly hair that gets easily weighed down or over-moisturised
- Anyone who wants effortlessly smooth, defined curls without looking like they tried too hard – think natural, effortless, beachy, boho hair
- Anyone who wants a styling product that works just as well air dried as it does diffused
- Anyone who wants excellent humidity + UV protection built into their styling routine this Summer
- Anyone looking for a multi-tasking one-and-done styling product for easy, effortless styling without compromising on hydration, definition, frizz control or hold
TL:DR
I’ve spent years telling my clients and audience that curl creams weren’t for those of us with fine, wavy and curly hair that gets easily weighed down or over moisturised. And I stand by everything I’ve said. Because it was true of every curl cream I’ve tried, until now, until this one.
The new Air Dry Styling Cream from Innersense Organic Beauty has completely changed my mind! But only because it’s different to every other “cream” I’ve tried. It behaves like a lightweight, light hold, gel cream styler. It defines my curls in a way that usually only serums, foams and mousses do. And it’s been formulated to be the best multi-tasking, one-and-done styling product for Summer.
So if you’ve written off curl creams before like I have – try this one. It might just change your mind! This product wasn’t just designed to create effortless curl definition, reduce frizz and provide light weight hold. But it also delivers 5x instant frizz reduction and protects the hair from heat damage, humidity, UV exposure, pollution and environmental damage too! It’s a sophisticated yet simple styling product that’s doing the absolute most!
Where to Shop
You can shop Innersense Organic Beauty and save up to 20% using code CURLMAVEN at checkout from these retailers:
- The Innersense Organic Beauty website in the USA
- The Innersense Organic Beauty website in Ireland
- Cult Beauty – in UK with free worldwide shipping
- Curl Warehouse in Canada
Make sure you subscribe to the Curl Maven Collective Newsletter to discover your hair porosity, receive exclusive content and stay updated on new products + services. Follow me on Pinterest and Instagram @curlmaven and subscribe to my YouTube channel for more tips, advice + tutorials. Including this review of the Innersense I Create Definition Styling Foam.
*This article was sponsored and contains gifted items, affiliated links and discount codes. This doesn’t effect my opinion or the way in which I write about products featured on this site.
