Parlour Review: Straight Talk on Twisted Sista Hair Products

It took me 20 years to appreciate my curly hair — consider me a late adapter. I’ve been blessed and somewhat cursed with my mother’s Eritrean tresses. My curls are more curly than kinky and fine as hell. For years I struggled to find products that tamed my frizz but at the same time didn’t weigh down my hair. Most days my hair ended up looking either like a giant poof-puff (sans product), an oily mess (African Royale, baby) or hard and crunchy (I’ve been mistaken for Puerto Rican, often). Your girl was lost.It wasn’t until my golden college years that I discovered hair products made for women with coils like mine. Since then, I’ve tried my share of options; Mixed Chicks, Hair Rules, Garnier Fructis, TIGI Catwalk, Miss Jessie’s, Tresemme, the list goes on. It’s safe to say I suffer from a bit of hair product ADD, and I’m constantly on the prowl so when my Parlour editor Hillary threw Twisted Sista product in my face suggested I try out the line, I figured, 'Why not?'Here’s the breakdown:Twisted Sista Curl Activator What it says it does: The Curl Activator puts life back into tired, soggy curls. Delivering volume, bounce and curl definition to naturally curly, afro, or permed hair.What it actually did: I tend to style my hair wet as opposed to dry, so that could be to blame, but even still, I didn’t see any added bounce or volume after using the activator. I was also not a fan of the smell (think Luster’s Pink meets Motions).Twisted Sista 30 second Curl SprayWhat it says it does: For naturally curly hair or to revitalize permed or afro hair to give amazing ringlets in no time at all, pop curl spray in your bag and revitalize your hair throughout the day.What it actually did: Not much. My curls are stubborn. One thing that I can say is my hair does a good job of staying coiled throughout the day, so in all fairness the spray isn’t really for me to begin with.Twisted Sista Different Strokes SerumWhat it says it does: Instantly eliminates frizz, gives dazzling curls, smooths and seals and helps repair split ends and contains UV filter.What it actually did: Pretty much what it claims to do. As I mentioned before, my hair is fine, so a little bit goes a long way with this product and I actually didn’t mind the light scent.Ultimately, the Twisted Sista line has hits but mainly misses. Hold and scent are very important to me in a product, and both areas were lacking. Globe-trotting Parlouristas will be disappointed to learn that aside from the hair serum, the line isn’t exactly travel-friendly. The 30 Second Curl Spray weighs in at 5.07 oz., while the Curl Activator barely misses the mark at 3.38 oz. from what I could find on their website, travel sizes are not available in drug stores. On the other hand, the line seems geared toward styling dry hair, but I personally find it nearly impossible to wrangle my curls once they’re dry. The upside, the line is definitely affordable but in this case, you pretty much get what you pay for. As such, my curly hair product hunt continues.- Hayat Mohamed