In today’s post, I’m going to be reviewing the Not Your Mother’s Curl Talk Curl Defining Cream and Sculpting Gel!

For each product, I’ll talk about the Pros, the Cons, and my overall impressions and takeaways.

Keep in mind, I can only speak from my experience with my 3a/3b hair. My hope is that this review will be a good guide for all the curly girls out there, but

your results may be very different from mine.

Side note: This page does contain affiliate links, which means if you purchase something using the product links on this page, I may get a small commission. This comes at no extra cost to you and helps keep this site running. Thank you!

Also, I follow the simplified version of the Curly Girl Method most directly derived from the Curly Girl Handbook. This means the only ingredients I look to avoid are sulfates, silicones, and drying alcohols. If you have more ingredients that you look to avoid, it would be a good idea to check the ingredients for yourself before making a purchase.

Curl Defining Cream

Pros

Creates great curl definition!

Not Your Mother’s Curl Talk Curl Cream gives me gorgeous curls that are bouncy, defined and shiny!

Sucks in moisture

I don’t know how else to describe this. I apply this cream right after my shower.

I gently brush off water with my hands so it’s not dripping, but it’s still pretty saturated. Then add some leave in conditioner and apply this cream.

When I do, it’s as if the cream is pulling the excess moisture into my hair.

My hair goes from being saturated to simply wet. It doesn’t really get my shirt wet either. It’s as if I actually did something to help dry my hair, but I didn’t!

It used to take my hair anywhere from 4-6 hours to dry with other curl creams. With this cream, it only takes 2-3.

It says on the packaging that it has rice curl complex. I don’t know if that’s what does it, or if it’s another ingredient, but I am here for it!

Lightweight

One of the biggest struggles I’ve had with curl creams has been getting enough moisture without weighing my hair down. This product changed everything for me. It’s so lightweight that it gives my curls the moisture they need without stretching them out.

A little goes a long way

Another issue I had with other curl creams was the amount of product I needed for it to be effective.

I was blowing through containers of product fairly quickly and the cost was starting to add up. With this curl cream, I use less than a finger tip for each half of my hair. One container of this stuff lasts me months.

Keeps my curls looking great all day long

This product also has some pretty impressive staying power. I never feel like my curls are drying out at the end of the day. They stay bouncy and shiny all day long!

Cons

Can build up easily

The only downside to this product is that it has a polyquat and mineral oil in it, which means it builds up easier than other products.

I’ve noticed a little bit of white build up if I don’t spread it evenly or if I go too long without washing. However, I can always get my hair clean with a sulfate free shampoo.

Overall impression

I love Not Your Mother’s Curl Talk curl cream.

If you’ve read other posts on this blog, you probably already know that this is by far my favorite and most effective curl cream I’ve tried.

I have had to wash my hair more often since I started using it because of the build-up, but it’s as far as I’m concerned, it’s totally worth it.

This product keeps my curls hydrated, cut my drying time, and doesn’t weigh my hair down, which is everything I had been looking for in a product.

If you want to give it a try, you can check it out here on Amazon!

Sculpting gel

Pros

Lightweight

Like the cream, the Not Your Mother’s Curl Talk gel is also really lightweight and doesn’t pull my curls down. Just like with creams, I’ve used gels that have weighed my hair down, so I really appreciate it when a product doesn’t make my hair any heavier.

Great scent

I didn’t mention this for the cream, but they both have a light refreshing scent that doesn’t overwhelm.

Hold

The hold of this gel was pretty good–in the sense that my curls were as defined at the end of the day as the where in the beginning. The product says it has a “Flexible Firm” hold, which I would judge to be accurate.

Cons

Frizz control

Here’s where the hold was not-so-good. I found the frizz control on this gel to be pretty terrible.

And as I’m sure you can imagine, that’s a bit of a deal breaker. Especially considering the label says this is supposed to be a frizz control gel.

Amount of product needed

I’ve only used this gel a few times, and I found I had to use a lot of product to get pretty mediocre results.

So not only is there minimal frizz control but with the amount of gel needed, it didn’t prove to be very cost effective.

Increase drying time

I took my hair an extra couple of hours to dry with this gel than it does when I use other gels.

Dries hair out

I found my hair felt drier and drier as the day went on. This lines up with the lack of frizz control, but it’s surprising considering how great the curl cream is when it’s paired with another gel.

Overall impression

I wanted to love this gel as much as the cream, but as you can probably guess, I didn’t.

This gel honestly did very little for my hair and I will probably never use it again.

In fairness, I’ve seen plenty of curly girls who love this gel–including a wavy friend of mine–so it’s likely it’s just not a good match for my hair.

If you’re at all curious, it might be worth giving it a shot, though you might want to consider purchasing it from Ulta or someplace else that accepts returns for minimally used products.

And you can also check it out here on Amazon.

For me, the curl cream has become my holy grail and I’ve found it pairs great with Biotera’s Defining Gel.

For more products, check out these posts: 25 Curly Girl Approved Drugstore Products, 25 Curly Girl Approved Conditioners, 25 Curly Girl Approved Gels, Curly Girl Beginner Products.

To check for yourself if a product is curly girl approved, you use isitcg.com – it’s my go-to place!

Looking for more guidance on your curly hair journey?

For beginners

If you’re new to curly hair care and looking for some help, you should check out the No-Stress Guide to Curly Hair Care!

After spending two years learning and caring for my curly hair, I wanted to create my own, in-depth guide to help fellow curlies create incredible curls in the easiest way possible. 

It took me a while, but I eventually found an approach that helped me create a curly hair routine that fits into my life in the simplest way possible. And now I want to help you do the same!

click to learn more

For more intermediate/advanced guidance

If you’ve been on your curly hair journey for a while but still have some struggles, check out Curly Hair Problems!

After spending hours scouring the internet looking for solutions to my own curly hair problems, I found myself wishing for an easier, more comprehensive guide to the most common problems.

So that’s what I created!

Curly Hair Problems offers you 78 total solutions to the five most common curly hair care problems, including frizz, curl clumps, limp curls, product issues, and scalp issues.

click to learn more

Sound off: Have you tried either of these Not Your Mother’s Curl Talk products? What’s been your experience? Tell us about it in the comments! (And be sure to describe your hair too!)