ARTec Control Gel: Great For CurlyHeads

Introduction

In her first review for the Hair Boutique Sherry wrote great review on her experiences with several items in the Paul Brown hair care product line. The review was a major success and we got lots of great feedback on Sherry' insight into Paul Brown.

Sherry is back with another great review.....this time she looks at ARTec's Control Gel and gives us a sneak peak at some of ARTec's other new products.

If you have questions on comments for Sherry be sure and post them on Hair Talk. Sherry is a regular Hair Talk visitor and contributor.

Thank you Sherry for another great review.

ARTec

ARTec. The mere mention of the name makes the ears of 'those who know hair' perk up.

Most of us are intrigued by this increasingly popular line and it is no wonder--- they make some of the most delicious performing products out there! My own personal interest in the line has propelled me to purchase EVERY product they make (minus a hairspray or two).

When Karen asked me to review the new ARTec Control Gel, I jumped at the chance. After all, this gel was marketed for my very own hair type's (naturally curly) needs.

I have also recently tried out an additional two new ARTec products. The ARTec Daily Clarifying Shampoo and ARTec Inner Structure Leave-In Conditioner. Since I have only used the latter two for about a week now, I will only briefly touch on them and then you can check them out for yourself. :)

ARTec CONTROL GEL

ARTec advertises their control gel as, "exceptionally strong all day hold for curly and wavy hair". This particular gel is designed to provide firm control, contour and hold without stickiness.

When I received the Control Gel from Karen, I had already tried both the ARTec Volume Gel and the ARTec Texture Gel with only mediocre results, so I was hoping for something spectacular.

The control gel is a rather fluid gel that comes in a convenient pump. It is actually the most fluid of the gels that ARTec makes with the Texture Gel being on the extremely thick end.

Fluidity is a very nice feature to have in a gel when you will be working with curly or wavy hair. It is very important for the sake of frizz control and even curl definition, to ensure that the styling aid being used is spread evenly over each and every fuzzy strand. The thinner (or more fluid) the gel, the easier this is to achieve.

The Control Gel has a purplish tinge to it and radiates the scent of black licorice. When I first opened the pump I was a bit disappointed in the scent of this new gel. I still can't understand why ARTec varies the fragrances of their products so often. I personally like to layer on one particular scent to make it linger longer, but ARTec doesn't give the consumer this ability.

TESTING: SERIES ONE

My first series of testing the Control gel took place during the last two weeks inApril. After shampooing and conditioning with ARTec Volume Shampoo and ARTec Smoothing Conditioner, I gently picked out my hair and scrunched out the water using a super absorbent Aquis towel (this enables me to retain more curl). I then applied a dollop of my regular leave-in conditioner (Kiehls Leave-In with Panthenol and Coconut Oil) and followed with a pump and a half of the Control Gel.

I applied the gel by flipping my head over and scrunching the gel through my damp curls.

After turning my head right side up, I scrunched a bit more into the top layers and then began to dry my hair using a large diffuser attachment.

RESULTS OF TESTING SERIES #1:

EEEKKKK!!!! The first round of testing left me so disappointed in this gel, that I only used it every other day for two weeks. My hair was stringy and lifeless with very little curl definition. I was also disappointed in the hold of this gel. It says 'firm control' on the label, but what I got was anything but..... it felt more like 'light or soft' hold instead.

After the two weeks, I kindly set the gel aside and began typing up a review. It was during the first paragraph or so that I thought that maybe the gel would perform better when the humidity kicked in here in New Jersey. So I left the review alone and waited for the moisture.

TESTING: SERIES TWO

A week before Memorial Day weekend, I began my second round of testing. This time however I followed the leave-in with FOUR pumps of the Control Gel instead of the usual 1 1/2. I then proceeded to diffuse my hair dry.

WOW!!!! What a difference this time!!! The curls were very defined and shiny and the hold was indeed firm, if not just a bit crunchy. However, I will take slightly crispy any day over limp and lifeless. My hair did not feel dry at all and when I rinsed out my hair at night, it felt silky smooth-- not tangled and dirty.

RESULTS OF TESTING SERIES TWO:

Wow!!! What a difference a bit more product made. I admit I was a bit embarrassed about my initial impression of the gel, especially because I had posted over at another site about how much I had disliked this particular gel (however, lately I have been singing it praises).

The thing is, I can't even attribute it to the humidity because it hasn't really been all that bad around here yet. In all, I just wasn't using enough of the product.

FINAL COMMENTS:

The ARTec Control is most definitely worth a try, especially for those girls and guys with curls. Since I have figured out the dosage that my hair needs, I can honestly say that it tops any other styling product that I have in my closet at the moment (including Paul Brown Mousse Gel, Paul Mitchell Sculpting Foam, Kiehls Extra Strength Gel, and all other ARTec Styling gels, cremes and serums).

Of course, I can't judge how well this product would work for those out there with straight tresses, but for kinks and curls....I HIGHLY recommend that you give the Control Gel a shot :)

INGREDIENTS:

Water, PVC/Dimethylaminomethacrylate, Alcohol denatured, Hydrolyzed soy protein, hydroxyethylcellulose, Panthenol, dimethicone copolyol, polyquarternium-4, PEG 40- hydrogenated castor oil, tetrasodium EDTA, Citric acid, diazolidinyl urea, fragrance, external D&C violet no.2

A TASTE OF OTHER NEW ARTec PRODUCTS:

ARTec DAILY CLARIFYING SHAMPOO

I had previously been using ARTec Volume Shampoo (after the Smoothing shampoo let me down), but never felt that I was getting my hair or scalp REALLY clean. The Volume Shampoo, like the Smoothing, doesn't lather well and lacks lubrication to really move the cleansers around.

The Daily Clarifying shampoo seems to be the answer to my problem. It is advertised to "gently cleanse and remove styling and finishing residues." It also contains, "special chelating agents [to] remove mineral deposits from hair."

It has a wonderful grapefruit scent and lathers and moves well. It left my hair clean and my curls refreshed and alive. I did not experience any additional dryness (which I was worried about because it is a clarifying shampoo).

The Daily Clarifying Shampoo has taken the place of the Volume Shampoo in my shower and has become a most welcome favorite.

INGREDIENTS:

Water, ammonium lauryl sulfate, lauramidopropyl betaine, cocamide MEA, glycerin, decyl polyglucose, polyquarternium-10, dimethicone copolyol, grapefruit oil, isoceteth-20, tetrasodium EDTA, citric acid, ammonium chloride, diazolidinyl urea, fragrance

ARTec's INNER STRUCTURE TREATMENT

This is ARTec's new spray-on leave-in conditioner. It claims to, " help repair cuticle and smoothness to damaged hair [while it] equalizes and adjusts porosity to provide healthier hair from inside out."

This is a very light leave-in with a fruity scent. I am not partial to spray-ons (being that I have such thick, curly hair), but I would be willing to bet that those of the 'straighter' nature would be very pleased with this light yet conditioning product.

INGREDIENTS:

Water, amodimethicone, cetrimonium chloride, trideceth-10, dicetyldimonium, wheat amino acids, wheat germamidopropalkonium chloride, Panthenol, hydrloyzed wheat protein, chinese angelica extract, juniperus comunnis extract, matricaria extract, sorbitol, hydrolyzed soy protein, beta-carotene, dimethicone copolyol, phytantriol, tea tree oil, PEG-40 hydrgenated castor oil, tocopheryl acetate, propylene glycol, disodium EDTA, lactic acid, diazolidinyl urea, methylparaben, propylparaben, DMDM hydantoin, fragrance

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