My personal hair style options are fairly simple. When my hair is not curled, braided, or otherwise engaged in something more complicated, I tend to opt for the slicked back ponytail look. I have found that this hairdo accompanies any wardrobe, for the solo ponytail will never go out of style. The nature of African American hair is such that it sometimes requires a little assistance in order to yield in certain ways. This is where the plethora of styling products comes into play. My quest for the perfect styling enhancers has lead me to trying both Paul Mitchell Wax Works and KeraCare Curling Wax in order to get my active hair shafts to adhere to my scalp somewhat. Here are my findings.
Packaging…
I am one of those individuals for whom product packaging is a big deal. Particularly, I like using hair products that are compact, easily stored or transported, and easy to handle. The first thing that I noticed about Paul Mitchell’s Wax Works is its delightful tube of product. The cap snaps open and closed for easy access to the wax. Additionally, the tube is made to stand up in such a way that the contents filter down towards the container’s opening. I love the fact that this stuff comes in a tube, because it’s easy to tote in a purse for in-between stylings.
The KeraCare Curling Wax on the other hand, is manufactured in a plastic jar, complete with screw on lid. While this isn’t a terrible option, it’s more cumbersome to carry around. Other than that, the packaging seems pretty generic.
Consistency / Durability
Let me preface my evaluation of these two products by first explaining exactly how I style my hair. Put simply, my own relaxed hair is blown straight. Typically, I add a leave-in conditioner to keep my ends from getting too dry. I then part my hair down the middle, and then pull all of my hair into a tight ponytail.
To keep fly-aways from occurring, I use a light protein gel to seal the style, and then I top that off with the wax product. I am not keen on gelled hair that is hard to the touch; the wax products generally keep that from occurring. At any rate, the KeraCare curling wax is an opaque white in color. To the touch it has the consistency of a greasy gel. Using this product without the heat of curling irons is not advisable. While the wax adds some moisture to the style, it tends to cake if too much is used. I had the unfortunate opportunity to realize this when I saw that I’d used more than I should: parts of my hair appeared to have smears of lard on them. Not good.
The Paul Mitchell product, which I don’t believe is really intended for African American hair, did extremely well in this part of the challenge. What I liked in particular was the consistency. The Wax Works looked thicker than the KeraCare product. But in actuality, it is much lighter. Dabbing a little on my fingers, it felt like a cross between a cool, soothing gel and a pomade. Furthermore, it dissolved wonderfully into my style and controlled the edges of my hairline. It did leave a sticky residue on my fingers afterwards. But I would rather feel this sensation, than the greasiness of the KeraCare.
Cost
In this particular challenge, I must say that you get what you pay for. While KeraCare’s Curling Wax ordinarily costs somewhere between $5-$10, the Paul Mitchell Wax Works can cost up to $20. Clearly, there was more effort and testing done for Paul Mitchell’s products. As a matter of fact, I would rather pay much more for a product that does what I want it to do, than to pay less for a product that has a longer shelf life, but is used less frequently because it’s not as good.
The Verdict
Paul Mitchell Wax Works wins hands down in this instance. For simple styles like slicked back do’s, it’s better to use a light wax with maximum hold, than a heavy wax with visible build-up. In all fairness, I should admit that the KeraCare curling wax is probably better for black hair when used with a curling iron. The oils in the product are essential for woman of color, as our hair tends to dry and break off more easily than other ethnic groups when using thermal styling tools.
The results of using the Paul Mitchell Wax Works were consistent with the style I was going for. I also love that at the end of the day, there is no nasty product buildup that you can see. You’re going to pay a little more for Paul Mitchell products. But the good thing is that one doesn’t need much of the Wax Works for styling. Thus, the cost is acceptable. KeraCare is a good brand. But if you’re looking for quality and versatility, Paul Mitchell is the better line of products.
