I’ve been experimenting with hair colour since my 20’s. Some attempts were successful and others, not so much. I still cringe at the memory of accidentally smearing coloured hair gel on a friend’s wall at a house party. The best results were when I had my hair professional coloured. The process required the bleaching of my hair to allow the colour to pop more. When hair is chemically straightened then bleached that’s two process which can led hair damage. Since, I’ve worn my hair natural I’ve only bleached it once. I had to take extra good care to prevent my curls from being badly damaged. Temporary hair colour gels are safer to achieve a look update. They have come a long way and the formulas are better. I’ve been trying temporary hair colour gels from two different brands and I had great results.
Temporary Hair Colour Gels
Hair colour gels are a temporary way update your hair colour. The ones I knew back in the day were of a translucent colour with a consistency like and Eco Styler Gel. Nowadays, formulas like Curlsmith’s and AS I AM’s have a metallic appearance. For example in the AS I AM formula they use Mica (Ci 77019) which is an ingredient to give sparkle and shimmer in cosmetic products. When the gel is applied to hair it gives colour AND a shine to curls.
Curlsmith named their product ‘hair makeup’. While AS I Am call theirs Curl Color. I received two samples of Curlsmith’s Hair Makeup a year ago. I’ve used them off and on ever since. I use the Rose Gold from Spring to Summer and Ruby whenever I want bolder look. On Curlsmith’s website a tube of the hair makeup retails £13.
Then recently, I attended the annual Afro Hair & Beauty Live, in London and I bought a jar of AS I AM’s Curl Color in the shade Minty Mermaid. At the show I paid £9. However, online at Superdrug it retails for £11.65.
AS I AM vs Curlsmith Temporary Hair Colour Gels
I actually like both Curlsmith and AS I AM’s temporary hair colour gels. They both have their own pros and cons. It’s much over muchness as we say. Honestly, there isn’t anything I hate about the products. However, I’ll list what I liked the most:
| AS I AM | Curlsmith |
| Colour | Colour |
| Colour durablilty | Curl Hold |
| Curl hold | Ingredients |
| Price | Packaging |
| Texture | Texture |
You’ll notice from my list above I noted I prefer Curlmsmiths package to AS I AM, that’s because the tube allows for better application control and less mess. In terms of ingredients, I noted that I liked Curlsmith’s ingredients, this is not to say that AM I Am’s is not good. I just prefer the fact that Curlsmiths includes more fruity and botanical ingredients.
On my short cropped hair AS I AM’s Minty Mermaid lasted on my hair for 3 days without a touch up. Usually, I have to top up Curlsmith’s Rose Gold and Ruby Hair Makeup if I want the same bold punchy look from the first day. Nonetheless, that’s not a issue for me as I usually only leave a colour in for a couple days.
Both temporary hair gels worked well as a styler, alongside my current Curlmsith haircare regime.
Where To Buy Temporary Hair Colour Gels
You can order Curlsmiths Hair Makeup online. AS I AM Curl Color can be purchased at Superdrug in store or on line, However to see the full colour range visit AS I AM website and purchase from Amazon if you can’t find the colour you want in store.
Do you like playing with hair colour? What do you use, hair dye or hair gels? Comment below.
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