While I didn’t start with freshly washed hair, I shampooed, conditioned, and masked a few days before, so my strands were still clean after three days in twists. I detangled my twisted sections, misted them with my spray bottle to get my hair damp, and began applying the cream to each section.
The first thing I noticed when I opened the bottle was the smell. It’s hard to describe the scent in words, but it smelled like luxury. It wasn’t overpowering to the point of giving me a headache, but it was definitely noticeable.
The cream was soft and easily melted into my hair. I have 3C to 4A strands, with the hair near my nape being coarser and harder to penetrate. The 3C curls in the back of my head didn’t really react to the cream much—my hair curled a bit, but nothing like what my go-to products would normally achieve.
As I got near the front of my head (where my hair is looser and less dense), I noticed the cream added more definition. Just a quarter-size dollop defined my curls, making them springy and bouncy.
After working the cream all over my hair, I applied the Curls Botanical Gel for extra hold before using the Bestool Tangling brush to make sure the products were evenly distributed.
I used less gel in the front because the styling cream did more than enough to transform my curls from super frizzy to defined and bouncy. I twisted my hair and kept my twists in for two days to maximize drying time.
Once my hair was ready to be untwisted, I drizzled the Camille Rose Cocoa Nibs hair oil on my fingertips and began separating each twist. The result? A cute, fluffy twist-out with minimal frizz.
Now, was this the best twist-out I’ve ever done? No, but it wasn’t bad. My hair was moisturized and bouncy, and I’m still rocking a fluffy twist out, even as I write this review on day-three hair.
I would use this cream again in the future, except I’d make sure my hair is soaking wet and not just damp, so the styling cream can deeply penetrate each and every strand. While the Crown Affair Air Dry Cream doesn’t define kinky hair as well as my other products, it did help reduce my frizz and boost the softness of my hair.
Pricing and Value
Crown Affair
Smoothing Air Dry Cream
The Crown Affair Smoothing Air Dry Cream comes in a 6-ounce tube and costs $38. My go-to curl creams range between $6 and $17, so this cream does feel a bit pricey—though it’s on par with Crown Affair’s other products and overall luxurious vibe.
The formula does justify the price, in my opinion. Lam notes that the cream uses alternative styling polymers that make it “cleaner” than some other curl creams on the market.
Those with Type 2 and Type 3 hair will love this cream for the effortless smoothness, definition, and moisture it brings to the curls. If you have coarse Type 4 hair, this likely won’t be your go-to for a defined wash-and-go or twist-out, but you may like it as a leave-in conditioner to soften and detangle your curls before applying your heavy-duty stylers.
