When I wear my hair in styles that call for smooth edges, like buns and updos, I had come to rely on Eco Styler Olive Oil gel mixed with Shea Butter for hold. I would emulsify the shea butter in my palm and then add an equal amount of gel, mixing the two together. Next, I would smooth my edges with the mixture and tie them down with a silk or satin scarf until I got to work. This would usually hold my edges down for the morning, but by lunch time, the flyaways would start to make their presence known. And, by the end of the work day, my edges were usually pretty fuzzy.

So, although Eco and shea butter worked okay, I was still in search of something that could hold my edges and keep them looking relatively sleek all day. Therefore, back in November, I picked up some Organic Root Stimulator (ORS) Olive Oil Edge Control Gel. I’d read some good reviews about it that indicated that it worked really well to control, hold and smooth curly, frizzy, fuzzy edges. So, when I saw it in Sally’s, I grabbed a jar.

“Haaaaaaaaated it!” LOL! Just kidding. However, I wasn’t at all impressed. It really did nothing for me and was even less effective than the Eco and shea. So, I promptly returned it to Sally’s for a full refund (this one wasn’t going under my sink to collect dust).

Then, last month, Sofn’Free sent me a box jam packed with products from their new GroHealthy line for natural hair, Sofn’Free Nothing But. Among the goodies was a nice size (8.8 0z.) jar of Mold & Hold Wax (compared to the 2.25 oz. ORS Edge Control gel). Here’s the rundown:

What they say:

Your natural hair has a mind of its own. But our Mold & Hold Wax lets you gently twist it around your little finger. Use it daily or after shampooing to create and maintain twists, locks or knots. And since it’s made from nothing but honest ingredients, there’s nothing flaky about it either.

• Flake-free
• Perfect for twists, locks, knots and braids
• Infused with natural moisturizers

Ingredients
Water (Aqua), Ceteareth-20, PEG-7, Glyceryl Cocoate, Polyquaternium 46, Glycerin, Dimethicone, Polyglycery-3 Diisostearate, Melaleuca Alternifolia (Tea Tree) Leaf Oil, DMDM Hydantoin, Diazolidinyl Urea, Iodopropynel Butylcarbamate.

Directions
Apply to roots and twist with fingers or comb.

As evidenced by the side of the container, this product is also petrolatum, mineral oil, sulfate, paraben, colorant and phthalates (I don’t even know what that last one is!) free. However, it is not cone free. So if you are strictly CG, then you wouldn’t want to use this product as it contains dimethicone.

The Review:

The product is clear with very little scent (it has a slight smell that is almost indiscernible unless you sniff the jar and doesn’t linger). The consistency is thick, but not quite waxy. It is definitely thicker and more viscous than a heavy gel like Eco Styler or ORS Lock & Twist, but not as thick as beeswax.

I decided to try it on my edges two weeks ago when I was wearing a bunned style. I applied a very small amount, like that pictured above, to my fingertip. I emulsified it across several fingers and smoothed my edges. I then tied my hair down with a satin scarf. When I arrived at work, my edges were nicely smoothed. But, more surprisingly, at lunch and then at the end of the work day, they were still nearly frizz free!! Additionally, I didn’t experience any hardness, flakes or tackiness. I continued to use the product for the following three days with the same result.

So, the next test was on my pressed hair. I used a little bit of this every few days when my edges started to look a little fuzzier than I liked. After several applications, I still don’t have any flakes in my hair, stiffness, tackiness or the appearance of product build-up!! This is my hair Monday afternoon, after applying a little more Mold & Hold Wax to the edges and tying them down with my silk scarf while I fudged around on the computer all day.

Final Thoughts:
This Sofn’Free Nothing But Mold & Hold Wax is a keeper!!! I am sooo impressed with this stuff (probably because I didn’t expect to be)! The product is very effective for me and is free of a lot of the bad stuff. Though it contains a non-water soluble cone, I use DevaCare No Poo weekly. Since that contains coco-betaine and I also tend to “clarify” with a diluted sulfate shampoo once every 4-8 weeks, I don’t expect to have a problem with build up. Finally, the amount that I need to use to smooth my edges is so minimal and the jar is so huge, I expect that I won’t need to re-up on this for 6 months to a year! And, at only $8 a jar, even if I did, it wouldn’t break the bank! So yeah, if you are still on the hunt for an effective, reasonably priced edge control product that holds all day without stiffness, flakes, tackiness or the appearance of build up, you might want to check this one out!

Edited to Add: Right now, the Nothing But line is only available online and in select BSSs. However, the company website indicates that it will be available in Rite-Aids around the country beginning in April 2012.

(p.s. I plan on doing an “epilogue” on this product the next time I do twists! I mean, it was made for that purpose and if it holds them anything like it holds my edges, we are in business baby!!)