It's Probably Not the Custard's Fault
Curl custards are formulated to be humectant-heavy, not oil-heavy, which is the opposite of what most people assume when low-porosity curls start feeling dry a few uses in. CurlsBot's ingredient breakdown puts custard's formulation closer to a water-drawing gel than to a butter or oil-based cream, meaning it isn't bringing the kind of heavy emollient load that would actually coat and suffocate a low-porosity strand. The dry, straw-like feeling people report almost always traces somewhere else: buildup from other products sitting on the hair and blocking anything, custard included, from getting in. A long Reddit thread on r/curlyhair about low-porosity hair that "won't absorb ANYTHING" has commenter after commenter landing on the same diagnosis: coconut oil, silicones, sometimes leftover protein, coating the cuticle until nothing new can reach the strand.
That buildup diagnosis doesn't make custard the automatically better pick over gel for low-porosity hair, though. CurlsBot's comparison is clear that both formulas can work well; technique, wet application, layering, and amount decide the outcome far more than which category you reach for.
Two Different Problems, Two Different Fixes
Two different underlying problems produce the exact same complaint, dry-feeling low-porosity hair, and mixing them up is why so much generic advice misses. If your strands feel dry and look coated or weighed down, the buildup pattern documented on r/curlyhair is the more likely explanation, and a clarifying wash comes before any product swap. If your strands feel dry but never looked coated or heavy in the first place, the problem is almost always technique: hair that wasn't wet enough when the custard went on, or nothing layered underneath it.
| Symptom | Likely cause | Fix |
|---|---|---|
| Dry-feeling and coated or weighed down | Product buildup blocking absorption | Clarify first, then reapply custard as usual |
| Dry-feeling but not coated or weighed down | Application technique gap | Apply to soaking-wet hair, layered over a leave-in |
How to Apply Curl Custard on Low-Porosity Hair
Curl custard needs soaking-wet hair to actually do its job on low-porosity strands, not towel-dried, not air-dried, because it's built to seal moisture in rather than supply it. CurlsBot quotes MopTop CEO Kelly Foreman recommending exactly this: apply while hair is still dripping. A Reddit commenter working through that same low-porosity buildup thread landed on the identical routine independently, applying gel or custard to soaking-wet hair to seal moisture in, and saving a lighter product like mousse for the roots to avoid extra weight. If mousse's own hold-and-flake tradeoffs sound like the better call for your roots, our breakdown of curl mousse hold and flake in humidity covers that pairing on its own.
Layer a leave-in underneath before the custard goes on. That's the standard order CurlsBot describes, and it's the exact pairing this store stocks for it: the Lotta Body Love Me 5-n-1 Leave-In Treatment ($7.99) on soaking-wet hair first, worked through root to end, then the DESIGN ESSENTIALS Almond & Avocado Honey Curl Forming Custard ($19.99) on top to seal and hold. Design Essentials markets this custard as "zero stickiness, zero flakes" with firm hold and frizz control; that's the brand's own claim on the label, not something independently tested here, but it's the anchor product for this routine regardless of how that specific line holds up for you personally.
Start with less than you think you need. CurlsBot's amount guidance is a coin-sized start, with water misted in afterward to help the product spread evenly, because too much custard weighs down finer or looser strands no matter how porous the hair underneath is. Add a small amount, mist, check how it looks, and add more only if it's actually needed.
Quick Answers
Does custard flake less than gel?
Reported less often, not proven less. [CurlsBot](https://www.curlsbot.com/blog/custard-vs-gel) notes people report fewer flaking complaints with custards compared to gels, but that's an anecdotal pattern across user reports, not a controlled side-by-side test. If flaking has been a dealbreaker with gel, it's worth trying, just don't expect a guarantee.Is curl custard only for tight curl patterns?
No. [CurlsBot](https://www.curlsbot.com/blog/custard-vs-gel) describes custard as workable across porosities and curl patterns, tight coils through looser waves. The lever that changes with texture is amount, not whether you use it at all: looser or finer patterns need less product and more misted water to avoid weight, and tighter patterns can typically handle more.If your curl custard has been reading as dry, the fix is almost never a new product. Diagnose which of the two problems above is actually going on before you buy anything else. Start with the Lotta Body Love Me 5-n-1 Leave-In Treatment, then seal and hold with the DESIGN ESSENTIALS Almond & Avocado Honey Curl Forming Custard.
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