Review: Cibu Curl Care

Disclaimer: A few months back, I received a few samples of Cibu Spring Roll curling hair products. Though I received these products for free, my opinion of them is entirely my own and uninfluenced by any other person or company. I believe in honestly reviewing beauty products and I refuse to give a false review of any product just because it was gifted. That said, onto the review.


I had never heard of Cibu before receiving an email asking if I would be interested in trying out a few products. If you aren't familiar with the brand, Cibu is a line of hair products aimed at "inspiring you to towards your healthiest, most beautiful hair self." Inspired by East Asian botanicals and featuring cute names like "Spring Roll" (for curls), "Dry Kwon Do" (dry shampoo), and "Origumi" (hair paste), each hair product is addressed for specific hair types and needs. Because I have hard to manage curls, I was excited to give the Spring Roll line a shot. It was my hope that the gentle ingredients would help me control frizz and define my curls.


This was what I received in the mail:

Spring Roll Moisture Mist

 Shaping Creme

Soft Curl Gel

The Shaping Creme is a thin white cream that you're supposed to work in your palms before applying to damp hair. Like most curling products, you scrunch and allow it to air dry.

The Soft Curl Gel is a watery clear gel that you run through damp curls. The first time I opened the bottle it actually leaked all over my bathroom floor. I mean it when I saw this stuff is watery! It was hard to take the following picture because it kept dripping down my hand. 

To be honest, I really don't like the Soft Curl Gel. It's too wet and I really feel like like it's ineffective when applied to damp hair. on it's own, it didn't do much by way of forming curls, and it didn't really control my frizz. When it dried, it left my hair feeling hard, almost crusty, with the consistency of straw. It's not moisturizing at all, at least for my hair. 

I also hated the smell of the product, but fortunately the smell faded soon after application.

Note: You can use it in conjunction with the Shaping Creme, but that just felt too heavy and sticky for me, so this bottle just sits in a drawer in my bathroom.

I do not recommend this product.

Grade: F

The Shaping Creme is ok, but speaking straight up, the curls just don't last. I really liked the way the creme made my hair feel: it was nice and silky. It was quick to form curls. However, most of my curls fell out after only a few hours, and my hair ended up just looking wavy. Admittedly, I have thick and heavy hair, so maybe that's more the fault of my genetics than it is the product. But for a woman with naturally curly hair to see her curls loosen up when USING A CURLING PRODUCT, well....that's just wrong.

(In the morning, right after application and while hair is still drying)

(Two hours after applying product, hair completely dry)

The Shaping Creme, in my opinion, is alright. It doesn't work the miracles I was expecting, but it did give my hair some nice texture. I did some some really lovely curls form, and my hair felt voluminous and bouncy. It also left my hair feeling soft. Unfortunately, the curls didn't make it through the day. This was a little disappointing, but to the product's credit, even after the curls disappeared and my hair went wavy, my hair still felt managed and relatively controlled.

I recommend this product if you're interested in wave control. Maybe it'll work better for you than it did for me. There seems to the the potential  for curl there, but I think my hair just proved too much of a challenge for it.

Grade: B-

I went to bed without washing my hair, to see how the curls would hold up the next day. When I woke up, my hair had a ton of texture to it, but it was really unstructured and in need of some serious maintenance. 

This is where the Moisture Mist came in handy. The Moisture Mist is supposed to "refresh and reshape" curls. You give some generous spritzing to your battered curls and some serious scrunching, and viola! Insta-curls! I also gave my dry curls a quick once-over with the Shaping Creme, just to bring the frizz under control.

(Immediately after applying Shaping Creme and Moisture Mist; 20 minutes later, after hair has "settled")

(One hour ago)

I really like the Moisture Mist. So much so that I've been known to carry it around in my work bag for some quick hair help during the day. The formula is a bit thick (almost like a serum), but it really works and it doesn't leave my hair feeling gross or filmy, like some hair spray products might.

I totally recommend this product!

Grade: A

If you're interested in checking out more of Cibu's products, you can visit their website, their Facebook page, or send them a tweet (@Cibu17).

Thanks to Caitlin for the opportunity to review these products! It was much appreciated.