Sand Castle Dry Texture Cream

Dang, R+Co, I thought the Badlands Dry Shampoo Paste was the the perfect hair paste (a dry shampoo & texture creme all in one) and then WHAM! They drop this new Sand Castle Texture Creme and since I'm an absolute sucker for anything that promises surfer girl, beach texture hair, of course I had to buy it. For me, I wash my hair at night and let it air dry and then in the morning, I will grab a quarter size of Sand Castle, warm it up in my hands until the paste dissolves, then rough it through my hair starting at the roots then just spreading it out in pieces throughout my hair. It seems to give it texture, volume, and hold, all in one go. I've even been using this WITHOUT spraying my beloved Oribe Dry Texturizing Spray in my hair everyday. And believe me, that is a feat all in itself!

Between this and Badlands, the texture feels....a bit less gritty to me? Badlands tends to leave a bit of grit feeling in the palms, even after dissolving it and for some reason, I tend to feel "less" of Sand Castle in my hair after I apply it. I think a quarter sized amount on both pastes is good (otherwise, you feel "too much" product) and not more than that. For reference, my hair is about 3/4 down my back and presently with long layers throughout.

I'm going on a long vacation in the next couple months and for me when I'm planning what to bring traveling, its been a true test to see how minimal I can go with my hair styling products. I'm pleased that after testing this out for about a month, I likely will only need to bring this and my Sexy Hair Concepts Powder Play (a volumizing powder that has been my HG hair product for about 6 years now) on my trip. The Powder Play to add a bit more hold and volumizing at the crown of the head, and Sand Castle to further that hold and give texture and volume for the rest of my mane. I have always loved a product with some clay in it too so it absorbs any oil. I don't get oily in my hair often thankfully, but it makes me feel better knowing its an ingredient ;)

Lastly, the scent is really nice! Citrusy, bright, not too strong, and I don't even smell it after in my hair, so it doesn't clash with whatever fragrance I end up wearing that day. Overall, the fact that I have steadily been able to find products to minimize WHAT I use in my hair to style it to still give me that "I just rolled out of bed and woke up with my hair all over the place" without having to use my teasing comb has been the biggest win for me the past couple years!