Alaffia Beautiful Curls Activating Cream is one of those products that doesn’t get as much hype but I was impressed trying out the Curly to Kinky Line on my type 3C – 4A hair.
Interesting fact – where I come from, the word Alaffia means peace so I was very interested to find out the origins of this line.
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About Alaffia
Alaffia was founded in 2003 by a couple from Togo and the US. They started with a shea butter cooperative.
Their product line has grown since then to include hair, beauty, and lifestyle products.
Their ethos – “Beauty, Equality and Empowerment, fair trade, and safe, efficacious hair, face and body care.”
They recently rebranded their product line. Some of the popular products for natural hair include:-
Alaffia Beautiful Curls Activating Cream
Alaffia Beautiful Curls Activating Cream is a rich, creamy product made out of shea butter and herbal extracts among other ingredients (full list below).
The smell is herby and pleasant and the consistency is a little thinner than I would like but it worked just as well.
I used Alaffia Beautiful Curls Activating Cream for a twist out.
I was curious about how it worked in comparison with Qhemet Biologics Amla and Olive Heavy Cream.
I used Qhemet Biologics Amla and Olive Heavy Cream on 70% of my head and Alaffia Beautiful Curls Activating Cream for the rest.
I took down a protective style after four weeks so I started with clarifying my hair with diluted Castile soap and giving my neglected scalp a good scrub.
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This was followed up with deep conditioning with Tresemme new Botanique line, which I will review later on.
I added 2 tablespoons of castor oil, 1 tablespoon of grapeseed oil, and 1 teaspoon of argan oil to the deep conditioning mix.
I then sat under a hair steamer for 30 minutes followed by a quick rinse with lukewarm water.
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I applied a liquid leave-in conditioner then started twisting with Alaffia Beautiful Curls Activating Cream.
A twist out with medium-sized twists usually takes me 4 – 5 hours depending on how many breaks I take to moan about doing it. lol.
As mentioned previously, the consistency is thinner than Qhemet Biologics Amla and Olive Heavy Cream so I had to keep it right next to me for application otherwise it would drip out of my fingers.
After they dried, I liked the way my twists felt so much that I decided to keep them in and wore my hair that way for the next 2 weeks then kept it under a wig for another 2 weeks.
My hair was so soft and moisturized the entire time.
Every weekend, I would rinse the twists then apply a thin layer of Alaffia Beautiful Curls Activating Cream to my hands and work through the twists.
Below is a picture of my twists a few days before I untwisted. I’d just rinsed them in the picture so substantial shrinkage.
What I Loved About Alaffia Beautiful Curls Activating Cream
- I loved the smell. It was very nice without overpowering me which can be a bit much when you’re applying the product to your whole head.
- I’m heavy-handed with products but it still didn’t weigh my hair down. In comparison to Qhemet Biologics Amla and Olive Heavy Cream, I would say they both had the same effect on my hair.
- One point over Qhemet Biologics Amla and Olive Heavy Cream though is that this can be applied on dripping wet hair without affecting the results.
Alaffia Beautiful Curls Activating Cream: Rock It or Bin It?
This is going into my product stash of course and will be using it frequently for twists-outs and braid-outs in the future.
I think I will especially use it if I want to wear a protective style under a wig. It should keep hair soft and moisturized for at least a month.
Alaafia Beautiful Curls Activating Cream Ingredients
Symphytum officinale (Comfrey) Aqueous Extract, Arnica montana (Arnica) Aqueous Extract, Butyrospermum parkii (Shea) Butter*, Aloe barbadensis (Aloe Vera) Leaf Juice, Agave Nectar, Cetearyl Alcohol, Behentrimonium Chloride, Emulsifying Wax, Stearic Acid, Xanthan Gum, Panthenol, Aromatic Cocos nucifera (Coconut) Extract, Rubus idaeus (Raspberry) Extract, Cananga odorata (Ylang Ylang) Extract, Potassium Sorbate, Phenoxyethanol, Ascorbic Acid.*Certified Fair Trade by IMO
Where to Buy Alaffia Products?
The company recently rebranded all its products and I love the new packaging. You can find Alaafia Products on the following websites:-
Alaffia Beautiful Curls Activating Cream is available in an 8fl oz tube and you need only a little for each twist.
I heard Alaffia Beautiful Curls Activating Cream is going to be discontinued soon though so get it HERE before that happens.
Popular Alaffia Hair Care Products
Some other Alaffia products that are popular with naturalistas include Alaffia African Black Soap and Alaffia Everyday Shea Conditioner.
Have you tried Alaffia Beautiful Curls Activating Cream or any other Alaffia products? Share in the comments section.
For even more product reviews of natural hair products, check out the Product Review and Recommendations archives.
Abi is a curly hair expert, researcher, product tester, and author of the highly-rated Healthy Hair Care Series. She is also the founder of Ade Ori Hair Care, Healthy Natural Hair Products, and Natural Oils for Hair & Beauty. HNHP has strict editorial standards and ensures all the information on Healthy Natural Hair Products is the best for natural hair care. Learn more about our Editorial Policies
This post may contain affiliate links which means we will make a small commission if you purchase through those links. Read full disclosure HERE.
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