First Impressions: ORS Lock and Twist Gel

Wow so this is the first 'First Impressions' review after a very long hiatus from doing them. I simply hadn't been trying a lot of products and you can't do a First Impressions on nothing so......yeah.

Anyway, as you guys know, I'm on a braidout kick. I am in the process of going through different products and trying to really figure out which ones give the best results. That's how I happened upon ORS Lock and Twist Gel. I am all about finding products that I can pick up locally and ORS is pretty much readily available.

With that said, let's get to the review!

Price: $4.29+tax for 16.25oz (I picked mine up at Walgreen's)

Ingredients: Water , Coconut Milk , Glycine Soja (Soybean) Oil , PVP , Polyquaternium 37 , Propyl Paraben , Methyl Paraben , DMDM Hydantoin , Propylene Glycol , Fragrance , Sucrose

Their Claims: Natural hair care. Pre-mixed creme formula combines moisture & hold for locks and twists. Great hold, no flakes, super moist, and cruelty free products.

I used this product to rescue a busted braidout. I basically sectioned my hair, applied Shea Moisture Curl and Style Milk to my hair and then put ORS Lock and Twist Gel on and plaited my hair. I put a bonnet on my head, went to bed, and unraveled my plaits in the morning.

Let me just say: I love love LOVE the definition this product gives my braidouts. I have well defined waves and that's all I want out of a braidout. I also love the hold it gives. This gel gives a light hold and isn't flaky at all when it dries. While I have had great results on my dry hair, I would love to try this product on damp hair to see what results it yields.

Texture and appearance wise, this gel is pretty jiggly (like Jello), off white in color, and pretty thick. You definitely have to make sure that you don't go overboard with the application of it. In terms of smell, the gel smells like coconut-which makes sense since coconut milk is the second ingredient. If you are sensitive to smell or don't like the smell of coconut, you may not like this product.


While I love the results this product gives, I am concerned about the propyl paraben and methyl parabens in the product. In case you don't know, parabens are used as preservatives in many cosmetic/beauty products and have been linked to cancer (in particular, breast cancer). Even though the parabens are listed further down in the ingredient list, the fact that they are even there gives me pause.


Bottom Line: While I absolutely love the hold and definition I get with this product, the presence of parabens worry me. However, I think the product is great for braidouts and twistouts (especially on relaxed hair) , the price point is fantastic, and is overall a solid product. It's worth giving a shot if you aren't worried about parabens but if you are, it's best to keep on looking.