Luster's S Curl Wave Jel Activator and a Braidout

Yesterday I decided to give a product that's been in my dresser of hair products for at least 2 years.  I decided to revisit Luster's S Curl Wave Jel Activator.  When I first went natural, someone recommended it as a product to use.  Last night I decided to do a braidout.  I decided that instead of one of my regular gels, I would give the wave jel activator a try, just to see if I could get a soft hold.  First I parted my hair down the middle.  Next I parted each half into 2 sections.  I later divided each section into 2 parts, an upper and lower part.  When I started my braidout I misted my hair with my water, conditioner, and oil mix.  Next I applied a quarter sized amount of coconut oil and an equal amount of wave jel activator to the palm of my hand.  I blended the product and applied it to a section of hair, used my denman brush to brush through my hair and evenly distribute the product.  Then I braided each section.  I allowed my hair to airdry overnight.  In the morning this is what my hair looked like after taking down the braids.

One things for sure the wave jel activator gave my hair great moisture.  My hair felt very soft.  It had great definition.  The one difference that I noticed compared to a regular gel, is that it didn't retain the definition as much when I began to fluff my hair.  As noticed in the picture above, I fluffed the back sections of my hair, however didn't bother the front section that frames my face to much.  It could just be that I didn't use the products on co-washed hair, as I sprayed my hair with water before applying the product.  Now I wonder if I would have obtained greater hold if these products would have been used on soaking wet hair.  That may be an upcoming experiment.  In the meantime, here's the side view:

As you can see, it turned into big, big hair.  Some days I honestly enjoy big and less defined hair.  Now I know that if I desire a less defined look, these are the products to achieve this look with the end result being soft, touchable hair.

Here's the 411 on Luster's S Curl Wave Jel Activator.

Color: blue

Smell: very light clean scent, not overpowering at all

Feel:  Slippery, dissolves quickly, makes me think of water when I touch it

Price: $2.99 for 6 oz. tube or $5.00 for 10 oz. bottle

Product Description: Light jel that will activate your curls and waves without a trace of grease, ... eliminates the "shrinkage factor"  that results from shampooing your curly perm.  Your curls and waves will be healthy looking, soft, and never frizzy or sticky.

Ingredients: deionized water (aqua), glycerin, propylene glycol, polyquaternium-11, panthenol, hydrolized collagen, carbomer, triethanolamine, imidazolidinyl urea, methylparaben, benzophenone-4, fragrance (parfum), blue 1 (c1 42090).

My view:  I don't have a curly perm, as my hair is natural, however it didn't cause major shrinkage on my natural hair when misted with water and the product was applied.  My curls were healthy looking and soft.  It definitely wasn't sticky.  I did have a little frizz after fluffing my hair.  I would use this gel activator just to get that soft feel when reviving a hairstyle such as an old wash and go or braidout.  In case your wondering "jel" is really spelled with a "j" on the bottle.  It's not a mishap on my part, it definitely caught my attention.  I'm sure that's what Luster's intended for that unique spelling to do, is to catch ones attention.  LOL!

Have you tried a gel activator that was deemed for curly perms on your natural hair? What product and style did you create?  Would you use it again?