Lemon Drop Styling Foam

I really really love the hold this gives my waves. 4 pumps is PLENTY for my thick, armpit length hair. It gives a fabulous cast and I love, love how my curls wear over the next few days. Day one is defined and perfect, and each subsequent day my curls loosen but don't frizz. By day 3 or 4 I have loose waves that I still love. As a mom that low maintenance quality is such a win. (Also love the mild, natural scent. I can't stand strong fragrances)

BUT. The delivery system needs improvement. After a month or so of using the pump it got so gummy and slowly stopped working to the point I now just pour a bit of the liquid into my palm and foam it up a bit between my palms before applying. It's a sticky mess and makes me unsure if I'll continue to purchase. Perhaps I just got a defective pump?? I even washed it out thoroughly and it gummed back up within a couple uses. (See video of one of the last times I used the pump... it takes so much effort to pump after getting gummy)

I have tried literally hundreds of products over the years. Ecoslay OM, Rice Pudding, and JellOShot have been my absolute favorites (all I use) for years now. That is until I tried Lemon Drop!!! I use OM and then the LD! I have NEVER had a cast that good!! And, the smell - heavenly!! You just cannot best these products!!

This truly is a strong hold FOAM! A little goes a long way. Just four pumps of foam for my 3b curls halfway down my back! Curls are tighter and hold their shape for 2-3 days with almost no refresh needed. Ecoslay really nailed it with this product; it’s like no other.

THE PROBLEM: After seeing the pictures in people's reviews, I wanted to make this styler work for me. Unfortunately, it did way more harm than good. Each time, my hair ended up knotty and tangled. The entire bottom third of my hair tangled into itself and developed a waxy texture. I experienced so breakage when trying to detangle the mess -- huge disappointment to have my healthy, long hair break!! I have never in my life had this experience with any product. The crunch cast also never fully left, even when scrunch out with oil.

METHOD: For what it's worth, I tried using this styler with multiple techniques -- soaking wet hair to damp hair; brush styling versus finger styling; day 1 product versus refresher product. Each time, the tangles were awful.

CULPRITS: I am wondering if I got a bad or improperly mixed batch of this product. When I leave it in the pump container, I can see a thick whitish grey layer on the top of the liquid, and a thinner separated layer on the bottom. Is this normal? The smell is also strange, like decaying fruit. Eco Slay makes some truly exceptional products. The Orange Marmalade Gel remains my favorite styler of all time. The protein mask is great, too. Something's just off about this one.

MY HAIR TYPE: My hair is medium strands, high density 3A curls. Never color treated nor damaged with chemical treatments (e.g., perming or blowouts). No heat damage. No split ends.