Addendum, July 5, 2012: This post was originally written in March 2010. Since that time, Miss Jessie’s has made some changes for the better, including adding the ingredients to their site, changing their tagline (to “The Best Darn Products…Period” – which is still a giggle but fair enough), and concentrating less on turning kinks into curls, although I still feel as if their main focus is curl definition. That’s not my hair journey, but as it is the priority for several women, I can’t be mad at them for capitalizing on that marketing angle. They have also opened a salon called CurlBar, where they only do curly styles (no chemicals). Now…the prices at CurlBar may leave some of you throwing up in a corner (based on previous convos I have had with fellow curlies), but I won’t comment on that – companies charge what they charge, and people pay what they want to pay. Anyhow, while I commend Miss Jessie’s for the changes they have made over the past couple of years, they are certainly still far from being one of my stellar choices when it comes to caring for my hair (although the Super Sweetback Treatment is okay and I use it before I straighten b/c of the cones). Will I take down this post? Nope. But admittedly, they don’t annoy me *as much.* Again, if you love the products, sexy legumes and and may the force of the curl be with you. Personally, products that contain mineral oil do not generally work for me (not just MJ’s products), but it’s up to you. I am not your curl messiah and I don’t tell people what to do.
xoxo
Disclaimer: Before I write this post, I want you to know that if you use Miss Jessie’s products and they work for you, good for you! I am not knocking anyone who uses Miss Jessie’s and likes it in any way. Do you – I’m sure there are some things that work for my hair that do not work for you hair, so you wouldn’t use my products. And that’s cool. Have I tried Miss Jessie’s? Nope! And don’t plan to (UPDATE – I actually did try them to form an educated and final opinion on the company due to some of the comments left on this blog that wanted to call me names like natural nazi and hater…and no, I didn’t like them…but that really isn’t even the point. I’m not even that opposed to them anymore, there are some other companies that make natural products that are just as shadester, I guess that’s how you make money in this day and age. Points still stand.). My thoughts on them has nothing to do with their products. I won’t lie, they leave a bad taste in my mouth. And it’s sad too, because I love their advertising and the design of their website. Also, that “Curly…” shirt is too cute! But alas, we can never be. Here’s why:
When I decided to go natural, I was looking for a product that would help my relaxed hair curl (ie, not look like a wavy, stringy mess), but still work on my natural hair as it grew. An acquaintance suggested Miss Jessie’s, and told me it totally “stepped her curl game up.” I’m all about upgrading, so I was very intrigued. I checked out their site and was about to order some Curly Pudding, or Meringue, I can’t really remember which, but was so excited about the new found hope for my natural journey that I wanted to see if I could get something on the ground (did I mention Miss Jessie’s does not list the ingredients by their products on the website – yea, okay). So, I Googled “Miss Jessie’s alternatives” and came across Kinky Curly products, which were sold at my Whole Foods. And they were less expensive – obviously, a no brainer. I picked up some KC stuff, but was still curious about Miss Jessie’s. As I continued my research (I was looking to see if someplace sold it for a cheaper price), I found that it contained mineral oil, petroleum, and cones (note – the Curly Pudding contains a water soluble cone, but their other products contain them – oh, and some have parabens too). On top of that, I found that the ingredients used to be way better, but when they became more mainstream they changed the formula without informing anyone. Hmmm. Now, these ingredients are not bad for the hair per se, but uhhhh, isn’t that the same stuff that was in my $3 grease from Sally’s (that I had just thrown away)? So, why does Miss Jessie’s stuff cost $38-$58 for 16oz? I mean, some of the ingredients looked good, but please don’t act like Blue Magic Coconut Hair Grease doesn’t contain coconut oil. Well, so that already annoyed me, and I was pretty much done with them. I jumped right into the world of product junkieism and found a ton (lol, literally) of products that contain yummy stuff for my hair.
Then…I found out that Miss Jessie’s does chemical treatments (for $600, so I’ve been told). Ummmm…why are you doing chemical treatments if you boast that your products are the “best darn products for natural hair period”? So they do this “silkener” thing…which is basically a texturizer with some conditioners to lessen the effect and moisturize your hair while they are stripping it with lye. FUN! And yes, to me texturizers are the same thing as relaxers. Same way that no-lye relaxers are basically the same thing as lye relaxers. Full of ish, I tell ya. So fine, some women get texturizers b/c they don’t know how to care for their natural hair. FINE! But, at the same time, don’t tout your company as being a thought leader in natural hair care and hand out lye like candy. I was even more annoyed.
THEN…I found out that Titi (one of the co-owners of Miss Jessie’s) has a silkener ie texturizer so she can get the “look” she wants without spending as much time on her hair. FINE! But don’t talk about how your products give women the ability to wear their natural hair, when yours isn’t even natural. I mean, don’t you use your own products? Practice what you preach. Thanks.
THEN…Titi and Miko went on Tyra, plugged their products…but NEVER mentioned the fact that they give chemical services at their salon, or that Titi has a silkener. Hmmmm….I’ll admit, you can find this information on their website, but I found it fishy that they didn’t mention it AT ALL on national TV, especially when it seems like they make so much money from them. Did I also mention that a “hair consult” at Miss Jessie’s is $75, and they charge you $50 to wash the product out of your hair so they can do an accurate assessment of your naked hair? Yeah….okay….and in case you think I’m lying, this is DIRECTLY from their FAQ on the website –
I feel a little self conscious arriving to your salon without my hair done. I’d like to come with it styled and with product in my hair. Will you still be able to determine what my curly style options will be when you consult with me?
No. We cannot give an accurate consultation based on hair that’s not in its unstyled/product free state. Wet not wash hair removing all product, twist or braid formation, and straight styles leaving your hair free form for your 1st visit. We charge $50 to prep hair for an accurate consultation.
You’re gonna charge me $50 to remove some gel from my hair, or wet my press so my hair is curly again? Absolutely ridic.
One of the ladies on NaturallyCurly contacted them about the fact that Titi didn’t say she had a texturizer, and they responded with this:
Our products do not have alternating chemicals such as Lye. Our products help those who DO NOT want Alternating chemicals such as relaxers, as said before we help people without changing their hair CHEMICALLY. Our products have a small amount of mineral oil besides the 16 ingredients, furthermore mineral oil ISNT the active ingredient, Shea Butter is the active ingredient.
Please don’t tell me that doesn’t sound like the most bollocks response ever. She didn’t ask about the products, can you read?!! Furthermore…a small amount of mineral oil? Newflash ladies, mineral oil is listed as the second ingredient on the Curly Pudding:
Ingredients: water, parafinium liquidum, glycerin, triethanolamine, fragrance, carbomer, PEG-12 dimethicone, dipropylene glycol, silk amino acids, aloe barbadensis leaf extract, avocado oil, shea butter, sweet almond oil, jojoba seed oil, macademia seed oil, oleth05, ethylhexyl methoxycinnanate, disodium EDTA, DMDM hydantion, ext. violet 2
So, unless no one gave Miss Jessie’s the memo that companies list ingredients by how much is in the product (which would be stupid, because having MO as the second ingred makes them look wack), I’d say it’s a more than a little. Oh, and the active ingredient thing!? Basically to me that says, “We use fillers to mass produce our product, then charge out the ass for them because of the ‘active ingredient.'” Well you know, whatever floats your boat.
And honestly, if someone gave me some Miss Jessie’s products for free, I’d try them, and if I loved them, I still don’t think I would give them my money. All of the above is just too much marketing hype and tomfoolery for me. Yes, other companies practice the same techniques because that’s how you make money, but to me, positioning yourself as a thought leader and selling women the notion of having the “good” hair they always wanted, is just too much. Coming from me, that’s saying a lot. I’m not a natural nazi in any way – I don’t care what people do to their hair, I don’t care if people get relaxers, I don’t care if you want to put dog poop in your hair and pay $100 for it. But you won’t see ME doing it. Just sayin.
Til next time…xoxo
UPDATE: So…on Miss Jessie’s YouTube channel I was informed of the following comment regarding ingredients:
Hi, curly pudding, stretch silkening creme and quick curls do not have mineral oil. Please be aware that we are making changes regarding ingredients, this usually takes time, it can not happen overnight. Miko is all natural. Titi does have a silkener due to the volume of hair. this volume of hair without a silkener will take at least 2 hours to style and 3hours to dry. i hope this helps answer your question.
Now, unless the ingredients changed and they didn’t tell anyone, all three of these products have mineral oil. If you look on Curl Mart, it’s definitely in the ingredients for all three. Interesting, right? I left a comment asking about this; let’s see if they answer my question.
Well…it seems that they did not answer my question OR approve my comment, and also deleted their response which said they don’t contain mineral oil. HOW SHADY!
questfortheperfectcurl.com 
OMG! The more I read the more angry I become! I started using Miss Jessies baby butter creme on my 8 year old daughters hair who’s is now 9. It sucked the life out of her hair, with dryness, Split ends and breakage! She’s a child so I’ve always used Liv on her hair and it was very healthy, but when I wanted to try natural styles and not ponytails, I thought MJ was the right choice and boy was I wrong. My daughter has to now start over with her hair growth because now it needs to be trimmed every 8 weeks to get rid of her slit ends. I had no idea, that the main ingredients mineral oil and petroleum was damaging to the hair. I am six months and two jars too late!
They will never see a damn of my money but I’m sure there is someone out there that swears by it and is willing to spend that kind of money on there hair. I have tried some of the products by the way and it worked pretty good but there is no way in hell it’s worth the price. You can spend way less and still achieve the same results. I think the fact that they have there own salon just adds to they hype of it all. Not worth it in my opinion. They also play on the fact that African-American women spend more money on there hair than any other group of people. Nice marketing strategy on there part. The price could be 100 bucks for a 8oz bottle of conditioner and people would still buy it . These day people equate quality with a price tag. So the lower the price tag the lower the quality. Not so in this case just read the ingredients. There’s all the proof you need, many of the ingredients are in other cheaper brands. But hey if you got it to spend then why not. I’m a recent grad and I ain’t got it lol
FYI, just taking a quick look around at the Curlmart, the ‘kinky curly custard’ was $30, just $8 less than the curl pudding I just purchased.
Hey HB,
I googled ‘why are miss jessie’s products so expensive’ and found your blog. After getting the product home and reading the ingredients, I must say I was disappointed. WTH? I thought perhaps the ingredients were all natural and that was the reason for the cost. What a crock! I feel like I just got bent over and royally screwed!
That’s so nice, sisters ripping off sistahs.
You mentioned that you found products comparable to the curly pudding and others in the line. Do you have them listed on your blog? If so, can you direct me to ‘where’?
And yes, I was actually disappointed after I got home today after purchasing the product (without my glasses at Target) and saw the ‘main’ ingredients.
CRAZY pricing, greedy girls….bad karma.
I have been natural for over three years. Great article, thank you for your research and time. You have answered all my questions. I had a suspicion regarding there being no chemicals. And not showing a price list for the salon. Pretty darn sneaky.
GOD Bless.
I totally agree with this article. I am in the middle of transitioning & the price alone deterred me. Don’t get me wrong, i’m willing to pay the money for a great product but like you said its not made with superior ingredients and i refuse to pay $42 dollars for a product that will only last me less then a month of use!
I was comtemplating a visit to the Miss Jessie’s salon for my birthday. Aren’t I worth it? All the concerns that are voiced here are the same voices in my sane state of mind saying “skip it”. I would also have to incur a travel expense on top of the salon expense. How long can the hairstyle last? At those prices it should last six months. I am expecting a genie in a bottle results. The money they are charging is off the chart. Psychologically they are saying your hair is so unattractive you are going to have to pay me this outragist price for me to bring it to the worlds standard of attractiveness. Isn’t that how the whole relaxer revolution started? My personal goal is “non-chem African-natural hair”. I also subscribe to a natural ingredients approach, so this is not in line with my philosophy. Please enjoy your visit to Miss Jessie’s. I will continue with what I have going on and stop looking at the grass on the other side. My hair current hair care regime is more in line with my purse and my natural hair outlook. African-Natural hair forecast sunny skies ahead.
P.S. Much luck to Miss Jessie products and salon.
As a naturalista, I bought into their hype. I bought their products online (I got the sampler to see if it would work for my hair and my daughters). I have to admit the curly merengue was pasty and didn’t seem to work with one of my daughter’s hair, but worked ok for the other. It did nothing for mine, it just made it feel heavy. The curly buttercream and the baby buttercream worked best for us. The only reason I didn’t continue to purchase the products was the price. Every now and then I’d check the sites (Miss Jessies and Curlmart) I’d look for deals so I could purchase the products. FOrtunately, I didn’t wait too long. I used the baby buttercream for my daughters and the curly buttercream for myself. I then decided that I would go to the salon in BKLYN (as a birthday gift to myself) to have them help me with my hard to manage hair. I have to say I was very naieve and probably a little giddy about getting my hair done by people who I thought had the secret that all women with hard to manage naturals wanted. I didn’t ask price, how the process worked, nothing. I was just happy to finally get something done to my hair to get it back to healthy. I was talked into getting the silkener. Miko explained that the silkener didn’t have lye in it that it was a new formula, but that it was natural. I knew it would probably run me about 100+ dollars but I felt I can treat myself just this once, so I let them do it. I remember when she washed the silkener out of my hair I thought she didn’t was it out thoroughly on my right back side, but then she went back to rinse it out again. I got gassed when she showed me how long my hair was and she told me she wouldn’t cut it, just trim it so that it was even. She proceeded to trim and then complete the silkening process. When i saw the final result, I thought to myself that this isn’t different than what I have been doing to my hair already. and I was disappointed that I had paid so much for it. over $300. They even gave me a free 2oz. conditioner in a little “goody bag” they give to their clients. I left feeling jipped, my hair felt like it had dried mousse in it. When I got home, I continued to stare at my hair trying to figure out the difference between what I do for my hair at home and what they did to my hair. I noticed that upon looking at my hair you can see that the back left seemed much thicker than the back right. I ran my fingers through my hair and noticed that the back right side had some very short pieces in it. I then realized that when she was washing out my hair, she didn’t wash the right thoroughly (at first I though that I was just imagining that) and then she went back and re-washed that side. So she noticed she made the mistake and didn’t say anything. My mistake was not going all the way back to brooklyn to give them a piece of my mind and sue their asses, but I knew going in that I would suffer hair loss because my hair was really damaged. I wore weaves to cover up the fact that my hair fell out in the back. I told myself I would never go back there, but occasionally I still buy their buttercream because it does work. I just wish I could find something less expensive that work for my hair and for my daughter’s hair as well. Aside from my bad experience, The salon “Curve” is very upscale, and the service is wonderful. They were very nice, and hospitable.
I am a person who never trusted going to a salon (I’ve had bad experiences before), so this experience made me more distrustful of salons. However, I still haven’t found that product to help me with my hair situation.
Wow that’s crazy! Also…silkeners are basically texturizers…I wonder how she calls that “natural.” Hmmm. I would love to see the ingredients list. I’m sorry that happened to you. Golly. I’ve never tried their Buttercream but the Donna Marie Super Buttercreme is a staple of mine.
officially off my list of things to try!
i didn’t finish typing! anyway i’ve only been natural for about 7 months and i will buy new products to try. however, i REFUSE to spend that much money. when i was little, before my first relaxer, my mom washed my hair with v05 and used grease. and i had some long, thick, pretty hair. i just don’t find it necessary to spend a ton of money. i’ve also found that mineral oil on my natural hair is very heavy and yucky feeling. just my 2 cents 🙂
LOL! Submit too early? It’s gravy. I really feel the same way…I even reviewed a couple of their products and the MO was HORRID on my hair, which I should have known b/c I also had an experiment with Profectiv go awry…
I loved your post and I am shocked at the responses against you. I have had natural hair all of my life, normally I hot-comb it but I have been trying the wash and go thing lately. When I was in Target (my favorite store) I saw the Ms. Jessie products, but I never had enough time to research them. Whenever I ask anyone about them I feel like I can’t completely trust their views because they have relaxed hair. I also did not feel comfortable buying a product for my 100% natural hair that boosted about being useable for both natural and chemically treated hair. Its like I would not want someone who had made a living off of raising hormone pumped poultry in charge of raising my natural poultry. It also does not make it ok to go through any means to market a product. If I am going to buy something to help maintain my natural hair I want them to have hair like mine, I do not want to buy things from the same company that does relaxers.
People seem to not care what they put in their hair as long as it ends up straight or long and curly. You should not sacrafice morals or hair-health for looks. I am not telling the owners of the company what to do, but I am saying that they won’t get any of my money with their false marketing and bullshit guarantees
I had no idea. I’m so late to the party. I haven’t had a relaxer in 3.5 years but wore braids until a few months ago. So I am new to actually caring for my natural hair. When I went to get my first natural cut, I researched and researched to find the right stylist to care for my curls. I found one that specialized in curly which is how I learned of DevaCurl and Miss Jessie’s products. I have been using the Curly Pudding and Baby Buttercream pretty religiously, but have also been trying to branch out. I am yet to find a better set to the Curly Pudding but I am just embarking on my product junkie journey. I need to learn more about how to care for my hair and the right products. I didn’t even know mineral oil was bad.
Thank you for your blog, it will surely be a good resource. I have fine, porous hair but TONS of it. I look forward to learning more. And I do think Miss Jessie’s products are pricey and would welcome a less expensive alternative, especially if it’s bad for my hair.
Ok, now I’m understanding your argument. If one of the owners go on national TV without mentioning their hair is chemically treated, it could be misleading to the unsuspecting viewer who may have no prior knowledge of Miss Jessies and their silkener process.
Like I stated before, I’ve been natural for a long time. I was 12 years old when I made the decision to go natural, so I wasn’t blessed with blogs and you-tube videos during my scary transition. So, I’ve just recently gotten into the blogosphere of natural hair, and I’ve been noticing a lot of “politics” with natural hair. There are people who prefer natural products, while others don’t care etc. And I read about some who were bent on living an all natural life-style (that’s why I asked that last question just to see if anyone here was on that boat.)
And I’ve also read about the other “shady” companies that will remain nameless. I really don’t believe on breaking the bank for my hair. I will never pay full retail price for any “luxury” brand. But as naturals, we just have to find what works for us and work it!
Cool. 🙂 Yep I agree that at the end of the day we all need to find what works!
I agree with other commenters about not knocking somebody else’s hustle, but when I found out about them doing silkeners a few years ago, I was turned off.
“Titi does have a silkener due to the volume of hair. this volume of hair without a silkener will take at least 2 hours to style and 3hours to dry.”
If it took my hair 3 hours to dry, I would be ecstatic. My hair can take DAYS to dry; so, what would they suggest that I do?
Why is taking 2 hours to style or 3 hours to dry too much to deal with? If you can’t be bothered to take the time to do your OWN hair, how can I honestly take your opinion on how I ought to do my hair? I’ve learned to take the time I need to do style my hair; it was easier to just come to terms with my hair and accept it for what it is.
Hey guys,
I’ve been natural for 12 years, and I used Miss Jessie’s products for the first time last month. I knew about them since 2004, but I could never get myself to pay full asking price for their products. So during the last BOGO sale, I caved in and got the Curly Pudding, and Curly Meringue.
For me, the products worked very well. I was pleased with the way each product defined my 4a curls, and I could even get my styles to last for a full week! Beautiful! Afterward, I even went on ebay and got a 16oz jar of Curly Buttercreme for 2/3 of the price, including shipping. Does wonders for my hair.
Now…….let’s talk about the ingredients. Contrary to popular belief, Mineral Oil is not bad for your hair!
(http://thebeautybrains.com/2006/11/28/the-top-5-myths-about-mineral-oil-part-1/)
However, I do believe that it is an inexpensive ingredient and utilizing it as an active ingredient in a $58 jar of moisturizer is inflation to some degree. Mineral Oil is in the $5 hair grease I use, and it’s in my oil sheen as well as many other ingredients that I use. But I’ve tried so many curl products, and NONE of them compare to Miss Jessie’s for me, so they must be doing something right.
I can’t knock the Miss Jessie’s hustle. Their marketing is impeccable. And so what if one of the co-owners uses a silkener? To each their own. Chemicals are not for me, and they do not fair well with the health of my hair.
Do they sell the promise of “good hair?” At the beginning, I think they did as kinky girls all over the world felt they could achieve a loosely curled look through the Curly Pudding. But on their site, I believe they are transparent about which customers use the silkener, and they do display in their how-to’s which product is more beneficial for certain hair type. That’s how I figured that the pudding and meringue would work best for me.
Now, their products focus on enhancing one’s curl pattern. If there is no curl to begin with, then there is no enhancing that can be done. If you have straight hair, or z-patterned kinks, then Miss Jessie’s may not work for you.
I will never pay full retail price for a Miss Jessie’s product, but I can’t deny that it works!
(For you naturals concerned with all natural ingredients, are you as concerned with living a fully natural lifestyle in the food you eat and in skincare products as well?)
No offense, but that last question isn’t relevant. People choose certain aspects of their life where they use certain things – and that’s fine. It’s like someone who exercises and eats healthily, yet smokes. Who cares? It’s what they want to do. That being said, I don’t think MO is bad – but it doesn’t work well on my hair and if I’m going to use something with MO I think it should cost like, $5. Since I wrote this article I even tried MJ’s products because some other people left comments like yours and I wanted to make a more educated verdict about them. It took a week for my hair to get back to normal. To each her own, I’m glad they work for you. And it’s cool that Titi has a silkener…I just think they should tell people that when they go on national TV, in the same way that I hate hair ads where you know dang well the model is wearing a wig or weave.
Also, my opinion on them really doesn’t have much to do with the fact that their products aren’t natural. I don’t care, I don’t use all natural products. There is another company that I think is shady as all hell, and they’ve been called out on this blog, and they make natural products. It’s not about natural for me, I just can’t get down with liars and shady business practices.
O_O!!! Now this is some straight up bullcrap. I already thought their prices were ridic & the whole mineral oil thing turned me way off. Not to mention the more “misses” than “hits” when it came to reviews. Now I read this! Yep, pretty much put them on my “Never Will I Ever” list.
I can’t stand brands/people that lie to take advantage of their customers. What a hot mess. I’d rather use Blue Magic. (-_____-)
Lol at all the comments. Its one thing to mislead and another to completely omit the truth….in this case I’m sad to say they did both. Oh well. We have all the know how at our fingertips and I consider it a blessing in disguise when businesses like this pop up and get their bubble burst! I’ve been natural for three years and I’m also a licensed cosmetologist. I’ve run into so many people that have very unrealistic views about natural hair and the infamous wonder products that some believe to give them “curly” hair with no frizz and blah. blah. blah…you have to first take into account ones true texture..past damage..current routines and overhall condition of your scalp and nutrition. All of these elements play a key roll in maintaining healthy natural hair. So we have to take the initiative and look out for ourselves….truth is they’re only in it for the money….no matter the cost. I applaud your assesment and honesty chica! I’ve used them and it wasn’t all that to me….besides my hair was extremely dry afterwards!
Thanks for this post! I ordered some products from them and it was horrible on my hair. Before I purchased the product I chatted with a representative online in order to figure out which product would be best. I started asking a multitude of questions. The representative seemed annoyed by all of my questions. She asked “Does your hair curl when it’s wet” I replied “yes” then she recommended a product which made my hair “crunchy”. So, since I was dissatisfied with my purchase I called the customer service number to return the product. The representative who handle my called was very unprofessional. The rep was eating, smacking, and chewing in my ear. I felt like she was at home in her robe talking to me not in a corporate office. She informed me I would have to ship the product back to them and pay the difference and the shipping for the new product I wanted. Now for me I am all about customer service and their customer service sucks online and offline. Overall it was a horrible experience and I vowed never to purchase from them again.
Very good post. Informative. I was Miss Jessie’s crazy when I first started to transition, but I quickly got over it when I found products that worked better for less. I think they have a great business, so I can’t knock the hustle. Nevertheless, you raise some very good questions and points with this one!!
I personally think they’re taking advantage of naturals who really have no idea what to do with their hair when they first start. When I first went natural that’s what was mostly presented wtih “omg! ms. jessie’s is so great!” And I didn’t know about mineral oil and things that were bad for your hair. Then they called thier stuff the best blah blah ever. So if i had the money I would have wasted it too.
I have seen so many bad reviews about this stuff it’s not funny. And from all hair types. I’m not saying I hate them, but I totally agree with what you were saying.
They seem so shady with everything they’re doing too.
I am SOOOO glad someone else posted what I have noticed. I started transitioning on my own January of 2010 with no knowledge about any natural forums. By my eith month someone suggested youtube and I started hearing all the raves about Miss Jessie’s. When I went to the store to get my product I threw up in my mouth at the cost of the darn things. So I decided to just order the trial sizes. Boo for me because I ordered the 2oz trial sizes at a whopping cost of $7 and some $9. I cringed as I press order but I figure if they work then it’ll be worth it. short of the long I HATED their products. It gave my hair the same feel as the Hawaiian Silky (which have mineral oil) with a not so nice product smell. Hmmm wait where was the bubble gum and cotton candy smell I kept hearing about? It was too pissed. and to make it worst I actually spent the money for the shampoo and conditioner which I only used ONCE. Traded all that out to my sister-n-law who for her hair works great! But I need moisture enriching products not moisture stripping. And agree that if you are flexing about being natural then WHY pray tell are the natural ingredients like tenth on the list. smh(shaking my head) come on! It’s unfortunate. EVERYONE I have talked to who used their products has the same response. “Oh yeah I tried it, it’s so DRYING” Natural products don’t dry out your hair. But hey if you are one of the few that it works for then do you!
You are the bomb Elle… tell it like it is!!!!!!
Talk about uhh, I know I did the same investigation on these girls I mean its riduculous like I’m embracing who I am and your trying to throw a silkener down my throught. I say No Bueno ( No Good)
I don’t think anyone addressed this, but the sad part, and the reason that Titi and Miko can charge $500 for a texturizer and $60 for a jar of hair moisturizer is b/c of what they are selling-curls.
If you want to get black women to buy your hair products, either show a lot of people who have curly hair and/or a lot of people who have long hair, and you will make a fortune.
So many black women who go natural are hoping that they have hair that looks like yours, or that looks like what Miss Jessie’s “silkeners” provide.
I mean, I had a light relaxer that had my hair looking the same way, until another hairdresser who thought it was ugly permed over it even though I was only supposed to get a touch up. That disaster led me to go natural. But then again, I didn’t get a relaxer until I was 18, knew what my hair was like, and had actually liked it better than straight hair, and only gotten the relaxer so I could manage it when I went away to college. I was never chasing the look that Miss Jessie’s promises.
I can guarantee you that if both of them just had regular afros, short hair, or really kinky hair, they would not be able to charge so much for their products.
Like you, I have no problems with them having a silkener, but let’s just call a spade a spade. It’s just hearsay but I’d read that initially they had claimed the silkeners weren’t relaxers or weren’t chemicals or something like that.
Whenever I see critiques for their products and any other curling cremes or puddings, it is from people who say that it doesn’t work and it’s a scam, b/c they don’t understand that these products can only protect the curls that you have from frizzing or perhaps “lock” them into place. But they can’t make a curl where there is no curl (as in super kinky hair or hair that is relaxed bone straight).
It kind of reminds me to the other post that you had about people asking you if YOUR hair was a texturizer. Black people are as ignorant about the hair variations that we have as white people, or that seems to be my impression in the few months that I’ve been reading these blogs. I didn’t grow up around loads of black people, but my own family has hair ranging from kinky to straight, so I’m surprised that so many black people don’t expect black people to have naturally wavy, curly, or straight hair. Relaxers weren’t always king, as much as a lot of younger people like to proclaim. My mom and many aunts, and other older female relatives older and younger have been largely natural, and stuff like relaxers didn’t come into play a lot for the ones who use them until the 80’s. Some of them have curly or wavy hair that has always just been styled as is.
I have to say I was shocked at the steps that are involved to make a lot of Miss Jessie’s “curly” styles, and I wonder if a lot of people realize that you could probably get that look using 1000 tiny braids like they do in those You Tube videos with a lot of other products if you were so inclined.
But I’d love to see the black women who are going natural stop chasing curls or doing it b/c they hope that their hair will finally grow to their waist (it’s fine if it does that but not everyone’s will do either or both, so to me a healthy mindset would accept that).
I mean, keep it moisturized, keep it clean, keep it neat, and learn to be happy with it and no one will have to complain about paying $60 for a jar of mineral oil.
Oh, and on a side note, I can’t stand it when people refer to “biracial” hair. I’m like, have you even seen Lenny Kravitz. And doesn’t You Tube show how many regular black women have all of the kinds of hair that people want to call “biracial.” “Biracial” isn’t a hair type.
Their prices made me get back. Thank you for your honesty. Too many people fawn over these products but the ingredients are crap! I prefer Shea Moisture, personally. Better ingredients, less than half the price!
Wow, a lot of haters on this site. Who cares if Titi has a silkener/texturizer in her hair? I think her hair looks great and I’ve been to the salon. It’s actually helpful that she has one because it shows what a silkener can look like -depending upon your hair type. She doesn’t pretend to have natural curls and I never interpreted it that way. if you don’t like chemicals, don’t get a silkener -end of story. The products are expensive and they aren’t that great (I use kinky curly products) but they do work on certain hair types. I will say that the products worked great when they applied them at their salon -so perhaps application is an issue for some. If their products don’t work for your hair type, try some other products. Is someone holding a gun to your head to buy their products?
I don’t know about the other people commenting, but I’m not sure you understood MY message. I don’t give a rat’s ass if Titi has a texturizer, my issue is that they do not make this known often, while she is a spokesperson for the company and they boast about having the best products for natural hair. If you have a texturizer, your hair is not natural, sorry. Shrug. When they give huge nationally televised interviews, they do not state this – if you have seen their interview on Tyra, they mentioned NOTHING about texturizers, yet said their “esteem” would have been different if they had products like theirs when they were younger. You think that was a mistake? Come on. You would have an issue if you found out Jennifer Hudson had lipo while repping Weight Watchers, right? Just saying. Furthermore, I have seen them LIE on their Youtube about their ingredients, as I stated in my post. I could not care two licks about what they put in their products – if people want it, they will buy it. I have no problem with that. However, when someone calls you out for your cheap ass ingredients do not lie to your customers. That’s a damn shame.
Great post. I recently posted my thoughts on Miss Jessie’s in my blog and someone commented that Titi stated that she had a silkener when she was on the Tyra Show. I never saw the show, but I thought I remembered someone saying she didn’t admit to it at all. I find it very interesting that she didn’t admit it there. To me that would have been the perfect place to advertise that expensive silkener.
Uh yea no…I definitely just watched the clip of them on Tyra (I would post the link but I’m not giving them any pub) and they didn’t mention silkeners AT ALL. All that happened was Miko started spouting off about her mother being Japanese and had long straight hair so she feels like her esteem would have been higher if she had had products like Miss Jessie’s. I can’t. I really can’t. Lol!
So what are the best products for natural hair?
Check out http://questfortheperfectcurl.wordpress.com/2010/02/24/updated-holy-grail-list/. Those are my favorite products to use on my hair. hth!!
Thank yuou so much. I hope that I will be able to find some of these products in canada!!! Great job with the blog btw!
Thank you!!! Honeyfig.com also has a lot of awesome hair products for curlies in Canada. 🙂
This was an awesome post! I transitioned for 2 years, but I didn’t really know much about how to take care of my hair. Since last year, I have learned so much about different products and techinques. Miss Jessie’s was one of the first products I heard of and I always wanted to try it, but couldn’t get over the price. I’m so glad that I didn’t waste my money on it. There are so many other products that you can find at a fraction of the price and they are awesome! Thanks to your blog and others, I’ve found awesome products that work for me!
Thank you so much for this article. I just BC about 3 weeks ago and I’m still in the process of trying to find what is right for my hair. Instead of going out and buying and experimenting, I read people’s blogs. This is the first time that I came across a true perspective about Miss Jessie’s products, the other blogs that I had gone too seemed to have copied pasted from each other! Thank you so much for the honesty.
Yeah, I’m done with their products. Miko & Titi are mixed with Japanese. Its no big shock at all that they have curly hair.
Its a shame. The funny thing is they dont even make the so-called “Silkener” … they just use a perm in a jar and add some products. No one else can use the term and one walks out not knowing what the ingredients are… You cant even look it up anywhere.
SAD
Well Titi has a texturizer/silkener I know, so I’m like uhhh what? I just can’t do it. I mean if their products were the ish I’d be able to see past the shadiness….but I’m not that impressed.
I bought a big tub of the curly pudding a few months ago. The first tub I bought was small and worked well, so I decided to get a bigger one but after prolonged use of the second batch I was decidedly unimpressed…I no longer use it because it makes your hair soo dry and I still have half a tub-
natural products work soo much better!… It’s ashame that they have conned so many people and I’m spreading the word to my natural girls..
Might I add that the test of its uselessness was that it was an easy product to replace.. My hair is much healthier since I stopped using it. It’s not worth the money.
Wow, so glad I saw this post.
Completely agree with everything that you said. Miss Jessie’s products are way overpriced and way overrated.
They will never get a dime from me either!
.
THOUGHTS ON THE “MISS JESSIE’S” PRODUCT LINE:
1)The “MISS JESSIE’S” products USE MINERAL OIL
& PETROLATUM (both of which damage both
hair & skin) AS two of the KEY INGREDIENTS
2) Titi & Miko – THE OWNER’S of the “Miss Jessie’s”
product line (AND most of THE CLIENTS they choose
to photograph) — achieve their hair-styles because
they USE what they call a ”Silkener”’ (which is simply
a mild relaxer / texturizer & made of CHEMICALS).
3) The same results can be achieved for a fraction of
the cost by going to a store and purchasing / applying
the same dangerous (ex. relaxer / texturizer) as well
as damaging (ex. mineral oil / petrolatum) products.
4) People should save their money (and hair) by avoiding
the cheaply-made / expensively-sold products (such as
the ”Miss Jessie’s” line) that contain worthless and
harmful ingredients such as mineral oil / petrolatum
and / or are “chemically-dependent” to achieve results.
5) The Owners of the ‘Miss Jessie’s’ product line appear
to be no more inclined to reveal that their own hair
(and that of the hair of the majority of the clients
that are posted on their website ) has been “silkened”
(i.e. chemically-processed) than they are to admit that
two (2) of the main ingredients contained in their hair
products are ‘mineral oil’ (“liquidum parrafinum”) and
petrolatum — and actually try to downplay both facts.
6) Meanwhile women found all over the US and
Canada continue to unwittingly dole out a ton of
money for a product which is essentially now the
equivalent of taking a melted jar of ‘Blue Magic
Hair Dressing’ or ‘Johnson’s Baby Oil’ and mixing
it with a bottle of ‘Suave Instant Conditioner’
(OK — maybe the Blue Magic/Johnson’s / Suave comment
is a stretch –but — one hopes that the point is still taken
— when it comes to ‘ethnic’ or ‘naturally-textured’ hair’
… Miss Jessie’s simply “misses the mark” entirely.) =D
OMG, i thought i was the only one. i hate this stuff i cant ppl fell for this reminds of the jerri curl juice. all i can say is i got caught with targets buy one get one free sale. who wants the bottles i swear ill give this sht away. Tyra should be ashamed for even letting them on her show with that bs smh. Again who wants these jars of trash
Miss Lady, I love you for this post. Now that’s “real talk!” Lol. Their marketing always gave me a funny feeling and I never could get on the bandwagon. I recently saw the mineral oil listed in their products too, and was like wtf? I already knew about the “silkeners,” but had no idea Tito has one. I’m growing out a texturizer myself, but damn, how you gone represent like you don’t when you do? Crazy…it’s funny, I was just typing on a FB natural’s page that I agree, there are no “rules” in going natural, but as for this company’s tactics, tomfoolery is a great word. They’re just promoting texturizers with a cute name, and, apparently, cheap, overpriced products that leave the hair greasier than Blue Magic and flakier than black protein gel. A hot mess.
shea butter
coconut oil
avocado oil
olive oil
hemp oil
ladies we can make our own products..whip up a batch of these ingredients and enjoy healthy hair.
I wish they would get rid of the fillers and mineral oil….
Lovely ingredients! I admit, I am too lazy to make my own products, but those are the kinds I look for when buying. I think people should ask, “If I were to make my own products, would I put mineral oil in them?” If not, reconsider the purchase!
omg, i just read your blog after i got the bogo free stuff, now im like ok what do i do, I remember I stopped using there products 3yrs ago because of heaviness, and the price, so i gave them another chance for the sale. so now I am confused with you informing us about there foolishness.You know you would expect this from another race to take advantage of us and our money and lack of knowledge, but you own is kinda rude. If they would just be completely honest then it would be our choice, but we also have to educate ourselves about whats on the back of products, an know what those 15 letter words on the back mean an what they are doing to our hair,
Not only do I not like the prices, I’m just not a fan of mineral oil. Like you’ve said, everyone’s experience may be different, but given how mineral oil is derived (petrolatum chemical, by product of fuel) and the possible side effects, I’d just as well skip it. So my small tub of baby buttercreme went bye bye. I don’t use anything with petroleum or mineral oil anymore.
And I think it is shenanigans to pay that much for products with those cheap ingredients, when you could get something else from the corner BSS. Also, I’ve read that there are alternative “curly pudding” recipes on the net.
I’m sooooooo glad I saw this. I am still transitioning and was looking at their site becasue of all that I had heard about it. Needless to say once I saw the prices I clicked off as fast as I clicked on! Then I realized that there WERE and ARE cheaper products that love my hair (and my hair loves back) I absolutely refused to give them my hard earned money to acheive a certain “look”– PUH-LEEZZ!!!! I am so glad to see that I made the right decision for ME! (not to mention when I went on youtube there were way too many MIXED reviews for me to even WANT to try them!)
THANK YOU! THANK YOU! THANK YOU! I have been leaning toward trying some of Miss Jessie’s products but there was always SOMETHING holding me back from going for it. I’m so glad you wrote this and gave me more insight into this whole thing. I am an official fan of your blog now!
Always glad to help a fellow curly! 🙂
I went to Miko’s salon in DC while she was here (apparently there were some sort of legal issue going on in NYC, so she set up shop in DC for a while). It was an extremely disappointing — and expensive — experience. I went there because I bought all the hype about their skills with natural hair. Imagine my disappointment when I arrived and there were bowls of silkener lined up like there was an assembly line. Virtually everyone who visited the salon that day was there for the chemical process. I was definitely in the minority.
As for the consultation, which is also expensive (and paid upfront), she spent all of about five minutes looking at my hair. She never asked me about my hair — what’s worked in the past, what hasn’t, what I was looking for. In the end, I ended up with a cut that didn’t address my damage, a style that didn’t last five hours (despite that the stylist said it would last about a week), and a considerably lighter wallet. (By the way, they asked me and others to pay while we were under the dryer. I guess they want to make sure you don’t dispute the charge and refuse to pay once you get to the end and realize there’s no wizard behind the curtain.)
Oh — and at one point Miko snapped at me. She was talking to one of the stylists regarding a process they were going to do to my hair. I interrupted to clarify something regarding the cost and she scolded me. She tried to follow up with a smile, but it was too fake and too late.
A fool and her money are soon parted. I was definitely a fool that day. Live and learn.
Damn, that sucks! Thanks for letting us all know. I keep hearing that they promote the silkeners like crazy in their salons, but never on TV (or even on the site that much). Hmmmmm….
Very funny, informative and TRUE post! IMHO, the prices they charge are not fair market values. They’re simply playing on Black women’s “Good Hair” insecurities. It’s advantage-taking.
i totally agree. i stopped supporting them many years ago. back then they were called curve salon and their tagline was “turn your kinks to curls” wtf????
i def. think miss jessie’s is wayyy overrated.
my research on natural haircare wasn’t so thorough when i started transitioning, so i bought some of their products b/c that’s the brand i kept hearing about. the curly pudding was, for me, a total waste of money. however, i did like the rapid recovery deep treatment. thankfully since then i have found plenty of products that work just as well for a fraction of the price.
i think it’s horrible that they changed the formula to include cheaper ingredients… while still charging such crazy prices!! once i figured that out, i knew i would never buy from them again. i do understand they are running a business, but they run the risk of losing customers and upsetting their fan base by employing such shady tactics. many of the people i know who used their products stopped after miss jessies made that move.
quite frankly, now that i know more about the many hair care companies that exist, miss jessies strikes me as one of those “status fads.” by that i mean that people buy it b/c they can, and they think it is a “cool” brand that everyone will know costs a premium. i don’t care how much someone loves miss jessies products, you can not make me believe that with all of the other brands (with better ingredients and lower pricing), NONE of them will work on your hair. even for those who say they only buy miss jessies during the company’s year-end BOGO sale, it’s still a ripoff.
the only issue i have w/ tito’s silkener is that it seems to say “my expensive a$$ products can not make my natural hair sufficiently manageable, therefore I still have to use chemicals.” and that does not give me a lot of faith in the quality of the products.
despite all that, i’d be lying if i said i wasn’t happy to see young black women succeeding. i just can’t contribute to their success in this case, b/c i feel like they are taking advantage of their target market, which just happens to include other young black women :-/.
Well said, Courtney! Exactly how I feel, but nicer, lol!!!
I think all the comments arent based on any true foundation. it seems like you have been natural for two seconds and have decided to be a hair nazi. Ok so you dont want to waste your money on miss jessies. fine that’s your perogative. so what if titi wears a silkener. thats her perogative. yes theyre claiming their products are for natural hair and if their salon offers a cemical treatment for people who want it, then so what. They’re not doing anything wrong, they’re not fooling anyone. And you’re talking about marketing hype? are you serious? they’re running a business….if you had a business, you would be doing the same thing. all of this natural nazi stuff is just too much. people read a few blogs for a few months and decide they know all about natural hair? what? get outta here. I’m not knocking you for your position but I just think it needed a devil’s advocate.
When you go on national television as the “spokesperson” or “face” of a brand that sells products for natural hair, yet you aren’t natural, YES, you are misrepresenting yourself. Same way if we found out that a spokesperson for Weight Watchers actually had lipo to lose the weight – people would find that ridiculous. I am not a natural nazi, I don’t care what people do to their hair, and I don’t care if people get relaxers. To me, natural hair is NOT political. Do you know what a natural nazi is? Doubt it. If you look back at my blog first – I actually started researching hair about a year ago. Do I consider myself an expert? Heck no. But I can smell bullshit from a mile away. But thanks for reading!
Oh also, ANY company that does not list ingredients for their products on their site is fishy to me…would you do that with your food?
For people that are upfront and not fooling anyone, why not admit on Tyra that they themselves are NOT natural and that they DID NOT learn to love their natural hair because it is processed? Hmmm? Ok thanks stfu.
Ummm…..BRAVO! Take ’em ta town girlie!!!
You know I was suggested by a colleague in grad school to try Miss Jessie’s Products that she researched and found online to get a curl effect for her. She gave me the whole bottle of Curly Pudding which I tried on my hair. Did nothing!! I did not follow their techniques as showed with twisting, drying, and then stretching. I just felt it was hype. So I kicked the small tub to the curb. Why is it like 2 or 3 years later I go back to research on the Miss Jessie’s website and decide to try again in case I did something wrong. Bought another tub of the Curly Pudding which I lost the first one-probably ended up in the trash. Did nothing second time around. Again I did not use the technique. I felt my hair was already curly to do its thang without all the hair manipulation and tricks.
So I have decided also to not buy any more of the products unless they are 100% healthy pure, organic ingredients because you can go and buy a less expensive shampoo, conditioner, and hair styler for double less price of one tub of Curly Pudding. We black people need it real also for other ethnicities who are trying and buying their products. Unless you are banking, no one can afford this every two weeks or a month. Depending on how much you go through it.
Then I saw how much they charged on their website, QUITE EXPENSIVE!! Just to do a shape cut, add the products, and process. You mean our people are walking out of their salon paying close to $500 just for consults, cut, dyeing the hair, and getting a basket of products. Come on. God did not do wrong with our hair that we got to have dollar bills flying around to make someone else rich. I really believe in investing on products that I feel fit. Like you I don’t want to not their hustle or anyone who is rocking and representing them to the fullest, I cannot do this to myself either.
There are other good products on the market that will have your hair screaming due to high price salon visits and getting costly products. Titi and Miko will still flip a high bill in investments from those who are even willing to spend $20 for that large tub of purple, blue, creamy white goo. The retailers will pay for this because they know their products are high in demand and willing to take part of the business venture to have their products displayed like gold in their window.
I gots to keep it real. I am natural and I want only natural hair ingredients on my hair. Who lose more-THEM or ME? Some would say me because I am not getting rich off of designed products, but they could lose as well because people who do their research and get hip to the game. Will not promote/invest in ingredients that are not good for black natural hair.
If we take a little more patience with ourselves and hair, we will find right products for us at a reasonable price. You might not even have to go anywhere special just to a Whole Foods, Natural Foods/Organic Store, or something out of the local beauty supply store. Know what’s good and give your hair lots of real love.
Great blogging Elle.
Love this post!
The sad thing is that Miss Jessie’s is expanding their marketing base. At the end of this month, they will be selling the product line at a local store (I won’t mention the store) near you. So, you know that means they probably won’t be changing their product ingredients to actually be NATURAL any time soon. Ugh!
I wonder what will be the price point?! Hmm.
Yah, I know exactly where it will be, and I’m sure they won’t lower the price. I doubt they will make some natural products, and frankly, I don’t really care if they do…they’d probably try to charge like, $100 a jar for it. Smh.
Thank you and Amen!
You summed up everything that I’ve wanted to say and or thoughts that I’ve had about Miss Jessie’s product line ever since they came on the scene years ago.
The one time that I decided to try their curly pudding – I was late to church. My hair looked terrible (to my standards) – nothing like the way I thought it would look. I washed all of the product out, after untwisting it and nurtured my hair with an ol’ tried & true favorite – aloe vera jelly and (pure) coconut oil w/a lil’ bit of raw shea butter. Beautiful! My hair looked a hot, dry mess with Miss Jessie’s curly pudding.
I too love their advertising…their look and their label. But I’m not too fond of anything else. People ask me my opinion and I refrain because of all of the things you mentioned. I’m like “try it for yourself, but it’s not for me.”
BTW – I haven’t mentioned it before…or commented – but I absolutely love your blog! Your “frankness” and honesty, w/ a splash of cutesy charm is quite intriguing…especially when I’m used to hearing “I’m a expert of natural hair…blah blah blah.” LOL!!!
Thanks for sharing!
Be blessed…
Sharonza
Thanks Sharonza! Glad you enjoy the blog 🙂 Yes, lol, I am not an expert in ANY way, I just love hair and products and researching what may work best for me. And so many people have said that Miss Jessie’s made their hair dry when I was looking at reviews…so I was like ummm…why would I want to pay $38 for that? Pass!!! I know a girl who BC’ed around the same time as I did, and she likes Miss Jessie’s…I mean hey, whatever works! *kanyeshrug*
1. GIRL CO- MUTHA- FUCKIN SIGN!!!
2. Yeah girl that was me that contacted them. Let me show you my original message:
“Their products did nothing for my hair but make it feel oily without any real moisture. I don’t necessarily think these women are scam artists or anything but I understand the frustration. I felt scammed after paying as much as I did for a product with mineral oil in it and didn’t work. But is it true that they have chemicals in their hair? I think it’s sort of misleading if they do.”
I posted it under the pseudonym “ILoveItKinky” because they didn’t like my other posts under “VidaStarRadio” or another one that they didn’t approve in the comment section. So I took a different approach and tried to be nicer. And that’s when they responded with the B.S. I never said their products had Lye in them. I don’t even know where they got that from.
Hey Cali!! Yea, I wasn’t sure if you wanted me to put your name in my post, LOL, but I commend you for contacting them. Their response is what set me off!
I completely agree. Glad to see I’m not the only person who came across all that. I was looking to try something new, and had the SAME process. Went to the site, liked what I saw….wondered why there were no ingredients listed on the site. Saw that the silkener cream was not the same as the treatment and then clicked to see wth the treatment was and was SHOCKED to see it was a chemical treatment. I kept it moving then searched and searched until I found the ingredient list and was SHOCKED when they had mineral oil.
What I did not know is that one of them had a silkener. *Sigh* I too decided that I will NOT be supporting their product line. Great information that EVERY transitioner should know before just ordering this product.
Well since they are mixed one will never get their hair texture. I have friends, with short hair, that have purchased products and products (including this brand) hoping that they will have long curly hair like the two owners. We used to call this “water wave” .
Actually, Titi has a silkener ie texturizer. So their own hair texture isn’t even natural. Shrug. I also don’t believe in “mixed” hair.