How We Test

Every product on this site is tested the same way for its category, on the same head, and scored on the same five things. This page is the whole method. If a review ever breaks one of these rules, it says so in the review.

Who tests

One tester: Abou. 4C hair, locs installed with an interlocking “instant locs” method in 2024, washed at least weekly, professionally retwisted every 2–2.5 months. Products are bought at retail unless a review says otherwise. Brands do not see reviews before publication and cannot pay for placement or a score.

The five scores

Every product gets a score from 0 to 10 on each of these. Weights differ by category (below) because a bonnet doesn’t need a moisture score and a spray doesn’t need hold.

Score	What it measures	How it’s checked
Clean	Residue and buildup: right away, after drying, and after repeated use	White-cloth wipe test along a loc; flake check on a dark shirt; how the next wash feels
Moisture	How the locs feel immediately, later the same day, and the next morning	Same section of hair every time, rated 1–5 at each checkpoint, plus close-up photos
Hold	Styling products only: neatness on day 0, 7 and 14; unravelling at the roots	Photos at each checkpoint
Scalp	Itch, flaking, tightness, comfort over the whole test window	A daily one-line note
Value	Price per ounce, how much you actually use per application, where you can buy it	Receipt, measured pumps or sprays, and a straight comparison with the cheaper option

The Verdict

The weighted average becomes The Verdict, with one of four labels:

• Verdict Pick (8.5 and up): I’d buy it again and recommend it without a caveat.
• Solid (7 to 8.4): good; a small drawback you should know about.
• Situational (5.5 to 6.9): good for a specific hair or routine, wrong for others. The review says which.
• Skip (below 5.5): didn’t earn its place on my shelf.

Every review also answers four blunt questions: Would I buy it again? Who is it for? Who should skip it? What’s the cheaper equivalent?

Test windows by category

Category	Window	Checkpoints
Sprays, mists, leave-ins	7 days of daily use on a marked section	Immediately, same evening, next morning, day 7 wipe test
Shampoos and clarifiers	Two full wash cycles (about 2 to 3 weeks)	Scalp clean? Rinse-out ease, residue after drying, 24-hour feel
Gels and retwist products	One retwist, 14-day window	Flake/residue check day 1 and day 7, hold at day 7 and 14, wash-out at the next wash
Oils and scalp products	14 days	Greasiness, transfer to bonnet or pillowcase, scalp comfort
Bonnets, towels, dryers, tools	30 days of normal use	Fit on long, heavy locs; lint; durability; drying time

When a comparison needs it, I mark separate sections of my locs with coloured clips and run products side by side on the same head, same week, same wash.

What a test can and can’t tell you

This is one head of 4C hair with one loc type in a dry climate. A product that leaves my locs dry might behave differently on thinner locs in Atlanta humidity. So every review states what it was tested on, and I try to explain why something might have happened as a hypothesis, not a finding. When my result contradicts common advice, and it sometimes does, I say so and keep testing rather than pretend the advice must be right.

Honesty rules

1. Nothing is described as tested unless it went through the window above. Research is labelled research.
2. No fabricated results, photos or experiences, ever. Photos are of my actual hair and the actual product.
3. Scores can change. If a product performs differently on a re-test, the review is updated and the change is dated.
4. Affiliate links are disclosed on every page that has them. They never influence a score.
5. AI helps me draft and organise. Every test, observation and opinion is mine. See the disclosure page.
6. “Last tested” and “Updated” dates appear on every review so you know how old the result is.

If you think a test was done wrong, tell me. I’d rather fix it than defend it.