Beauty Pattern Styling Custard vs Bestsellers Kit Duel - Top Picks
The full size Styling Custard and the Styling Bestsellers Kit both put the famous custard in your hands. One is for believers, the other for explorers. Here is how they compare.
| Factor | PATTERN Beauty by Tracee Ellis Ross Styl | PATTERN Beauty Styling Bestsellers Kit |
|---|---|---|
| Price range | Check price | Check price |
| Contents | Styling Custard, 15 oz | Five mini stylers including custard |
| Best for | Committed custard users | Sampling the full line |
| Value | Best per ounce | Best discovery value |
| Custard amount | Full 15 oz jar | 1.75 oz mini |
Our Verdict
The full size Styling Custard wins for committed users, delivering fifteen ounces of the slippy, defining formula at the best per ounce price. If you already know PATTERN works for your hair, this is the economical choice. The Bestsellers Kit wins for discovery, letting you try the custard alongside the leave in, mousse, gel and cream minis before investing in full sizes. It is the smartest first purchase for PATTERN newcomers. Choose the full jar when you are sure. Choose the kit when you are still exploring.
More Top Picks in This Category
Not sold on either of these two? Here are more bestselling options worth considering.
Best for: Adding volume under the styling custard.
PATTERN Beauty Curl Mousse, 8 oz
- Weightless volume with flexible hold
- Defines curls without crunch
- Best for 3B and 3C hair
- Pairs under the styling custard for extra hold
Pros
- Top 20 in hair styling mousses
- Soft hold, crunch free
- Layers well with other PATTERN stylers
Cons
- Not enough hold alone for tight coils
- Pump can clog
Best for: Layering with the custard for maximum moisture and hold.
PATTERN Beauty Styling Cream, 15 oz
- Oil rich cream for moisture and touchable hold
- Shea butter for superior moisture penetration
- Great for protective styles and twist outs
- Best for 4B and 4C hair
Pros
- Rich moisture for dry coils
- Touchable hold, prevents breakage
- Excellent under or over the custard
Cons
- Heavy for fine hair
- Premium price
Want the Full Picture?
The Curl Styling Order: Cream Then Mousse, or Mousse Then Cream
The PATTERN Styling Cream and Curl Mousse raise the layering question every curly buyer faces: which goes first? The order that works for most curl types is cream then mousse. The styling cream goes on wet hair first as the moisture and definition base; it provides the slip that shapes curl clumps and the conditioning that keeps them soft. The mousse goes second as the hold layer; its lightweight foam wraps each clump in a cast that locks the pattern as it dries. Reversing the order puts the hold layer underneath the moisture layer, which produces crunch without definition and frizz by day two.
The exception is very fine curly hair, where cream-then-mousse can overwhelm. Fine curls often do better with mousse alone, or a tiny amount of cream on the ends with mousse doing the main work. The density test: if your curls fall flat or look stringy with both products, drop the cream and run mousse-only for two weeks. If they feel dry and undefined with mousse alone, add the cream back in half amounts. There is no universal correct order, only the order that works for your density and porosity. Our leave-in conditioner hub explains the layering science behind why product order changes results so dramatically.
Protein or Moisture: What Your Curls Need From Stylers
Styling products contribute to the protein-moisture balance just as much as treatments do, and many curl stylers contain hidden proteins that buyers never account for. Hydrolyzed wheat protein, silk amino acids, and keratin appear in mousses and creams marketed purely as moisturizing or defining. For protein-hungry curls, those hidden proteins are a bonus that improves structure and bounce. For protein-satisfied curls, they are the slow accumulation that turns bouncy curls stiff and straw-like over a month, a change buyers blame on weather or product failure.
The stretch test remains the diagnostic: wet a shed hair and stretch it. Excessive stretch means your curls want the protein in these stylers. Immediate snapping means they want pure moisture and you should check your styler labels for protein content. The PATTERN line's positioning as a moisture and definition line for textured hair means most users land on the moisture-needing side, but transitioning hair, color-treated curls, and heat-damaged curls often need the protein side addressed first. When curls lose their spring despite good moisture, protein is the missing variable. Our dry hair treatment guide walks through the full protein-moisture diagnosis with correction steps.
Humidity and Curl Definition
Humidity is the eternal curly-hair variable, and styling product choice is how you manage it. In humid conditions, hair absorbs moisture from the air, the shaft swells, and defined curls expand into frizz. The defense is a complete cast: cream plus mousse applied to soaking wet hair, dried without touching until fully dry, then scrunched to break the cast. An incomplete cast, from too little product or from touching the hair while drying, lets humidity in at the gaps. The mousse is doing the heavy anti-humidity work here; its film-forming polymers are the barrier between your curl pattern and the moist air.
Seasonal adjustment is the advanced move. In dry winter air, the same routine needs more cream and less mousse, since the enemy is moisture loss rather than moisture invasion. In humid summer, reverse it: lighter cream, fuller mousse application for a stronger cast. Buyers who run one routine year-round and wonder why summer curls frizz despite "the same products" are fighting the wrong seasonal battle. The refresh between wash days follows the same logic: in humidity, refresh with water and a light mousse reactivation rather than more cream, which adds weight without adding hold. Our best hair oils buyer guide covers sealing oils as an additional humidity barrier for curls that need extra protection.