FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
We get it, curl care can come with a few questions. Browse our most asked FAQs below, and if you’re still unsure, our team is just a message away.
DO YOU HAVE SAMPLES SIZES AVAILABLE?
We’d love to offer minis one day, and they’re firmly on our wish list. But right now, as a small, female-led Kiwi start-up, producing extra-tiny bottles would mean new moulds and high minimum orders, an investment that’s (for the moment) beyond our reach. We’re channelling every dollar into the formulas themselves so your curls get the best possible care.
Why a full size is still a confident first step:
– Our products are concentrated, so you need only a small amount each wash day. One bottle lasts much longer than you’d expect.
– Your order keeps our little team moving forward and brings us closer to affordable travel sizes.
– Even global hair-care giants seldom make true “trial” sizes; their scale simply lets them absorb the tooling costs. We’ll get there too, with your support.
– Unsure which product will fit your texture or routine? Drop us a message and we’ll point you to the perfect match.
Thank you for backing local, women-powered innovation while we’re still small but mighty. Your curls and our crew appreciate it more than words (or millilitres) can say!
DO YOUR STYLERS MAKE YOUR CURLS CRUNCHY?
Only for a hot minute and then the magic happens.
After you apply a styler and let your curls air-dry or diffuse until completely dry, the product forms a temporary “cast” (that hard shell you may remember from the ’80s and ’90s). Once the cast is set, simply “scrunch out the crunch” (SOTC): cup sections of hair in your hands and gently squeeze upward. The cast breaks, and underneath are soft, defined, bouncy curls.
How each CABELA styler behaves
CREME SUPREME: Lightweight cream with bamboo extract. Creates only a whisper of cast, so curls feel soft almost from the start.
BELLE OF THE GELS 2.0: Soft, flexible gel. Forms a light - medium, easily breakable cast for natural movement.
CURL STYLING ELIXIR: Our strongest, protein-powered hold. Builds a firmer cast for maximum longevity, but still scrunches out effortlessly once dry.
PRO TIP: Make sure every strand is 100% dry before you SOTC; scrunching too soon can disturb definition and invite frizz.
So yes, you’ll feel a little crunch at first but think of it as a protective cocoon. Break it, and your curls emerge soft, springy, and ready to turn heads!
CONDITIONERS: LIGHT OR THIRSTY? HOW DO I PICK?
Both versions share the exact same curl-loving actives and nourishing botanicals; the only difference is richness.
LIGHT gives fine-to-medium or easily weighed-down curls the hydration they need without sacrificing bounce or volume.
THIRSTY turns up the conditioning power for coarser, drier curls that crave deeper moisture and hydration.
If you’re unsure, start with Light and upgrade to Thirsty when your curls tell you they’re extra parched.
DO YOU SHIP INTERNATIONALLY?
Our online checkout is set up for New Zealand and Australia right now, but we do send CABELA goodness all over the globe. Just drop us a message with your order and delivery address and we’ll come back to you with a personalised shipping quote. Because we’re still a small, female-led start-up, we haven’t rolled out a full international freight programme -yet! Every order helps us grow closer to that goal, so thank you for your patience (and your curls-across-the-world enthusiasm).
I PREFER TO SHOP IN-STORE - WHERE CAN I FIND CABELA?
Right now you’ll find us in a growing number of curl-specialist salons across Aotearoa. Check our Stockists page
to see whether there’s a salon near you - we update it every time a new partner comes on board.
Our ambitions are bigger than the salon chair. We’re actively working toward placement in select pharmacies and prestige beauty retailers, right alongside other high-performance, premium brands. Every purchase (and your word-of-mouth love) helps us reach that goal faster, thank you for cheering us on!
WILL CABELA PRODUCTS MAKE MY STRAIGHT HAIR GO CURLY?
Your curl pattern lives in your DNA so if your strands grow in straight, no product can rewrite that script (our blog “Curly by Design” explains the science). What CABELA can do is reveal curls you didn’t realise you had. Years of heat-straightening, chemical services and euro-centric styling habits can flatten or hide a natural texture pattern. Because our formulas focus on optimum conditioning, damage repair, many customers discover their hair springs back with more bend, bounce and definition than they ever expected. So while we don’t create curls out of thin air, we’re pretty good at coaxing the ones you were born with out of hiding.
ARE YOUR PRODUCTS VEGAN AND CRUELTY FREE?
Yes, they’re 100 % vegan and cruelty-free, and here’s what that really means in Aotearoa.
Since 2015, New Zealand’s Animal Welfare Act has made it illegal to test finished cosmetic products or ingredients used exclusively in cosmetics on animals. That aligns perfectly with our own ethics: every CABELA formula is trialed only on willing curl-obsessed humans (often our own team and community).