As your neighborhood curly-haired girl—I’ve worn my hair curly for the last 21 years and only ever straightened it once—I’m pretty sure that I’m more than qualified to talk about the love/hate relationship of curly hair. To start off, I just want to say that I only care about my hair looking good when I need it to look good. For the first two days after I wash and style my hair, it looks gorgeous. After that, I don’t care enough to refresh it, so it’s usually tossed up in a bun or slicked back. Now, regarding the slick back controversy, I understand that it’s not the best hairstyle for your hair, but the reality is that it’s easy to manage and easy to do, so I’m willing to take that risk. Judge me all you want, but it’s what works for me. After all, it’s just hair at the end of the day.Â
When thinking about how to approach this article, I was quite overwhelmed, as I have years of knowledge about curly hair. So, to make it easy for my fellow readers, I decided to make a list of products you need (in order from most important to least important) and a list of techniques that can take your curls to the next level. Now, it’s important to know that these products and techniques work for my hair type—medium-length, medium-thickness 2c to 3b hair with several different curl patterns—so they won’t automatically work for yours. Trial and error is really the most important thing I want you to take away from this article, so let’s get into it.
Curl Cream and Gel/Mousse
A good curl cream and a gel or mousse (or both!) are essential for definition and lasting curls. If you buy anything for your hair, these should be your priority. The curl cream provides the moisture and hydration that curly hair (which is naturally prone to dryness) needs, and the gel will help lock in that moisture and reduce frizziness by adding further protection. If you want something a little lighter, you can always use a mousse instead, as it basically does the same thing. I love to use both usually (gel first and then mousse), but if I’m in a hurry, I’ll only use a mousse.Â
My Favorite Curl Creams, Gels, and Mousses:
- Curl Creams: LUSH Curl Power Hair Cream, Miss Jessie’s Pillow Soft Curls, Briogeo Curl Charisma Rice Amino + Avocado Leave–In Defining CreamÂ
- Gels: Ouidad Advanced Climate Control Gel, Aveda Confixor Liquid Gel, Fenty Beauty The Gelly Type Strong Hold Gel (my favorite gel to also use for slick backs)
- Mousse: Not Your Mother’s Curl Talk Mousse
Leave-In Conditioner
A leave-in conditioner is another must-have product on my list. It just adds that extra level of hydration curly hair always seems to need. Â
My Favorite Leave-Ins:
- LUSH Super Milk Conditioning Hair Primer
- Briogeo Don’t Despair Repair! Moisture + Damage Defense Leave-In Treatment
Hair Mask
At this point, you might be getting sick of my emphasis on hydration, but it’s the #1 thing you want to focus on with curly hair. Because of curly hair’s structure, it dries out much faster than other hair patterns, requiring you to add in moisturizing products. A high-quality hair mask is my honorable mention product in my haircare routine. It’s the reason my hair went from being dry and damaged to healthy and full of life.Â
My Favorite Hair Mask:
- amika Soulfood Nourishing Hair MaskÂ
This is the most repurchased product in my routine. I’ve been through tubs of this and have put all of my friends onto this hair mask regardless of their hair pattern. I would highly recommend everyone—regardless of hair texture or pattern—give this mask a try.Â
Hair Oil
A good hair oil is something I’ve only truly understood the importance of in the last year. In the past, I only used cheap oil from the drugstore, as I was just using it to scrunch out the cast caused by the gel/mousse. Now, while there’s nothing wrong with using a cheap drugstore oil, a higher-end hair oil does create a difference in how your curls look and feel.Â
My Favorite Hair Oil:
- Moroccanoil Treatment Hair Oil
Shampoo and Conditioner
I don’t really have a favorite shampoo or conditioner because I love to switch them up. I’ve never enjoyed investing in expensive shampoos and conditioners (even though I’ve tried it), as I don’t see the point in spending so much money on something that I’ll instantly wash out of my hair. I’ve tried expensive ones and drugstore ones and, to be honest, I think the most important thing is finding one that doesn’t make your hair feel dry after washing and conditioning. Especially after you shampoo, you want your hair to feel clean, not stripped of all moisture. If you have the ability to, I would highly recommend adding a detox shampoo to your routine. Adding a detox shampoo to your routine will help remove product build-up (which is always a LOT with curly hair) in a way that regular shampoo can’t.Â
My Favorite Detox Shampoo:Â
- OUAI Detox Clarifying Shampoo
I want to now transition into talking about a few techniques you can try at home to take your curl routine to the next level.Â
T-Shirt Plopping
One of my favorite things to do if I’ve washed my hair at night is to plop my hair into a t-shirt and then sleep with my hair like that. This will keep moisture in your hair for as long as possible, so when you wake up in the morning, it’ll still be hydrated and well-defined.Â
Denman Brush
Using a denman brush or another styling brush will help increase the definition of your curls. My favorite styling hack is to only style the upper half of your hair with the brush while styling the lower half as normal. This way, you’ll still create definition in the visible part while enjoying the ease of not having to brush style your entire head. Fair warning, it does take a long time.Â
Sleeping with Your Hair in a Silk Scrunchie or Bonnet
While I am guilty of not always doing this, sleeping with your hair in a silk scrunchie or bonnet is the #1 thing you can do to make your curly hair last longer.Â
I hope my fellow members of the curly/wavy hair community find my tips useful. If you have one takeaway, let it be this: all hair textures and patterns are beautiful. Get out there and embrace your natural hair texture. I can’t wait to see your hair shine!Â