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brown wooden hair brush beside white round pate on brown wooden table
brown wooden hair brush beside white round pate on brown wooden table
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Style > Beauty

5 Curly Hair Products I Can’t Live Without 

Cassidy Burry

The Her Campus National Editors write about products we love and think you’ll love too. Her Campus has affiliate partnerships, so we get a share of the revenue from your purchase. All products are in stock and all prices are accurate as of publication.

This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at Pace chapter.

The sheer amount of money, time, and effort that’s put into a curly girl’s hair routine is something that needs to be studied. The high price tag associated with hair products makes purchasing blindly a terrifying act. And if you’re like me, you’ve been plagued with “CurlTok,” the videos on TikTok dedicated to curly hair routines and products, taking over your “For You” page, and it seems as if everyone has a different “can’t-live-without” product to throw out there. I’m no different, and these five products I can’t live without. For reference, I have 2b-3a and extremely thick hair. 

1. Curl Power

Yes, Lush has a hair care line, and yes, it works great. I have yet to find another product that gives me the results that Curl Power gives me. The key ingredients are linseed gel, cocoa butter, and argan, coconut, and jojoba oil, which allow it to be extremely hydrating. Lush has been a strong advocate against animal testing, so you can have a clean conscience in purchasing with them. In true Lush style, it smells divine, and people will constantly ask you how your hair smells so good. It’s time to revisit your favorite bath bomb supplier and shop their hair care!

2. Fragrance-Free Strong Hold Gel 

This product is the holy grail of all hair gels. I first discovered this in the clearance section of a TJ Maxx, and I haven’t looked back since. Fair warning that this is the hardest hair product to find. Since my revelation in TJ Maxx, I have yet to find it in a store, and trust me, I’ve been looking everywhere. You will be stuck ordering it online, sometimes facing a “one per customer” barrier, but it’s worth it. It’s the product I tell everyone they need, and everyone who tries it loves it.

3. Define EdgeLift Brush

I fully thought this brush was being pushed by influencers through brand deals and sponsorships and would be a waste of 30 dollars, however, sadly, it’s amazing. I had the original “IT girl” style brush, the Denman brush, but I could never get the hang of it, and even though every hairdresser would use it on me, I could never achieve the same results at home. This brush gives the same results as my hairdresser with half the time and effort. It allows me to evenly disperse the product and create curl clumps effortlessly, ensuring a good hair day. 

4. TRES TWO Extra Hold Hair Spray for Frizz Control

The secret to getting your hair to last and look good for longer than three days is locking it in with hair spray. This is something I would’ve never done growing up, but it truly makes all the difference. I’ve found that TRESemmé has the best hairspray out there, and it doesn’t leave your hair feeling gross. It doesn’t leave any sticky feeling or shiny finish, and there’s no strong scent left behind. I’ve learned that the best time to use it is after your hair is fully dry, but before you manipulate your hair to look differently than its original styling (i.e. putting it in a bun).  

5. Hair Oil

Ouai’s oil leaves your hair feeling lush and smoothes frizz. When fighting New York’s winter dryness, and then the summer humidity, the latter is essential. In tandem, it also helps smooth and protect split ends, aiding you in your hair growth journey. It adds an extra layer of heat protection, crucial for those summer months with a strong UV index right around the corner. The hair oil is infused with a blend of African galanga, ama, and Asian borage oils, guaranteeing hydration. 

Pulling the trigger on buying new products is a scary thing, especially when it can make or break whether your hair turns out looking good or not. Hopefully, now you won’t be going into shopping so blindly. However, at the end of the day, everyone’s hair is different, from texture to porosity to length, so no product is a one-size-fits-all. It’s important to accept that what might work for some might not be the product for you, and trial and error comes with finding the right combination. 

Cassidy Burry is originally from northern California and is a current sophomore at Pace University. She is double majoring in Communications and Media, and Peace and Justice with a minor in digital storytelling and journalism. This is her second year as a member of Her Campus Pace. Throughout her childhood, she has collected various magazines, and Vogue in particular has been a great inspiration in her decision to pursue journalism. Cassidy also writes articles for a nonprofit, SisterLove, based in Atlanta, Georgia. They are the first women’s HIV, sexual, and reproductive justice organization in the southeastern United States. She feels honored to help advocate and educate people on the importance of reproductive and healthcare rights. These rights are extremely important to Cassidy, and ones she will not stop fighting for. Cassidy loves spending time with kids. Over the summer she is a summer camp counselor, at Camp Winnarainbow. Before that, she worked at a school program. That involved taking kids, ages four through seven, to different parks, beaches, and other locations native to northern California. They would focus on teaching the kids the importance of the environment and how to leave it better than they found it. They regularly clean up the beaches and parks they visit. Cassidy has always had a love for her community and giving back. She spent a large majority of her time in high school volunteering at a kitchen and garden that grew and produced meals for chronically ill people and their families. In her free time, she works part-time as a barista at a local bakery. Cassidy has a deep love for music ranging from all genres. She was named after the song “Cassidy '' by the Grateful Dead. She has found that being named after that legendary band has brought meaningful connections to her everyday life. For the majority of her childhood, she played competitive soccer. And now that she is no longer playing herself, she looks forward to the Women’s World Cup every four years. She hopes that women in sports will gain more recognition in the future, and will not be seen as second to men’s sport.