I get this question ALL THE TIME!
"Are your curls natural?"
It's even funnier after I say yes. They will roll their eyes at me like I'm lying!
Honestly, I don't care anymore because curls are all I know and I feel like an expert when it comes to talking about them. I take a lot of pride in keeping my hair pristine and soft to the touch. My other curly haired girls know EXACTLY what I am talking about.
YUP...that mousse phase. The scrunch, crunch and just the overall wet hair look. I think it's a right of passage for all us girls but especially my curly haired friends.
Middle school was not nice to my hair...
However 20+ years of trying to find the best products I think I have complied a fairly awesome list if I don't say so myself.
I can't tell you how many times I've gotten products for "curly hair" that were just NOT for my type of curl. Which if you didn't know already there are multiple "types" of curly hair.
I have add the diagram below.
I sit at the 3B curly hair type. For me my curls are tight but much looser than others. As well as my hair is very very thin which is very uncommon for curly hair. So any heavy product would pull down my curls instead of give the volume as advertised.
Another issue I found was again the crunch or hard texture my curls would dry into if I used a mousse or gel like products.
I literally found my forever hair product IN COLLEGE...and not my freshman year.
I also swear by my aunt as my hairstylist (she gave me my first haircut and still is the only person I trust) I tried others who were "curl experts" but it is such a joke. Find your hairstylist and if you like how they did, STICK WITH THEM! There was only one other lady in my life I let cut/style my hair and after using her for 3 or so years she moved and back to my aunt I went.
Before I get to my favorite products I will tell you those that were a big hit and miss for me.
Mousse: Yes, I will say this 100 times but don't use it they all suck. Your hair will be so crunchy and hard. Yes it's cheap...but curly hair needs love. (I will give you my tricks on how I make my products last for months!)
DevaCurl: I was really excited to find them! However just like most gels the crunch was still an issue and the smell was too much for me. I tried the trial pack of shampoo/conditioner and 2 types of their style & shape products I was really starting to like the "Touchable Texture Whip" but again after a couple days of use my hair started to get hard sections. I did find that their Microfiber Towel is AMAZING! I actually use it after every wash to dry my hair because FUN FACT: it is bad to dry curly hair with a normal towel.
CurlySexyHair: My aunt actually recommended this one to me! Again very optimistic because I was determined to find a product that was affordable and worked great! Again not very impressed, though I will say I do use the shampoo/conditioner and curling cream sometimes. It's not my go-to but it works when I've run out of my favorite. I found this product will leave residue throughout my hair like little clumps of the product, like it didn't rub into my hair.
OUIDAD: Another product I did a trial on. First I was thinking "Okay, I am liking this" then after the third use my hair was getting crunchy again. I was starting to get really frustrated, like there is nothing out there for my hair.
LUS: I was SO excited to try this brand and was really disappointed. I bought the three pack and followed the directions. Normal washing of my hair and they do an odd thing where you brush out your hair then part it in three sections and move the curling product through while wet. Very optimistic me was like "Okay! Looks like a lot but I'll try it" My hair was SO flat..very underwhelming. Especially for the price.
Please feel free to try any of these, again they are just some products I tried and found I did not like. I have linked them all for you!
Finally, let's talk about my go-to, all time favorite will do anything for products!
WINNER IS....Aveda Be Curly line!
This is the exact set I use! Don't get discouraged when you see the price (broke college girl Christine was very intimidated by $100 as well) BUT here is my trick for getting all of this to last me 6 months...
USE IT ALL UP! I am so serious. I used every single drop including adding water when I ran out IT STILL WORKS GREAT with the water because there is so much product left in these after you think it's all gone. I am currently out of all of these except my curl prep and this is how my hair looks with the water downed product! **Don't mind my roots we are in a quarantine ya'll!
But seriously it looks so good still! No frizz, volume and defined curls EXACTLY what I love my hair to look like.
I will tell you though that my curls are much more defined when I have all brand new products.
So here is the rundown on how I do my hair:
1. Shower, shampoo/conditioner. I go between Aveda and Function of Beauty (created just for my hair because I need the purple shampoo for my blonde and curl enhancer together...which you can NEVER find!) and once a week I use It's a 10 hair mask in place of my conditioner.
2. Once I am out of the shower I flip my head over and brush (this is also bad for curly hair, my aunt yells at my all the time... but I like brushing it out more than using a comb) this is the only time I EVER brush my hair. This is the only brush I use!
3. With my head still flipped over, I take that Microfiber towel from DevaCurl and scrunch dry. It honestly takes 10 minutes for my hair to dry doing this method.
4. Since I have brushed my hair upside down I have to then fling my hair up and I comb through with my hand.
5. Flip my head back over (be nice you can get a head rush real quick!) with a squeeze of the curl enhancer (about the size of nickle) and one pump of the style prep mix together in hand and scrunch it through your hair.
6. Flip back and let your hair air dry!
I hope you got some insight to what having curly hair entails! I love my curls and embrace them everyday. That's why I have tried soooo many products! Let me know some of your favorite hair products in a comment below!
XO,
Christine ~ The CurlyQ Mom