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Which products should I be using?
Have you started your curly hair journey and become overwhelmed by the number of products on the market? Are you unsure which products you need in your routine based on your hair type?
It’s very easy to walk into your local supermarket and pick up a shampoo, conditioner, mousse, and hair gel. However, there’s so much more you need to consider when selecting the RIGHT products for your textured hair. Here we have broken down the products you may need, as well as recommended which ingredients to look out for and which ones to avoid.
Shampoo
You may have heard of an ingredient called SLS (Sodium Lauryl Sulfate) and read how negatively this particular ingredient can impact our curls. SLS is one of the strongest synthetic cleansers on the market, and if not formulated correctly, it can be very irritating to our scalp. The molecule size of SLS is very small, which enables it to penetrate deep into the hair shaft, stick to our hair’s natural protein, and wash it away. This results in extremely dry, brittle strands, which in turn leads to limp and lifeless curls that break easily.
Look for specific curly hair shampoos as 9 times out of 10, they will contain natural surfactants derived from plants that are far gentler on our scalp and strands.
You’ll want to use a gentle shampoo for your regular wash days and a clarifying shampoo in place of your regular shampoo every 2 weeks or so. A clarifying shampoo has a much stronger formula and is designed to give your hair and scalp a deep clean to prevent buildup. Clarifying shampoos are not designed to be used every wash day.
Conditioner/Leave-In Conditioner/Leave-In Hair Cream/Curl Cream
You may have also read how silicones can negatively impact our curls due to their water-resistant qualities, leading to buildup on the hair shaft, which in turn weighs our curls down. Look for specific curly hair conditioners as they usually contain natural film-forming ingredients that are water-soluble.
What hair type you have (NOT curl type) will also determine which conditioner to look out for.
- If you have damaged and/or coarse hair, invest in a heavier conditioner that contains a small quantity of oils and/or butters.
- If you have fine hair, choose a lightweight conditioner that does not contain any butters (a small quantity of oil is fine).
These products are not always necessary. Whether you live in a soft or hard water area will largely determine their necessity. Soft water usually means you will not need conditioning products, while hard water usually means that you will.
Foam/Mousse
These are two very different products. Foams can be a little tricky to work with as they contain cleansing agents found in shampoos, which can be particularly drying to our hair strands. Mousse, on the other hand, is generally more moisturizing and can leave hair feeling quite soft.
Again, whether you live in a soft or hard water area will determine which product will suit you best.
- Foams are more beneficial in soft water areas as they provide that much-needed ‘grit’ to overly soft curls.
- Mousse is more beneficial in hard water areas as it offers moisturizing qualities to hair that may become dry from living with hard water.
Gel/Jelly
Every curly girl needs gel! This product will seal in all that wash day moisture. It locks your curls into place while diffusing and always gives you the cast that we all strive for. (If you are not managing to achieve a cast, see the “Product Amounts” article for more information.)
Look for gels that are free from silicones. All hair gels differ across the board, so always look for one specifically designed for curly hair.
- Coarser hair types benefit from harder hold gels.
- Finer hair types usually prefer lightweight, medium hold gels.
The Basics of a Curly Hair Routine
The following products form the basis of your curly hair routine:
- Clarifying Shampoo
- Regular (gentle) Shampoo
- Conditioner
- Leave-In Hair Cream/Leave-In Conditioner/Curl Cream (not always needed)
- Foam/Mousse (not always needed)
- Gel
Additional Products
From there, you can add in:
- Hair Oils (great for dry hair)
- Deep Conditioners/Hair Masks (great for coarse/damaged hair types)
- Refresh Sprays (great for reviving day 2, 3, 4, and onward curls)
- Texturizing Sprays (great for increasing root volume)
- Chelating Shampoos (great for removing hard water deposits if you live in a hard water area)
You may not necessarily need all of these products, but as always, experimentation is key until you find a routine that works best for you and your hair type.