Curly Hair Product Reviews & Buying Guides

Buying curly hair products can seem downright intimidating. Counters are packed with, shampoos, conditioners, leave-in treatments, styling creams, gels, mousses, oils, masks, styling products – all boasting softer, shinier, more defined curls.
However, what works for someone will cause someone else’s hair to feel heavy, dry, greasy or coated! Everyone has different hair type when it comes to texture, density, porosity, moisture requirements and curl type. Relying on “hot products” instead of what your hair requires just won’t work.
A decent guide and review of a curly hair product shouldn’t depend solely on what it claims, but how the ingredients apply and work and the result, at what price and for whose hair.

Why Curly Hair Product Reviews Matter

Reviews help you determine how a formula actually works. A product may have packaging that draws you in and a product story that makes you excited, but all those things are of little importance when it comes to how it performs for your curls.

When looking at a curly hair product, one should think about;

• What kind of hair product is the formula created for?
• Does the product offer mostly hold or is it more moisturizing?
• Is the formula light weight or rich?
• Does the formula do an excellent job with preventing fizz?
• Does it build up on the hair strands?
• How long does the style last for?
• Is it easy to use/ apply on the hair?
• Does it work well in tandem with other hair products?
• Is it good for the price/ amount of the product?

These will all result in a more relevant review to the consumer, opposed to only stating ‘good’ or ‘bad’.

Choose Products Based on Your Curl Type

Understanding your curl type may provide you with a good foundation when shopping for hair products.

Type 2 Wavy Hair

Heavy creams and oils can make waves heavy. Leave-in conditioner, mousse, foams, gel or lightweight conditioners can be beneficial for defining waves while keeping hair light and fluffy.
If waves appear limp or flat after styling, consider using a lighter product or a smaller amount of product.

Type 3 Curly Hair

Medium, loose and medium-tight curls will most likely benefit from balancing moisture with hold. Some great products include leave-in conditioners, creams and gels.
If frizz is a common struggle, the key is to select a product with moisturizing qualities combined with enough hold to keep hair in a coiled position.

Type 4 Coily Hair

Coily hair requires additional steps in moisturizing it; this is due to its nature. Moisturizing conditions, deep conditioning treatments, creams, leave-in conditions and the like will work.
Although heavy ingredients can enhance some types of coily hair, other types are overwhelmed by products with heavy ingredients, and so take care to modify the amounts based upon thickness and the number of strands in the hair at any given point.

Mixed Curl Patterns

Most people have more than one curl type present. It is common to see sections of both type 3 hair and type 4 hair or sections of both wavy hair with curly hair. You will need to experiment.

One part may need to be treated as wavy hair while the other type 3 or 4.

Using one product to moisturize the thicker type while a lighter gel on the more fragile type, you will maintain the healthy definition of the multiple Curl patterns while still keeping the strands moisturized.

How to Review Curly Hair Shampoo

When writing your own review on shampoo, you must think of two things: how does it clean the scalp, and how does it leave hair feeling. It is best to use a cleanser that takes away your sweat, oils and product buildup leaving your scalp comfortable. Dry curls will most likely benefit from gentle or conditioning cleansers, whereas frequent product users might occasionally use a heavier cleanser.

When reviewing shampoo consider these features:

• How well it cleanses
• How dry your hair feels after wash If it was drying on the scalp
• How well it lathers up/how easy it is to apply Product building up
• How well it works for everyday usage

Just because a shampoo is sulfate free doesn’t make it necessarily a better choice and just because a shampoo has sulfates doesn’t make it inappropriate to use. Everything depends on your hair and scalp.

How to Review Conditioner and Deep Treatments

Conditioners need to offer enough slip to allow you to work the product through the tangles and leave your curls soft and manageable. Lightweight conditions are a great choice for finer waves. Richer conditioning formulations can sometimes work better on thicker, more course and/or drier curls.

Deep conditions and masks, used less frequently than regular conditioning formulas, work to offer a more intense experience for your hair. Consider their effect on softness, manageability, elasticity and the ‘feel’ of your hair after deep conditioning without leaving it overly greasy.

How to Review Curl Creams, Gels, and Mousses

Product should be reviewed for its intended use. Curl Creams are typically used to provide moisture, softness, and buildable definition. Gels would be beneficial if the curls needed to maintain definition and be held in place for longer.

Mouse and Foams can hold the curls lightly and provide volume, which many feel is optimal for finer, heavy curls.

A good review would include a finish.

• Will the curls be soft and touchable?
• Or have a firm hold?
• Will it frizz or remove frizz?
• Will it take away your volume?
• Will you have a hard cast that needs to be broken when it dries?

How to Review Hair Oils and Serums

Finish a wet look with some oils and serums that can help give shine, control flyaways and improve your hair’s texture.
Keep in mind that each curl type won’t tolerate heavy oils- for thin hair it may end up greasy, thick or coarse hair should be fine for a heavy oil.
When you are evaluating oil/serums: look at its texture (is it a thicker oil?), the absorbency, shine that it’s creating, frizz control, and how well it can prevent it from making the curls flat.
While oils are beneficial and prevent hair from drying out and will make your hair soft, they can also prevent moisture loss so they are not an alternative to hydration.

Ingredients to Consider

Reading an ingredient list helps you compare products more effectively. Using Moisturizing formulation ingredients could include glycerin, aloe vera, panthenol, conditioning ingredients, oils, and butters. Some Damaged formulas include hydrolyzed proteins or amino acids, which help hair feel and appear stronger. For Styling products include conditioning ingredients and film-forming polymers that help provide hold and definition.

How to Compare Product Prices

 

The least expensive product doesn’t always offer the best value. And the most expensive product doesn’t always produce the best results. When comparing products to one another, focus on the amount of product in the package, as well as the amount of the product you’ll be using with each use.

A highly concentrated product that only requires a bit at a time might last longer than a large quantity of a lesser expensive product that requires a much more substantial application.

Take a moment to examine if your product has multiple functions that would be beneficial.

Watch Out for Marketing Claims

While words like “natural” “clean” “professional” and “curl loving” “chemical-free” will sway the purchasing process – marketing is only a part of the equation and isn’t the whole story. “Chemical-free” truly is a void statement for any traditional makeup product, as all ingredients are made from the very thing we are trying to avoid! Look instead for the full ingredient list, what the product has been created to do, instructions on usage and whether it’s right for your hair’s current needs. Natural doesn’t always mean it’s correct for you, and ‘clean’ may not always be best for curls.

How to Test a New Curly Hair Product

To start out when trying a new product, don’t change everything.
Add one new product and see what your hair does. Don’t use too much and follow the product directions.

Notice whether your:

• Curls are defined, not stringy
• Hair is moisturized and soft, not dry
• It’s not frizzy
• Doesn’t have too much volume, and if it does, it fluffs out in a nice way
• Scalp doesn’t feel uncomfortable
• It’s not building up

If every time you use a new product your hair feels very dry or your scalp itchy or oily (or both!) and your hair is hard to work with the next day, your new product probably isn’t the right fit.

Build Your Curly Hair Shopping List

A comprehensive curly hair routine doesn’t necessarily involve a ton of products. It would include the following as core products.

1. Gently cleaning/shampooing
2. Conditioning
3. Leave-in conditioner if applicable
4. One style product including a mousse/curl cream/gel.
5. Deep conditioner or mask to use as your hair requires it.

You could add on with more oils, serums, refreshers, or styling products as required for your hair. A simplified routine also helps you to isolate where or what products are Helping your curl.

Final Thoughts

For you to make informed purchasing decisions instead of blindly purchasing, “best curly hair products and buying guides” are written in general to be informative and avoid recommending one certain most popular product. However, you can and should be sure to use those information more strategically by considering the curl pattern you have-the tightness of your coils; hair thickness; hair density; your curls’ needs for moisture; hair texture; scalp health; intended hairstyle as well as your budget, to pick products that fit your needs. By reading ingredient lists, product functionalities and observe your hair over a long time, you could decide.

While there could not be one, you and your curls’ favourite product is one which perfectly Molds into your hairstyle goals, into your routine, as well as into your everyday life.

To find products and services tailored to your curl pattern and hair type, try exploring the best curly hair products with product types, curly hair products addressing particular needs, curly hair product ingredients and clean beauty, as well as curly hair styling and curl definition to understand more of how you build a routine for your own curls.