Before you attempt a Google search or take a trip to the beauty supply store to purchase hair products you ask yourself:

• What am I going to buy? 
• Will this product work for me? 
• Will I be wasting my money? 

All very valid questions, you have before spending more money on new hair products.

What steps can you take to mitigate buying products that don’t work? And then armed with good information make decisions that’ll be best for your purse and your curly hair

Do You Know Your Hair Type?

When you know your hair type, you are better positioned to acquire products created and formulated for you. You want to avoid going through product after product trying to find the one that’ll work well for you. 

Are you: 

Type 2 – Wavy 

Type 2 wavy hair is the middle ground between straight and curly hair. Wavy hairs main characteristic is that it’s wavy as opposed to curls, an S shape. Wavy hair can be fine, thick, course, or medium textured. 

The follicle shape for wavy hair is semi-oval that gives the hair strand its wave.

Type 3 – Curly 

Type 3 curly hair can range from looser to tighter curls. The curls are shaped more like a spiral. The hair is normally thick, coarse or medium textured. 

Type 4 – Kinky, Coily

Type 4 can be described as coily or kinky, the curls can be very tight or zigzag in shape. Hair is delicate, especially where the hair bends and curls, being gentle is important to avoid breakage. Type 4 hair can be fine, medium, coarse to thick textured. 

Each hair type works best with different products. Lighter products wont weigh down fine curls or waves. Heavier products seal in moisture and prevent frizzing. 

For more information on hair type visit our article Know Your Hair Type – Discover The Characteristics Of Your Hair Type

Do You Know Your Hair Porosity?

There are three categories of porosity high, normal and low. We’ll focus on low and high porosity, because normal porosity hair is the optimal state where there is balance in how the hair takes on water, if your porosity is normal you have your hair game figured out. It’s healthy you found the products that work for you and you have no hair issues. 

Simply:

• Low porosity hair – repels water 
• High porosity hair – absorbs water

The cuticle layer on low porosity hair is closed, water can not get into the hair shaft readily. The cuticle lays flat and will reflect light providing the hair with sheen.

For high porosity hair the cuticle hair is raised or there are gaps, water is taken on easily into the hair shaft. The cuticle layer being raised hair will feel dry, because the cuticle doesn’t lay flat it will not reflect light and has a dull appearance. 

When you know your porosity this will determine what products to use, when to use them and the best application.

For how to determine your hair porosity read our article Does Porosity Matter?

The Good, Bad And The Ugly Ingredients

The ingredients in curly hair products can be good, bad and ugly, and it’s a major determining factor in their effectiveness when applied to hair. We have listed some of the ingredients that fall into each category. Keep this in mind as you research and shop for hair products.

• The good ingredients – nourish, moisturize, protect soften – butters, carrier oils, plant based ingredients, essential oils
• The bad ingredients – can be harmful to health – retinyl palmitate, triclosan, propylene glycol, lead acetate
• The ugly ingredients – coat and seal can have a drying effect on the hair  – mineral oils, petroleum, parabens, sodium laurel sulfate

For more information on the bad ingredients in hair products read our article What Are The Bad Ingredients In Hair Products?

Try Before You Buy  

There are many curly hair products available on the market. So how do you know what will work for you? It’s so easy to become a product junkie and end up with a ton of products that you’ve only used once or won’t get around to using at all.

You can:

• Commit to using the products that you currently have before purchasing any new ones 
• Buy sample sized products to trial before buying full sized products 
• Engage in product swaps with friends or family where you can exchange products that don’t work for you.

Buy the best products you can within your budget. Good organic and natural products have a higher cost than products that have cheaper synthetic ingredients. 

Seasonality

The weather and environment will also determine what products you’ll need and when to use and them. Curly hair will react differently to environmental conditions consequently it’s likely you’ll need different products in the summer than you’ll need in the winter. 

In addition there are times when your hair maybe dry and require moisture, protein, or hydration.  Some products work best for moisture whilst others restore protein etc. It’s not necessary to have a beauty supply store full of products in your bathroom cabinet. But having a select few products that work well for the needs of your hair, will ensure your hair looks amazing all year round.

For more information on moisture for curly read our article Moisture & Curly Hair Growth

Reviews

Reviews are a great way to determine how a product will work for you and your curls. To have the opinions and thoughts of other curly-haired girls for a product is reassuring. Both positive and negative reviews can provide great insight and help you in the decision-making process.

Armed with the information above you are ready to purchase the best products for your curly hair.

10 Best Curly Hair Products 2019

Monshea™ Hair Oil is a natural  rich moisturising oil specially formulated with innovative ingredients to help transform and soften your  colour treated hair.

£14.99 Shop Now

Luxju Nourishing Hair Creme an all natural and organic mositurizer formula that brings moisture to curly hair strands, provides moisture added sheen and strength.

$25.00 Shop Now

Raw Hair Organics silicone-free, anti-frizz spray is made with Kerabead Keratin technology

$32.00 Shop Now

John Masters Organics Leave In Conditioning Mist light weight, nutrient-rich mist that provides a daily boost of nutrients for healthy, soft strands.

$24.00 Shop Now

Captain Blankenship Mermaid Sea Salt Hair Spray a texturizing and moisturizing hair spray that helps add waves and life to your hair, giving it that just left the beach look and smell. A must have for mermaid hair.

$24.00 Shop Now

Balanced Guru Style Me Hair Oil style and control frizz, curls and flyaways, this lightweight hair oil for all types of hair. 

$19.99 Shop Now

Luxju Nourishing Hair Mist our paraben-free mist contains zero mineral oils or petroleum. The mist for curly hair is non-greasy and will leave hair feeling soft, healthy and conditioned.

$25.00 Shop Now

Alaffia Repair & Restore Curl Defining Cream Gel hydrates and defines curls with natural vitamins for shiny, long-lasting style.

$15.00 Shop Now

Aveda Be Curly intensifies curl, combats frizz and boosts shine on curly or wavy hair. Wheat protein and organic aloe infused styling crème.

$26.00 Shop Now

Ouidad Vital Curl Styling Cream Gel lightweight gel-cream hybrid infuses curls with vitamins, proteins, and botanicals as it locks in natural curl definition and shine.

$26.00 Shop Now