My hair was kind of begging for a little less heat damage, and it takes me a lot less time to get ready in the mornings now, but it did take a little while to assemble the perfect combination of products to work with my hair — a curly hair cocktail, if you will. Currently, here are my products of choice:
I alternate between Aussie Moist and Iden Bee Propolis Bee Balanced for shampooing and conditioning. My scalp can get pretty dry, and my hairdresser recommended the Iden products; it's also always good to alternate your shampoos and conditioners every so often to keep hair refreshed, and I've always liked Aussie products.
After I towel dry my hair, I mix together Redken's Fresh Curls Curl Refiner with a drop of Frizz Ease Clearly Defined Style Holding Gel. My hair is pretty soft/fine so if I use the Redken Curl Refiner on its own, my curls are too soft and, in turn, can look frizzy (though I like this product for the moisture it adds). Adding a little bit of the Frizz Ease gel helps to give the curls a little more shape, sans frizz.
Once my product is in, I try not to really mess with my hair much. The curls look their best when they do their own thing and I haven't gone crazy trying to scrunch them. I dry my hair with a diffuser (key for containing the frizz), and I spray Aussie Sprunch spray when it's still a little damp, then dry some more. The Sprunch spray is great for keeping things contained without being too wet or giving me crispy curls (eww). Once I'm done drying, I go over everything with a few more sprays of the Sprunch spray, and voila — somewhat contained curls.It may sound like a process, but it saves me about 15 minutes compared to when I was using the flat iron every day, and my hair feels healthier, to boot. I have to admit that I still like the way I look better with straight hair, but I save that long and drawn out process for special occasions now :)
Any other curly-haired ladies out there? What are your favorite products?
Thank you SO much for posting this! Sounds like we have similar hair/curls and I'm always looking for advice on the subject. I'm totally clueless when it comes to my hair (makeup too, ugh) and often just give up in frustration, which is why it's up in a ponytail 95% of the time.
ReplyDeleteI flat-ironed for years too, and only do it once in a while now. I've also in the last few yrs been battling with massively thinning hair (happened to my mom at my age too, sad), and I'm really self-conscious about it, so that's another challenge. I finally found a stylist who specializes in it. Anyways, I'm definitely going to try out a few of the products you recommended here. You're awesome, Brooke!
Ooh, I'll have to try these. I use Tresemme's curl enhancing creme -- it's saved me tons of styling time!
ReplyDeleteFellow curly-haired girl here. Mine is vrey thick, heavy and unruly but I am always in search of some good anti-frizz products with some slight control. No crunchies! I like the Biolage Gel (gelee) and occasionally use Biosilk just after combing through it after washing. Bumble and Bumble makes a nice shampoo/conditioner too- creme de caoao but you only need a little bit. Super rich.
ReplyDeleteI have straight hair, but got a perm for my birthday b/c I'm jealous of girls with naturally curly hair and it really helps my hair hold a curl (usually when I curl my hair with rollers or a curling iron it falls out after a few hours).
ReplyDeleteI use the frizz ease gel and I love it! I think I'm going to get the hairspray you use.
Right now I just scrunch my hair out of the shower and apply the gel (I use shampoo called Curly Sexy Hair)...some days I love it and other days it looks a little too messy for my taste, but I love not having to blow dry my hair...I'm especially looking forward to avoiding the blow dryer in the summer months :)
Thanks for the product recommendations! Can you post some recent pictures of your hair to give me some style inspiration :)