Curly Haired Girls' Styling Products

[Fidelia]

It appears, ladies that there are many of us who have curly hair. I have spent a small fortune trying out new kinds of gels and serums for my hair. My best product so far is the cheapest: Dippity Do (the green one), which costs about $2.00 at WalMart or nearly any drugstore.

Do you have any suggestions for the best stuff to keep your hair unfrizzy, with defined curls and not crunchy? What are these products and where can you get them? What do you like about them?

Also, if you have found products you hate, tell us why.

Do you live in a dry or a humid climate? What type of curly hair to you have? (African, wild ringlets, S shaped waves, slight bend?)

 

[Usehername]

Is this only for curly haired individuals? I'm a wavy-haired individual. (Pretty much exactly the same kind of hair like Jill Hennessy in my avatar.)

To the NF in you: feel encouraged to exclude me if that's outside of your goal for this thread.

 

[Fidelia]

No no! Read the last sentence of my OP! You're welcome too. That's the kind of hair I have as well (I think you've seen my pictures, no?). Maybe I should have called it for wavy haired individuals, but I thought that would leave people out. I usually don't find a lot online that's helpful for people with hair like us.

 

[EJCC]

I have curly hair - not incredibly curly, but curly enough to be springy on a good day (and in humid weather). I use curl defining shampoo (Herbal Essences: Totally Twisted). I buy it at CVS, so anywhere like that should carry it. Also, with regard to frizz, I LOVE those hair dryers that have the attachments that hold your hair in place. That way, your hair isn't flying around all over the place while it's being dried, so it isn't frizzy. Or, you could just hold your hair in place while you dry it. (I do that - my hands get hot, but it works.) Also, I find that it helps to not dry it all the way, because then it gets more curly and less frizzy.

 

[iwakar]

I am forever trying to tame the beast that is my curly mop. (Album pic):

I experiment with new products weekly, but I find that a generous dollop of leave-in conditioning creme coupled with some light spray gel or mousse does the trick without too much crunch. Typical drug store brands like Garnier Fructis or SAMY work okay.

Also, with regard to frizz, I LOVE those hair dryers that have the attachments that hold your hair in place. That way, your hair isn't flying around all over the place while it's being dried, so it isn't frizzy. Or, you could just hold your hair in place while you dry it. (I do that - my hands get hot, but it works.) Also, I find that it helps to not dry it all the way, because then it gets more curly and less frizzy.

I find diffusers very useful as well and you're right about not completely drying it with the blow dryer.

Now what's really tricky for me is when I straighten my hair for a few days. I'm never really satisfied with anything I use to keep the frizz at bay. I'm pretty good with technique (I'm a beauty school dropout ), but I could use suggestions for product.

 

[Tallulah]

This stuff is great. It doesn't weigh the hair down, doesn't make it crunchy, and gives your curls (and waves) some extra spring.

John Frieda

Mine's naturally wavy, and this is what I use when I want to wear it in its natural state.

 

[Usehername]

I'm not going to post photos on the public forum, but if you're on my friend list you can see photos of my hair. (The guitar photo is iron-straightened hair; the photo with the MIT prof was straightened hair, but then I had to run an errand outside in the rain and it de-straightened it.) I live in a very non-humid area. When I was in British Columbia I had awesomely curly hair without effort, but when I tried to straighten it it would never stay flat.

I'll post photos of Jill Hennessy to illustrate on the public forum, since her hair is very similar to mine. (Note: Just realized she has transitioned to a back to a music career!)

My greatest success has been to use almost any name brand drugstore shampoo (i.e. not the salon stuff, but the higher end stuff you can find at your local drugstore) with this leave-in conditioner. (Sexy Hair Organics.)

I don't blow-dry my hair, I just let it dry naturally. It dries to wavy like this:

I've had some success in the past to make it curly but when it's too long it will only go this much curly because of the weight (my hair is currently probably exactly the same length).

I also find there's times when I put in gel or moose to make it very curly, and sometimes this is successful. Other times, due to a slightly different haircut or hair length (length = more weight) it is completely unsuccessful and my hair doesn't have any good-lookin' curl ability. Because of this I am wary to rely on making my hair curly and sort of avoid it, just leaving it wavy or straightening it for places that I have to look nice.

Another problem I have is that I have wisps of 3-4 inch long baby hair that are never going to grow around my scalp line; they're completely unnoticeable when I wear my hair down, but when it's in a ponytail and I'm sweaty from sports they migrate into horns when I'm running around.

I could use some product advice.

 

[iwakar]

This stuff is great. It doesn't weigh the hair down, doesn't make it crunchy, and gives your curls (and waves) some extra spring.

John Frieda

Mine's naturally wavy, and this is what I use when I want to wear it in its natural state.

I think that stuff is good for wavy hair (my boyfriend can use it), but it just wasn't enough to control mine. I have rebellious curls.

 

[run]

Curly-haired girls

 

[Fidelia]

You get those little scalp twisty things too? I was in PEI just a bit ago and loved the way my hair went there! Humid, but not too hot=good hair!

I haven't ever had any luck with spray gel or John Freida products. Very disappointing, as my roomie's hair in university used to look gorgeous with FrizzEase! (But she had wild tight curls) My hair would be like that 2nd picture of Jill. Also folks, do you find your hair gets really dry? Do you have any great deep conditioners to recommend along with the other products?

 

[BlackCat]

Curly haired girls are hot.

 

[BerberElla]

This stuff is great. It doesn't weigh the hair down, doesn't make it crunchy, and gives your curls (and waves) some extra spring.

John Frieda

Mine's naturally wavy, and this is what I use when I want to wear it in its natural state.

Yep, I was just about to make the same recommendation.

I have long curly hair, and I only use the curl spray to tame it from that range, did used to use the shampoo and conditioner, although I have had to take a break due to over use which is why I;'m just using the spray now, but I still say it's the absolute best.

 

[BerberElla]

I think that stuff is good for wavy hair (my boyfriend can use it), but it just wasn't enough to control mine. I have rebellious curls.

Yeah, it wouldn't work for my sister who has an afro kink to the curls in her hair, alot tighter and smaller. She uses "pink gel":

Ampro Pink Berry Ice Gel from Discount Beauty Products and Beauty Supply and a mix of pink lotion to weight it down so that she can wear it longer.

 

[shimsham]

Does anyone have recommendations for taming your hair in a humid environment? I just moved to a very humid place recently and I'm having one bad hair day after another.

 

[Salomé]

I think that stuff [John Freida] is good for wavy hair (my boyfriend can use it), but it just wasn't enough to control mine. I have rebellious curls.

+1 Not even the seriously intensive flavour, or whatever it's called.

Do you have any suggestions for the best stuff to keep your hair unfrizzy, with defined curls and not crunchy? What are these products and where can you get them? What do you like about them?
Do you live in a dry or a humid climate? What type of curly hair to you have? (African, wild ringlets, S shaped waves, slight bend?)

Wet climate. Wild ringlets.
Currently using Aveda "Be Curly" (salons/online). It's not bad applied when wet. Bit heavier than I'd like though. Quite like "Aussie" products. There used to be an Umberto Giannini serum that was pretty cheap and effective, but seems to be discontinued. Sometimes I use stuff designed to straighten, which just relaxes the curl a bit (used without straighteners).

Sis likes Kerastase Oleo Curl(also salons/online), though she is less curly, more wavy.

I never blow dry. Partly to avoid frizz, partly because I can't be bothered. Rainwater (mildly acidic) is best.
Usually find the less I do to it, the better it looks.

 

[kyuuei]

I have big S-shaped waves and VERY thick red hair. My hair makes me look like I should drive the magic school bus when it isn't tamed. (nearly 90% of the time.. I can't seem to be bothered to 'do' my hair.)

I didn't find much success with de-frizzing shampoos and conditioners at all. But, I did find rinsing my hair with lukewarm/mildly cold water helps. I used to do an apple cider vinegar rinse in it once a week, and let the vinegar dry in my hair. It kept my hair healthy, I just got lazy as my hair got longer. (The vinegar smell disappears entirely when it's dry.) I don't blowdry my hair. I straighten it on very few occasions. When I don't wear a hat to cover my mop, I use a touch of Bed Head's After Party, and a shine spray.

Admittably, I haven't experimented with much. I have tried John Frieda's serum, and it did ..okay.. but for what it did, it was rather annoying and didn't match the price I paid.

 

[jenocyde]

I make my own hair products. I use a light gel that I make out of basically just aloe vera juice/gel from the health food store, vegetable glycerin and xantham gum (to make it that thick, gooey consistency). I also put in jojoba oil or sweet almond oil or some other carrier oil that I have on hand and has a nice smell. I experimented until I got the right consistency for my mop of many different textures and curl patterns, which represent my many different pockets of ethnicity. The more xantham gum you use, the crunchier your hair will be. Seems to work ok.

 

[Fidelia]

Very interesting! What does the vegetable glycerin do? How much does making stuff cost in comparison to buying it? Does your hair still feel touchable? Sometimes I find stuff that works okay on my hair, but makes me feel like it is all glued together, even if I only use a little bit. Maybe it's got too much xantham gum (or the equivalent)...

 

[jenocyde]

Very interesting! What does the vegetable glycerin do? How much does making stuff cost in comparison to buying it? Does your hair still feel touchable? Sometimes I find stuff that works okay on my hair, but makes me feel like it is all glued together, even if I only use a little bit. Maybe it's got too much xantham gum (or the equivalent)...

Vegetable glycerin is a humectant, which helps your hair retain its natural moisture and allows it to shine without using silicone. Alcohol based products actually dry out your hair, which in my opinion, is the biggest reason why curly hair products fail us and make our hair dry and brittle. The alcohol and the harsh chemicals. Our hair is dry enough since the natural oils don't travel down to the ends as quickly or as easily as our straight haired counterparts.

The stuff I use makes my hair so soft and touchable, never ever flakes (unless I use waaaay to much gum) and holds my curl patterns. It literally feels that there is nothing in my hair, once dry. When it's still damp, it can feel a little slick or tacky. If I mess around in my hair and frizz it out, I simply just dab a little water to reactivate it, and it's back to what it was almost instantly. But everyone's hair is different.

If you are having a bad day, you can add a drop or two of an essential oil to lift your spirits and make a really great scent.

I used to use the most expensive products, which all have the same core ingredients as the cheap shit, so there's no point. I remember doing a cost analysis and came up with about $4 to make 24 oz, or something like that. It depends on how much aloe vera gel sells for in your health food store (which notoriously rips people off). But the other materials are dirt cheap. And since I usually use the size of 1-2 quarters (and my hair is really thick), this stuff lasts forever. And its all edible - depending on which carrier oil you use, if any.

 

[kyuuei]

^ Thinking about it, it probably costs around the same.. pro of getting a custom gel for your hair, a con of building it yourself.