Finding the best products for curly hair can be tricky. With promises of perfect curl definition and frizz-free curls, products can promise a lot but do they always deliver? Given the variety of curly hair products on the bathroom shelf of most curly girls, we know the answer is a big collective, “NO!”
We’ve cut and styled and loved curly hair of all types in our salon for many years and we thought we’d take the opportunity to share a little bit of our experience to help you choose the best products for your curly hair.
Curly Hair Products
We take a simple approach to hair and curly hair is no exception. When it comes to taking care of curly hair we like to focus on 3 golden rules:
- Routine – this is all about the when and how often you wash your hair.
- Application – how you apply a product to curly hair matters. Getting this right can make all the difference.
- Product – Choosing the right product is important but it’s only part of the story. Getting the right routine and application, as well as the right product, is the holy grail of curly hair care.
So, before we talk about the best products for curly hair, let’s talk about the when and the how; routine and application. Getting this right can not only help you get the most from your curly hair products but you’ll love how small changes to routine and application can improve the overall condition of your hair.
Getting the Right Routine for Your Curly Hair
When it comes to getting the right hair care routine the emphasis is very much on you. What we mean is that your hair is as individual as you are. Yes, we can give you guidance but in the end, you know your hair better than anyone else. The key is to observe. Simply noticing how your hair responds to your existing routine is a great place to start. To help illustrate the point, dry hair is the most common problem for curly hair and yet it can be resolved by the simple change to your routine that we’ve outlined below.
Why is my curly hair dry?
This is a common question and, it’s fair to say, that most curly hair types are naturally dry. Here’s why. The shape of curly hair with its twists and turns makes it more fragile than straight hair. Because of the movement in the cuticle, it’s more prone to breakage and this can make it vulnerable to becoming dry. However, just because curly hair is naturally dry, it doesn’t mean that your hair has to be dry!
When someone comes to us with dry curly hair, the first and most important question is how often do they cleanse and condition hair. If the answer is once a week, we’d encourage them to try cleansing and conditioning hair twice a week for a couple of weeks and to notice what changes they see in their hair. The second weekly wash is an opportunity to use a deep conditioning hair mask to boost the moisture and smooth the cuticle to lock that moisture in the hair for better curl definition and to de-frizz.
We understand that curly hair needs a different approach…
You don’t necessarily want to wash curly hair too often but sometimes once a week is just not enough. Here’s why. Conditioner is absolutely essential to managing the moisture load of the hair. The job of conditioner is to add moisture to the hair and seal the cuticle. By sealing the cuticle and reducing breakage hair can hold moisture for longer. Because curly hair is more prone to lifting and breakage, regular conditioning is key to managing moisture loss and preventing dry hair.
Why not take a look at your curly hair routine?
If your hair is dry and you are washing your hair infrequently, try adding an additional wash to your week and replace your conditioner with Restore and Shine Hair Masque to give hair an intensive treatment. Restore and Shine Hair Masque is the best curly hair product we’ve worked with over many years of looking after curly hair in our salon.
Because we are passionate about deep conditioners as the best foundation for healthy hair, we love to share tips on getting the best from them. If you are curious about deep conditioners, take a look at our blog, Salon Know How: Why use a Deep Conditioning Hair Mask?
Applying products to Curly Hair
Whilst dry hair is not the only problem for curly hair, making changes to your routine and taking note of the condition of your hair is a good way of understanding exactly what your hair needs. So next up, we have application. How you apply products to your hair is just as important as how often you care for your hair and the products you use.
It’s not uncommon for curls to lose their bounce and become weighed down. There are a couple of reasons for this. First up, it could be the products that you are using. They could be too heavy for your hair. But the other possibility is really all about how you are applying your curly hair products. We’ll talk a bit more about the best products for curly hair below, but before you throw your products in the bin (we hate to see waste! 🙂 ), let’s talk about application.
Here’s what we mean by application…
We are great believers that less is more. For example, we believe that by using simple styling techniques you can achieve better styling results. That’s because the more you touch hair, the drier it becomes and that makes it more difficult to work with and style. By choosing simpler, quicker techniques you can get better results. The same goes when you apply products to the hair. We believe in using less to get more from your product and the way you apply your curly hair products can absolutely make a difference to the results. So, to give you an example, below we’ve outlined how you can get the most from Restore and Shine Hair Masque. You can apply this to technique to any water-based deep conditioner. Try the following steps and see what difference it makes to how your hair feels.
How to Apply a Deep Conditioner to Curly Hair
Step 1
With water-based products, you generally need to cleanse the hair first. Water-based products work better on damp curly hair. Restore and Shine Hair Masque is water-based so we recommend cleansing hair first with Hydrate and Shine Shampoo. This is a wonderful, moisture-boosting shampoo that works perfectly on dry curly hair. If you have very fine curls then choose Revive and Shine Shampoo for volume.
Step 2
After cleansing and rinsing the hair, gently blot out the water from the hair. Using a microfibre towel is a good option here but if you don’t have one that’s fine. The watchword here is gentle. Hair is most delicate when wet so being gentle at this point makes a massive difference. It reduces the risk of breakage. Reducing breakage can have an impact on reducing moisture loss in hair that is already prone to becoming dry. If you prefer you can simply wrap a towel around your head and let it soak up the excess moisture.
Step 3
Now the trick here is not to let your hair become too dry. Essentially you want to get to a point where the hair still has some water in it but isn’t dripping wet. It should feel wet to touch but if there are still drips then you know the hair is still holding too much water. So simply blot the water out until there are no more drips.
Step 4
When hair is ready you can take a small amount of Restore and Shine Hair Masque and rub it between the palms of your hands. Spending a couple of minutes at this point will really help to warm up the product. When the product is warm, application to the hair is much easier and gives a more even application to the hair. The thing to avoid here is putting too much product in any once place. This technique of spreading and warming the product in your hands avoids overloading the hair with products. Remember less is more.
Step 5
So now the product is warm you can apply it to the mid-lengths and ends of your curly hair. If your hair is thick and coarse you make decide to take it all the way through to the roots. It really depends on your hair.
Step 6
Layering is a good way of ensuring you don’t use too much product. After the first layer, take another small amount of hair mask and warm up in your hands. Then apply as before. Hair Masks are best applied using a layering technique. You can do this 2 or 3 times. The total amount of Restore and Shine Hair Masque you should use for each treatment is around 10ml. So if you think about a 200ml jar, you should get around 20 dry hair treatments, lasting you around 20 weeks with a weekly application.
Step 7
Once you’ve applied your hair mask, you can leave as is or pop on a plastic shower cap. The heat that’s generated between the plastic cap and your head will give the hair mask a bit of a heat boost. But it’s not essential.
Step 8
Now your hair mask is on and working its magic, it just a question of how long. If you are using a product other than Restore and Shine Hair Masque we recommend you check the manufacturer’s instructions at this point. For Restore and Shine, you can leave on for 10 minutes or longer. Generally, for curly hair, we recommend longer. But it really depends on your hair. For finer curly hair types we recommend a couple of hours, for thicker, coarser curly hair types you can leave on for several hours or even let it dry into your hair and leave on overnight.
Step 9
When you are ready, rinse your hair and enjoy the silky feel and shiny look of your hair. Style as normal.
To summarise, if you follow the 3 principles of product application below, we believe you can get better results from your curly hair products.
- Less is more. Use less product, applying a little at a time.
- Get an even spread of products on the hair. Try not to overload any single area.
- Be gentle with the hair, especially when wet.
What are the Best Products for Curly Hair?
So now you’ve thought about your own curly hair routine and product application, let’s talk about the best products for curly hair. Drum roll, please! OK, we are going to be bold here and just say what we think. The best product for curly hair of all types is Restore and Shine Hair Masque. We don’t say this lightly. We’ve been in the hair salon business for over 40 years and worked with many products. For curly hair, Restore and Shine is simply sublime. It smells incredible too! Think zesty essential oils and exotic spa resorts.
Restore and Shine Hair Masque is the best curly hair product we have ever worked with for 3 reasons:
- It adds moisture to the hair. This is essential for curly hair which can be naturally dry. Pro vitamin b5 penetrates the hair cuticle to get moisture right to the core of the hair.
- It reduces water loss. Containing glycerin Restore and Shine Hair Masque prevents moisture loss and reduces the frizz that can be a problem for curly hair.
- It seals the cuticle. Cetearyl alcohol is an amazing ingredient for softening hair and skin. Don’t be put off by the name. Used in some of the best face creams, it smooths and softens the cuticle so that your hair can retain moisture and prevent dryness.
Use Restore and Shine Hair Masque once a week every week and you and your curls will never look back!
Recommended Reading
Over the years, we’ve talked to and helped a lot of customers with curly hair concerns. We write about how all aspects of healthy hair, from tackling frizz to getting rid of split ends and share salon tips and techniques for looking after all hair types. We’ve suggested some further reading below but please take a look at our Healthy Hair Blog to find more articles.
The way we style and care for our hair is not the only factor in how healthy or shiny our hair is. Good nutrition is important. If you want to delve deeper into how you can improve your healthy hair diet, take a look at our blog, Healthy Hair: Choose the Best Foods for Hair Growth.
Don’t forget to take a look at our ultimate guide for looking after curly hair in our blog, How to Care for Curly Hair Naturally.
Want to find out more about leave in conditioners and how they can help you in your quest for shiny curls? We give you the heads up in our blog on Leave in Hair Conditioners.
If your curls are excessively dry and you are looking for further reading on dry hair, Salon Know How: How to Moisturise Dry Hair is a must-read.
About Us
Ogario London is a salon developed, natural hair care range. As a niche brand, we are passionate about our products and delivering the best results is at the heart of what we do. So, if you have any questions about our products would like advice on the best products for your hair type, or have another question about how to look after your hair, please get in touch at info@ogariolondon.com
With regular weekly treatments from the ultimate hair mask for curly hair, Restore and Shine Hair Masque you can have seriously luscious curls!
