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I have curly hair and it has taken me years to figure out what works best. The best thing I did was try a bunch of different techniques and products that were suggested by other people until I found the best combo for me. My hair is fine so I find that I need to focus more on holding products like mousse and gel vs a curl cream. Also, I know this is not something that everyone has access to but see if there is a curl specialist/ curly hair stylist in your area. They can give you a lot of insight into what might work well for your hair and tips for consistent styling (can be pricy so definitely a bit more of a luxury)
Jan 13, 2025
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I am so glad you asked because I have fine, 3b/3c curly hair and A LOT OF IT, and my whole life I have struggled to find products & a routine that define my curls but still give me volume without weighing my hair down or making it greasy! preface: this is a long one! But please read through everything, I promise it will change your life like it did mine!!
Judging by your profile picture, it seems like you may also have fine(ish)/medium thick hair? similar to mine. please bear in mind that hair type & thickness is a massive factor in how well certain products Will work. But I don’t think a serum is gonna be enough to get your curls defined & frizz-free /: the gels and creams youve tried may also be too thick!
My holy grail products:
*curlsmith weightless air dry cream (leave-in)
*innersense hair love prep spray (basically another leave in but in liquid form)
*curlsmith hold me softly style balm (actual styling cream)
*any type of *lightweight* oil or thermal protectant spray - I alternate between argan oil, joico’s k-pak color therapy oil, and Kenra’s platinum blow dry smell (smells sooo good)
^these products are very lightweight but work great together in holding your curls so that you can easily go days in between washing and styling.
Now the key is not only which products you use but how much of each product you’re using! This is important bc if you use too much of a product, especially one that is heavy, it’s going to weigh your hair down, making it greasy & limp - even still for lightweight products. so measuring the amount of product to use is key & here’s how to do it: start by parting your hair like you normally would and then bring the hair on either side of your part around to the front. then take your index finger & thumb and wrap your fingers around each section of hair shafts (WHILE WET). when your hair fits snug into whatever shape and size ring you’ve created with your fingers, bring your fingers down through the section of hair being sure not to break your fingers up, keeping the ring of ur index finger & thumb, and whatever shape/size your left with is the exact amount of product youre gonna want to disperse through your hair. you’ll use that same amount for every product you use, except for the oil at the end.
Actual routine:
With hair soaking wet, BEFORE brushing, I apply my leave-in to each section. Then go ahead and spritz each section with the prep love spray. mind you, the sections are just the hair on either side of my part - so two sections all together, basically both halves of my hair. after a few spritzes on either section, I then go in with a brush (any type of detangling brush is fine, idek which one I use, it’s from Amazon) and brush out all the tangles. Brushing after applying these products ensures that it all gets dispersed evenly. then, re-section your hair and go in with your styling cream, raking it evenly thru the hair. Now 2nd to last step is KEY. The denman brush (which u can get on Amazon) is whats really gonna ensure your curls are defined. Prior to this step tho, make sure your hair is still wet, or at least 85% wet. If it’s not, spritz it with some water bc brushing through dry hair of any degree is going to create frizz! What you do w the denman brush is essentially break up your hair into more, smaller, sections, and brush through each section with the denman brush. This can be time consuming at first but the more you do it, the quicker you get w it. I don’t bother to create a bunch of sections anymore - I just clip all of my hair up leaving the bottom layer out and kind of repeat that process, working my way up to the crown & front pieces. but the key is making sure that each section is small. once you’ve passed through each section w the denman brush, you can go in with a TINY amount of oil. then diffuse!!! you can also air dry but I find diffusing to make my curls look nicer.
I know that was a lot but it’s really quite simple when you put it into practice. Hope this helps! 🤍
Apr 25, 2024
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Hi! I have fine and thin curly hair so I am on the lookout for very lightweight formulas as well.
Washing: Hairstory new wash. so expensive but it keeps my hair very healthy. If it ever feels a little heavy I’ll use innersense Shampoo and conditioner.
Styling- Innersense leave in conditioner- sprtiz into my hands and worked just into the tips.
Innersense mousse- roots to tips. This stuff is great, so lightweight!
I think you can get travel sizes of most of the innersense stuff to see if you like it before buying full sized products. Same for the new wash.
Other big things are styling practices and your haircut. If you are heat styling or straightening, that can lead to frizziness, and a good haircut will work wonders. After I gave up trying to straighten my hair to “look nice” and stopped using oils/ serums, my curls got more defined and the frizz went away. I bet western ma has some great stylists, but I will link my person in Portland Maine if you want to make the trek.
Best of luck on ur curly journey!
Apr 25, 2024
Over the last half a decade, i’ve come to embrace my curly hair and have garnered some ritualistic practices when it comes to my hair. here are some things I wish I would’ve known sooner, see photo for credibility:
- DO NOT use Shea Moisture, it’s waxy and will build up. Of course it’s different for everyone(particularly people with Black hair), I just find that line of products to be too heavy, and it leaves my hair looking dull.
- I genuinely like john frieda’s frizz-ease line for frizz, but the best thing you can do to combat frizz as previously mentioned, is apply a generous amount of leave-in conditioner after styling products.
- I prefer to plop for 10-20 minutes(put my hair in a t-shirt headwrap) and air dry after that. I’ve gotten the best volume and styling results with this method.
- If you can’t afford the good stuff(like that fancy K18 or Davine’s stuff my hair dresser wants me to use) splurge on a good mask. I use a nice mask once a week to remove and buildup from the week before and it leaves my hair feeling refreshed!
- Broken record i’m sure but get a hair dryer! I was hair-dryer-averse for many years and recently got one to help with volume. It takes me maybe 5-10 minutes and my hair ends up looking incredible!
Jul 22, 2024
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