Walking down the haircare aisle can be daunting, leaving you more confused than when you walked in. Shampoo. Tick. Conditioner. Tick. Those two are simple enough. But what about all the serums, gels, bond builders and treatments?
Lesson 1: Less is More
When it comes to your curly hair journey, “less is more”. Going natural and wearing your hair in its natural form after years of styling and straightening is a huge step.
If I gave you a 10-step routine with all manner of hair masks, treatments and concoctions, you’d probably change your mind immediately. So, the most important thing at this stage is to create a routine that is simple enough for you to stick to while you fall back in love with your natural hair.
The best curly hair products for beginners are just the essentials you really need.
The best curly hair products for beginners.
There are only 3 products you really need:
- A shampoo: this is crucial for your scalp health, removing dirt and allowing your follicles to breathe. All this stimulates healthy hair growth.
- A conditioner: this will be key to tangle-free hair. A good conditioner melts away knots and leaves your strands super- moisturised.
- A styling product: this is the one most people forget, but it’s the most important step for the final results. Specialist curl-styling products have ingredients specifically for curls, holding them in place, defining them and reducing frizz. This category includes foams, mousses, creams and gels (my personal favourites). Oils, serums and leave-in conditioners do NOT count.
How do you choose the best curly hair products for your hair?
While everyone needs these 3 essentials, to achieve successful results every time, the exact products you pick will vary.
It all comes down to knowing your hair and its attributes. Your curl type doesn’t matter. For example, people with wavy hair and people with coily hair can use exactly the same products.
So, define your hair through hair density, thickness, porosity, and the final look that you are after. If you have fine hair, you’re going to need products with a lighter texture. If it’s coarser, you’re going to need richer ones. If your hair is more damaged (porosity), you’ll need strengthening ingredients like proteins. The list goes on…
What about all the other products brands tell us we ‘need’?
There is definitely space in an advanced curly hair routine for more tailored products, but lets not run before we can walk. Treatments, masks, serums, they all have a purpose and if you find the perfect combo.
As a beginner, you need to learn how about your hair, how it reacts to different types of products, what it likes and what it clearly doesn’t. And you can only do that one step at a time.
As you get more confident with your curly hair and get to know it better you can start experimenting by adding more products to your routine. That’s why it’s a curly hair journey. Stick with it, ladies, it will be worth the time and effort.
