Try THIS Tuesday: Michelle’s Favorite & Inexpensive Curly Hair Care Products
Note from Collin:
Do you have a product you love? We definitely have many favorite products here on the Hip2Save Team, and thought it would be FUN to share some of them with you! I personally love product recommendations and I’ve also had a few requests from readers, so I have asked each member of the team to think of products they love (cosmetics, kitchen gadgets etc.) and to write up a post that will be shared here every Tuesday. Michelle, my sidekick, is sharing one of her favorites today…
Hey there! It’s Michelle, one of Collin’s sidekicks!
I am a mother of 4 kids, all with varying levels of curly hair. Before I had my kids, I had no idea what to do with curly hair but I sure know now! My daughter (Chloe, shown above) has the tightest curls out of all of my kids. If you want to get technical, most classify her hair curl as a 4c.
I have tried pretty much every product out there and have spent WAY more money testing products than I care to admit. I have bought everything from the very expensive special order products to the store brands. I thought I would share with you what works for us and is fairly inexpensive.
Shampoo and Rinse Out Conditioner
Our favorite shampoo and conditioners are Herbal Essences Hello Hydration Shampoo and Conditioner. Shampooing her hair too often dries it out, so we normally only wash it once a week and if it needs cleaned sooner then that we just use the Herbal Essences Hello Hydration Conditioner alone. The conditioner is not a leave-in but it makes the hair super slippery and helps with de-tangling. This works just as well as many higher priced conditioners I have tried.
Leave-in Conditioners
This is the key to hydrating your curls. After I wash and condition my daughter’s hair, I then get to work on de-tangling her hair with a wide tooth comb, but first I lather it all up with lots of leave-in conditioner. The Garnier Fructis Intensely Smooth Leave-In Conditioning Cream is a great and inexpensive option and can be purchased at Target and most grocery stores, however my FAVORITES are:
Silicon Mix mixed with one of these Kanechom products. Either of the two shown above work great and I can’t tell a big difference between the two; however, one has a shea butter base and one uses goat’s milk.
I scoop a bit of the Silicon Mix and a little of the Kanechom and rub it all through her wet hair. It makes it super slippery and easy to comb through and also acts as an amazing moisturizer.
The Kanechom tubs are 35.2 ounces and last a long time. The Silicon Mix is also a very large tub (60 oz) and lasts forever. I also love that it doesn’t leave a white film all over her hair like many products we have tried.
I think all hair is beautiful be it curly or straight or somewhere in-between. The key is finding what works for you, since hair types are all so different. I love teaching my kids to embrace their curls and to take good care of them! ❤️
Do you have curls? What products work for you?
Did you see our other Try THIS Tuesday posts?
- Lina Likes to Keep an Eye on Her Nest
- Kimberly’s Favorite Cosmetics (AND Some Tips!)
- Mary’s Favorite Kitchen Gadgets
- Angie’s Favorite Grooming Tools
- Erica’s Favorite Bathroom Gadgets for Toddlers
- Hannah’s Favorite Natural Sunscreen
- Bryn Can’t Live Without Her Scrub Daddy
- Collin Can’t Live Without THIS Peanut Butter on Her Spoon
- Angela’s Favorite Hair Brush
- Jessica Can’t Take Her Dogs on a Walk Without THIS Leash Coupler
- Lightbox Messages For Your Home Or Office ~ SO FUN!
This is great! Our family has a mixture of curly hair as well and it is hard to find what works best. Thank you for sharing.
You are so welcome!
Love the article! My daughter has looser curls but can be a bear to comb through. I’ve also tried numerous products but found what what works best for her is to use regular conditioner mixed with water as a detangler then use L’Oreal Sleek It to keep the frizz in control.
Do you think these products could be used caucasian hair? As I’ve gotten older my hair is more dry and I can’t find products that help.
Absolutely!
Thank you so much for this article!! I too have natural 4c hair and use the herbal essence as well. Now the kanechom and silicon mix, I’ve never heard of. So I went straight to Amazon for reviews and ordered. Thanks again!!
I think you will really like it. Just mix the two and lather it all over and comb out the tangles. It really keeps the curl nice and hydrated. I hope you like it!
I use the silicon mix. It is so great
Love this!! I have super thick, long curly hair and dread the “white film”. My boys are mixed and their hair is also curly, a couple conditioners we love our SheaMoisture products and Garnier Whole Blends Smoothing Leave-In Conditioner. The only things we’ve found so far that work for us. Definitely will try the Avanti tub though as I’ve been on the fence about it for awhile. TYSM for this post, look forward to see what other people swear by….
Yes the white film is the worst. My kids get so mad when I send them out the door to school and their hair has that film all over it. Thanks for the tips on the other products, I’ll have to give them a try too!
I started following the “curly girl method” a few years ago. I conditioner-wash my hair most days and then use a sulfate-free shampoo once per week. This makes a big difference! I also use a TINY bit of Shea Moisture Curling Gel Souffle on wet or dry hair to really get some volume and definition on my loose curls.
Thanks for the great tips!
Definitely LOVE the curly girl method and “squish to condish.” It has changed my curls from looking dry and frizzy to amazing. I never thought I could live without silicone in my hair until I found this method. Yes to Coconuts is what I use for a leave in. Shea Moisture shampoo and conditioner are my in -shower products.
What a beautiful family! Thank you for sharing!
Thank you and you are so welcome!
Thank you for the info !
My daughter and myself were just discussing what would be best for her hard to manage curly “mixed” hair. I’m absolutely trying some of these !!! Thanks !! 🙂
Gorgeous family. I’ve always been told to avoid silicon mix on my natural hair but I might just give it a shot when I take down my protective style this weekend
GREAT POST!
The Garnier fructis is mine and my daughters favorite detangling product to use when trying to comb thru the mess that is our hair. We also use Catwalk by tigi Curls Rock amplifier. Its like a cream as well that we rub on our hands and then scrunch into our hair. Keeps curls defined while limiting frizz , but doesnt leave me with crunchy curls – they are still very soft.
That’s exactly what I use! I have curly 3A. Sometimes I switch and use the Fruitus Curl Sculpt Cream instead of the TIGI.
I will have to look for that! I’m a 2b in the front but a 3b in the back – its a real pain to try to treat them differently. Just try to find one product that works on both is impossible!
I also use curls rock/amplifier, I’ve use for 10 years +. I switch once in awhile and always come back. Tames my frizz. Spray gel in between wash days is also part of my routine.
I love, love, love this! My daughters and I have curly hair and it can get so expensive trying new products! I have never heard of these and I am super excited to try them all! THANK YOU!!!
Yes! It is SO expensive trying out all the products. I’m glad that you found it helpful!
Six products is way too much for me! I wish I could post a pic of my kids hair. It’s to her butt, thick and curly. I use the cheap Suave coconut shampoo and conditioner. It’s $1.99 for the bigger bottles. I will add a serum to the ends. In between washes she will wash with just conditioner as mentioned above. At night she’ll wrap her hair up in a loose bun on top of her head to sleep. I think they key is not combing the hair when dry! You’ll get a fizzy mess! No one will be happy. It’s okay to go a few days without combing the curls while you are in between washes, just style the hair! Only comb once after a wash. This will bring peace to moms. My kiddo isn’t allowed to wear her hair down at school unless it’s a special event because after recess she’ll have Multch and a bazillions knots.
I wish! We’ve tried not combing my daughter’s curly tresses, but she must sleep extra wild cuz in the morning she always has a tangled mess bordering on a bird’s nest going on.
Thank you ! I have very coarse curly hair and have tried so many products. However, I have never tried the ones you have mentioned and they are less expensive! Thanks again! I plan on giving it a go!
You are welcome. Let us know if they work for you!
Thank you so much for this post!!! I currently use Silicone Mix and I love it but I didn’t realize that it’s also a leave in conditioner!! I’ve been washing it out after detangling my hair. I will definitely give this a try.
Thank you for this post. I am a natural curly girl and always looking for new products.
Where can I purchased the silicone mix and Kanechom. My daughter has really long, curly hair. She is Autistic and I need something that will help me comb out her hair when wet. Thank you for the info I need all the advice I can get for curly hair.
Click on the links in the original post to purchase any of the mentioned products
I also follow the Devacurl Curly girl Method. Ive been shampoo free for 4 years. Only time shampoo goes on my head is at the salon twice a year.
Ok the family pics are too adorable!!!!
Thank you! I kind of like them too 😊
Thanks for this. My daughter is half Puerto Rican. She’s two and a half and has had a full head of curls since the day she was born. I wash her hair with Johnson’s baby shampoo and condition it with Pantene conditioner for curly hair. While she is still in the tub and her hair is still extremely wet, I brush it with a wet brush and apply Miss Jesse’s Curls Quick Curls curl cream. I just work it through the hair with my fingers. I do no other brushing and no towel drying as it would just make her hair frizzy. After she has slept her hair needs to be wet in some areas to make the bedhead frizz go away. Sprays with water or leave in conditioner or detangler does the trick.
We also love the Garnier Leave in conditioners. We use the Sleek and Shine for quick moisture in the morning before school, and the Whole Blends Replenishing with olive oil in the evenings before bed. We are big fans of Miss Jessie’s Pillow Soft Curls. A quarter size amount after the leave in conditioner takes away frizz and defines curls.
I have long, thick 2B/2C curls. If you want manageable curls without any frizz or greasy, limp locks then you *must* do the Curly Girl method. It will change your life! I use only 3 products and have hair that constantly has people asking me if I curl it, how I grow it so long, and have it so healthy (no frizz or split ends). The Curly Girl method means absolutely no products w/ sulfates or silicones- my shampoo and conditioner are Trader Joe’s Tea Tree Tingle and I use the Shea Moisture Coconut & Hibiscus Curl and Style Milk as my only styling product. I wash and condition my hair every other day, comb through it w/ a wide-toothed comb ONLY in the shower while it has conditioner in it (you do NOT ever comb curly hair when it’s dry!), rinse, squeeze extra water out w/ my hands gently, apply my styling product, scrunch and finger comb to shape my curls a bit, and then “plop” my hair into a cotton t shirt until it is dry (no towels or heat obviously). The result is heavenly…perfectly defined, soft, bouncy curls with no frizz or oiliness. I never use anything to detangle my hair, or any combs/brushes/styling tools. I highly recommend this method to anyone w/ curly hair of any kind!
I have coarse, thick, curly hair – wash once a week and use conditioner in between. I use Aussie Moist Conditioner and comb thru in the shower. My daughter does this also. I haven’t found any other conditioner that works so well. We also use Mixed Chicks Leave-in conditioner on wet hair – keeps curls shiny and defined.
We too have used Mixed Chicks Leave-In conditioner. I do like that but it was getting a little pricey for us because of how much we had to use for my daughter’s thick hair.
Just beware. If you go to the salon to have a chemical straightener done; the chemicals are different for cacasion hair curls then African American hair curls. — Years ago I had a salon screw up, and use the wrong formula on my hair, and it came out pretty much ‘fried’ and very brittle. I went through a number of shampoos for months trying to get my hair back to a healthy state.
The WET brand detangle brushes are great for curly hair!
Thank you! I was seriously just thinking yesterday that I need advice on products for my 3 year old daughters curls. It’s more curly underneath than on top but they are such beautiful curls…I wondered what to put in them to hold the curl and bring out any curl on top. Thanks for the post and all the comments!
I think that Silicon Mix is made in my country (Dominican Republic).
I use to put it on my extensions as a detangler and it was an excellent product.
My five year old has really curly hair, and looks like her 2 year old sister will too. Finding our groove has been hard. I have been trying a bunch of different products and techniques over the past couple years. Thank you so much for this post! Most recently we tried the Hask Argan oil conditioner/treatment from the Target May beauty box – this worked amazing with the tangles! We only use a Wet Brush on her hair after washing, maybe twice a week. I try to braid it every night before bed and style in a ponytail if it gets knotted between washes. Great tips everyone – thanks for sharing!!
Good post! Thank you! I do the Curly Girl method, too. I never use a brush or comb – just my fingers.
I do the curly girl method and get my hair cut at Devachan. I swear by Suave Shea and Almond shampoo and conditioner. If I am somewhere I can’t find it I buy the Suave daily clarifying conditioner. People stop to ask where I get my haircut and what products I use! There is no need to buy expensive products. I used these all through chemo and bone marrow transplant and losing my hair twice and growing it back!
Has anyone ever tried this on dry brittle Caucasian hair? Mine needs help, lol.
i am Caucasian, and i have long, coarse hair strands. it’s very straight, but i tried the co-wash method after reading about it a couple years ago, and it works for me!
when i get a dry scalp and my hair starts looking dry (due to winter in a dry climate!) i skip the shampoo once a week and only wash with a good thick conditioner, really working it into my scalp and all the way through to the ends.
i don’t use a lot of styling product, so it doesn’t feel weighed down even if i skip shampoo once in a while. (i normally shampoo 3-4x a week.)
Your girl’s hair is beautiful!! My daughter has crazy curls too! She is caucasian so we can’t use some of the super heavy moisturizers. I’ve found what works best for detangling her hair is conditioner watered down in a spray bottle. It works much better than some of the expensive products we’ve bought. We love Aussie mega wet shampoo and conditioner, and the 3 minute miracle conditioner by them as well. It works SO much better than the $10-15 bottles of products we’ve tried!
I have straight non curling hair. Can someone explain the curls rating system? My 2 year granddaughter has curly hair that frizzes if brushed when dry. My daughter’s hair is a lot like mine except her hair will hold a perm. She has been trying different products trying to find something that works for young children.
Hope this is helpful: https://www.naturallycurly.com/hair-types
Silicon mix is the best, been using since I was a kid. Thanks for sharing these tips!
Mama of a bi-racial 3c curly headed girl here. Suave Shea and Almond conditioner as a detangler in the bath tub and Herbal Essence Hello Hydration Conditioner as a leave in are our go to products. I have spent SOOOO much money on expensive ethnic hair products and always go back to those. I will definitely try the other conditioners above! She’s 11 with hair to her booty when I flat iron it. Gotta keep those girl healthy!
Hairdresser here, just be careful using regular conditioner as leave in it will cause breakage with repeated use.
Great article and suggestions! I really appreciate you!
Omg her son is tall! Lol almost all my younger siblings are taller than me!
I think i might try this on my hair. Love garnier but haven’t tried thw whole blends. From all the reviews and comments i might try. I have a mix of 3a/3b. For my 2 year old i use carols daughter monoi oil and the maui line of coconut and shea products. Everything else is too heavy and makes his hair look greasy. I’m black and my husband is mostly hispanic. Our son has beautiful curls like shirely temple curls. But the frizz is crazy. I also don’t use shampoo in his hair.
HA! He is tall. He just turned 15 and is 6′ 6″.
The hardest part about curly hair is finding what works! Personally we’ve gone sulfate free in our house and have been loving it. Cantu is what we use.
For those that asked about whether these products can be used on Caucasian hair…people of ANY racial/ethnic background can have curls (of which there are many varieties- Google “hair types chart” for more info). If your hair is curly or wavy (yes, wavy hair is a type of curl) then you can and should use products meant for curly hair, no matter what race you identify yourself as. I am of Asian descent and have thick, curly hair whereas most Asian women have fine, silky straight hair. Caucasians can have anything from pin straight hair to very kinky, tightly coiled curls, so go by your hair type and not your race. Hope that helps!
Thanks for the post Michelle. Your family is adorable! Is your dog a bouvier?
Thank you. He is a labradoodle.
What beautiful hair your daughter has!
Thank you Sarah!
Great article. FYI…for those sensitive to strong scents, the Silicon Mix is the most strongly scented product I’ve ever used and there were times when it was too much to bear, just wanted to let you know.
My sister is transitioning back to her natural hair right now, and she also has 4c hair and is searching for some good products. I was showing her all of the products that you use and she would like to know how the hair is after applying the leave-in conditioners and drying? It’s easy to comb out when it’s wet and has conditioner in it, but is it still manageable once the hair dries? And what kind of moisturizers do you use? TIA
Hi Mika
We typically add the leave-in conditioner in the evenings but in the morning it’s usually still damp. I then will just take a spray bottle with water and mix in some of the leave-in conditioner and wet her hair a bit before she heads off to school. Yes it’s manageable once it dries but I never comb it when it’s dry. I sometimes will use some olive oil on her hair but other than these products we don’t use much else. Hope that helps!
Thank you for sharing, I just about cried. My lil one is mixed n it’s been hard doing her hair. I’ve tried several things from YouTube videos but haven’t worked. I’ll b trying these.
This is another product that I like that may work for your daughter however it’s more expensive than the ones I wrote about. When your daughter’s hair is wet after washing take a quarter sized amount of Mixed Chicks Leave-in Conditioner http://amzn.to/2qzu8EA and rub it all through the hair. It keeps kind of a wet curl look. It can make it a tiny bit crunchy but then you can go through and kind of separate the curls. Instead of adding more of the product each day I would just use a spray bottle with water and re-wet the hair. It kind of re-activates the leave-in conditioner. Good luck!
Thank you for sharing this. My daughter is natural and I have a hard time finding what works for her. Her hair is very frizzy and gets dry fast and hard to detangle. I will give this a try.
This is another product that I like that may work for your daughter however it’s more expensive than the ones I wrote about. When your daughter’s hair is wet after washing take a quarter sized amount of Mixed Chicks Leave-in Conditioner http://amzn.to/2qzu8EA and rub it all through the hair. It keeps kind of a wet curl look. It can make it a tiny bit crunchy but then you can go through and kind of separate the curls. Instead of adding more of the product each day I would just use a spray bottle with water and re-wet the hair. It kind of re-activates the leave-in conditioner. Good luck!
I have had corkscrew curls all my life and have fought with them forever. That is until I found the Garnier Fructis Intensely Smooth leave-in conditioner. it is life-changing for a curly haired girl. I used to wake up with a nest on my head, but now I just have normal hair. It’s crazy how effective this stuff is. I use both the 3-day and 24-hour versions and both make my hair incredibly smooth and silky, prevent flyaways and firizzies and still allow my hair to curl. Absolutely amazing. And so affordable.
This post was very helpful. Thank you