Our Favorite Curl Products!
Our Favorite Curl Products!
At Alfa Jae Salon we are always recommending the same 10 or 15 curly products by our favorite brands so we decided it would be best to make a list for you all! I will say that these are generalized curl recommendations and if you want specific recommendations for your curls then please come in for an Alfa Hydrate and we will be able to give you tailored recommendations! Also even though these products may be right for your hair, you will need to be taught how to use them properly,
The most important part of any curl routine is making sure your hair retains moisture.
So the first step in your curly routine should be using a shampoo that will remove any buildup from previous products that you have used.
The second step should be using a shampoo that adds moisture back into your hair, specifically a shampoo that says hydrate, moisture, or curl in the title.
A good clarifying shampoo Malibu C Undo Goo, it’s a gentle clarifying shampoo that will remove build up without stripping moisture from the hair.
Another good clarifying shampoo is the clarifying shampoo by Ashtae, This shampoo is a bit stronger and will remove more buildup from heavy products.
Some of my favorite moisturizing shampoos are Balance by AG Care, Curl Revive by AG Care, CBD Instant Curl Refresh by Leaf & Flower 🌸
When shampooing, be sure that your hair is saturated with water & that you get a really good lather, don’t bunch up the curls and run your fingers through them to help detangle.
After your second shampoo, leave your hair very saturated with water and start adding your conditioner roots to ends, rub the conditioner into your scalp and through the lengths of the hair until the conditioner starts to lather as if it’s shampoo. Once the conditioner is nice and lathered you can distribute it through the hair with a Denman brush, a wet brush, your fingers, or a wide tooth comb.
My favorite conditioners are Leaf & Flower CBD damage control & curl refresh, k18 (for some hair types), AG Care Boost, & AG Care Curl Revive.
You can cap your hair and let the conditioner sit for 15 minutes like a mask or you can use a separate mask.
One of my favorite masks is Malibu C Replenish.
Once the conditioner is rinsed out, it’s time to apply the moisturizing product, this product will feel more like a cream, lotion or a conditioner. This product will not be rinsed out, & the product will be applied on wet not towel dried hair. The product is to add moisture to the hair and make it behave as it should.
This will always be the first product in the styling routine.
My favorite products for this step are:
Leaf & Flower Curl Defining Cream
Ouidad Moiusture Lock Leave in Conditioner
Design Essentials Leave in conditioner
Ouidad Curl Quencher Curl Cream
Milkshake Curl Shaper
Ouidad Primer
Section your hair while it is drenched with water and apply the product until it slips through your hair from roots to ends. This curl routine is good to do in the shower to prevent making a mess. Your curls should look defined but the product should not be white or visible.
The second step in the styling routine will be sealing the moisture product in with a product that will have hold. This product will be a gel, a mousse, or a foam. It should either be clear, soapy, foam-like, or mousse like. A product that you would imagine would dry “crunchy” or “stiff”. This product will not dry crunchy or stiff do to all the moisture in the hair from the previous water and moisturizing products. The hair should still be drenched when applying this product and you should resaturate it a bit if it has started to dry.
My favorite products for this step are:
Ashtae Heavenly Foam
Design Essentials Almond & Avocado Curl Enhancing mousse
Ouidad Multi-Use Curl Foam
Ouidad Featherlight Volumizing Foam
Ouidad Styling Gel
Mizani Perfect Coil Oil Gel
Apply the holding product throughout the hair pulling apart the curls to define them by which curls want to clump together. Saturate the hair thoroughly with the product.
Once this product is applied towel scoop and scrunch the hair with a microfiber towel or t-shirt to absorb excess products and water. Once the hair is no longer dripping you can let it air dry or start the diffusing process.
When diffusing start by hovering the dryer around the hair without touching it to start to form a cast. If you want your curls to be voluminous you can flip your head upside down to really get to the roots. Once you have made a cast (shell) on your curls, you can go in and start scrunching with low air until about 80% dry, then let the rest air dry to avoid frizz.
All the products mentioned are water activated and rather than doing the whole routine again, you can rewet the hair & style it again using the product that is already in the hair.
When sleeping use a silk bonnet or pineapple your hair and have a silk pillow case.
I hope these general tips and product recommendations help you with your curly routine and as usual if you have any questions, drop them in the comment section!