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She is a member of InStyle’s evergreen commerce team where she extensively tests and reviews countless products. For this story, she interviewed Vernon François, famed celebrity hair stylist, curl expert, and educator, to discover his tips and tricks for achieving your healthiest, most hydrated curls yet. Furthermore, Linne’s years of experimenting with her own curly hair routine (3B texture!) inform her favorite products, countless learnings, and best practices. As a dynamic husband and wife duo behind Curl Centric, our passion for curly hair has fueled a transformative journey. From intricate hair care routines to the simplicity and delight of embracing natural curls, Curl Centric is a beacon for the curly hair community, offering resources for hair growth, care, styling, and support.
Best Smelling: Oribe Grandiose Hair Plumping Mousse
Of course, these reviews aren’t the norm – only 3% of the reviews mentioned claims like this. Just like every other product on this list, Moco de Gorila gel comes with a unique list of pros and cons. Let’s get into them below to ensure that you’re getting a comprehensive picture of this product. So, don’t think that your experience with the product is doomed to be negative.
Design Essential Coconut & Monoi Curl Defining Gelee
After styling my hair, I noticed my blowout had a vivacious lift and bounce. It’s also super long-lasting, allowing my style to remain virtually unmoved for three days straight. Moreover, it helped add shine to my hair, thanks to its signature Alpha Keratin 60ku blend that’s color-safe, paraben-free, gluten-free and vegan.
Ceremonia Pequi Medium-Hold Styling Hair Gel
She also has an unhealthy adoration for Tom Hanks and would like to please meet him one day, if you could arrange that. Designed specifically with heat and humidity in mind, this gel works wonders to deflate your tresses. "On the worst most humid day, I use this and it always works," says one reviewer. "[It] leaves my hair feeling soft and not sticky or crunchy. Perfect gel for soft but strongly held curls." Described as a "glossing gel," this curl potion defines curls, hydrates hair, and delivers major shine. "I had low expectations for this product since lightweight gels usually do not provide good definition for my hair," says one reviewer.
Free of sulfates, silicones, and parabens, this curl gel is a dream for hydration and nourishment, while also taming coils and keeping frizz at bay. SheaMoisture’s entire Coconut & Hibiscus line is loved by curl whisperers, and this gel is no exception. Its alcohol-free formula prevents hair from drying out while keeping flyaways in check. Both organic and cruelty free, this gel smells like honey and orange blossoms.
Gels like the Eco Style Olive Oil Styling Gel offer a strong hold while also infusing your hair with moisture thanks to ingredients like olive oil and glycerin. It’s also beneficial if the product can combat frizz and has a pleasant scent, as these factors can enhance the overall hair styling experience. This gel is formulated for all hair types, which isn’t always the most promising claim when it comes to styling gels. But this one is actually formulated with enough hold to handle coarse, thick strands, and it has a few other ingredients that could do your curls some good. A little bit of this gel goes a long way to control frizz and keep curls looking great in most humid conditions. Has a nice scent, and doesn't contain parabens, phthalates, or silicone.

Olaplex No. 5 Conditioner
As someone with super-dry, curly hair, I have to be careful about what I put on my strands. I've tried a lot of different products over the years—and I mean a lot. It was only through this trial-and-error experience that I learned which ingredients don't work for my specific hair type.
Among the top performers from the GH Beauty Lab's hair mousse test, this pick scored highly for adding volume that lasted for hours and withstood various humidity levels. Made specifically "for coilies," this thick-textured conditioner is formulated with shea butter, making it perfect for coarse hair. The lightly-fragranced product melts through knots and is loaded with hydrating oils like avocado and safflower to detangle and hydrate high porosity hair. Curly girls will love that the conditioner bottle is significantly larger than its matching shampoo to reflect actual usage. Some people pride themselves on owning a massive shoe collection. This medium-hold gel combines nourishing pequi oil, strengthening acai extract, and moisturizing aloe to define limp curls while enhancing their shine.
22 Best Curl Creams for Defined Hair (Reviewed for 2024) - Cosmopolitan
22 Best Curl Creams for Defined Hair (Reviewed for .
Posted: Wed, 27 Mar 2024 07:00:00 GMT [source]
Best Hair Gel for Wavy Hair
14 Best Anti-Frizz Hair Products (Tested & Reviewed for 2024) - Cosmopolitan
14 Best Anti-Frizz Hair Products (Tested & Reviewed for .
Posted: Thu, 18 Apr 2024 07:00:00 GMT [source]
"I have low porosity, loose waves/curls, and this gel is perfect because it doesn’t weigh them down at all," says one reviewer. This gel also provides major hold, so your curls will look just as luscious at the end of the day as they did at the beginning. Uniquely, it’s crafted from marshmallow root and castor oil, likely why it’s a luscious, marshmallow-soft texture in your fingertips. It also helps cancel out dry scalp, I’ve noticed, and is especially fitting for those who want to preserve their curls or have thicker hair. It’s designed for scrunching into wet hair, but I apply it section by section as I braid. When it’s dry, you scrunch each section in your palms to break the cast for a silky bounce.
I’ve always wanted to try PATTERN, and I’m so glad its Curl Mousse became a staple in my haircare routine. Its stunning packaging is one thing, but its lightweight foam is another. It’s also the hair mousse that makes me feel like I stepped out of a five-star salon, and for that, it’s surely worth every penny. Trust me, you won’t regret this purchase, and it’s one I consistently reach for, too. This curl-quenching conditioner infuses curls with rich hydration, softens, strengthens, and encourages definition. Personally, I detangle while in the shower with conditioner in my hair, using my fingers and a gentle wide-tooth comb.
No matter what you seek or your individual needs and concerns, Allure wants to ensure that you love anything we recommend in our stories. We believe that having a diverse team of writers and editors — in addition to the wide range of outside testers and industry experts we regularly call upon — is essential to reaching that goal. This styling gel is a great pick if your hair is on the finer side.
Hair gel often gets a bad rap in the natural hair community for its tendency to cause crunchiness and stiffness, and to be fair, some gels do. However, the right gel formula can truly transform your hair, giving you bouncy, defined, and lustrous-looking curls and coils. I never used to be a fan of hair oils — I thought they were just an extra step that made your hands hard to wash and turned the sink into a pile of grease — until I found Aquage Silkening Oil. This product is light and feels silky smooth on your fingers (and more importantly, hair). With nourishing ingredients like argan oil and almond oil, it restores brilliance and shine to dehydrated curls. After washing and air-drying my hair, I like to use this as step one in my styling routine.
Hair gels have come a very long way since the early 2000s, when they would leave our tresses dried out and looking like ramen noodles. Thankfully, most formulas these days are alcohol-free and loaded with rich and nourishing ingredients. With that said, hair gels aren't necessarily a one-size-fits-all either. Just because it works for one curl type doesn't mean it will work for another, which is why we decided to hit up the pros for some recs.