Editor tip: When you’re after glossy, clean strands, this cream doubles as a warmth protectant—simply blow-dry it via damp hair for a frizz-free end.
Key components: rice bran oil, rooibos tea, shea butter | Finest for: folks with completely different curl patterns
Ceaselessly requested questions
What do you have to search for in a curl cream?
When selecting a curl cream, deal with components that hydrate and outline with out leaving your curls feeling greasy or weighed down. “Curl lotions must be free from artificial components like amodimethicone and dimethicone,” says Joseph. “Additionally keep away from oils or butters that simply sit on high of the hair, abandoning a greasy residue.” As an alternative, search for light-weight components like shea butter or argan oil that soak into your strands, providing you with smooth, touchable curls with loads of definition.
It’s additionally a good suggestion to keep away from alcohol, which might dry out curls and strip them of moisture. A superb curl cream ought to really feel creamy (however not too heavy) and distribute simply from root to tip. Maintain a watch out for humectants like glycerin or aloe vera, which draw moisture into the hair, conserving your curls hydrated and bouncy. These components assist struggle frizz whereas conserving your curls smooth and energetic.
Is it higher to place curl cream on moist or dry hair?
For curls that pop, the key is in how moist your hair is while you apply the product. “It’s 100% higher to use any styling product—cream, gel, and/or mousse—on soaking moist hair,” says Rae. “Curly hair is extra susceptible to dryness, so we require a lot water. Curl-friendly merchandise are activated with water, so it gained’t weigh our hair down.” In different phrases, moisture is your curls’ finest buddy.
Joseph agrees: “Apply lotions to tremendous moist hair to elongate curls and retain size,” he says. “Apply to damp hair to extend spring issue, making the hair fuller and the curls tighter.” So relying in your vibe—whether or not you need extra stretched-out, relaxed curls or tighter, bouncier coils—simply how moist your hair is could make all of the distinction.
Is mousse higher than curl cream?
The reply actually relies on what sort of curls you’re after. Mousse is your go-to if you would like extra quantity and maintain—good for kinds that want slightly extra construction and definition. On the flip aspect, curl lotions are all about hydration and nourishment, providing you with softer, extra touchable curls. “I have a tendency to use mousses over lotions to get final nourishment with out dropping management and maintain,” says Joseph. “This combo will create smooth, touchable, lived-in curls with sufficient hydration and definition to appear like you simply left the salon.” So, if you happen to’re craving outlined curls with some endurance, strive layering mousse over cream for one of the best of each worlds.
Meet the specialists
- Evan Joseph, curly hair educator and proprietor of Evan Joseph Salon in San Diego, CA
- Kiana Rae, curl specialist and proprietor of West Coast Curls in Los Angeles, CA
- Alex Mouneu, LA-based texture specialist
- Cynthia Alvarez, a star hairstylist in New York, NY and Los Angeles, CA
- Ginger King, beauty chemist in Edison, New Jersey
- Lana Hun, hairstylist and curl specialist in Los Angeles, CA
- Leigh Hardges, hairstylist in Chicago, IL
- Kristin Ess, superstar hairstylist and founding father of Kristin Ess Hair in Los Angeles, CA
How we check and evaluate merchandise
We all the time enlist a variety of testers for our make-up vertical, however hair-care products and tools are one other story. Whereas there are definitely merchandise that can be utilized throughout completely different hair textures, lengths, curl patterns, thicknesses, colours (pure and unnatural), and desires, hair merchandise are sometimes created with particular customers in thoughts. Many are created with a view to address a concern (dandruff, breakage, brittleness) or to work most successfully for a particular hair sort (4C curls, wavy hair, grey hair). You would not wish to choose up a purple shampoo that is solely been reviewed by somebody with, say, auburn hair, or a diffuser that is by no means been examined by anybody with curls—proper?
