In more recent years, I’ve tried to calm down on the senseless product purchasing and be more intentional in my product purchasing it general. An unfortunate byproduct of that is that I’ve almost stopped talking (or writing) about products if they don’t make my yearly favourites or seasonal favourites posts, or if they don’t make it to the empties stage, or they are too mangled beyond recognition to include. However, I want to get back into reviewing more products and discussing what I’m using, so let’s get to it, but before I get into it, let me tell you a little bit about my hair: it sits somewhere between wavy and curly, with a fine to medium texture, high density and high porosity, despite being the healthiest its ever been.

1. Curlsmith Flawless Finish Curl Enhancing Hairspray Stronger Hold ($37 CDN | 283 mL)

At first, I tried this hairspray before diffusing, as I’ve heard using hairsprays then can add extra hold and lift whilst reducing drying time, which resulted in multiple failures. It completely just destroyed all of my curl clumps and added weird separation and grit to my hair. I’m happy to report that it’s excellent, however, when used either right after diffusing or when the hair is completely dry. It adds a bit of grit when sprayed into the roots, which is particularly helpful at the back of my head where my waves tend to stick flat to my head and adds some extra hold and curl definition overall. It’s not overly sticky or crunchy either, despite being on the harder hold end of things. It really does help with getting some root lift, especially on clean hair, but I can’t wait to try it out in humidity as a way to add extra hold and humidity resistance — I am a girl whose hair reacts to humidity and who loves hold.

2. AG Hair Re:Coil Curl Activator ($26 CDN | 178 mL)

Back in late 2018-early 2019, when I started following the curly girl method for the second time, this was actually the first curl cream that I tried that I enjoyed using, but it wasn’t my favourite curl cream in existence. However, I’ve heard a lot of the curly people I follow raving about it and then it was on drastic sale on Amazon, and here we are. I made sure to get the squeeze tube packaging this time, as I have ‘fond’ memories of trying to get the pump unclogged on the original bottle I had. I’m enjoying it. It’s a curl activator, compared to your standard curl cream, so it contains magnesium sulfate which helps your curls, waves or whatever spring up thanks to its shrinking/reforming action on disulphide bonds. This means that it can be kind of drying and separating on the hair — as it is epsom salt –, thus, it can really enhance curls but can also add this gritty feeling. I really enjoy the texture and curl enhancement and like “stick” to individual curl clumps this gel-cream adds, but I can find it kind of drying and separating to curl clumps when not paired with the right other products, used in the correct ratio or quantities. I do enjoy that it also contains humidity-blocking polyquats and hydrolyzed proteins and that it offers a solid light to maybe medium hold on its own, making it usable without a gel on top, and great for refreshing. It adds great grit and root volume as well, but a little goes a long way in this regard. It doesn’t give the best curl clumps in the world but the curl clumps do really stick together that it forms and it gives me great ringlets. It’s a really solid curl cream but not my holy grail, I’d say.

3. Innersense I Create Definition Styling Foam ($16 CDN | 70 mL)

For years now, I have heard great things about Innersense and had the natural line available to me but I hadn’t been overly tempted to try it, likely because lightweight super-water-soluble products aren’t my priority, and I had always associated the company with greenwashing. However, I really like this foam. I love the availability of travel sizes that aren’t terrible value for money and I enjoy how super-concentrated it is (even on my hair that seems to eat hair products) and I really enjoy the super firm hold it has. The first time I used it was a total learning curve, as I didn’t realize a foam could be this high hold with such little product, and I didn’t realize just how texturizing it could be. It adds a lot of grit to the hair which really helps with getting lift that lasts, especially at the roots, and is so lightweight that it feels like a water. I prefer the product in wash day to be used sparingly, as otherwise it can be really gritty and separate my clumps more than I’d like, but it’s also a fantastic refresher for when your curls are looking a little limp and need a boost and some hold back. Looking at the ingredient list, I have no idea what is giving this product all the hold; is it sorcery? It relies on sucrose, polysaccharides and aloe, with some seed extracts and oils thrown in at the bottom of the ingredient list. Also, this travel size is going to last me ages and ages.

4. Treluxe Soothe & Restore Aloe Vera Curl Primer ($30.99 CDN | 236.5 mL)

While this isn’t the first product of it’s kind, to aid in the detangling process either for before or after shampooing, it’s pretty unique in that it’s also marketed to be used as a leave-in product to help style curls as well. Most of my experience with this product has been as a pre-poo, either applied before dry detangling or before detangling in the shower. It works great in this regard, as it adds a lot of slip, making the detangling process physically easier, as well as easier on the psyche, as someone with hair that is prone to tangling-snarling. Applying it prior to shampooing also helps protects the lengths and ends of the hair from the drying effects of shampooing. I’m curious to try it as a curl-clumping refreshing product, as it’s so lightweight, but I haven’t experimented with it yet in that way. I have tried it as a leave-in product before applying curl cream and I will say that it gave me beautifully smooth curl clumps while styling, but the two slippery products did end up interfering with the hold of my gel. I will need to experiment with it further, it seems. It contains glycerin, aloe, hydrogenated castor oil, a couple of polymers and other humectants so it remains lightweight without any real hold properties.

5. Curlsmith Effortless Waves Styling Spray ($37 CDN | 237 mL)

This was kind of a stupid hair-product-hoarding-slash-purchasing choice for me as my hair is absolutely not weighed down by the traditional Curlsmith stylers from the original line — and I love the definition and control they provide — and that I tend to find wave sprays annihilate my curl clumps and create frizz. Nevertheless, I bought this because it was specifically marketed to wavy hair and my hair falls on the wavy side of the spectrum, as it doesn’t universally curl from the roots (even though parts of my hair do form into loose ringlets and spirals). While I find that it doesn’t provide enough hold as a wash-day styler and breaks up curl clumps more than I’d like, I do enjoy it as a refresher spray. Unfortunately, I’m not someone who can just haphazardly spray refresher spray all over their hair without creating a frizzy mess, but when glazed in or sprayed on specific curl clumps, it adds some grit and texture that helps with root volume (especially at the back of my hair that can lie flat especially after sleeping on it or working out) and contains some curl-enhancing ingredients to help the hair spring up. It contains flaxseed extract and chia extract, which aren’t hydrolyzed proteins but do contain proteins and can give hair that bounce, vp/va copolymer to add light flexible soil and has hydrogenated castor oil along with humectants to add lightweight moisture to the hair.

6. Ouidad Advanced Climate Control Frizz-Fighting Touch-Up Balm ($27.99 CDN | 56g)

The Featherlight Touch-Up Gel Cream from this line has been an often repurchased product of mine, as I love that it can refresh hair without water or adding weight, so I had to try the richer oil-based balm in the same line. Despite being marketed primarily in humid conditions, it’s great for sealing ends, especially in drier weather conditions (i.e. winter in the northeast). It definitely seals overall and is not too heavy for my high-porosity waves. When applied to individual strands it lends overall control, can help to scrunch out the crunch and add some definition. It is not water soluble, however, containing candelilla wax, shea butter, murumuru butter, castor seed oil and numerous other oils so will need a shampoo of some variety in order to remove. Overall, I really like it, however, only time will tell whether or not it adds something above and beyond what the oils and serums I usually use provide, for taming controlling and re-defining curls as a next-day.

Any thoughts?