Somehow, the empties bag always creeps up on me, going from “almost empty” to overflowing and overwhelming me to even think about, let alone writing about in a logical way. However, I am proud that I’m getting so much better at finishing up what I have, rather than continuously purchasing without finishing products of the same variety first. I will say that there’s a lot of hair products but there’s also a lot in general. I live in a climate that’s pretty humid most of the year so the drier winter weather really plays a toll on my dry sensitive skin and drier hair and scalp. Okay so I had to split into hair and other but let’s go:

1. Curlsmith Wash & Scrub Detox Shampoo ($37 CDN | 237 mLs)

This has been my favourite clarifying shampoo for years at this point, and I didn’t even notice that they re-named it from the Detox Pro-Biotic to the much more sensible Detox Shampoo. Regardless, I haven’t noticed any formula changes (and spoiler alert, I repurchased as I’m using a new tube now), and it remains my favourite shampoo to remove buildup, cut down on itchiness and maintain good scalp health, without drying out the hair. It’s gentle but an efficient enough clarifier with the slightly gritty perlite powder to exfoliate the scalp without harsh scrub particles, several effective cleansing agents that are great at removing build-up while remaining fairly gentle and is soothing on the scalp with lactobacillus ferment and apple cider vinegar. I occasionally experiment with other things but it’s a great gentle clarifier, and it does not require me to deep condition afterwards for defined waves and curls.

2. Ouai Cleansing Scalp & Body Sugar Scrub ($54 CDN | 250g)

This had the signature Ouai scent, deliciously warm floral, and managed to both be a great somewhat-gentle scrub on the body and a scalp scrub. It both worked up a mild lather when massaged onto the scalp, functioning as a shampoo, while helping to gently exfoliate the scalp and to help with some buildup. I enjoyed that it was oil-rich and not overly clarifying but helped with a dry itchy scalp and cleansed sufficiently enough. My favourite way to use it was prior to a traditional shampoo for a spa-experience and gentle but thorough cleanse. It was lovely on the body as well. I would consider repurchasing again, especially if on sale.

3. Ouai Detox Shampoo ($43.50 CDN | 300 mL)

I promise that I’m not usually a huge scent person — especially as sometimes they can trigger headaches or allergies — but the warm floral Melrose Place scent this has is divine. It’s a great clarifying shampoo in its own right and is often more heavy duty of a clarifier than I need on a regular basis, although it’s sulfate free and not super drying. It removes silicones fantastically, buildup, even chlorine and hard-water buildup and is great at cutting through sweat and warm-weather gunk. It’s very concentrated so I’ve had the bottle on the go for over a year and I got good results using it. It kept my hair clean and and as bouncy as if I’d just gotten my hair done for ages, but I found I liked to deep condition afterwards for the best results. I wouldn’t be opposed to purchasing on sale, but it’s more of an occasional clarifying shampoo for me.

4. Curlsmith Essential Moisture Cleanser ($34 CDN | 355 mL)

I decided to try Curlsmith’s ‘newer’ more moisturizing shampoo last spring/summer and into the fall, which in hindsight was not super intuitive of me. I quite like the shampoo but during the summer months, I need more cleansing than other times in the year, as I do quite a bit of sweaty yoga and need to use a lot of hair product to combat the humidity during the weather. In other words, this is a great shampoo but it’s gentler than other ones even in the Curlsmith line, creating a mild lather, but containing oils too. I wouldn’t mind using again, but there’s definitely others that I’d try first. It would be great as a gentle shampoo for winter months or dry hair that doesn’t need a deep cleanse.

5. Curlsmith Curl Quenching Conditioning Wash ($34 CDN | 355 mL)

This is my favourite co-wash of all time and one of the few that I’ve tried that work for me. It’s my favourite in the winter or when I’m restyling my hair after some sort of fail, or my scalp has just started to get itchy but my hair doesn’t feel overly greasy or product-y. It’s glorious because it actually contains a cleansing agent that helps to clean and remove buildup and foams up a little, helping to cleanse the scalp with mechanical action of the fingertips. It’s very moisturizing, has amazing slip and gives me great curl clumps and definition afterwards. I don’t actually need to use a separate conditioner afterwards, and if I do, it’s just a little through the ends to help form curl clumps again. I’ve repurchased; it’s a cold weather staple for sure.

6. Curlsmith Multi-Tasking Conditioner ($37 CDN | 237 mL)

Despite containing castor seed oil, babassu seed oil and murumuru seed butter, I found this conditioner a little too lightweight for my high porosity hair to be ideal as a rinse-out (most of the time), and much too lightweight to be used as a deep conditioner or masque. However, it’s a dreamboat of a leave in for me, when I am reaching for one; I actually am a curl cream kind of girl for the clumping and control they provide so I’m often not using a leave in at all. I find as a conditioner, it’s a little light for me and it’s expensive from the amount of product I need to use on my pretty dense (but fine to medium in texture) head of hair. This would be great for hair that is easily over moisturized and looking for a balance of hydration, moisture and protein. It contains pumpkin seed extracts, some bonding ingredients and hydrolyzed proteins further down on the ingredient list along with some sealing ingredients but I tend to prefer a slightly heavier conditioner to really seal in juicier curl clumps. I would repurchase to use as a leave in because it definitely helps with dryness towards the back and underneath layer of my hair, tangling and all that jazz without interfering with a gel’s ability to form a cast and provide hold.

7. Garnier Whole Blends 5-in-1 Curl Conditioner ($11.99 CDN | 355 mL)

I would have linked this but it appears to be out of stock just about everywhere and I’ve heard it’s on its way out. It’s a shame because I thought it was a good widely available conditioner that was often on sale. It contains dimethicone (fair warning) and can be a bit producty but it’s moisturizing and medium weight, with glorious slip. It always gave me good curl definition after being rinsed out too and nice curl clumps, which is a must for me. It contains coconut extract, hibiscus extract and some nice oils, but it also had some isopropyl alcohol (likely to improve its texture). All in all, I enjoyed using it, but it appears to be discontinued.

8. Briogeo Rice Amino + Avocado Hydrating & Defining Hair Mask ($53 CDN | 236 mL)

This is one of my favourite hair masks but I don’t think it’s as much of an all-time favourite as the Briogeo Don’t Despair Repair option — it’s close though — and I’ve been lucky enough to snag it on sale a few times and would do so again. I find it odd that its marketed as being protein free, as there are rice amino acids high on the ingredients list, keratin amino acids and hydrolyzed quinoa itself further down, but I’m not complaining; I actually like the balance of moisture and protein for some curl enhancement and bounce. It’s fairly lightweight but moisturizing and hydrating, formulated with the amino acids previously mentioned (that aren’t going to give you that protein feeling some people are prone to) and avocado oil, castor seed oil, sweet almond oil and shea butter to help seal everything in. I’ve repurchased and would do again. Oh, and it adds great definition and sip. How did I forget that part?

9. Curlsmith Essential Moisture Conditioner ($34 CDN | 355 mL)

This is one of my favourite conditioners I’ve tried and is definitely my favourite from the brand so far (and I adore the Curlsmith brand). It’s fantastic especially in winter as it’s on the lighter end of medium weight but super moisturizing and concentrated. It offers great slip, too, even on uber-tangly hair with minimal product and leaves my hair with great curl clumps as well. It contains shea butter, coconut oil, avocado oil, sunflower oil and aloe so it’s great for sealing in moisture and adding slip. It helps to give great curl definition too. It’s a definite repurchase for me, especially during the winter. A little bit goes a long way, too.

10. Shea Moisture Manuka Honey & Mafura Oil Intensive Hydration Hair Mask ($14.96 CDN | 326g)

This is a great hair mask in its own right but is even more impressive as an affordable one. I will admit that I left mine open for too long and the texture kind of thickened and got weird but it still worked great; the more natural ingredients and not a ton of preservatives does mean that it shouldn’t be left out in the sun and open for too long, however. It’s a more concentrated, thicker mask that still lends a lot of slip, while having that richer texture. It’s definitely a heavier mask with coconut oil, shea butter, mango seed butter, mafura seed butter and baobab seed oil, so it’s great for thirsty high-porosity hair, and it also contains hydrolyzed rice protein towards the middle of the list for a balance of moisture and protein. It also contains honey which I noticed my hair likes and maybe it helps with having great curl clumps afterwards. My only complaint is that sometimes after rinsing out, my hair is so moisturized that I don’t get as much of a cast with my stylers. I will note that I have a wavier texture and this is intended for tighter and drier textures, but it’s still fantastic, for anyone who tolerates heavier weight products. I’ve already repurchased before.

11. Curlsmith Hold Me Softly Style Balm ($16 CDN | 59 mL)

With as enamoured with Curlsmith’s products as I am, it’s kind of amazing that this was the first travel-sized product that I’ve bought from them. Having so many products available in the travel size is actually a great idea for trialing products, especially for product hoarders and product junkies like myself. This small tube of their original curl cream actually lasted me months, and made it into my 2023 favourites because of how much I like it. It’s concentrated as it’s so moisturizing and is great for forming and cementing curl clumps with its medium weight. I’ve already since repurchased the full-size as it’s great, especially in the winter and paired with products containing more protein, as it’s protein-free and adds definition and control. If I didn’t mention before, it’s protein-free and pretty rich, with coconut oil, andiron seed oil, avocado oil and more.

12. Briogeo Curl Charisma Coil Custard ($43 CDN | 177 mL)

I love using this custard as a curl cream underneath a harder hold gel, even though it’s designed for textures much tighter than mine — I’m a wavy with some ringlets thrown in — and drier than mine, because with minimal product it really helps to form clumpy curl clumps and hold them together without weighing them down, while adding a bit of hold. It contains castor seed oil, shea butter, rice extract, rice amino acids and hydrolyzed quinoa. Please excuse my yellowed product packaging, as it lasted me quite a while and I left it in my bathroom exposed to sunlight for a long time. One thing I will say is that it’s a product that has one of those thick textures that will change over time if you haven’t used it up in a year or so if you aren’t careful. I will repurchase once I’m through some of the other creams in my stash, as I don’t go through them as quickly as gels.

13. Pattern Beauty Styling Custard ($38 CDN | 443.6 mL)

I really enjoy this super-slippery custard styler as a curl enhancer, paired with a harder hold gel on top, but it doesn’t have enough hold or humidity-resistance on its own for me and my porous hair. However, it gives me super juicy curls, great curl clumps and definitely enhances ringlets, while adding lightweight moisture and definition. I repurchased, but not to use on its own. It contains some polyquaternium-based polymers, linseed oil, irish moss, chamomile and agave so its rich in film-forming humectants and has some structure from the polymers but doesn’t contain anything truly heavy-duty in the hold department. With its lightweight slippery texture, it’s great as a refresher too. You also get a lot of product for the money so it’s not a bad deal.

14. Ouidad Advanced Climate Control Gel Stronger Hold ($29.99 CDN | 250 mL)

This was, I believe, my second bottle of this liquid-y slippery but humidity-resistant gel and it prompted the purchase of the larger size container for better value, I liked it so much. Its hold is very much in the medium-firm category depending on how much product you use — it’s very buildable — but it’s awesome for multi-day hair even in very humid east coast weather in the heat of summer. It forms somewhat of a cast but its hold/longevity can be even better than the cast would suggest when used in ideal conditions. This gel is very lightweight so it tends to give some curl-enhancement, bounce and great volume, while having ingredients that provide stronger hold, humidity resistance and moisture. It contains glycerin, shea butter glycerides, wheat amino acids, hydrolyzed wheat protein and multiple forms of the humidity-resistant polymer, polyquaternium. What this means is that it has moisture to seal my high porosity hair but also has the protein that tends structure and also gives some grit which is great for achieving volume at the roots and root curl. It’s great even on its own and plays well with other gels and refreshes super nicely, even when just glazing over dry curls. I do find you have to watch how much cream you are using with this gel or it will cut the hold drastically; however, it’s great.

15. Curlsmith Curl Defining Styling Souffle ($59 CDN | 473 mL)

You can tell that an empties post is long overdue because there’s two of the big buys of this favourite gel of mine, which is roughly what I use in a year — I do seriously love the stuff. Before I’ve described the hold as more of a medium firm but I say unless you heavily layer it, it’s more of a medium for me but it’s a medium that forms a definite cast. It’s wonderful in most seasons, even on its own without a curl cream underneath, except summer, when I 100% need more humidity resistance in my high porosity waves and looser curls. It’s rich in film-forming humectants, like irish moss, flax seed extract and aloe and oils like andiroba seed oil, avocado oil and shea butter, so it’s great at drawing moisture to the hair and sealing it all in; you can see this in the way that it gives incredible ringlets, general curl enhancement and definition. It also plays well with other products and I’ll happily repurchase again. It’s a custard with the hold of a gel, which I adore. If I didn’t already mention, it encourages curl clumps.

16. Curlsmith In-Shower Style Fixer ($37 CDN | 237 mL)

This was the first of the uber-hard-hold gels I tried with the super thick sticky-texture and texturized feel (grit) it leaves on the hair afterwards and while I did really enjoy using it, it’s not my favourite gel in this category — in fact, I prefer the Pattern Beauty Strong Hold Gel. . However, it has incredible hold that lasts through days through humidity and sweaty workouts and the thick texture gives that grit at the roots that really helps to maintain curl and lift at the roots on my finer hair texture. The product is super-concentrated and lasted a while and I got some great results but I found it could get heavy and could elongate my curl pattern. All in all, it’s a good gel and I achieved great results with it but I’m experimenting with some lighter weight options. I will say it does give great curl clumps, however.

17. AG Liquid Effects Extra Firm Styling Lotion ($22 CDN | 237 mL)

This is another one of those uber-watery slippery gels. It’s super lightweight (even though it contains a water-soluble silicone!) and is both slippery and enriched with rice extract, keratin amino acids, silk amino acids and hydrolyzed keratin to add some structure and elasticity to your texture, along with some humidity-resistant ingredients. It works on its own as a styler, but is more of a buildable medium-hold gel , is fantastic to add a bit of extra hold before diffusing in combination with other gels and its amazing for refreshes as its so lightweight and can add some definition and hold. It helps to tighten up looser parts of my texture with the protein it contains, adding both structure and bounce. It’s available at a myriad of places and is often on sale so it’s a great buy for a more affordable versatile gel. I repurchased it again, on a ridiculous sale, if I remember correctly. It’s fairly similar to the Ouidad gel but has slightly less hold and less of a cast and is even lighter in texture and more water-y and slippery.

18. Ouidad Advanced Climate Control Touch-Up Gel Cream ($26.99 CDN | 100 mL)

On days where I want to refresh a few singular curls/waves and just bring back some definition without adding in more gel, this is the perfect lightweight product. It has enough slip to re-smooth out the curl clumps and to help with tangling and adds control back but doesn’t add any sort of weight. I also suspect that the hydrolyzed proteins help to give limper curls more structure and a boost back. It works both without water as intended and dampened slightly to refresh larger sections of hair. It’s a favourite.

19. Living Proof No Frizz Vanishing Oil ($45 CDN | 50 mL)

This was an awesome silicone-free weightless oil. It was so lightweight, that I found I went through quite a lot of it so I wouldn’t necessarily repurchase unless it was on sale. It worked well for sealing my style on wash day and adding some polish back (and volume when fluffing the roots) on subsequent days. It contains an interesting mix of oils but remains almost weightless. It’s easily one of the lightest weight silicone-free oils that I’ve ever tried and would be great for fine easily-weighed-down hair.

20. As I Am Olive Oil & Tea Tree Salicylic Acid Dandruff Oil Treatment ($19.99 CDN | 120 mL)

This oil was the absolute best when used as a pre-shampoo oil treatment, as it contains enough salicylic acid to gently exfoliate the scalp and help with dry itchy scalp while detangling, prior to shampooing, and it helps to mitigate the dryness associated with shampooing. I don’t have dandruff but it was great for just your typical dry itchy scalp, which is what I experience. It contains castor seed oil, coconut oil, olive oil, tea tree, piroctone, peppermint oil and a ceramide to nourish the scalp and provide relief in addition to just moisturizing. It came with a lot of product and was affordable with an ingredient list designed to combat dry scalp issues, so I would re-purchase when I have less oils in the future.

What have you finished lately?