Best Hair Product for Curly Hair, Tested by Expert

Best Hair Product for Curly Hair. Having a curly hair can sometimes feel like trying to keep your houseplants alive. Some days they look alive and well with little sun or water, some days they look haggard, and you’re left figuring out what they need to look healthy again — more moisture? More product?

Because finding the right arsenal of hair products to style curly hair isn’t an easy feat, we tapped our Healthline editors (whose curls always look on point on Zoom meetings) to figure out their tried-and-true collection of products for curly hair

Best hair products that editors with curly hair can’t live without

1. BluMaan Original Styling Meraki

“It’s a matte, thick, paste-like hair product that works amazingly as a pre-styler as well as a finishing styling cream. I use it all the time for both, and it’s, by far, the best product I’ve tested. I have tried all the American Crew, Bumble and Bumble, Hanz de Fuko, and more, and this product is light-years better than all of them.

“It’s got a great hold, does not look like any product is in my hair, and also can help hair feel and look thicker and fuller. I also use it on my kids, and it stays in their hair all day and can be styled from fully dry or wet.” 

2. Jessicurl rockin Ringlets Styling Portion

  “This product consistently works great for me. It has a medium hold, so while you need to do some scrunching after drying, it still leaves your hair soft and defined. I like combining it with Jessicurl Spiralicious Styling Gel or Confident Coils Styling Solution. But if I had to choose just one product, this would be it, since it gives good results on its own. Best Hair Product for Curly Hair.

“It’s CG-friendly and has all-natural ingredients, and I also like that you can get it unscented! Plus, Jessicurl offers samples if you want to try them before you buy.

“One word of caution: I’d buy directly from Jessicurl if at all possible. I once bought the product from Amazon, and it had a really weird texture.” 

3. Hairstory New Wash Original

“A stylist used this to wash my hair a few years ago, and I’ve never looked back. It simultaneously cleans my scalp while hydrating my hair — an elusive combo I could never achieve despite trying tons of ‘curly’ shampoos or co-washing.

“I took a break from it at one point because of the price, but I ended up spending just as much money trying new shampoos, moisturizing treatments, and other products that didn’t work.

“This serves as my shampoo, conditioner, and hair masque (I occasionally leave it on for a few hours). If you sign up for the pouch refill program, you get an eco-friendly aluminum pump bottle that allows you to ditch plastic bottles.” —

4. Kinky-Curly Knot Today Natural Leave In/Detangler

“I’ve used this leave-in for years, because it offers great slip and moisture. I have 3A/2C hair that’s sort of fine, but this is light enough that it doesn’t weigh down my curls. I like that it’s made with organic ingredients, and it’s easy to find at stores.” — Logan

5. AQUIS Original Hair Towel

“A lot of people swear by drying their curls with an old cotton T-shirt. I was one of those people for many years, because it works. But I missed being able to wear my softest, rattiest oversized event tees around the house because they were always hanging around in various stages of wetness.

“This towel gives me the same results (better-defined curls and minimal frizz) faster. It also dries quickly, which is useful for traveling.” — Morrell

6. Trader Joe’s Shea Butter & Coconut Oil Hair Mask

“This baby is a staple. My dry hair just sucks it right up. I use it daily instead of styling products to “scrunch” my hair. I flip it, scrunch it, and get soft, bouncy curls with definition instead of a frizzy, shapeless mess. You can also use it as a full-blown rinse-out mask.” — Crystal Hoshaw, editor I, Healthline (curl type: 2a)