13 Greatest Curl Lotions of 2024, In response to Curl Consultants

Editor tip: When you’re after smooth, clean strands, this cream doubles as a warmth protectant—simply blow-dry it by means of damp hair for a frizz-free end.

Key elements: rice bran oil, rooibos tea, shea butter | Greatest for: individuals with totally different curl patterns

Ceaselessly requested questions

What do you have to search for in a curl cream?

When selecting a curl cream, give attention to elements that hydrate and outline with out leaving your curls feeling greasy or weighed down. “Curl lotions must be free from artificial elements 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 elements like shea butter or argan oil that soak into your strands, supplying you with mushy, 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 great curl cream ought to really feel creamy (however not too heavy) and distribute simply from root to tip. Preserve an eye fixed out for humectants like glycerin or aloe vera, which draw moisture into the hair, conserving your curls hydrated and bouncy. These elements assist struggle frizz whereas conserving your curls mushy and lively.

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 whenever 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 liable 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 depends upon what sort of curls you’re after. Mousse is your go-to if you would like extra quantity and maintain—excellent for types that want a little bit extra construction and definition. On the flip aspect, curl lotions are all about hydration and nourishment, supplying you with softer, extra touchable curls. “I have a tendency to use mousses over lotions to get final nourishment with out shedding management and maintain,” says Joseph. “This combo will create mushy, touchable, lived-in curls with sufficient hydration and definition to appear like you simply left the salon.” So, in the event you’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, celeb hairstylist and founding father of Kristin Ess Hair in Los Angeles, CA

How we take a look at and overview merchandise

We at all times enlist a variety of testers for our make-up vertical, however hair-care merchandise and instruments are one other story. Whereas there are actually merchandise that can be utilized throughout totally 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 the intention to deal with a priority (dandruff, breakage, brittleness) or to work most successfully for a particular hair sort (4C curls, wavy hair, grey hair). You would not wish to decide 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?