Best Hair Products for Girls with Curly Hair

Updated on November 10, 2010
A.K. asks from Sacramento, CA
21 answers

Hi moms, I have 3 girls and all have curly/wavy hair. Oldest is 4 and youngest is 9mo. I almost always washed their hair with baby shampoos and conditioners, but their hair becomes very frizzy and need to detangle their hair very often. I recently read a book "Curly Girl" by Lorraine Massey and she suggests washing curly hair with water and conditioner only so hair would stay hydrated and not dry. I basically became interested in buying some special shampoo, conditioner, etc for curly hair. What do you, moms, use? Where do you buy it?
BTW, I buy organic/natural hair products only for myself and kids.
I am open to all your suggestions

Thanks!

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T.F.

answers from Los Angeles on

There's a line of hair products called Mixed Chicks. They have a website but I don't think that they are organic. They have kids hair products, too.

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B.W.

answers from San Francisco on

I use conditioner on my daughters hair. It isn't specifically a leave-in conditioner but when her hair is very wet, I put on the conditioner, comb out the tangles, and then squeeze out any excess conditioner. I also braid her hair every night and then spray it with water in the morning to comb it out.

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C.D.

answers from Houston on

im a hairdresser and the thing with most baby shampoos (and most hair products sold iin grocery stores) is that the pH is too high for a regular scalp. curly hair is lacking mostly in moisture but it takes a balance of moisture and protein to make hair beautiful and perfect. i would suggest the bumble and bumble curl line. i also LOVE "baby don't cry" by paul mitchell- its AMAZING! to help tame the girls curls tey using a serum to keep the curls smooth and frizz free. i personally have wavy hair like a cocker spaniel and during the summer it is out of conrol. i really like the paul mitchell skinny serum. if you are looking for an organic line, try some aveda products. they are pretty good too. paul mitchell products can be found at a salon or ulta. the bumble and aveda products you will have to find in a salon. hope this helps some!

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K.F.

answers from New York on

Carol's Daughters has wonderful products for curly/wavy hair. Be weary of any products with "cones" in them. These types of products make the hair look nice at first but cones have been linked to cancer causing. Co-washing (cleansing hair with conditioner) definitely works and you will see the change quickly. Also don't wash the hair too often because this can strip the hair of it's natural moisture.

Carol's Daughters can be purchased online.

I also have friends with wavy/curly hair that use Kinky Curly Curling Custard which really helps hold and lock in the curls while keeping the hair soft. Don't comb or brush curly hair. If you must comb use a wide tooth comb only and or brush while wet beginning at the ends and working your way back to the roots.

Kinky Curly can be found at whole foods or order online. Comes in a huge jar but it does last a long time because only a dime sized amount goes a long way.

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S.H.

answers from Detroit on

My daughter has curly hair! First off, I would not wash it every day... but use conditioner everyday (leave-in or rinse out). I usually give my daughter a good hair wash every 2-3 days, depending of course on how dirty her hair really is (played in sandbox, went swimming, etc.). My favorite leave-in conditioner (it is a spray and can be used on wet or dry hair) is called "Silken Child" and I have only found it at beauty supply stores, like Sally's (not sure if this chain is near you?). It actually is no more expensive than the spray on leave in conditioners you can buy at a drug store (which does not work nearly as nice as Silken Child). The bottle is all purple... and there is also rinse out conditioner (which we have used as well.... it is a thicker conditioner for occasional use). It is not, however, organic. I have tried some organic/natural leave in conditioner from Whole Foods and it was by far the worse product I have used (unfortunately)... because I do prefer to use more natural organic things as well.... good luck, and enjoy those curls :-)

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A.F.

answers from San Francisco on

My 4 year old daughter and I have curly hair. It took me my whole life to figure out how to best take care of mine :) For me, I use the Aveda "Be Curly" line -- a shampoo, then a conditioner, then an after-shower leave-in "curl enhancer" with some of their "Phomolient" added for hold. As long as I squeeze some curls in and let it air dry, it doesn't frizz. And I've gotten to where I wash my hair only every other day at the most. On the off-days, I sleep with a pony tail and comb it all together with my fingers in the AM, using a barette for the areas that don't look so perfectly curly anymore.

For my daughter, call me evil, but I just couldn't bring myself to buy a $100 hair regimen just yet. Plus she's still not perfect at closing her eyes to keep shampoo out during her baths. So for her, on the recommendation of a friend w/ a curly-haired toddler girl, I started using the "curly hair" line from Johnson & Johnson -- No More Tangles for Curly Hair. Whereas their other stuff is in a yellow bottle, this stuff is in green bottles. There's a 2-in-1 shampoo & conditioner in a green bottle, then a leave-in conditioner in a green tube. There's also a spray-bottle of leave-in conditioner, but we like the tube of gel better. I used to find all this at Target, although I'm having a harder & harder time finding it. And they seem to have deleted the words "curly hair" on the tube of gel -- maybe they weren't selling enough to just curly folks :) Anyway, we wash her hair every night with this stuff (she always has sand or chlorine or something on her requiring a bath) and then re-wet and use the gel in the AM, then let it air dry. It stays frizz-free for the whole day and the shampoo really is "no more tears" as well as "no more tangles." We get lots of compliments on her frizz-free curls, so I tell lots of people about these J&J products. I just hope the stores keep carrying them -- they definitely work for us! Hope that helps.

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R.J.

answers from Seattle on

My absolute favorite products are from Kerastase & Aveda & Bumble&Bumble. All price me out of buying them, but they're still my favorites. Aveda goes the organic/natural route, so they're probably your best bet.

http://www.aveda.com

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C.B.

answers from San Francisco on

Hi A.. My daughter and I both have very curly hair. First thing is I wash her hair with shampoo once a week only. If she needs it washed more often (i.e. if she went swimming or something) I only use conditioner. When I wash her hair I use Suave Kids Smoothers, 2 in 1 shampoo, and I also use a conditioner after the shampoo that I rinse out, and I also use a leave-in conditioner. The conditioner I use on her is Nexxus Humectress. I buy it at Costco. I use that as the rinse out and as the leave-in. But she is 8. Since your girls are younger, you may want to experiment with a no-tears kids conditioner. Hope that helps!

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R.K.

answers from San Francisco on

i make all my own products for my and my family's curly/mixed hair. however,
on the market, aubrey's white camellia is the best shampoo/cond. i've found so far. i also rarely shampoo my daughter's hair, only conditioner. then to comb it out in the morning when it's dry, i fill a squirt bottle with water and my conditioner of choice mixed together - squirt and comb through with a wide toothed comb. also have her sleep in BRAIDS. doing hair in the morning is much easier - less tangles.

good luck mama!

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W.H.

answers from Phoenix on

I personally have curly hair and read that same book a couple years ago. I gave the washing-with-conditioner-only a try and gave it up because... it did NOT save me any time, I think even took more than it does to shampoo then condition (my faves are Aussie 3 min miracle and/or Pantene). If I truly want to save time, use the 2-in-1 shampoo/conditioner, but it took more time to just "wash" with conditioner than to shampoo/condition in 2 steps.

I also have somewhat oily skin, around the hairline and my face is a classic T-zone. So after a while of no shampooing, I could see it in my hair around my face when I pull my hair back (dunno if others notice but I sure do). Kinda like how my hair looks when I try to fake it that I haven't had my shower and just pull my hair back in a braid/ponytail/bun and the hair around my face is stringy. (My sister would say that is because we have conditioned ourselves to think that dry hair = healthy hair which is not true, but I feel like it and I can't stand it and I don't think my hair is over dry.)

I am a very simple girl, I wash, condition, and then put in ONE product, like Infusium #3 and work it through my hair. I only comb it when it's wet and then it's set for the rest of the day. Other products I've used before & love: John Freida's hair serum (pricy but lasts a good while) and the (dream curls?) leave in conditioner spray ( I tend to go through this a little too quickly and would LOVE to make my own...) I've tried many other things but usually decide not to use anymore of it before it's gone.

My sister washes her hair with oil, and only once a week or so? But she does not have curly hair, hers is very fine and thin. But I think she's a little too "out there" with eating raw foods only, etc.

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S.P.

answers from San Francisco on

Hi - I have a little boy with curly hair and we only wash his hair with shampoo once a week but wash with water and conditioner nearly every night. We alos put a leave in conditioner in his hair every morning. We use Curls products - curls.biz

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J.D.

answers from San Francisco on

I have 3 girls too (8, 4 & 1) - very, very curly hair (bi-racial).! Try Ouidad, specifically KRLY Kids. Also, don't wash their hair every day. It'll strip the moisture and they'll end up with extremely frizzy hair. Only shampoo 1-2 week, conditioner only on the other days. The KRLY Kids conditioner is also a leave-in conditioner. Section off their hair, condition and comb each section. When done, rinse their hair with cool water, but don't completely rinse out; hair will be slippery but will help curls stay pretty and bouncy. Hair will not look wet and the curls will stay in tact (that is, until the kiddies start running around!). I've tried other products too (mixed chicks, miss jessies baby butter creme, herbal essences for curly hair, etc.) and I keep going back to Ouidad (btw, can only get it online on the west coast) . Good luck!

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T.W.

answers from Denver on

I do use a kid shampoo that includes conditioner but then I use an adult conditioner in addition. I use Aquage Leave in conditioner for my daughter. I put it in her hair at night before she goes to bed and again before I comb her hair in the morning. I am also sure to wash her hair at most every other day or it will get too dry.

Good luck!

P.S. My girlfriend also suggested that I try avacado and mineral oil mashed together on her hair and leave it for a half hour to an hour then wash. I tried it on myself and loved the result but haven't on my daughter.

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J.S.

answers from Minneapolis on

I use Melaleuca products. They are not completely organic, but they are better than a lot of products on the market. They have an Ultra Hydrating conditioner that is great for my curly hair. I rarely shampoo, but use conditioner daily. I have started this with my daughter too and it works well for her. I think this may have been in your book (I have it too somewhere!) but remember to avoid combing/brushing. I finger comb my hair when I have the conditioner in, and that's it! The comb/brush will pull the curls apart, making more frizz. While my hair is wet, I scrunch in Kenra Curl Creme. It works well to define & hold my curls, and has worked better than anything else to combat the frizzies. I get it at the cosmotology school, some salons carry it, and I have seen it on Amazon.com. Good luck with your girls & their curls!

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L.C.

answers from San Francisco on

My daughter (21 months) also has very curly hair. I condition every day, but only wash a few times a week. I also use leave-in conditioner every day. The ALBA Botanica line (plumaria, gardenia, coconut) is really nice and easy to find and the ABBA line (found in salon product stores only) has a Pure Curl formula that's great. Earth Science (Whole Foods, Pharmica) also makes a deep conditioner that's really great to use a couple times a week.

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R.G.

answers from Dallas on

The same lady who wrote Curly Girl has a line now called Diva Curl. There's a no-poo (shampoo) and one condition (conditioner) and angel (gel) and they're all GREAT!!! You can find them on Amazon or at Ulta if you have one near you.

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J.L.

answers from Minneapolis on

0

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T.U.

answers from San Francisco on

I am a hairdresser and I deal with a lot of kids with curly hair and trying to find products that work..there are several organic brands to pick from...I suggest carols daughter products or aveda products...both u can look at and buy online...good luck!

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R.B.

answers from New York on

I have had good luck with leave-in conditioner. i would skip the baby shampoo on the older girls. If you can get them to close their eyes tight then you don't really need the tear free stuff. You can also try something like John Freida frizz ease or Aveda makes a product that is the same just way more money and fragrance (I like the smell). My almost 5 yr old has super curly hair. Sorry I don't know any organic brands but in general go for something with a conditioning shampoo and then a conditioner and use a leave in conditioner. Then you don't really need to use product. I use Aveda on my very curly hair.

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A.T.

answers from Stockton on

My son has very curly hair that frizzes in to a puff ball if we brush or comb it - so I wash it, rinse thoroughly and put a Leave-in conditioner for curly hair in it. We use Garnier Fructis Frizz Control. It has a very mild scent and keeps his curls smooth. It's affordable and easy to find.

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C.M.

answers from San Francisco on

TruKids is a great hair care line. Organic, free of all the nasty stuff. I use it on my own hair, and my kids, all of us have curly hair, and I've been really pleased with the products. I previously always used brand name curly hair products, but switched when pregnant to eliminate the phlalates, sls, etc, and I haven't switched back because I've been so happy with the products. I am able to wash and condition with them every day because they are so gentle.

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