Our Favorite Sulfate-Free Products For Curly Hair

Our Favorite Sulfate-Free Products For Curly Hair

You have the kind of natural curls that straight-haired girls all say they would love to have. But little do they know how much work goes into taming those curls so that you don’t wind up with a giant frizzy puff ball on top of your head. We won’t even talk about the hair disasters brought on by 80% humidity. But not to worry—with the right products, like our favorite sulfate-free products for curly hair, you can have perfectly enviable curls, no matter the weather.

Just Add Moisture

No, adding moisture to curly hair isn’t going to make you look like you belong in a 70s funk band. Curly hair is more likely to get dried out easily, which leads to the dreaded frizz problem. Use a good silicone-free conditioner like L’Oreal EverSleek Sulfate Free Smoothing System Reparative Smoothing Conditioner. Consider also using hair products for women of color even if you’re Caucasian. Your hair needs a lot more moisture and these products will bring it. Carol’s Daughter and Mixed Chicks are two great lines of hair products that will infuse moisture.

Consider Alternate Washing Patterns

Washing your hair every day is going to dry your hair out more, which means more frizz. Try an alternate approach to washing your hair like co-washing or no-poo. Co-washing means “conditioner washing,” which uses only conditioner instead of using shampoo. Shea Moisture makes a product designed specifically for this purpose called Coconut and Hibiscus Co-Wash Conditioning Cleanser. Your scalp may get itchy if you go for too long without washing, so try to shampoo at least weekly or bi-weekly with a sulfate-free shampoo.

No-poo means “no shampoo” and a lot of curly-headed people swear by it. It’s closely related to co-washing because both are alternate approaches to managing your hair. The official no-poo method relies on using apple cider vinegar and baking soda to cleanse your hair instead of commercial shampoo. First you wash your hair with baking soda and rinse it out, followed by a rinse of apple cider vinegar and water. If this sounds like too strange of a concept, DevaCurl will get you started with their How to Quit Shampoo Kit.

Pretty Curls With Conventional Products

We guarantee your hair will look better if you wash it less often, even if you don’t go as far as the no-poo method or co-washing. If you’re still relying on commercial products to wash, condition and style your hair, you have a lot of great choices. Aveda’s Be Curly line includes not only shampoo and conditioner but also the amazing Curl Enhancing Cream that will leave your curls defined (and smelling great).

Living Proof makes the Perfect Hair Day line, which is silicone-free and owned in part by Jennifer Aniston. Though not specifically designed for curly hair, many curl-heads swear by this product line for leaving hair soft and manageable.

When it comes to curly hair, the key to remember is to mess with it as little as possible. Don’t wash it too often, avoid brushing it, and let it air dry whenever possible. Run some curl defining, frizz-busting products through your hair, comb it with your fingers and let it be its own naturally wild self. The results will be gorgeous.