curly girl approved products

I think everyone with curly hair knows the struggle of searching for the perfect hair product. It’s ultimately going to take a good deal of trial and error to find the best products for you and your hair. However, this list can give you A LOT to work with.

This list includes conditioners, general styling products, and gels. Price ranges vary, so no matter if you’re on a budget or looking to invest in your hair, you should find something here.

These products are also curly girl approved, but you don’t have to be following the curly girl method to appreciate these fabulous curly hair products!

Here are over 100 curly hair products for your to try out!

This page does contain affiliate links, which means if you purchase something using the product links on this page, I may get a small commission. This comes at no extra cost to you and helps keep this site running. Thank you!

Conditioners

Conditioner is a key component to the Curly Girl Method–and curly hair care in general. As your hair changes, you may need to change your conditioner as your hair changes over time.

Here are 25+ for you to choose from.

1) Suave Essentials Tropical Coconut

2) Mane N’ Tale Conditioner

3) Vo5 Herbal Escape Conditioners

4) Shea Moisture Conditioners (Curl and Shine, Jamaican Black Castor Oil, Raw Shea Butter, etc)

5) Not Your Mother’s Naturals Tahitian Gardenia Flower & Mango Butter Curl Defining Conditioner (Most, if not all Not Your Mother’s Naturals are CG approved)

6) Verelle Curl-Enhancing Conditioner

7) Burt’s Bees More Moisture, Very Volumizing Conditioners

8) Say Yes to Carrots Nourishing Conditioner

9) Say Yes to Naturals Coconut and Argon Oil

10) HONEYDEW Hydrating Conditioner Mint & Tea Tree Oil For Dry and Damaged Hair

11) Cantu Hydrating Cream Conditioner

12) CurlSmith Curl Quenching Conditioning Wash

13) Living Proof No Frizz Conditioner

14) Ouidad VitalCurl+ Plus Balancing Rinse Conditioner

15) Bumble and Bumble Bb.Creme De Coco Tropical-Riche Conditioner

16) Pacifica Pineapple Curls Curl Defining Conditioner

17)  Matrix Biolage Hydrasource Aqua-Gel Conditioner

18) Everyone Sulfate-Free Hair Conditioner, Nourish

19) Maple Holistics Tea Tree Oil Conditioner 

20) Jessicurl Aloeba Daily Conditioner

21) LUS Love Ur Curls Hydrating & Detangling Conditioner

22) Trader Joe’s Tea Tree Tingle Conditioner with Peppermint and Eucalyptus

23) Bumble and Bumble Seaweed Conditioner 

24) Curls Coconut Sublime Moisturizing Instant Conditioner

25) Curly Girl Citrus Conditioner

Deep Conditioners

Deep Conditioners can give your hair an extra boost of hydration, protein, or both.

For more on the benefits and tips of deep conditioning, check out this post.

For more on Protein and curly hair, check out this post.

And for more on moisture and curly hair, check out this post.

Here are 25+ curly girl approved deep conditioners.

** indicates heavy protein conditioners that can be used as protein treatments. Other conditioners are more moisturizing but may contain varying degrees of proteins, so pay attention to the ingredients if you’re protein sensitive.

26) Shea Moisture Jamaican Black Castor Oil Strengthen and Restore, Raw Shea Butter Deep Treatment Mask, Manuka Honey & Yogurt Hydrate + Repair Protein-Strong Treatment**, etc.

27) Garnier Fructis Smoothing Treat One Minute Hair Mask

28) Mielle Organics Deep Conditioner Babassu and Mint**

29) Burt’s Bees Shea and Grapefruit Deep Conditioner

30) JessiCurl Deep Conditioning Treatment

31) Pacifica Pineapple Hydrate Curl Nourishing Mask

32) Curls Blueberry Bliss Reparative Hair Mask

33) BIOLAGE Hydrasource Conditioning Balm For Dry Hair

34) As I Am Hydration Elation Intensive Conditioner

35) Alikay Naturals Honey and Sage Deep Conditioner

36) Camille Rose Algae Deep Conditioner

37) EDEN BodyWorks JojOba Monoi Deep Conditioner

38) MopTop Deep Conditioner

39) Coconut Oil Intensive Repair Hair Mask

40) Tailored Beauty Penetrating Deep Conditioning Treatment

41) Coppola Keratin Complex Vanilla Bean Deep Conditioner

42) Majestic Pure Argan Hair Mask

43) OBIA Naturals Babassu Deep Conditioner

44) NOAH Hair Mask for Hair Growth and Hair Regeneration – Argan Oil Mask for Dry Damaged Hair

45) Rizos Curls Deep Conditioner for Curly Hair

46) Living Proof Restore Mask Treatment

47) ecoLove – Deep Conditioning Hair Mask for Dry Damaged Hair & Color Treated Hair

48) Kinky Curly Steller Strands

49) LuxeOrganix Deep Conditioner + Hair Mask

50) PURA D’OR Deep Moisturizing Conditioner Treatment 

Styling Products

Curly Girl Approved styling products go a long way in keeping curls moisturized and holding off frizz. For the sake of this post, we’re going to put gel in its own category.

This category is going to feature leave-in conditioners, creams, mousse, and other non-gel styling products.

Here are 25+ curly girl approved styling products.

51) Shea Moisture Curl Enhancing Smoothie

52) Not Your Mother’s Curl Talk Curl Defining Cream

53)Cantu Curl Activator Cream

54) Kinky Curly Knot Today Leave-in Detangler

55) Jane Carter Revitalizing Leave-in

56) Not Your Mother’s Curl Talk Mousse (Check on this before you buy it! The old formula is not CG approved. The new formula is supposed to be, most sites don’t seem to have an updated ingredient list. Probably best to buy in person.)

57) Verelle Soft Curl Cream, Milky Curl Cream, Styling Cream

58) Pacifica Beauty Pineapple Swirl Curl Defining Cream

59) Ouidad VitalCurl +Soft Defining Mousse

60) Herbal Essences Totally Twisted Curl Boosting Mousse

61) Garnier Fructis Curl Treat Smoothie Defining Leave in Styler and Butter Hydrating Leave in Styler

62) Shea Moisture Sugarcane Extract and Meadowfoam Seed Silicone Free Miracle Styler Leave-in

63) As I Am DoubleButter Cream

64) Camille Rose Natural Coconut Water Leave-In

65) Curls Blueberry Bliss Reparative Leave In Conditioner

66) Oyin Handmade Hair Dew

67) EDEN BodyWorks Coconut Shea Curl Defining Creme

68) Curl Junkie Curls in a Bottle

69) U R Curly Sili-Free Hair Serum

70) Curl Junkie BeautiCurls Leave-in Hair Conditioner

71) Camille Rose Naturals Curl Maker, Marshmallow and Agave Leaf Extract

72) SheaMoisture Coconut & Hibiscus Curl & Style Milk

73) tgin Green Tea Super Moist Leave In Conditioner

71) Pantene Curl Defining Mousse

75) MopTop Leave-in Conditioner

Gel

Gel is the staple styling product in the Curly Girl Method. You may need to try out a few to find the one you like best. You also may find that your hair’s needs change as your hair gets healthier and more moisturized.

Here are 25+ gels to choose from!

76) Eco Style Olive Oil, Argon Oil, etc

77) Aussie Instant Freeze Sculpting Hair Gel

78) Tresemme Mega Sculpting Gel

79) Biotera Styling Defining Gel

80) Fruit of the Earth Aloe Gel

81) Not Your Mother’s Curl Talk Gel

82) Aunt Jackie’s Don’t Shrink Flaxseed Elongating Curling Gel

83) Kinky Curly Curling Custard

84) LA Looks Sport Gel

85) Cantu for Natural Hair Moisturizing Twist and Lock Gel

86) Garnier Fructis Curl Treat Jelly

87) Mop Top Hair Custard

88) The Mane Choice Crystal Orchid Biotin Infused Styling Gel

89) Curly Hair Solutions Curl Keeper Original Gel

90) As I Am Smoothing Gel

91) Curls Goddess Glaze Curl Gel

92) Shea Moisture Coconut & Hibiscus Curling Souffle Gel (and other Shea Moisture Gels) 

93) Herbal Essence Totally Twisted and Set Me Up Gels

94) Garnier Fructis Pure Clean Styling Gel

95) CurlMix Pure Homemade Flaxseed Watermelon and Lavender Gels

96) Design Essentials Natural Honey Curl Forming Custard

97) Curly Curl Gello Conditioning and Hydrating Gel

98) CurlSmith Curl Defining Styling Souffle

99) Biosilk Rock Hard Gellee

100) This DIY Flaxseed Gel

You can check ANY product to see if it’s curly girl approved at Is It CG?. Just keep in mind that this app sometimes looks for ingredients other than sulfates, silicones, and drying alcohols. So if a product comes up as not approved, be sure to look at why it’s not approved before you rule it out.

Looking for more guidance on your curly hair journey?

For beginners

If you’re new to curly hair care and looking for some help, you should check out the No-Stress Guide to Curly Hair Care!

After spending two years learning and caring for my curly hair, I wanted to create my own, in-depth guide to help fellow curlies create incredible curls in the easiest way possible. 

It took me a while, but I eventually found an approach that helped me create a curly hair routine that fits into my life in the simplest way possible. And now I want to help you do the same!

click to learn more

For more intermediate/advanced guidance

If you’ve been on your curly hair journey for a while but still have some struggles, check out Curly Hair Problems!

After spending hours scouring the internet looking for solutions to my own curly hair problems, I found myself wishing for an easier, more comprehensive guide to the most common problems.

So that’s what I created!

Curly Hair Problems offers you 78 total solutions to the five most common curly hair care problems, including frizz, curl clumps, limp curls, product issues, and scalp issues.

click to learn more

Sound off: Have you tried these curly girl approved products? Tell us about your experience! Be sure to tell us a little about your hair type too!