If you’re looking for affordable Curly Girl approved products, you’ve come to the right place!
One of my favorite things about the Curly Girl Method is the fact that I don’t have to shell out a ton of cash to have fabulous curls.
In fact, that’s largely the reason I started following the method in the first place!
So with that in mind, today’s post is going to be all about my budget-friendly Curly Girl approved products that I use on a regular basis!
Side note: 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!
Also, I follow the simplified version of the Curly Girl Method most directly derived from the Curly Girl Handbook. This means the only ingredients I look to avoid are sulfates, silicones, and drying alcohols. If you have more ingredients that you look to avoid, it would be a good idea to check the ingredients for yourself before making a purchase.
Cantu TXTR Shampoo
I love everything about this shampoo! In fact, it’s probably one of my favorite Curly Girl Approved products. It’s made with plenty of scalp friendly ingredients that have gone a long way in helping with my dry scalp.
It does a great job of getting my hair clean without stripping my hair of its natural oils. I also love the applicator on this bottle. It makes it really easy to target just the scalp, which is a key element when it comes to washing and the Curly Girl Method.
You can check this product out on Amazon, and you can read my full review here!
Suave Essentials Tropical Coconut Conditioner
This is one of the Curly Girl Approved products I’ve been using since day one. Originally I used it strictly as a co-wash, but now I use it as a co-wash, daily conditioner, and sometimes a leave-in.
It’s lightweight, smells great, and is super inexpensive.
For my daily conditioner, I find I get just the right amount of moisture when I combine it the Tresemme Conditioner (which we’ll talk about in a moment).
Often, I’ll use the Tresemme conditioner as a leave-in, but sometimes that conditioner is a little too heavy. If my hair seems like it has enough moisture and the Tresemme is weighing it down too much, I’ll use this instead.
I’ve tried not using a leave-in, and my hair never makes it through the day without frizzing, so this conditioner is perfect when I need some light moisture.
You can check this product out on Amazon.
Tresemme Botanique Conditioner
This is another conditioner I’ve been using since day one of the Curly Girl Method.
Initially, I used this as my rinse out and my leave-in. However, my hair has gotten a lot healthier after following the Curly Girl Method for a year.
When this happened, I found that this conditioner was a little too heavy. I tried using just the Suave Essentials, but that didn’t seem to be moisturizing enough. That’s when I started combining them, and I’ve been able to consistently get a good balance.
I’ll also use this conditioner as my leave-in when my hair needs a little more moisture than the Suave Essentials can offer (which is usually in the summer and winter.)
You can check this product out on Amazon.
UPDATE: As of spring 2021, it looks like Tresemme has changed the name and formula of this product. It’s still curly girl approved but doesn’t seem to be as well reviewed as the old formula.
The conditioner got too heavy for my hair, so I don’t use it any more. I’m leaving the links in case you can/want to stock up on the old version while you can.
With that said, you might really like the new version! If you want to give that a shot, you can find it here.
Cantu Moisturising Curl Activator
This is one of the newest Curly Girl Approved products that I’ve added to my routine and so far, I’ve been really happy with it!
I’ve you’ve been following this blog for a while, you know the Not Your Mother’s Curl Talk Cream used to be my staple curl cream.
It hadn’t been working as well for me lately. I also always had a hard time refreshing my hair, and I came to realize that the cream was part of my problem. So I decided to switch it out.
I’ve tried a few other Curly Girl Approved products and creams, but this Cantu cream has been the clear winner! You can read my full review here.
I use about a nickel-size amount on each half of my hair right after I shower and I use about a dime-size amount over my whole head when I refresh.
This product still feels a little new to me, but if this keeps up, you’ll see a full review of this product soon!
In the meantime, you can check it out on Amazon, or Sally.
Biotera Styling Gel
This gel has been one of my favorite curly girl method products for a very long time. I love that it dries with a gentle cast that’s easy to break up, but still has a killer, all-day hold.
It also does a good job holding in moisture and working with my other products.
I use about half a golf ball size amount for each half of my hair and scrunch into my scalp to encourage the curl.
You can read my full review of this gel here.
You can check out this gel on Amazon or Sally.
Routine
I did a whole post on my Curly Girl Method hair routine (which you can read here). The routine itself hasn’t changed all that much since I wrote that post, but as you’ll see, some of my products have.
Generally, I wash my hair with sulfate-free shampoo about once a week. Sometimes I’ll wash a little sooner if I’m noticing some build-up or I’ll hold off a little longer if my hair seems to be in good shape.
I’ll usually fully wet my hair and co-wash 3-4 days after washing, but like with wash day, sometimes I’ll do this a little earlier if my hair seems dryer or a little later if it seems to be holding up okay.
When I fully wet and condition my hair, I leave the conditioner in for the length of my shower.
After my shower, I apply a little extra conditioner as a leave-in, then my curl cream, and then my gel.
(Also, I’m just starting to get a reliable refresh routine. I’m still testing it out, but once I have one I like, I’ll be sure to share! Hopefully, you see this post sooner rather than later.)
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!
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.
Sound off: What are your daily budget curly girl method products? Tell us about it in the comments! Be sure to tell us a little about your hair type too!
Hi Meghan! I stumbled across your site while searching for curl care and products, and I love your approach. The curly girl method has always come across as super overwhelming and strict and it’s nice to see that you can implement the basics of it with amazing results. As far as I can tell my hair is wavy and a mix of 2b/2c with medium porosity. I need a mousse to achieve best results. I know you don’t personally use, but do you have any suggested products that you know of from other wavies? The key for me is a creamy mousse as opposed to one that foams up and I’m having trouble finding an approved one that gives me good results. I’m currently using tresemme flawless curls mousse or Aussie sprunch. Part of me says I shouldn’t overthink it, because it works for my hair and maybe it’s ok if they aren’t approved products. But if you know of anything affordable I’d be willing to give it a shot.
Hey Sara! I’m so glad to this approach has resonated with you! 🙂 As far as mousse goes, I’ve tried the Herbal Essences Body Envy Volumizing mousse and I loved the curl I got with it! (My problem with mousse has always been the hold, and I had that problem here too, but since mousse works for you, it may be worth a shot.) I haven’t checked, but I’m pretty sure all of the Herbal Essences mousses are curly girl approved and they’re pretty affordable, so they may be worth looking into. (Though I’ll admit because I’m not a mousse person, I don’t know the difference between a creamy mousse and foam mousse, so this may not be very helpful.)
As far as other products for wavies, one of my wavy friends really loved the Not Your Mother’s Curl Talk Gel (you can find it here on Amazon, or here at Ulta). I know you came here looking for a mousse, but if you ever wanted to give gel a shot, this would my recommendation.
I also was just doing some research for a post and came across this Biotera mousse. I’ve never tried it, but the biotera bamboo extract gel is my all-time favorite. If I were going to give mousse another shot, it would be this mousse.
Hopefully, another wavy or mousse user will see this and be able to weigh in, but I hope this is some help in the meantime!
Thank you, I will definitely check out the herbal essence line. It’s hard to describe a creamy vs. foam mousse, but I’d say the main difference is how they spread. When you dispense a creamy mousse and rub it between your hands it spreads like a cream would (ie: think whipped cream from a can), even if you’ve have given the can a shake. A foam sort of almost disintegrates when you rub your hands together. I’ve found that some of the more expensive brands like deva curl, oidad, etc. label whether it’s a foam or a mousse, but some of the drugstore brands just use the word mousse so it’s hard to know how it spreads until you dispense it. I will also check out the gel at some point. I am about 3/4 of a way through a bottle of Tresemme flawless curls bouncy curl hair gel (very strong hold, and per curlscan it is CG approved), but I also tend to switch out my gels and creams when it times to purchase since my hair isn’t too picky about those products.
and I guess I should add that to achieve my best curls I use a bit of leave in, mousse, gel, cream! I did decide to treat myself to the bounce curls clumping cream as I know another wavy person who really amplified her curls and volume with it, but if I’m unimpressed it will be back to the affordable brands.
Okay, I think I get what you’re saying about the difference between the foam and the mousse. It’s been a while since I used the herbal essence, so I can’t say for sure which it is, but hopefully, it’s what you’re looking for. You’ll definitely have to come back and let us know what works for you, what doesn’t, and how your hair responds! Good luck with your product search! 🙂