This post is a follow up to My Favorite Affordable Curly Girl Approved Shampoos and Conditioners!
ICYMI: I originally wanted to do a post with all of my favorite affordable Curly Girl approved products. When that post started to get too long, I decided to split it up into two posts.
Like the previous post, these products aren’t all current favorites, but they have been favorites of mine at different points in my curly hair journey. As my hair evolved, my favorites did too!
This list is made up of both curl creams and gels.
And while I don’t use creams anymore, I did for the first year I followed the Curly Girl Method and I don’t think I would have gotten my hair to behave without them.
So with that in mind, here are my favorite Curly Girl Approved styling products–most of which you can find in the drugstore! I’ll tell you why I like them, when I used them, and what they did for my hair.
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.
Affordable Curly Girl Approved Curl Creams and Leave ins
Shea Moisture Curl Enhancing Smoothie
This was my first favorite styling cream! Is pretty heavy and proved to be ideal when I was just starting the Curly Girl Method. This thick cream gave my curls serious moisture.
As my hair got more hydrated and healthy, I found this cream to be a little too heavy. But it was exactly what my hair needed in the beginning when it was seriously dry.
Kinky Curly Knot Today Leave-in Detangler
My favorite thing about this leave-in detangler is how lightweight it is. I switched to this product when the curl enhancing smoothie started to be a little too heavy for my hair.
While it did build up a little bit in my hair, it gave me some seriously killer curls. And, because it was so lightweight, it seriously cut down my drying time.
I eventually switched because it ended up being a little too lightweight for me at the time, and my hair wasn’t quite hydrated enough. But this a product I’d totally go back to. In fact, it might be perfect for me now that I don’t need quite as much moisture as I did when I first used it.
(And I’ll be sure to update you if I try it again.)
Not Your Mother’s Curl Talk Curl Defining Cream
This one was a favorite of mine for a while! A little goes a long way with this cream. It’s very hydrating and helped create some fabulous curls.
It’s also very lightweight and seemed to cut my drying time significantly without compromising moisture.
I used this cream when I needed more moisture than the Kinky Curly leave-in was giving me but less than the Shea Moisture. For me, it was the perfect in-between cream.
You can read my full review of this cream here. However, it does have mineral oil in it, so if you’re a super strict curly girl, this may not be for you.
Affordable Curly Girl Approved Gels
Eco Styler Olive Oil Gel
This gel is a recommended Curly Girl approved starter gel by a lot of curly girls and with good reason!
It’s very affordable, a little goes a long, and it does an incredible job at locking in moisture.
How much gel you need will depend on your hair, so you’ll have to play around with it to get the right amount. But once you do, you’ll likely be very happy with the results.
I used this gel when I first started the Curly Girl Method. It did an awesome job holding moisture in my hair when it needed it the most.
Aussie Instant Freeze Sculpting Gel
This is another super affordable, super effective gel.
I switched to this when the Eco Styler got a little too heavy for my hair. This gel is inexpensive, smells great, and does a killer job holding curls together.
I ultimately moved on from it because I found when I used it with stylers it did a little too good of a job locking in moisture and it took my hair forever to dry.
However, this is another product that I’d be interested in trying again now that I’m not using curl creams.
Tresemme Mega Hold Sculpting Gel
When I use a hard hold gel, this is my current favorite. This is the lightest weight hard hold gel I’ve tried.
My favorite thing about it is the fact that it does such a good job holding in moisture while seriously cutting my drying time (compared to other gels).
The one downside of this gel is that the smell is a bit strong, but I found that to fade as it dries. And to me, it’s worth the trade-off for the job it does.
You can read my full review of this gel here.
Biotera Defining Styling Gel
We’ve arrived at my all-time favorite hair gel! This is the gel I use the most and I’ve used the longest.
My favorite thing about this gel is that it has a hard enough hold to keep my curls looking fabulous all day, but a flexible enough hold to give them some great body and bounce.
However, when I first tried it, I was earlier in the Curly Girl Method and I needed a lot of leave-ins and creams. In that case, I found that the gel seemed to just sit on my hair and it didn’t really absorb or dry.
And when it did finally dry, it took upwards of nine hours.
Because of that, I ditched it pretty quickly. However, I obviously tried it again when I needed less product. That time around I found it to be perfect.
It doesn’t hold up quite as well on extra humid or rainy days. But in those situations, a top coat of a hard hold gel seems to do the trick.
You can read my full review of this gel here!
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 favorite affordable Curly Girl Approved styling products? Tell us about it in the comments! And be sure to tell us a little bit about your hair type.
Hi Meghan! So happy to have discovered your blog. I have 3a curls, I think, high porosity, medium density, fine hair. I’ve been doing the CGM for almost 2 months, and I was never a heat styler, so not much damage to undo. Really find your posts helpful! I think what I’m realizing is I need to do protein treatments more often, and I need more moisture and product in general. I think I’m too sparing in my application. What is your current favorite cream? I don’t use one at the moment, but I think I need one to help with frizz…I am a bit scared of Shea Moisture being too heavy, but maybe a dab might do the trick?
Hi Angela, thanks so much for reading! I’m currently using Cantu’s curl activator. It’s only been a few weeks for me, but I like it a lot so far. A little goes a long way with it (I used about a dime size on each half of my hair). And it can’t hurt to give Shea Moisture a shot and try it in small amounts if you’re curious. Like you, I didn’t heat style all that much, but I used Shea Moisture for the first 6 months before I found it to be too heavy. If you buy it at a store like Sally, or CVS or Ulta, you should be able to return it if you only use it a few times and don’t like it (but definitely double-check the return policy before you buy:)