Cheaper curly hair products

[Singlecrazycatlady]

I want to try the curly girl hair malarkey as hope think my hair falls into the wavy catergory.

If my hair gets damp from wet weather it does kink and left to dry naturally can have a slight fluffy 80s vibe. If I go to bed with damp hair because I’ve been too lazy to dry it does look quite wavy in the morning. Maybe I’ve slept on it in a scrunched fashion or I’m blessed with a wavy tress and it’s taken me 42 years to realise 🙄
I’m not keen on forking out £30 plus on these kits to see if I’m blessed, so am hoping you lovely lot may have a frugal alternative which works just as well (pretty please)??

Any tips 🤞🏼

likelovedo.com/curly-girl-method-uk-products-from-drugstores-and-supermarkets/

If you have a Savers nearby they sell XHC shampoo and conditioner which (mostly) don’t contain SLS or silicone but you do need to know what you’re looking for in the ingredients as some do.
I buy these for £1 a bottle and they work well for me. They’re often sold in chemists and The Range etc too.

www.savers.co.uk/b/XHC

There is a few Facebook groups for wavy curly girl hair stuff too, they can advise on techniques to get the best out of your hair as a lot of it is about how the hair is washed and dried, not just the products used.

Aldi volume conditioner or the luscious lengths one
UG curl gelly
Wella shockwaves volume mousse (says 5 on it)

Wilkos own apple conditioner and strong hold gel

Aw you guys - thank you.
I will look into all of these!!
The gram posts of those kits look fab but I don’t want to invest to find out I’ve just straight hair with a kink 😂

It takes a while for your hair to adapt to its new treatment, honestly mine looked crappy at first but sticking with it and staying away from heat made the curls come out. You could do with a micro fibre towel or turban too. Turban very useful as you can leave it on for ages and get stuff done.
Mine does need a diffuser to finish off as its so long, other people dont bother.

I didn't bother at first with the shampoo and conditioner, now I occasionally use the umberto gianni curling range, but more often than not whatever moisturising stuff is next to me!
Boots curl creme
Umberto Gianni scrunching jelly
Occasionally a cheap savers curling mousse
A cotton tshirt to dry

Don't bother with shampoo, it dries it out. Use a good conditioner to co-wash. I like the Garnier hair food ones, that come in a tub. They are about £7 but I've never paid that much, they are always on offer half price somewhere.

Wrap in a microfibre towel or an old t-shirt for a bit, then put some curl cream through. I use cantu but my hair is thick and super curly, I think the Creighton's stuff is lighter and is also really cheap.

Air dry. Then try not to touch it and definitely don't brush it once it is dry or it will definitely go fluffy / frizzy!

Superdrug Cherry conditioner smells amazing works wonders

Just buy some of that XHC ginger conditioner. There's a banana flavour too which is also good, a bit more 'frothy' than the ginger, and a few other flavours, but I find the ginger the best. Use it to co-wash (conditioner-wash) and condition, see how you get on before buying more products. You can even use it as a leave in on the lengths. I wouldn't recommend Garnier tbh until you know what you're doing re the co-washing, and only then if you have quite thick hair. The one in the pot is good as a mask, but it doesn't suit me as a co-wash and I find it too heavy even on my thick hair. Also, the amount I use, I really want a dirt-cheap conditioner!

Do make sure you a) give your scalp a good thorough scrub with your fingertips (not nails!) and b) use lots of the conditioner, way more than you think - you're not applying it to the hair to condition the lengths, you're using it to provide enough slip for the scrubbing action of your fingers to lift/remove dirt from your scalp. It won't froth up like shampoo, so you need a good handful or two, applied to your whole scalp, to get enough slip. If you don't do a decent job of scrubbing then you may well end up with what a lot of people think is the transition phase, where their hair is all lank and greasy... that's not transition, that's just not having cleaned it properly! When I rinse, my hair is as squeaky clean as it was when I used a shampoo, but without having been stripped and dried with SLS etc.

I've done only curls and olaplex but the best combo I've found is using any old shampoo, tressemme conditioner and the most important bit is to use a hair mask once a week. I have found Lee Stafford mask the best. And then I put olive oil cream in it when hair is soaping wet and crunchy it.
I've never found a gel that works it just makes my hair go stringy but I have especially fine hair.

Use a diffuser to dry hair before bed and use a satin pillow case.

I've been using Cantu Cleansing Shampoo but have just bought Noughty Wave Hello Curl Shampoo to try next - recommended on a Curly Hair FB group - it's only £7 from Sainsbury's/Amazon.
I use the Garnier Banana Hair Food Mask as a leave-in conditioner - usually £3.49 in Home Bargains.

This is awesome guys.
My hair is shoulder length. Its fine but loads of it. People often think I have thick hair but I don’t.

I use bamboo bedding (feels satiny and lush) I have micro fibre turbans as so much easier than towels.

I have a Dyson curler / straightener/ dryer in one so finding a diffuser for that will be a challenge but I’ll go on the hunt.
(FYI dryer / brush is fab. The curls won’t stay in my hair)

I normally wash my hair once every 5/6 days. I will try this over the wknd. I’m quite excited. I just hope I have a wave or curl now !!

We use these curly girl products and get some amazing curls. The boots conditioner is 75p each and the curly jelly around £5.

Just to warn you - the XHC conditioners and shampoos have been reformulated and now contain silicone. If you can find any in the old packaging, that will be ok but you’ll be very lucky!

Thanks @Annoynymouse85 I thought I’d spotted ‘cones in one recently!
How annoying. I have a small stash but will stock up if I see any more in the old packaging before they disappear forever sob

I scrunch the Bumble & Bumble curl cream into damp hair and let it dry naturally and it creates lovely natural curls. It's about £20 a bottle and lasts ages.

I'm so glad you made this post - I'm in exactly the same boat and don't want to commit to something expensive in case I just have shit and awkward hair!

My daughter does curly girl and the best shampoo and conditioner etc she's found is Herbal Essences avocado and aloe. She's tried loads of other silicone free stuff at much higher prices, but this has been the best v

@CrabDuckDuckCrab right?
I’m rubbish at doing hair, makeup etc but always wanted curly / wavy hair. When I try to add curls they fall out. My hair is never sleek and kinks easily which has led me to thinking maybe I have a wave.
Im going to check out the FB page and all these wonderful cheaper products and give it a bash!

#firsttimepostandgotresponses!

so many products to look at 👌🏼

It's hard, because what I REALLY want is for someone to lay out for me exactly what cheap product I should use and how. Like: 'wash with C; condition with Y; gel Z; microfibre or t-shirt dry then diffuse with A' and I want all of these things to be cheap and not take very much time. Is that so much to ask?!

@CrabDuckDuckCrab
exactly.
Im a rubbish girl 😂 I’m quite simple with makeup (concealer / eye makeup) I don’t contour, highlight etc - I’m crap at eyeliner so trying to explore if I have wavy hair is daunting.

I want the curly girl method / products without the prices. 😂 with simple instructions

Any of the cheap conditioners mentioned will work well to cowash. I like the Aldi because it has protein. Use the pads of your fingers or a silicone shampoo brush to really focus on your scalp for around five minutes.
Rinse. Apply same conditioner, leave for a couple of minutes. Add water and comb through.
Whilst still dripping wet, apply mousse by raking through hair - Pantene no.5 or similar.
Apply a strong hold gel - Harry’s, Curl Jelly, etc - glaze it over your hair and then scrunch gently to encourage waves.
Use a tshirt, old muslin or micro fibre towel to absorb any drips.
Hover diffuse - medium heat, low speed. If you want, you can also pixie diffuse - low heat, medium speed, cupping the hair in the diffuser to encourage the waves.

Over time you’ll find what suits your hair. You may find your hair needs shampooing rather than cowashing if it’s fine and wavy. You may want to leave some of the conditioner in your hair. You may find you prefer to style damp rather than dripping wet. You may prefer to air dry over diffusing.

Sleep on a silk scarf or use a sleep bonnet if you can, to protect your hair.

Also there can be ‘rules’ about what’s approved and what’s not. Basically avoid sulphates and silicones if you can. Find what works for your hair and stick with that and don’t get too hung up on the rest of it.

Good luck!

This blog is helpful, she does a lot of product reviews
https://curlmaven.ie/washday-workbook/
My hair routine is totally different from the post above, like they said it's so individual! I have fine hair that drops easily and wants protein
Mine is

Shampoo
Condition. Squish it a bit, detangle with a paddle brush and fully rinse
Squeeze as much water out with my hands as I can
Rake and scrunch a serum (sometimes)
Rake and scrunch mousse
Rake and scrunch gel from all angles (upside down, side to side etc)
Diffuse and scrunch out the crunch

Product wise I use loads but love
Shampoo - bounce curl clarifying
Conditioner - Aldi volume
Serum - treluxe or innersense I create volume
Mousse/foam - wella volume, curlsmith strength
Gel - treluxe, jessicurl spiralicious, aveda confixor
Sometimes use curls n clouds volume spray when my hair is dry and scrunched out