In this post, I will be doing my first Curly Girl Reviews of the brands Innersense, Curly World, Bounce Curl, and several more. If you have been “curlious” about these product lines but haven’t tried them yet, maybe you will find some inspiration in this post about my Search for Great Silver Curly Hair Products.
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That’s me on October 11, 2016, I was on my way home from getting a haircut when it truly hit me that my stylist had said, “That’s it, the last of the dye just hit the floor.” I had to take a quick photo in the blazing sun, in my car, at a stop light. Just to remember the moment I realized I was done growing out the dye, 22 months from start to finish and I was finally done.
I did not fully understand in that moment what was to come next. Silver hair is entirely different in many ways from dyed hair. And for some silvers, curly hair can be like having a new head of hair all together. My hair texture had completely changed; I went from curls all over that were all relatively similar in shape and texture to straight hair, waves, curls, and ringlets all on one head. In the three years since the dye hit the floor, I have been on the quest to find my new Curly Silver hair care.
I use sulfate-free shampoo and rarely allow any silicones into any of my hair products. I do not co-wash, I usually just acquired build-up on my scalp. A few times, I have tried an entire line of “curly” products when a company like Paul Mitchell makes a specific line, or Ouidad, or AG, even though these companies sometimes add silicones, waxes, alcohols, and other ingredients that aren’t healthy for hair.
Regardless, I have always felt like, you never know, maybe one of these major salon brands will crack the code for great curls. I’m not worried about this because I know how to clarify now and remove the ingredients that can cause problems.
Favorite product formulations change, are discontinued, hormones change, water changes, or the environment changes; you name it, if it changes; our curls are like a barometer to the difference, which is why I have accepted that there is NO SUCH THING as a CURLY HOLY GRAIL.
After all the dye was cut off, I started searching and searching…buying and returning…and searching…and buying and returning. Rinse and repeat as the shampoo bottle says. Every now and then over the last three years, I have given up the search, made do with what I had, and lived with the results whatever they were.
Over the last year I noticed some really amazing product lines had come out, so I decided to try several out and see for myself what all the hype was about. I wish I could say that this summer was where my search ended, but it wasn’t. As time went on and more products were returned than I kept, I went back to something I had done back in 2002, I started a checklist table so I could keep track of what I liked or didn’t like.
With the help of some fantastic souls in the curly hair communities, I realized there were some ingredients that could be causing me the issues I was having with products so I started tracking those too. I’ll catch you up on all that in the end of this post for now check out my exhausting search.
Please know this is my personal experience with these products and my hair is finicky, multiple wave and curl patterns, low porosity, and fine, I have allergies to many products and perfumes, so what doesn’t work for me may work perfect for many other people. This is just my honest experience and feedback on these products. Many fellow curlies ask me what I use on my hair so this post is for you Curly Silvers. I have listed out my personal pros and cons on each product line I’ve tried.
First Up Innersense
Organics…check. Natural…check. Made for curls…check. Great scent…check. It seemingly had it all including the love of the curly h community. They have amazing customer service; for example, they gave me a phone consult and product swap to help me figure out a better line-up. I really truly wanted to love Innersense because many fellow curly girls love it.
Unfortunately, the more I used it the worse my hair became. I ended up one night with so much frizz and painful fairy knots I showered and deep conditioned at about 9 o’clock at night, which is something I never do because it takes so long for my hair to dry. I tried all the products as recommended, and then I tried them all separately the way I felt might work best for me. Sadly, the entire line was returned.
In the photo: my hair is about 80% dry, so curls looked promising, but by the time it was 100% dry the frizz, halo, and fairy knots would start to appear and by the end of the day no curls remained.
Pros
- Scent
- Very concentrated, a little goes a long way.
- Returnable
- Family Owned Business
- Organic
Cons
- Frizzy/Halo
- Drying
- Lack of Curls
- Hold (the gel did not work at all for me)
- Fairy Knots
- $$$$ Expensive
Contains
- Aloe
- Shea
- Glycerin
- Polyquats
- Proteins
Overall Conclusion: For me it had too much protein and glycerin, which led to drier and tangled hair. What I will say is…you might love it. Many silver curly girls do love it, so don’t let my results sway you unless you have my hair type.
You can check out the full line of products here: Innersense Beauty
Next Up Curly World
I have never been able to use DevaCurl products, for some reason the line straightened my hair; however, I hoped Lorraine Massey’s new natural line would be a different story.
My biggest complaints: the shipping was ridiculous, it was expensive and took over two weeks to arrive. The scent in all four products is an intense Damask rose, it is natural and okay but way overpowering. While the packaging is low on plastic, it is not easily recyclable and it is difficult managing the floppy Mylar bags in the shower with wet hands.
The Sham Free, left me with a buildup on my scalp that made me itchy. The Terms and Conditions was actually pretty nice, I wanted to like it but my hair dried in a puffy weird curl pattern.
In the photo: You can see there is a fair amount of ‘webbing’ going on all over, which turns into frizz and the curl eventually fell out even with the Leave In Lover Gel.
Pros
- One scent all products
- No fairy knots
- Protein Free (this is good for me)
- Returnable
- Curly Silver Woman Owned Business
Cons
- Frizzy/Halo
- Itchy
- Drying
- Lack of Curls
- Scent too strong
- No Hold (the gel did not work at all for me)
- $$$$ Very Expensive
Contains
- Aloe
- Olive oil
- Shea
- Glycerin
- Polyquats
- Itchy m’s (if you have issues with those.)
Overall Conclusion: Shipping was expensive and very slow, way too much glycerin, scent of rose was overpowering, customer service was slow to process return. Sadly, the entire experience was disappointing. For me the products miss more than they hit.
Bounce Curl
Another line I truly wanted to love, and I did. The scent of the shampoo and conditioner left a lot to be desired, I don’t know what it was but it smelled off, like almost rancid. Also, too many scent profiles, everything smells different. The Curl Light Crème Gel reminded me of the scented Strawberry Shortcake dolls from the 80’s somewhere between plastic and faux strawberry. Funny and odd, but bearable.
Beyond the scent, I loved the Cream Conditioner and the Clump & Define. My curls actually loved the conditioner and the balm just seemed right, she has something magical going there. Sadly, I ended up having a skin allergy to these products, as I later found on their website that they have a disclaimer about, so I am guessing I wasn’t the only one. (Update: 2024, something has changed as I no longer have an allergy to the products.)
In the photo: I loved the variety of textures in this photo, you can see I have a little bit of everything, every strand was happy and nourished here.
Pros
- Hydrating
- Curls were happy
- I did like the Clump and Define Cream and The Moisture Balance Leave In is now my favorite leave in.
- No Fairy Knots
- Protein Free
- Woman Owned Business
Contains
- Aloe
- Olive oil
- Shea
- Glycerin
- Polyquats
Cons
- Frizzy/Halo (if you use too much or don’t have the right gel this will happen)
- Greasy/Heavy (oddly the clarifying shampoo felt heavy)
- Too many scent profiles, and odd smells
- No Hold (the gel did not work at all for me)
Overall Conclusion: Sans the allergy and scents, I would have loved to keep and continuing using the products that were working. They definitely belong in a Curly Silver line-up. Curly girls around the world rave about the Curl Light Crème Gel, so very much worth a try.
Update: I have gone back to using the Moisture Balance Leave In (which offers UV and Heat protection) and the Clump and Define Cream, they are actually favorites in my line-up.
You can check out the full line here: Bounce Curl
My most recommended from this line are:
LUS Brands
The minute I saw this line come out, I was intrigued, the overall results on all curl types were amazing. The three-product system is the thing curly girl’s dream of. I wanted to love these products so much, this summer I tried them for the second time.
The first round I could not get them to work no matter how many videos on their site I watched and no matter which way or how much I tried. And the second trial was the same results.
I do believe they have too many poly-quats in them. I absolutely love the scent; it is soft and light and makes a perfect perfume just for everyday wear. My hair felt incredibly soft, but just would not stay curly. That’s a common struggle for wavy types, the softer your hair is the less it will hold.
Pros
- Hydrating
- Scent and now Fragrance Free
- No Fairy Knots
- Really Soft Hair
- Protein Free
- Woman Owned Business
- $$ Very reasonably priced especially since it should only be the three products you use.
Cons
- Frizzy/Halo
- Lack of Curls
- No Hold
- Seems to work better for curlier hair types.
Contains
- Shea
- Glycerin
- Polyquats
Overall Conclusion: Try LUS, if you can, try this product line. You might love it. I imagine it probably is working well on people who have a great curl pattern that needs little encouragement and doesn’t need a lot of hold. The deep conditioner is absolutely wonderful and I still purchase it.
You can check out the entire line here: LUS Brand
JessiCurl
At this point in my journey, I started going back to products that I had tried when great curl products were just hitting the market. Back then, I had dyed hair so it makes sense things that did not work for me then might work for me now. Somewhere in the beginning of my journey, as it turns out, the founder Jess McGuinty was in her kitchen making her first batch of products.
I found her website back then just after she launched the first products of her line. There was some glitch on the website and I called to let them know; they sent me free samples of everything they had at the time. For some reason, which I cannot remember now, I could not use the line. As I said though, might have been the difference between dyed hair and silver hair. This time, I ordered the Light & Luminous Collection, unscented. Try as I might I could not get any of it to work for me the way the rest of the curly community does.
In the photo: You can see there were many issues going on, no real definition of curl, puffy, and fuzzy. By the end of the day, I felt like Roseanna Roseannadanna, not my best look.
Pros
- Hydrating
- Unscented
- Curls were trying to happen
- Samples and Trial sizes available for all products.
- Woman Created Business
- $$ Very reasonably priced.
Cons
- Frizzy/Halo
- No Hold
- Itchy Scalp
- Flax may have been the pitfall for me.
Contains
- Aloe
- Shea
- Glycerin
- Polyquats
- Proteins (flax and oat)
Overall Conclusion: Once again a product line that I wanted to love because it seems so beloved in the curly hair community, but just didn’t do anything reliably for my curls. I feel like these work well on higher porosity hair, color treated hair, and more in the 3 and 4 range of curls.
I always highly recommend these as a starting point for anyone in the beginning of embracing their curls.
You can check out the entire line here: JessiCurl
Rizos Curls
I had heard a lot about these products via Instagram and YouTube. Even though they were designed for Latina hair, I thought they were still worth a try. They are heavy in shea butter so the line all together tends to weigh my hair down and my curls disappear. It is a heavy tropical scent and while I haven’t been allergic to it, it took a little while to get used to it. If you live in a dry climate like I do they are definitely worth a try. I do really like the Curl Defining Cream. It does have a learning curve, but seems like great potential.
Pros
- Hydrating/nourishing
- Curls were trying to happen
- Protein Free
- Woman Owned Business
- $$ Very reasonably priced.
Cons
- Heavy
- No Hold
Contains
- Aloe
- Shea
- Coconut Oil
- Glycerin
- Beeswax
- Polyquats
- Olive Oil
Overall Conclusion: I very highly recommend the line if you have dry, transitioning, dyed/highlighted, coarse, and/or above normal porosity curls. I do think they work well on higher porosity, and coarser hair overall. If you want to try one product try the Curl Defining Cream. I really like the Shampoo and Conditioner, and will be using them in the winter.
You can check out the entire line here: Rizos Curls
Curly Girl Product Junkie Policy:
I’m actually NOT a product junkie, I like to find products I love and stick to them. I will try new things and try new lines, but I am far more inclined to try if a line has sample or trial sizes. While I don’t like to return items because of waste, Target, Walgreens, Ulta, Sephora, Amazon, and several other large retailers allow returns, verify at purchase because it can be really helpful to buy an entire line and try it out. I make a return exception for small businesses, I know how much it affects the bottom line when everyone wants a 100% return policy, as much as I love to use that policy, it doesn’t work for smaller businesses. I usually pass those products onto a fellow curly girl if I don’t care for them.
The Curly Girl Must Have: GEL!!!
Gel seemed to be the hardest product for me to find for my hair type. During this long road I did find a couple of products I loved, namely: Giovanni L.A. Natural Styling Gel and Paul Mitchell Super Clean Sculpting Gel (while it has a silicone in it, it is a water-soluble dimethicone, and almost the last ingredient).
Hands down the BEST gel I have ever used and the one that stays in my rotation is Loma Firm Hold Gel.
Invitation:
I hope this post has been of some help to you on your quest for your Best Silver Spirals. I have connected with some silver sisters in the online communities that have EXACTLY THE SAME ISSUE as I do with their Silver Curls being different. And I did some digging, silver hair is different! For some there is no medulla (core) to the silver strand, which I don’t know 100% yet HOW that affects your curl and products working or not, but I know it must have a major effect. I have discovered a similar trend with ingredients not working on silver curls, so far glycerin tops the chart, and then heavy proteins are difficult for fine silver curls. Please sign up for my email list to read future Curly Silver posts.
I hope you found this post educational and helpful.
Thank you for reading. Please feel free to share.
As always it is about so much more than the hair.
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