The struggle is real for a curly girl in the summertime. When our locks are dry or damaged, they absorb the moisture from the humid summer air, causing them to swell and lose their curl pattern. So, if you want to ditch that halo of fuzz this season, you’ll need to cleanse gently and moisturize regularly with an amazing frizz-fighter. Ahead, we rounded up our favorite picks that kiss that pesky fuzz goodbye.
Curls Unleashed Sulfate Free Shampoo
Shampoo should be kind to curly hair and not strip it of its natural oils, or else you’ll wind up with frizz. This sulfate-free shampoo gently cleans, moisturizes, and detangles your tresses with a blend of lemon balm, rosemary, and hops. Sulfate-free shampoos tend not to lather, but if you’re one of those girls who needs the suds in order to feel clean, this one does the trick. If you wash your hair more often in the summer, this is gentle enough for daily use.
$10.99, available at Curl Mart
Shower Comb
We know — detangling is pretty much the bane of your existence, but knots and breakage will only lead to more frizz. Use your wide-tooth comb and your fingers to gently remove knots in the shower. The wide teeth will cause your curls to “clump” together — and that’s a good thing.
$2.49, available at Curl Mart
Mop Top Gentle Shampoo
Sulfate-free and water-soluble, this gentle shampoo will restore the moisture your strands need to fight off frizz. We like the nourishing sea botanicals and honey that penetrate the hair shaft and help to prevent split ends. Use this and you’ll end up with softer, silkier strands.
$21.95, available at CurlMart
Ouidad Climate Control Defrizzing Shampoo
This shampoo is specifically formulated to de-frizz curly hair in hot and humid climates. It manages to strike the perfect balance of cleansing without stripping your strands. If you know your hair type, this shampoo is popular among type 3 curlies.
$19, available at Curl Mart
Curl Junkie Assurance Smoothing Conditioner
This conditioner can be used in a variety of ways. Curly-haired girls love its slip and use it to detangle in the shower. If you have wavy hair, you can use it as a rinse-out conditioner, and those with tighter curls and coils can leave this conditioner in all day to combat frizz and flyaways.
$18, available at Curl Mart
Camille Rose Naturals Jansyn’s Moisture Max Conditioner
This is a super-rich conditioner with vitamins to strengthen your strands and regenerate cells for growth. A blend of exotic oils will prevent split ends and give unbelievable shine to your tresses. This will keep color-treated hair from fading, and its rich formula works best on type 4 coily locks.
$14, available atCurl Mart
Karen’s Body Beautiful Sweet Ambrosia Leave-In Conditioner
With an intoxicating fragrance and slip for days, this leave-in conditioner will moisturize, detangle, and define your curls and coils. This is perfect to keep twist-outs smooth and defined with thick, coily hair, but the formula is still light enough to use on wavy hair, too. We’ve seen women from all points on the curly-hair spectrum leave glowing reviews for this leave-in.
$16, available at Curl Mart
Oyin Handmate Hair Dew
This ultra-creamy conditioner will wake you up and moisturize your curls, so we recommend using it to revive second- and third-day hair. It’s light enough to use daily without the worry of product buildup. A massive shot of moisture is all you’ll be left with.
$13.99, available at Curl Mart
CURLS Curls Milkshake
This light curling lotion will de-frizz and define your curls with little to no hold. We like the pure coconut oil and organic aloe leaf juice in this product because they provide the hydration that is so essential to surviving the heat of summer. Remember: When your curls are hydrated, they won’t absorb the moisture from the humid air.
$18, available atCurl Mart
Curly Hair Solutions Curl Keeper
This styling lotion creates amazing curl formation while fighting dryness. It’s water-based and doesn’t contain parabens, protein, silicone, or sulfates, so you can add a little more to your hair every day (even midday”> and you won’t experience buildup.
$9.99, available at Curl Mart
Kinky Curly Curling Custard
Like the styling lotion in the previous slide, this product leads to incredible curls and keeps your strands hydrated. It’s also water-based and isn’t made with parabens, protein, silicone, or sulfates. You know what that means? No buildup here, either.
$17, available at Curl Mart
Macadamia Natural Oil Deep Repair Masque
This mask has an impressive lineup of macadamia, argan, tea tree, and chamomile oils along with aloe and algae extracts. This blend of nutrients will help your locks gain elasticity, which prevents breakage, and help to reconstruct damaged curls.
$33, available on Amazon