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Finding the best products for afro hair can be exhausting, and dealing with and styling afro hair can be (to put it lightly) a seriously complex and tedious task. Many Black women will spend most of their lives trying to figure out what products and methods work best for their hair, and how to maintain their curl types.
Unfortunately, this years-long process can become extremely costly too. In fact, Black British women spend six times more on hair than their white counterparts, yet we only make up around 4% of the female population.
Whether kinky, coily, wavy, straightened or naturally-textured, Afro hair has unique needs, requiring a bespoke regime to ensure optimum results and hair health. From masks that boost moisture levels to creams that define curls and detanglers that work on the most complex of knots, we called in our editors and haircare experts to recommend their all time favourite products for afro hair.
SKIP TO: Our experts | Shampoos | Conditioners | Masks | Detanglers | Leave-In Conditioners | Oils | Hair Butters | Curl Definers | Blow Drying Protectant | Hair Gels & Edge Control.
Best haircare products for afro hair at a glance
- Best shampoo for clarifying afro hair: Pattern Cleansing Shampoo
- Best conditioner for hydrating afro hair: Charlotte Mensah Manketti Oil Conditioner
- Best for reconstructing afro hair: Cecred Reconstructing Treatment Mask
- Best oil for afro hair: Mielle Organics Rosemary Mint Scalp & Hair Strengthening Oil
- Best for defining curls and coils: Fenty The Homecurl Curl Defining Cream
Meet the experts:
To help define the best of the best for Afro hair, we asked an esteemed panel of hair experts for their picks:
- Charlotte Mensah: Founder of Charlotte Mensah and award winning Celebrity Hair stylist
- Subrina Kidd: hair stylist at Hair By The Collective and an expert in styling and treating textured hair.
- Ateh Jewel: award-winning beauty journalist
- Keysha Davis: Award-winning journalist and editor of Black Hair Magazine
- Julian Addo: Founder of Adowa Beauty
- Judy Koloko: Founder of The Steam Bar
Guess what? You’re not really supposed to grease your scalp every day. Put the Blue Magic tub down!
Keep scrolling to discover the ultimate product guide to treating, styling and caring for textured and Afro hair with recommendations for shampoos, conditioner, masks, leave-in conditioners, detanglers, oils, blow-dry protectors, hair butters, curl definers, the lot...
1. The best shampoos for curly and afro hair
Shampoo is the foundation of a comprehensive hair care regime, especially when prepping hair for any treatments that follow, so it’s important to choose a good one. The best shampoos will provide a thorough cleanse of strands and scalps, without stripping the hair of essential moisture. Luckily, our panel of textured hair experts have whittled it down to fast track your search…
A TikTok fave, the Mielle Rosemary Mint Strengthening Shampoo is one of the best shampoos for moisturising and strengthening hair. The shampoo lathers up beautifully and has a lot of slip to make detangling a breeze, it also smells amazing and leaves your hair hair and scalp feeling squeaky clean.
Keysha recommends the Charlotte Mensah Manketti Oil Shampoo. “This rich, creamy cleanser leaves my thick, coily hair feeling smooth and nourished, priming it for styling,” While hairstylist Mimi Kone says: “I always go for Keracare Hydrating and Detangling shampoo because as soon as you apply it into the hair it instantly soften it and the hair feel less dry and more hydrated and moisture.”
Owned by Dr. Syed, who owns Avlon and Keracare brands, As I Am is one of the newer kids on the hair block, but their innovative, and community-backed brand is home to some amazing products. Their Curl Clarity Shampoo is one of the best clarifying shampoos that doesn't leave your hair feeling stripped. It's also sulfate-free and safe for coloured hair, win-win and win.
Pattern is well known for its high-quality products, and its Cleansing shampoo is one of its best. The clarifying shampoo is formulated with antioxidant-rich matcha green tea, aloe vera and panthenol to help promote strong hair, and it helps give your hair a seriously deep clean and remove product build-up whilst also locking in moisture. Everyone say thank you Tracee Ellis Ross!
2. The best conditioners for curly and afro hair
Rich, moisture-restoring nourishment is the name of the game when it comes to choosing a conditioner for textured hair. Luckily, there’s a plethora of expert formulas, packed with natural oils and intelligent ingredients that promise in-shower results. Here are the experts’ favourites…
Charlotte rightly picks her own product, the Charlotte Mensah Manketti Oil Conditioner, which she carefully created to really cater and enrich curls and coils. “It’s a rich creamy formula that nourishes each strand by replenishing lost moisture. Plus, it replenishes and protects the hair from further damage from styling and heat tools,” she says.
Mielle is up again for their Pomegranate and Honey Leave-In Conditioner, which helps condition and detangle hair while locking in moisture. It's fortified with natural oils, fruits and honey to help hydrate thick hair, and it was specifically formulated with thick 4c hair in mind. It also smells delicious.
Meanwhile Mimi says: “I love KeraCare Humecto Crème Conditioner. It has been my go to conditioner for my clients with Afro and curly hair who haven’t had any keratin.” For best results, leave the conditioner on hair for at least 10 minutes and watch it work its magic.
Keysha's rec is the Dizziak Deep Conditioner. Aside from the impressive blend of natural ingredients, it’s the heavenly smell that sets this conditioner apart: “the citrus scent of this enriched conditioner is just one of the reasons why I continually go back to it during wash day,” she says.
3. The best masks for curly and afro hair
An essential in every textured hair regime, a hair mask is not only an intensive treatment to restore vital moisture but it can also provide a moment of much-deserved pampering. From bounce-boosting treatments to oil-based creams, here’s our round up of the best masks for textured hair.
Camille Rose's Algae Renew Mask is formulated with blue-green algae, cocoa and mango butter as well as 65 different vitamins and minerals to help strengthen damaged, dry and brittle hair and renew lost moisture. It also contains biotin to help maintain and encourage hair growth.
“I’m a huge fan of Bouclème and love the Bouclème Intensive Moisture Treatment.. It’s great for leaving my 4C coils bouncy and moisturised with softening marula oil. I put it on before hitting the steam room for a deep treatment,” says Ateh.
“The Steam Bar’s Scalp Saviour Mask is the jewel to our crowns. It's an exfoliating, balancing and hydrating mask for natural and textured hair. It contains wondrous ingredients including shea butter, carrot seed oil, avocado oil, and castor seed oil to replenish the scalp and nurture strands,” says Judy Koloko.
Beyoncé's Cecred line has won awards for its groundbreaking approach towards hair care, and its Reconstructing Treatment Mask has become coveted for its repairing properties. Powered by their patent-pending Bioactive Keratin Ferment, antioxidants, and vitamin E, the mask helps to fill in microcavities in the hair reduce damage and increase shine. It's also formulated without silicones, sulphates, phthalates, and parabens.
4. The best brushes and detanglers for curly and afro hair
Anyone with curls can understand that the struggle is real when it comes to de-tangling, but there’s no denying that a good comb-out results in beautifully separated and defined curls and hair that gleams with health. These tried-and-tested detangling products help to make the process a little more manageable (and a little less painful!).
“The Felicia Leatherwood Detangler Brush is easily adaptable on all hair types! For best results, use the brush during conditioning treatments,” says Subrina.
“This Charlotte Mensah Paddle Brush has been a game changer. I used to spend hours detangling both my twin girls' hair, now it’s done in 10 minutes with no fuss or yelps,” says Ateh.
The No Knot Co brush makes wash days something curly-haired curls should look forward to! With extremely flexible teeth, as the name suggests this is the ultimate detangling brush that will reduce tension on your tresses and protect it from intense shedding. It glides through the knots more smoothly than other brushes, making the process pain-free and saving you a whole lot of time.
Cantu's Narrow Define Detangling Brush has longer bristles to help reduce breakage while detangling. The brand is already well known for its products but its accessories line is its newest exploits, this is also one of the sturdiest brushes I've seen at this bargain price point.
5. The best leave-in conditioners and detanglers for curly and afro hair
If your hair is prone to dryness, it can cause it to look brittle and dull as well as compromising your curls. A good leave-in conditioner acts as an extra layer of protection to help to safeguard against dryness, providing a dose of lasting nourishment that keeps hair hydrated until your next wash. Detanglers also help you to carefully untangle your knots, to help your coils look and feel their best. Our expert panel reveals their favourites…
Patterns Leave-in Conditioner is one of the best and most affordable on the market right now. Infused with coconut, sweet almond, tea tree, avocado and honey, it is infused with natural oils and ingredients to give your hair the moisture and nourishment it needs.
“This Bouclème Curl Cream is my standard go to," says Subrina. "It’s lightweight, and truly suitable for a wide range of textures and curl patterns. I love that you don’t need to habitually reapply – you can alternate every few days. Love it for a wash and go, finger coiling or twist out with a little oil. It contains shea butter, but it's so lightweight.”
“This Cantu Coil Calm Detangler, is perfect for keeping my hair hydrated and tangle free in-between wash days. It’s light, effective and works well when cocktailing with other products from the brand,” says Keysha.
6. The best oils for curly and afro hair
Finding the perfect oil for your hair is no mean feat. Too thick and it becomes greasy, but too lightweight and it doesn’t offer enough moisture. Luckily, we’ve called in the experts to recommend their favourites to aid your search.
The Mielle Organics Rosemary Mint Oil has been a viral product since it was released, and for good reason. Powered by rosemary oil which is a remedy which has been used for thousands of years to aid hair growth. It also includes biotin and is one of our top picks for restoring hair loss and also giving your scalp some TLC.
“Hands down at the moment my favourite is the Aveda Dry Remedy Moisturising Oil. It’s lightweight, absorbent and moisturising," recommends Subrina.
“Packed with naturally-sourced Manketti nuts to deliver moisture without weighing the hair down, my Charlotte Mensah Manketti Hair Oil, instantly improves shine and combats frizz," says Charlotte.
“I love the fact that this Moroccanoil Treatment, is a classic hair staple and is so light in consistency, pure and multi-purpose. I use it as a heat protector, to seal my hair, and as a hot oil treatment,” says Keysha.
7. The best hair butters for curly and afro hair
To deeply nourish dry or coarse hair, there’s nothing better than a hair butter. Here, we asked our panel of experts for their top picks.
“The Camille Rose Naturals Curlaide Moisture Butter, is a great moisturiser to inject my hair with nourishment when it’s feeling a little dry and unloved. It’s blended with quality natural ingredients including shea moisture, coconut oil and castor oil, which results in a rich buttery textured cream that exudes quality," says Keysha.
“This SheaMoisture Coconut & Hibiscus Curl Enhancing Smoothie is perfect for looser thirsty curls and helps to keep them hydrated," says Ateh.
Mimi recommends: “This Keracare Natural Textures Butter Cream contains shea butter, cocoa butter, amla & shikakai (ayurvedic) botanicals, argan and abyssinian oils to hydrate and keep hair healthy."
The As I Am DoubleButter Daily Moisturising Cream is a rich nourishing cream that you can use every day to nourish and care for your curls. It not only helps define your coils but also hydrates your strands throughout the day to protect your hair from humidity and natural elements.
8. The best curl definers for curly and afro hair
Whether you’re looking to wash and go, twist and define, or up the shine factor, these expert-approved defining products offer the perfect solution to all your curl woes.
The Fenty Hair Homecurl Cream has become a new favourite for allll the curly girls, and I'm sure it will become a cult classic soon. The jelly cream hybrid helps to hold your curls like a gel but without any crunching, flaking or build-up. It also helps to protect against frizz and repairs hair with its core ingredients. RiRi you've done it again!
“I love this Aveda Be Curly Curl Enhancer, because it intensifies curls, tames frizz and increase shine," says Charlotte.
“This Bouclème Curl Defining Gel is a gel-based curl definer that’s extremely light in formula and gives my 4c type coils a more elongated curl definition than normal. It smells amazing, and leaves your curls soft and crunch-free too," says Keysha.
9. The best blow drying and heat protectants for curly and afro hair
A good protecting hair product can not only safeguard against heat damage from your heat styling tools, but it also helps to lock in moisture and protect from environmental aggressors and UV rays. We’ve asked the experts to recommend their go-tos.
Boasting a pro-keratin formula, the Kérastase Discipline Fluidissime Spray, helps to strengthen hair as well as protect. “It’s a great multi-tasker. It really helps to improve shine as well and protecting against heat damage,” says Ateh.
The Fantasia IC Heat Protector is a hair shop staple, and probably the same one your mum swears by and has been using for years. This heat protector comes in a serum and spray form, and helps seal in moisture while leaving hair silky soft and shiny.
“This Living Proof Restore Perfecting Spray, provides three layers of protection – against UV rays, up to 400 degree heat and against dryness – providing an instant hydration boost for dry hair," says Charlotte.
“I love this Oribe Royal Blowout Heat Styling Spray,. It's luxurious, lightweight and mist like. It protects, softens and it leaves the hair with body and a gorgeous natural shine. I’ve been using it religiously for 4yrs! Don’t get me started on the smell! Just divine," says Subrina.
10. The best hair gels & edge control for curly and afro hair
The wand of this Schwarzkopf got2b Glued for Brows & Edges 2 in 1 Wand Gel, makes for a great applicator, which means you can style your baby hairs quickly.
Another cult favourite is the Ecostyle Olive Oil Styling Gel, – best used with wet hair to slick down buns or define curls. It's ideal as it dries with no white cast, so you can apply the product generously.
For Julian, her go-to curl gel is her Adwoa Beauty Baomint Moisturizing Curl Defining Gel: "I formulated this unique product as a cream/gel hybrid. I couldn't find a gel to define my kinky curls without my hair feeling dry to the touch after a few days, so I created one. Our gel is truly magical and a blend of rich butters and oils that hydrate hair but also allows my wash and style to last all week. I just refresh daily with our oil blend and keep it moving. Like all of the products in our baomint collection, the gel also promotes hair growth; it is truly unlike any gel on the market.”
This Mielle Organics Rosemary Mint Edge Gel, controls baby hairs with ultra hold, leaving you with a glossy and smooth finish. It is also formulated with rosemary, mint and biotin which promotes hair growth. A win-win.
For more from GLAMOUR's Intern Shaunelle Harrydass-Clark, follow her on Instagram @shcjourno. For more from Glamour UK's former Beauty Writer Shei Mamona, follow her on Instagram @sheimamona.
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