Favorite Natural Hair/Curly Hair Products (2014)

At the beginning of my natural hair journey I was indeed a product junkie! I was eager to try any and all natural hair products.  I wasn't breaking the bank because I'm one cheap sistah, but I did accumulate a lot of products.  I would usually wait until I ran out of one to try a new product.  I would also purchase new products when they were on sale.  Walgreens usually have the best BOGO sales!

I am now a little over two years natural and I notice that I just stick to what I know and like.  It's been awhile now that I don't buy many natural hair products.  I rarely have time to play in my hair and experiment with products, so I have become accustomed to just using what works and re-buying them.  Listed below are my favorite products that I use over and over because they do what I need them to do!

Shea Moisture: African Black Soap Balancing Conditioner
This product can be purchased at Target for around $10.  It has tea tree and willow bark extract in it.  It is great for dry, itchy scalp.  It has a host of great ingredients in it (coconut oil, avocado oil, mango seed butter, etc).  It has no sulfates, no parabens, no phthalates, no paraffin, no gluten, no animal ingredients, etc.  It claims to moisturize and detangle hair while soothing itchy, dry scalp.  I tried this conditioner after loving the deep conditioner in this line.  My hair seemed to love it so I decided to try the conditioner.  My hair absolutely love it!  I use this product as a leave in for my wash and go.  It leaves my hair soft, defined, and moisturized.  I can't seem to go without it.  I have found that other Shea Moisture leave-ins don't work as well as this one for my hair.

Biomega Silk Shampoo
I have used this shampoo even before I went natural.  My Mom got it for me from a beauty supply store.  I think it's either $30 or $60.  My Mom got it on discount.  It's 32 ounces and lasts a long time.  Probably because I only shampoo my hair every few months as well.  It claims to silken and smooth hair for frizz-free manageability and vibrant shine.  It is sulfate and paraben free.  Again, I only use this maybe every 2-3 months.  I feel that it does not make hair feel stripped.  My hair still feels moisturized and cleansed.  It must help with frizziness because my hair is rarely frizzy these days.

Tresemme Naturals Nourishing Moisture Conditioner
This product is hands down my favorite.  It's on my holy grail list.  It's a product that I cannot live without.  I have to keep stock of it at all times.  You can purchase it at Walmart or Target for under $5.  It is a silicone free conditioner with aloe vera and avocado in it.  I use it to co-wash with.  I usually co-wash my hair 2-3 times a week, so I definitely need lots of this.  It does last quite awhile though.  I like to slather this conditioner in my hair and tie it back to let it sit in my hair for a few minutes.  I detangle my hair while it is still in because it has awesome slip! It is really easy for me to finger detangle my hair with this in.  I rinse it out and sometimes add back in about a quater size to leave in.  I have used this product in the past to deep condition my hair and used it as a leave-in.

Aubrey GPB Balancing Protein Conditioner
I purchase this product at my local natural grocery store for around $12, but I'm sure it's at Whole Foods as well.  It is a protein conditioner that claims to be a blast of nutrients to strengthen and replenish hair.  It has great ingredients in it like grapefruit extract, castor oil, rosemary oil, etc.  It features glycoprotein, milk protein, and organic aloe.  It is paraben, cruelty, and phthalate free.  It works best if used right after shampooing and left in for a minute or two.  After rinsing out I suggest following up with a good deep conditioner.  Otherwise your hair won't feel as soft.  This is the only protein conditioner I have used, but I love it.  I can definitely tell the difference in my curls after using it.  They are shiny, defined, and seem to pop!

My Own Shea Butter
I have tried a lot of different oils and it has been difficult to find one that really moisturizes my daughter's hair. I read a lot about shea butter and decided to try it.  I ended up making up my own mixture with shea butter and different oils, and it seems to work perfectly.  For my recipe check out my DIY Shea Butter Mixture.  I use this not only in my daughter's hair, but also sometimes in my wash and go, and in all my protective styles. It really moisturizes and defines my braid outs and twist outs.  I purchase my 100% shea butter from beauty supply stores for around $7.  You can also order it online.

Spectrum Organic Virgin Coconut Oil
Another holy grail product of mine is coconut oil.  I use it on everything.  I use it to cook with, on my skin, nails, body, and even in my dog's food!  My husband jokes that I think that coconut oil cures all.  Sir it really does!  For hair purposes, I use coconut oil to oil my scalp.  I usually massage it into my scalp after I co-wash it.  Sometimes I add a little to my ends.  I have used coconut oil to help deep condition my hair as well. It really is a miracle product. It can be purchased at Walmart for around $6, but I get mine from the commissary for less than $5.

Suave Naturals Daily Clarifying Conditioner
I'm sure this product can be purchased anywhere conditioners are sold for less than $1.50.  It is a daily clarifying conditioner with light conditioners for normal to oily hair.  It has a small list of ingredients that I cannot pronounce.  I use it simply to clarify my hair before I co-wash it.  It is thick and smooth, but don't have as good of slip as the Tresemme Naturals.  I use it once a week during co-washing.  For the price, it gets the job done.

Product not pictured is my oil mixture.  I usually re-use an old container and mix together any oils I have on hand such as extra virgin olive oil, grapeseed oil, coconut oil, tea tree oil, etc.  I mainly use this mixture on my daughter's hair to oil her scalp, but it works great on my scalp as well.

So these are my favorite products as of right now.  Even though I'm pretty committed to these, I am still open to trying out new things.  I just have to always keep these on hand!