If you are a follower of the Curly Girl Method, you know that finding the right styling product is key. In this post, we explain exactly what to look for and reveal our Top Ten UK Curly Girl Approved styling products.
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Whether you like gel, mousse, butter, or custards, a styling product is essential for locking in moisture to reveal soft, bouncy curls.
There are many Curly Girl approved styling products available to buy in the UK. These range from budget-friendly mousses and gels to more luxurious custards and curl creams from high-street brands.
What Is The Curly Girl Method
The Curly Girl Method was developed by Lorraine Massey, the author of Curly Girl, The Handbook which is always an essential read if you’re starting out.
The main goal of the method is to care for your hair as naturally as possible by avoiding harsh chemicals and heat styling.
I wrote a Complete Step By Step Guide on how to follow the Curly Girl Method, but here’s a quick overview:
Curly Girl Method Rules:
❌ No sulfates, silicones, or drying alcohols
❌ Avoid brushing (expect wet brushing with a wide-tooth comb)
❌ Do not use regular towels (you can use an old t-shirt or a microfibre towel)
❌ No heat styling (keep hairdryer on cold or low heat)
You should also not use regular hair ties as these can easily break your hair. Instead, use these hair bobbles which are much more curl-friendly.
What Are Curly Girl Styling Products?
After conditioning, it is important to use a styling product to encourage your curls to form.
If you are trying CGM on wavy, fine hair, you may want a stronger hold. If you have coily hair, you may want a softer hold to help elongate your curls.
Example Styling Products:
- Gel
- Mousse
- Custard
- Cream
Whichever way you wish to style your curls, moisture and hold are the two essential parts of obtaining frizz-free defined curls.
Curly Girl approved styling products are essentially products that do not contain the chemicals mentioned above.
In reality, there aren’t really any ‘official’ approved products as the Curly Girl Method simply encourages you to use products that follow the guidelines.
Approved products are therefore just another way of saying Curly Girl friendly.
If you’re just looking for gels, check out these UK Curly Girl Friendly options.
This post contains affiliate links and we may earn if you click on them (at no extra cost to you). Please read our full disclosure policy here.
Top 10 Curly Girl UK Approved Styling Products
1. Umberto Giannini Curl Scrunching Jelly
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What I like
I found that you get amazing curl definition with this gel as well as keeping the volume on the top of your hair.
What I Don’t like
If you use a lot of the product it can give you that ‘wet curl’ look. But a little goes a long way.
The Umberto Giannini Curl Scrunching Jelly is an absolute Curly Girl favorite. It has a medium to strong hold and works well for all hair types.
The scrunching jelly is light in texture and doesn’t flake when layered with other products, for instance, a mousse.
The gel is vegan formulated.
2. Twisted sista Dream Curl Gel
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What I like
I found that you get amazing curl definition with this gel as well as keeping the volume on the top of your hair.
What I Don’t like
If you use a lot of the product it can give you that ‘wet curl’ look. But a little goes a long way.
The Twisted Sista Gel is another popular brand and promises to give a strong. perfect for waves to smooth out frizz and for coily hair to elongate curls.
This gel contains avocado for added moisture as well as coconut for a protein boost.
The consistency is light and can be used for layering with other UK Curly Girl approved styling products.
Very popular amongst the Curly Girl community and is said to hold up against bad weather!
3. Mousse Pantene No 5
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What I like
I found that you get amazing curl definition with this gel as well as keeping the volume on the top of your hair.
What I Don’t like
If you use a lot of the product it can give you that ‘wet curl’ look. But a little goes a long way.
I have definitely been converted to mousse in the last few months and my absolute favorite mousse is the Pantene Vol 5.
If you have wavy hair and want to give the Curly Girl Method a go, this is for you.
It has such a great hold and I get a great cast by only using this product. The mousse is lightweight, has a lovely smell, and leaves your curls soft and bouncy!
Now, it won’t hold curls the same way as gel does, but I prefer my curls to be a bit looser. Try this mousse for the lightest of curls!
4. Eco Styler Gel – Olive oil
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What I like
I found that you get amazing curl definition with this gel as well as keeping the volume on the top of your hair.
What I Don’t like
If you use a lot of the product it can give you that ‘wet curl’ look. But a little goes a long way.
The Ecostyler gel was the first gel I ever tried and it’s still one of my go-to’s. It’s affordable and easily available online and in most stores.
Great for beginners and the gel offers a really strong cast. A simple but effective gel.
5. Cantu Curl Activator Cream
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What I like
I found that you get amazing curl definition with this gel as well as keeping the volume on the top of your hair.
What I Don’t like
If you use a lot of the product it can give you that ‘wet curl’ look. But a little goes a long way.
The Cantu Moisturising Curl Activator Cream is one of the most popular UK Curly Girl approved styling products.
All you need is a pea-sized amount to reveal frizz-free bouncy curls. The curl activator is moisturising and contains ingredients such as fruit oil, grape seed oil and avocado oil.
It has a thicker consistency so a little goes a long way! I purchased mine at the beginning of my journey (over twelve months ago) and I’ve still got plenty left.
The Curl Activator was the winner of the 2018 Curly Treats Excellence Award for Best Moisturiser.
Also check out these CG approved Cantu products.
6. Aussie Instant Freeze Sculpting Gel
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What I like
I found that you get amazing curl definition with this gel as well as keeping the volume on the top of your hair.
What I Don’t like
If you use a lot of the product it can give you that ‘wet curl’ look. But a little goes a long way.
The Aussie Instant Freeze Sculpting Gel is excellent if you’re looking for an extra strong hold. It contains ingredients such as Australian Jojoba oil and sea kelp. It is moisturizing and offers the ultimate hold for the busiest of days.
Eliminates frizz and is ideal for curl definition and maintaining loose curls, waves and coils.
7. Camille Rose Curl Maker
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What I like
I found that you get amazing curl definition with this gel as well as keeping the volume on the top of your hair.
What I Don’t like
If you use a lot of the product it can give you that ‘wet curl’ look. But a little goes a long way.
All of Camille Rose’s products are made with the best of ingredients and the Curl Maker is no different.
It contains extracts of marshmallow and agave as well as coconut oil and pomegranate.
The jelly is excellent for dry and coarse hair and gives ultimate friz-free curl definition without a crunchy feel or look.
Infused with Vitamin E and B-12 for optimal nourishment.
8. Cantu Shea Butter for Natural Hair Define & Shine Custard
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What I like
I found that you get amazing curl definition with this gel as well as keeping the volume on the top of your hair.
What I Don’t like
If you use a lot of the product it can give you that ‘wet curl’ look. But a little goes a long way.
The Cantu Shea Butter for Natural Hair Define & Shine Custard is an absolute bargain!
Not only does this custard offer a great hold for tighter curl types, but it smells fantastic.
If you have 3b hair and upwards, this is the custard for you. Apply to wet hair and it’s best to not mix with other products.
Scrunch the custard into your curls and don’t touch until it’s 95% dry. You’ll get frizz-free results and your hair will feel nourished and moisturized as well!
9. Cantu Twist & Lock Gel
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What I like
I found that you get amazing curl definition with this gel as well as keeping the volume on the top of your hair.
What I Don’t like
If you use a lot of the product it can give you that ‘wet curl’ look. But a little goes a long way.
Cantu is a very popular Curly Girl brand and the Twist and Lock Gel doesn’t disappoint.
It moisturizes and de-frizzes hair to make it more manageable, revealing soft and shiny curls.
Although the product was developed for twists, it actually works for most curl types. Curly Girls with type 2c say that the gel really helps them control their frizz.
It may not be the right product if you have wavy hair as you don’t get much of a cast. If you’re looking for soft and elongated curls, however, this is for you.
10. Herbal Essences Body Envy Volumizing Hair Mousse
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What I like
I found that you get amazing curl definition with this gel as well as keeping the volume on the top of your hair.
What I Don’t like
If you use a lot of the product it can give you that ‘wet curl’ look. But a little goes a long way.
The Herbal Essences Body Envy Volumizing Hair Mousse has a brilliant hold even in humid weathers.
It’s great for keeping curls defined and reduces frizz.
The mousse is weightless which means your curls will be softer and far more voluminous!
How To Tell If A Product Is Curly Girl Approved?
The best way to determine if UK styling products are Curly Girl approved is to look at the ingredients list.
You’ll want to look out for the following words:
Sulfate
The list of sulfates to avoid is very long but the general rule is if the ingredient contains ‘sulfate’ is a no-go.
Silicone
Avoid these ingredients:
- Botanisil
- cone
- dimethcione
- dimethicon
- microsil
- silane
- silicon
- siloxane
- siloxysilicate
- silsesquioxane
- silylate
Some silicones are water-soluble and will contain words like peg, pg-, ppg.
In general, these should be avoided if following the Curly Girl Method but some Curlies don’t mind them as they can be dissolved. Use at your own discretion.
Waxes
Avoid the following:
- cera
- cire
- dodecane
- dodecene
- isododecane
- isohexad
- isohexadecane
- isohexanedecane
- lanolin
- mineral oil
- paraffin
- petrolatum
- shellac
- wax
The following are water-soluble waxes. Again, use at your own discretion:
- emulsifying wax
- emulsifying wax nf
- peg 8 beeswax
- peg-75 lanolin
- peg-8 beeswax
Soap
Soap is made from oils, fats, and waxes. Although they might not contain sulfates, the detergents used could be even harsher than sulfates.
Therefore soap is not CG friendly. They are a low PH and this can be drying for your hair.
Witch Hazel
Witch Hazel is not Curly Girl friendly.
Parabens
Parabens have only recently been added to the no-go list.
Originally it was considered OK to use but in recent years, there have been discussions about whether it is safe to use as it has been linked to cancer.
Many Curly Girls still use these products and you should use at your own discretion.
Source: https://www.curlsbot.com/curly-girl-ingredient-list/
Easy To Follow Curly Girl Routine
1. Co-wash. Wash your hair with a Curly Girl approved conditioner. Always use a scalp brush to remove product build-up and dirt from your hair. I use this one but you can use any brand or style.
2. Condition. Use a thicker consistency conditioner to moisturize and condition your hair. I really like the Banana Hair Food Mask from Garnier.
3. Style. Use one of the styling products from the list below.
4. Dry. You can air dry or use a diffuser to speed up the process. I use the Hairizone diffuser which I got from Amazon. I have yet to find any diffuser that is better and for the price, it’s a steal!
So there you have it. The 10 best Curly Girl styling products available to buy in the UK. If you’re looking for other products to use, check out my full list of UK Curly Girl approved products.
Good luck on your Curly Girl journey!
Disclaimer: This site is not intended to provide professional or medical advice. All of the content on LovedByCurls.com is for informational purposes only. All advice should be followed at your own discretion. Ingredients may change at any time so always check the product label before using. Check our full disclaimer policy here.
