How to Pick the Right Products for Your Hair Type
Help is here: this guide will lead you straight to the right products for your hair type—and tell you exactly how to use them.
By Jenna Rosenstein
Did you know the average drugstore hair-care aisle displays more than 600 products? (For some perspective: The skin-care aisle only has about 400.) This veritable sea of pomades, mousses, gels, and soufflés only makes us love our hair even more, right? Well, not exactly—new studies from Unilever found that only one third of us even bother to use a hairstyling product daily, and a crazy 89 percent of us report feeling dissatisfied with our hair. Apparently all that choice is leading to a lot of confusion.
IF YOUR HAIR IS FINE AND STRAIGHT…
The flat blahness of fine hair needs volume without weight—which only sounds like it defies the laws of physics. Start by using a thickening shampoo and conditioner (we like L’Oréal Paris Advanced Haircare Volume Filler Shampoo and Conditioner), but use the latter only on the very ends of your hair. And rinse it out really, really well.
To style your hair, spritz a heat-protecting spray from midlength through the ends of your damp hair, then comb through a mound of mousse. “It adds body with a bit of control,” says hairstylist Nunzio Saviano. And you’ll definitely want to embrace dry shampoo—it adds texture, grip, and bulk to slippery fine hair, and it can be used throughout the day to create fresh lift. You’ll need to wash it out within a few days though, especially if you plan to wear your hair down—too much buildup kills volume.
Your Layering Cheat Sheet:
Heat protectant + light-hold mousse + volumizing mist + dry shampoo (as needed)
Try: Oscar Blandi Pronto Dry Styling Heat Protect Spray + Fekkai Advanced Full Blown Volume Styling Whip + Nexxus Hydra-Light Weightless Moisture Root Lift Mist
Avoid: Oils and silicone serums (they weigh down fine hair).
IF YOUR HAIR IS THICK AND STRAIGHT…
You have the texture to pull off almost any style. But you’ll still need time and patience. Start the styling process by combing a few drops of styling oil through wet hair section by section, followed by a small dollop of styling cream. Pro tip: If you work your way from the back of your head forward, you won’t weigh down bangs and face-framing layers.
Shine sprays are your friend because the bulkiness of your hair can make it look dull, says hairstylist Nathaniel Hawkins. Finish any style with a shot of an aerosol shine-enhancing spray (but use it only from the midlength to ends).
Your Layering Cheat Sheet:
Styling oil + smoothing cream + shine spray
Try: Dove Pure Care Dry Oil Restorative Hair Treatment+ Living Proof Perfect Hair Day 5-in-1 Styling Treatment + Tresemmé Keratin Smooth Illuminating Shine Spray
Avoid: Volumizers…and that’s it. Your hair can hold its own against any styling product (when used in moderation, of course).
IF YOUR HAIR IS KINKY AND COILED…
Tight curls require an intense, carefully considered approach to styling products. Your routine should start in the shower: Use a deep conditioner, but only rinse it out halfway. “Conditioner residue helps keeps curls shiny and smooth,” says Hawkins. Post-shower, immediately comb through a leave-in conditioner.
For more gloss and definition, when your hair is about 50 percent dry, twist large chunks of curls around your fingers (with a generous blob of styling oil or silicone serum) and then stop touching them. And as a general rule, opt for creamy products instead of sprays (they can leave hot spots of product in curly hair).
Your Layering Cheat Sheet:
Conditioner + styling cream + silicone serum
Try: Trader Joe’s Nourish Spa Conditioner + Miss Jessie’s Coily Custard + Garnier Fructis Marvelous Oil Frizz Defy
Avoid: Any styler with alcohol and strong-hold gels (they sap moisture); dry shampoo (you need your oils).
See more: 32 Affordable New Beauty products You Have to Try!
IF YOUR HAIR IS WAVY…
Wavy hair needs frizz and pouf control. But that doesn’t mean you should drown it in rich shampoos and styling products. If you’re using a frizz-fighting shampoo and conditioner (most of which have silicone in the first handful of ingredients), pick lighter styling products that contain natural oils instead of silicone, says Hawkins. They’ll smooth waves without smothering them.
If your waves need a little coaxing to reach their full potential, salt sprays are better than gels or curl creams (the pump trigger lets you mist them on more evenly). Once all your products are in place, part your hair and then let it air-dry. If your ends look scraggly once your hair is totally dry, run a little styling oil (most are actually a mix of oils and silicones) over them with your fingertips.
Your Layering Cheat Sheet:
Styling Cream + wave enhancer + lightweight styling oil
Try: R + Co Jackpot Styling Crème + Bumble and Bumble Surf Spray + Suave Professionals Natural Infusion Light Oil Spray
Avoid: Pomades (too sticky); gels (too crunchy); straightening creams (too heavy)
IF YOUR HAIR IS CURLY…
You need to battle frizz and dryness with the fire of a thousand suns. And a few key styling products. If you haven’t already, switch to sulfate-free shampoos, which won’t exacerbate dryness, and rich conditioners (with silicone or panthenol), which seal in moisture. But know your limits: Fine curls can take only so much hydration before they fall flat. If you’re using a heavy conditioner (the kind in a tub), choose water-based stylers that have water as the first ingredient.
On days you aren’t shampooing, refresh your curls by getting them wet in the shower and running a conditioner from the midlength to the ends. And to keep curls in place without the crunch of gel, use a curl-refreshing mist (water spiked with light conditioners) as needed throughout the day.
Your Layering Cheat Sheet:
Leave-in conditioner spray + curl definer + styling oil + curl-refreshing mist (as needed)
Try: Herbal Essences Totally Twisted Curl Silkening Detangler +Nuance Salma Hayek Blue Agave Wave Enhancing Styling Swirl+ Kérastase Elixir Ultime Oléo-Complexe
Avoid: Hair spray and fluffy terry-cloth towels (they’re both frizz-inducing).
More from Allure:
Find the Best Haircut for Your Face Shape
50 Beauty Products to Try Before You Die
10 Celebrity Hairstyles That Will Make You Look 10 Years Younger
13 Beauty Mistakes That Turn Men Off
photos: David Cook; George Chinsee; Patrick Demarchelier; Carter Smith; Giovanni Giannoni; Carter Smith
