Ask Abby: What are the Best Products for Curly Hair and Best Ways to Style Curls?

Happy, happy Monday!

I am so excited about this post.

This is the first of my Ask Abby series and you guys have been sending in awesome questions so keep sending those in! For this Ask Abby post, I'm going to be answering two questions in one because I think they both go really great together!

If you're unaware of how Ask Abby works, you can send in your questions to me here (whatever they may be!) and I'll answer it in a weekly blog post! This one's a little special because I won't always be answering two questions in one, but here we go!

Our first question was sent in by a reader named Camille! She asked, what are some good products for curly hair?

Well, Camille, I'm so glad you've asked this because I have a few products that I just love for curly hair.

A few months back I actually wrote a blog post a few months back on one of my favorite product lines for curly hair: Pantene Pro-V Curl Perfection. You can read that here. I wash my hair everyday with the shampoo and conditioner (I know you're only supposed to wash hair every other day or so but mine gets too greasy and nappy for me to not to) (another conditioner I use now that I have blonde hair again is the John Frieda Sheer Blonde...works wonders to lighten your hair!). The product I use from this Curl Perfection Line is the Curl Perfection Spray Gel. I use the is one the most and it helps my hair feel light, not crunchy, and makes my curls bounce. This product is also a gold-mine for getting those frizz-free curls. I know all you curly headed babes struggle with the mess that is frizz, and this really does wonders!

Another product that I've been using lately for curly hair I actually received from Influenster for free and I have only used it a few times so far but I've honestly been obsessed with it. I usually have only been one of those curly-heads that uses spray product and no gel/cream/mousse. But, Influenster sent me two different Garnier Fructis Curl Treatments before they were released in stores (you can buy them now, both linked --->) and one was a Curl Butter and one a Curl Smoothie. I used the Curl Butter (it's better for ringlet, bouncy curls---which is what I have) and I LOVE IT!

The Garnier Fructis Curl Butter was really hydrating for my hair. After every use, I've diffused after (it says to just let air dry, but I was on a time crunch) (and I don't always diffuse but when I want my curls to be extra big and bouncy, I do). The product made my hair so soft, no joke. And not to mention it smelled awesome after! All the photos you will see of my hair below were taken after using this product and diffusing (just a heads up).

I also liked that the butter cream was very light and you don't have to use a lot. One reason I like spray products so much is because it's easy to avoid using too much product, and although this wasn't a spray, it was like an extra great alternative to a spray! I just rubbed my hands on the product (didn't even take a big glob....cause it's honestly the consistency of butter itself lol...hence the name), and I scrunched it through my hair! It really helped with defining my curls. Frizz-wise, I still had some, but it helped with the definition!

Another product I've used for my naturally curly hair but have only used a few times and it's a product that isn't for solely curls is The Goof Stuff Weightless Protection Mist No-rinse Conditioner. The times I used this product I absolutely loved it. It made my hair so soft and the product is extremely lightweight. I honestly didn't even know this was a leave-in conditioner until writing this post lol. My sister had just gotten this product and I used it. This product works for all types of hair, but it made my curls frizz-free and extra ringlet-y.

Just in case you missed anything, you can shop these products here. All of them are under $10!

Moving on, this brings us into the latter half of this blog post and our second Ask Abby question.

This question was sent in by a reader named Emily! She asked, what are some of the best ways to style naturally curly hair?

So now you see why I put these two together....

Emily, there are tons of ways to style naturally curly hair! And I mean tons. Buttttt, I'm the type of person who likes to keep it relatively the same always so I always go for the same few types of hairstyles, which I've shown below!

Style #1: Let 'em loose!

Yeah, I said it. How dare I? I know.... But sometimes letting the natural curls loose can be fun. This is when using one of the products I mentioned above comes in handy because wearing naturally curly hair without product can be dangerous. My tip to just letting the curls fly is always using product before-hand and then if you want to diffuse then do so, but if not, air drying always works! I'm a mix of the two...sometimes when I wear my curls without doing anything to them I'll let them air dry, but on days when I'm on a time crunch, I'll take to the diffuser.

Embracing your natural curls and letting them loose is always a fun option, but I promise there are more!

Style #2: Half up, half down

With layers, this works exceptionally well. But if you don't have layers, don't fret, it still works!!

This is a favorite style of mine because it helps keep my locks out of my face....and if you have a lot hair like me this can be very helpful. It also gives volume to your hair because you can leave the pony high or low, and pull some hair out more on top so you have some oomph.

Style #3: Bobby pinned back

This is a go-to style for me (aside from Style #5, see below). I'm always pinning my hair back with bobby pins. It's almost the same as the half-up, half-down 'do because you still get the oomph and hair out of your face, but the volume and definition falls more to the sides. I do this when my hair is fully dry, or partially wet and dry, and I almost always only use one bobby pin on each side because it stays well enough!

I use these bobby pins.

Style #4: The half bun

So this style is a little like the half up, half down. Except your hair is well, in a bun rather than a pony. I like doing this hairstyle from time to time when I'm looking to change things up a little bit. I sometimes wear my hair like this when I'm going out, and I also use bobby pins to pin down parts of the half bun that are a little frizzy or sticking out too much.

Style #5: The bun

This is my all-time favorite go-to hairstyle. 90% of the time my hair is up in a bun lol. I do this because it's the easiest style, and it always looks a little different every time! I do this hairstyle on days where I don't wash my hair, or when my hair is too nappy to leave down. On my Instagram Stories, I've uploaded a quick tutorial of how I do my buns so you can head here to watch them. I'll also add this tutorial to my highlights in case you don't catch it within 24

One tip for doing your hair this way if you have natural curls is to use thin binders! I've found that thick binders never work for me, ever...so I've linked my favorite thin hair binders here.

I hope you all liked this first ever Ask Abby post! Continue to send in your questions because I am so eager to answer them and connect with you babes more. Don't forget to follow me on Instagram and LIKEtoKNOW.it @abbygraf! Want THREE FREE Lightroom Mobile Presets? Subscribe to the blog during the month of March and you'll receive three presets I've created for free :) You can subscribe below.

Until next time.

Xoxo,

Abby

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