I mentioned in a previous post that I love a good curl refreshing spray. However, I don’t like to spend a lot of money of them for two reasons: 1) I go through them like water and 2) half the time they don’t work! So I’ve concocted my own curl refreshing recipe that works like a charm on my 2nd, and even 3rd, day curls. Here are my ingredients:
I like to use a light leave-in like Giovanni for this spray because it blends easily with water. The leave-in softens and conditions hair, coconut oil makes it shiny and helps moisturize, and of course water is the ultimate natural curl activator.
Here’s approximately what I use in a 2 oz bottle (I make it in small batches so I can put it in my purse or travel with it).
- 1/8 leave-in conditioner
- One squirt (maybe a teaspoon) of coconut oil
- Fill up the rest of the bottle with water
Shake (the bottle) rigorously until the ingredients are well blended. The goal is to achieve what I call “slippery water,” so you may need to add more water or conditioner until you get just the right formula. You want the mixture to be thin enough to spray through a nozzle, but have enough “slip” to coat your locks.
When I’m ready to use it, I flip over my limp, dry curls and shake them at the root to loosen them up, then I spritz the refresher onto my hair until it’s damp all over. I flip upside down again, and gently scrunch my hair upward. Most of the time I let my hair air dry, but you could also use a diffuser on low heat if you’re in a hurry. Et voila!
Smooth, frizz-free curls. Do you have a favorite curl refreshing spray or make your own?
Curl on a Mission 
You are stunning. I usually use a lavender spray, but now I’m eyeballing yours and think I will try making it this weekend and giving it a shot! The only issue is that my (straight-haired) mother loves the lavender spray, so I may have to make another batch of that regardless…
Thanks Jess! -Yes, I find this stuff works great for me, though I looooove lavender anything.
1/8 tsp Leave-in conditioner? I want to try this, thanks!
Hi Denise! I filled up 1/8 of the bottle with leave-in (rather than 1/8 teaspoon). Let me know how it goes!
Oh, thank you! I will.
Just saw this on Pinterest. Love this suggestion! As a fine textured curlie myself, I have to be soooo careful with styling gels, etc. Most are too thick and weigh my hair down too much at the roots.
This stuff is perfect for my hair! Water was just making it frizz. Thank you so much for sharing your recipe.
Oh my god. This refresher spray is a life saver! My curls are so much bouncier and defined. I also added a few pumps of Garnier Fructis Frizz Defy Marvelous Oil for some more shine and my curls are looking fantastic.
Thank you! I added some rosemary and spearmint essential oils to your blend. My hair looks and smells amazing.
Hi! Those curls are amazing and I think we’re pretty close to having the same curl pattern. However, I hate the smell of coconut and my hair doesn’t much like coconut oil either. Any ideas on substitutes?
Hmm…. Coconut oil is really the only one I use consistently in my hair. I have used olive oil for deep conditioning, and it works well. I’ve heard good things about Moroccan Oil and jojoba oil.
Thank you, that was a fast reply! 🙂
I have véry fine hair though, so I think olive would be too heavy for anything else than a pre-poo type thing… But you use the coconut oil for hydration, right? So any other light oil that hydrates would do?
I am wavy 2C I think and very prone to frizz
I really liked this one, I subbed coconut oil for olive just because I didn’t have any coconut oil.
My procedure and process is a bit different though…. I wet it down in the shower “at night”, then I run a bit of conditioner through it and then I fully rinsed my hair off, towel dried and put some of your spray on in my hands and run it through all over, and air dry it (I don’t go to bed with wet hair ever). And woke the next morning and my hair was soft shiny with very nice bouncy curls. Thank you 🙂 it is a great recipe, it’s not too stiff or drying.
So glad it worked for you!