I recently had the opportunity to try a new product made especially for curly hair. Tee-Owels are hair towels made of soft, organic t-shirt material that reduce frizz and breakage during the drying process.
If you’re like me, you stopped using traditional towels to dry your hair years ago. My hair is extremely frizz-prone and regular towels just exacerbate the problem. I never invested in specialty hair towels because my husband’s old t-shirts did the trick. My only complaint was that they were never quite long enough to properly wrap and tuck to keep them in place.
Ever since I’ve tried it, the Tee-Owel has been my go-to hair drying wrap. It is extremely soft, lightweight and absorbent, and has the perfect amount of stretch so that tucking and wrapping is a breeze. (In fact, it’s kinda cute as a head wrap to wear in public.)
The Tee-Owel comes in two sizes – short and long – so your hair is covered no matter the length. My hair is just about shoulder-length now, so I ordered the long in case I decided to grow it back to waist-length (still debating this). Even if your hair is that long, this hair towel is wide and long enough accommodate it all.
If you’re interested in trying the Tee-Owel, you can use my discount code CURLMISSION15 to get 15% off. I recommend it! This code is only good for a limited time, so use it while you can at teeowels.com.
Results from styling with Giovanni and Ouidad products
Since I’ve been letting my hair grow out from a pixie, I’ve had to relearn my curls. They behave completely differently than they did when I had long hair. I’ve learned I cannot use all the same products I did back then. May hair used to LOVE curl creams – thick, butter-based creams that provide moisture and hold. Now, these types of products are too heavy for my shorter hair.
Lately I’ve been relying on water-based leave-ins and lightweight gels that don’t weigh my hair down. I’ve also had the compound challenge of finding products that control frizz in hot, humid conditions. Here are the two styling products that have gotten me through six months of hair growth and a sweltering summer in New Orleans:
Giovanni Direct Leave-In Weightless Moisture Conditioner
If you follow me on Instagram, you’ve seen me mention Giovanni’s Direct Leave-In several times. I used this conditioner when I had long hair for braid-outs, or when I didn’t care much about definition, but it has been a lifesaver for my short curls. My hair requires some type of moisture under a gel, but I can’t use anything too heavy. I’ve also noticed that in very humid conditions, products with a high glycerin content give me lots of frizz. Giovanni’s Direct Leave-in is glycerin-free, silicone-free, and extremely lightweight. I cannot use it alone as a styling product, but it’s exactly the dose of moisture I need before styling. I apply it to soaking wet hair while still in the shower, then blot excess product with a cotton t-shirt.
Ouidad Climate Control Heat & Humidity Gel
I recommend this gel to everyone I know looking to control frizz in a hot, humid climate. It works! Ouidad’s Climate Control Heat & Humidity Gel has a thin, watery consistency and is extremely emollient – it literally glides over my hair as I’m applying it. I like my hair big and bouncy, and this gel gives it to me without frizz. As expected with any gel, my hair does dry in a cast, but it scrunches out easily and leaves my hair with lots of movement and body. This gel is a Curl on a Mission award-winner, for sure.
Here’s a video of my hair after I styled with these two products. I get consistent results each time I use them together!
These were my go-to products this summer to maintain volume and fight frizz. Now that my hair is growing and the air is cooling ahead of winter, maintaining volume is becoming even more difficult. I’ve started looking into products especially for this purpose, so stay tuned for what works.
Do your products change with the seasons? Let me know below!
I had been eyeing DevaCurl for years. Before I cut my hair, I simply ran through too much product to justify the cost ($22 for a 12-oz bottle of conditioner). Back then, I could have gone through that bottle in three washes. But now that my hair is short, I use less product and have the budget to experiment with higher-end brands.
My hair is temperamental, though. Since I’ve been growing it out from a pixie, it is literally in a different phase each month. Because of that, I go for trial sized products when I can, which is how I came to purchase DevaCurl’s Kit for All Curl Kind.
The kit is “designed to give healthy, beautiful curls to every texture in the curly universe.” It consists of DevaCurl’s No-Poo Original, One Condition Original, Styling Cream, and Light Defining Gel.
Let me tell you – I was HYPE to try these products. Too many of my favorite curly-haired beauties swear by them. The bar was set high. Here’s what I thought:
I absolutely love this cleanser. Of the four products in this kit, this is perhaps my favorite. I gave up sulfate shampoo years ago, but I’ve always thought I still needed a shampoo that lathered, since my roots get oily. I tried another co-wash product a few years ago, but it was too heavy for my hair. No-Poo Original is definitely in the top two shampoos/cleansers I’ve ever tried. It leaves my scalp completely residue-free, soothes my itchy areas with peppermint and rosemary oil, and leaves my hair very soft, even before I apply conditioner. This cleanser does not leave my hair with that “squeaky clean” feeling, which I prefer. The only negative is that I have to use a lot of product in order for my hair to feel really clean.
This conditioner works the way curly hair conditioners should. It is moisturizing, has lots of slip, can be used as a leave-in, does not weigh my hair down, and smells wonderful (like lemongrass). I must say, with my hair at this length, I don’t have an issue with detangling, but with the slip this conditioner has, it seems like detangling wouldn’t be a problem. My best results with the entire product line happen when I leave just a little bit of One Condition on my ends.
I wanted to love this duo. I really, really did. I am still trying to find ways to love this duo. In fact, I don’t think the issue is even the products. I think the issue is that I live in an extremely humid climate, and these can’t quite control the frizz (it’s not easy).
I’ve done several wash-and-gos with these two products. The first time, the humidity was around 90 percent. I started with just the Styling Cream, thinking I’d try each product independently. A few minutes into diffusing, my hair was already frizzing. So I added the gel on top. Day 1 hair was beautiful – extremely soft to the touch, shiny, lots of volume, not too much frizz, and my curls seemed tighter (which I like). Then I stepped outside, and days 2-4 were a frizzy disaster.
I thought perhaps it might have been the glycerin in the products, which I’ve noticed can create frizz on very humid days, so next I tried the duo on a day with about 70 percent humidity. My wash-and-go lasted beautifully until day 3, then it fell apart, even with refreshing. I like my WNGs to last about five days, and I just can’t seem to get there with these DevaCurl stylers.
Day 2 Hair Results using DevaCurl Styling Products
I live in New Orleans, which is notorious for ruining a good hairstyle. But I am not giving up on you, DevaCurl. I’m going to wait until winter, when the humidity is at its lowest, and give you another shot. I think – I hope – I’m going to love you.
I came across Righteous Roots Hair Rx by way of a few curly ladies on Instagram. Here was one oil serum that was being used as a hair thickener, growth agent, detangler, scalp stimulator, pre-poo, deep conditioner, anti-itch product, and seemingly a million things in between. I am a fan of oil for a variety of hair uses, so I had to give it a try.
My main goals with this product were: 1) scalp stimulation, 2) anti-itch and 3) hair growth. Hair Rx is formulated with 11 of the best oils for hair, including: coconut, Jamaican black castor oil, olive, grapeseed, sesame, peppermint, tea tree, jojoba, argan and rosemary. Each of these oils has stand-alone benefits, but together can theoretically cure any hair ailment.
As far as my goals are concerned, this product definitely offers a stimulating scalp massage. The peppermint and tea tree oils leave the scalp ever so tingly, or “airy,” as I like to describe it. That means it’s working on those follicles. The smell is a mix of minty/woodsy/earthy. For me, it’s not great, but not bad either. The good news is the smell doesn’t linger too long in the hair, so it shouldn’t be of concern. I massage my scalp with 5-6 drops of this oil every other day. It feels like a mini spa moment (exhale…).
As for goal #2, anti-itch, this is a relatively new issue for me since I’ve started growing out my pixie cut. I’ve been trying to pinpoint the problem, since I don’t suffer from dry scalp, dandruff or any more serious skin conditions. I’ve read that itchy scalp could be caused by hair growth, product build-up, or just an irritation from an ingredient. While I’m figuring it out, Righteous Roots Hair Rx has come to the rescue. It provides fast relief, at least enough so that I don’t scratch the hell out of my scalp. The back of my hair, close to the nape of my neck, is the itchiest, so I’ll even spot treat that area once a day if I need to, massaging about 2 drops into that area alone.
I don’t know that I’ll ever be able to attribute hair growth (goal #3) to this product alone. But I do believe that everything I’m doing (scalp massage, essential oils, no heat or bleach, deep conditioning) contributes to my hair’s fast growth rate.
Overall, I would recommend this product for any of its promoted uses. You really can’t go wrong with essential oils. It’s easy enough to mix your own oils, but for those who don’t have the time to figure out the perfect balance, this product is it.
I have been using the Shea Moisture Manuka Honey & Mafura Oil Intensive Hydration Hair Masque fairly consistently over the last few months. I have to say, it really delivers! This deep treatment is packed with luscious ingredients that make my hair soft, shiny and moisturized. It seriously reduces my frizz and the good smell lingers for days.
When I wore my hair in a pixie I was using this hair masque only in the shower, leaving it on for maybe 10 minutes before rinsing it out. But when I decided to grow out my hair and revert back to my curls a few months ago, I knew I had to intensify my deep treatments.
These days I’m using it about once a week, leaving it on for the recommended 30 minutes under a shower cap. (I need to buy more heat caps. These are the ones I’ve used in the past). But even with only the heat generated from my head, this deep conditioner goes to work.
Here’s a summary of the featured ingredients from the packaging:
Manuka Honey: Anti-inflammatory properties soothe the scalp. Helps create a moisturizing barrier.
Mafura Oil: High levels of beneficial oleic acid help replenish oils stripped from hair.
African Rock Fig: Contains antioxidant Vitamin C, which helps keep hair looking vibrant.
Of course it contains Shea Moisture’s signature coconut oil and shea butter, PLUS avocado oil, mango seed butter and aloe leaf extract. What !?!?
This is an effective deep conditioner that gives me consistent results, reviving my curls each time I use it. I’ve definitely added this to my list of staple hair products.
Have you used this masque? Do you love it? Let me know!
Curl on a Mission 