60 Affordable Curly Girl Method Approved Products
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Are you looking for affordable curly girl method approved products to start the curly girl method? We all know switching to the Curly Girl Method can get expensive as you experiment with different curly girl method products or if you’re a product junkie.
Finding affordable that actually work for most hair types almost seems like a unicorn, but lately, more brands are coming out with products that cater to all hair types. Lucky for you, I’ve rounded up over 50 affordable curly girl products!
Buy Products For Your Hair Type
Before you start shopping for hair products, it’s helpful to know your hair type. Choosing the right products is based on the characteristics of your hair, and not your curl pattern. Not all curly hair products work on all curly hair. I learned that the hard way.
If you don’t already know your texture, density, and porosity, take the quiz below. You’ll also get product and styling tips based on your hair type.
How to tell if hair products are curly girl approved
If you have my getting started guide, you already know this. But you can also do it the easy way.
Check if products are curly girl approved by using the site isitcg.com. You just search for the product or paste the ingredients in and it will tell you if it’s CG approved or not.
Curly Girl Approved Shampoo
This is our top pick for a budget-friendly shampoo because it cleans well, is gentle, and has great ingredients.
- Acure Mega Moisture shampoo
- Acure Lemongrass shampoo (this shampoo is not clarifying even though it says it is on the label)
- Giovanni Tea Tree Triple Treat shampoo (also not clarifying but it’s not very moisturizing)
- Desert Essence Organic Pure Shampoo Fragrance Free
- SheaMoisture Coconut & Hibiscus Curl & Shine Shampoo
- Desert Essence Coconut Shampoo & Conditioner Bundle
- As I Am Coconut CoWash Cleansing Conditioner
- Inahsi Soothing Mint Sulfate Free Gentle Cleansing Shampoo
- Giovanni Smooth As Silk Shampoo
- Maui Moisture Lightweight Hydration + Hibiscus Water Shampoo
Curly Girl Approved Clarifying Shampoo
*Note: to be clarifying a shampoo must have the ingredient olefin sulfonate
The TWIST Hit Reset Light Clarifying Shampoo is not too strong but strong enough to remove buildup without stripping your hair.
- Kinky Curly Come Clean clarifying shampoo
- Mop Top Gentle shampoo
- Mop Top Detox clarifying shampoo
- Inahsi Naturals clarifying shampoo
- Trader Joe’s Tea Tree Tingle Shampoo
- Cantu Cleansing Cream Shampoo
- TWIST Hit Reset Light Clarifying Shampoo
Curly Girl Approved Conditioner
This TWIST conditioner is a great balance of what our curls need for softness and minimal frizz at a low price.
*Note on the ingredient isohexadecane: Many sites say this is not an approved ingredient. However, this will completely wash out even with only cowash so it is indeed safe.
- Desert Essence Fragrance Free Conditioner
- Giovanni Tea Tree Triple Treat conditioner
- Desert Essence Conditioner Coconut
- Nature’s Gate Tea Tree Calming Conditioner
- SheaMoisture Coconut & Hibiscus Curl & Shine Conditioner
- Trader Joe’s Tea Tree Tingle Conditioner
- Mop Top Daily Conditioner
- Mop Top Light Conditioner
- Everyone Volume Conditioner
- Alaffia Everyday Shea conditioner
- Andalou Naturals Brilliant Shine conditioner
- TWIST Gimme-It-All Conditioner
- Maui Moisture Lightweight Hydration + Hibiscus Water Conditioner
Curly Girl Approved Leave-in Conditioner
KCKT is a cult favorite because of its great slip for detangling and softening, while not being heavy.
- Giovanni Direct Leave-in conditioner
- Kinky Curly Knot Today leave-in conditioner
- Andalou Naturals Argan Oil leave-in conditioner
- Curls Blueberry Bliss leave-in conditioner
- Mop Top Bamboo Essence leave-in conditioner
- Cantu Natural leave-in conditioning cream
Curly Girl Approved Deep Conditioner
The Garnier Avocado Mask is a steal for its value. You can't beat the effectiveness at this price point!
- SheaMoisture Raw Shea Butter Deep Treatment Masque
- Andalou Naturals Deep Conditioning Hair Mask
- Pacifica Pineapple Hydrate Mask
- Garnier Fructis Avocado mask
- Mielle Organics Babassu & Mint Deep Conditioner
- Maui Moisture Heal & Hydrate + Shea Butter Hair Mask
Curly Girl Approved Styling Products
This Garnier Furctis gel will give you definition, hold, reduce frizz, and last for days at a great price.
- Giovanni L.A. Natural gel
- Giovanni Natural Mousse
- As I Am Smoothing Gel
- Garnier Fructis Style Pure Clean Styling Gel
- Garnier Fructis Style Curl Treat Shaping Jelly
- SheaMoisture Coconut and Hibiscus Curl Enhancing Smoothie
- SheaMoisture Coconut & Hibiscus Frizz-Free Curl Mousse
- Shea Moisture Coconut & Hibiscus Curl & Style Milk
- SheaMoisture Coconut & Hibiscus Curling Gel Souffle
- Kinky Curly Curl Custard Gel
- Mill Creek Styling Gel
- Mop Top Curly Hair Custard
- Cantu Shea Butter Hair Curling Custard
- Maui Moisture Curl Quench + Coconut Oil Hydrating Curl Smoothie
- Umberto Giannini Curl Jelly Scrunching Jelly
Curly Girl Method Accessories
I’ll only mention a few of the accessories I use on a regular basis to help keep my curls looking good and last between washes. None of these are necessary but they help.
- Hair buff
- hairdryer and this diffuser attachment (yes it fits the dryer)
- silk pillowcase
- satin pillowcase
- Invisibobble
- root clips
- hair towel use code HOLISTICENCHILADA to save 15%
Product Matching Guide
You should also check out my product matching guide, The Curly Product Handbook, to help you choose the right products for your hair type. There are so many things to consider when choosing products and this guide will help you narrow down what you need to look for.
This product guide will help you identify your hair type and characteristics, provide some styling tips, and list exact products that will work on your hair type. Click here for more info.
A Note on Affordable Curly Girl Products & Ingredients
While I absolutely love EVOLVh, I know it seems pricey to some. This stuff lasts me an entire year and therefore is actually cheaper than budget brands, but I know the upfront cost is a barrier to some.
So here I list some more affordable curl girl friendly brands and products you can try. These are all cleaner as some do have fragrance or a questionable ingredient.
If you are picky about using clean ingredients then make sure you read the ingredients label before purchasing any of these. They are all curly girl method approved products so you only need to look for ingredients you’re avoiding for other reasons.
With some of these, like Shea Moisture, they can cause buildup over time so you would need to clarify regularly (once a month). Also, ensure you’re deep conditioning 1-4 times a month.
For more info on the curly girl method, check out my basic guide for both wavy and curly hair, or join my course Fabulous Curls Academy.
If there are other products you know of let me know so I can add them to the list. This list is specifically for nontoxic curly girl products so that is why I have left out some of the other popular brands and products.
Check out my Favorite Products for Fine Curly Hair if you have hair like mine and want to see what’s working for me. You should also know your hair porosity to figure out which products will work best. Check out my Guide to Hair Porosity to figure that out and get more tips.
Click here for tips on product application and methods.
If you want help with embracing your naturally wavy or curly hair, you can join my FREE email course and download my FREE pdf guide, THE QUICK START GUIDE TO MASTERING YOUR CURLS, full of everything you need to know to get started and bring out your beautiful waves and curls.
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