I have naturally curly hair. Growing up, my curls were bouncy, tight and flawless. Somewhere around age 13, I decided straight hair was the way to go and used a flat iron on my poor curls every day. Then when I got to college, I decided to take my deep, dark brown curls to platinum blond. Needless to say, my hair has seen a lot of damage and my once-gorgeous curls are more like fuzzy waves if I don’t use the right products. Although I try to keep the straightening to a minimum these days, I do still color my hair frequently and have tried just about every product out there to see which ones actually work whether I’m wearing my hair curly, straight, brown or blond.
More:25 beauty products recommended by SheKnows editors
So, because my hair needs some serious product help and I can’t always afford to stock my bathroom with fancy products, here are 11 affordable hair products I have personally tried and swear actually work.
Garnier Curl Sculpt
I use this product just about every time I wear my hair curly. It adds lots of control to my curls but without that crunchy look that a strong gel gives you. (Target, $3)
Aussie Moisture Boost
Coloring, heat styling… my hair takes a serious beating. If I’ve straightened my hair a few times within a week, I swap my regular conditioner for this glorious product and my hair is back to its bouncy, curly self. (Target, $3)
Batiste Dry Shampoo
This one is great for three reasons.
1. It does a great job of drying up excess oil and making your hair look fresh even on days when you woke up too late and have time for nothing other than spraying on some dry shampoo and running out the door.
2. It adds mega-volume to your hair when you’re doing a blowout.
3. It’s brown, so there’s no white residue in your hair throwing out signals to your coworkers saying you totally woke up über late, sprayed on some dry shampoo and went to work. (Target, $7)
Ion Repair Solutions
OK, so first bonus? This is less than two dollars! TWO DOLLARS, PEOPLE! Second, it is a literal miracle-worker. If you’ve done a bit of damage to your hair, put this in, leave it on for about 20 minutes and then rinse it out. Damage? Gone. (Sally Beauty, $1.50)
NYM Clean Freak
I alternate between using the Batiste dry shampoo and this one. They both do a great job of making oily hair look clean. (Target, $5)
Bun builder
One of my fellow editors actually suggested this product and I’m kind of obsessed with it now. Roll your hair up in this bun builder at night, unroll it in the morning and voila! Beautiful, heatless wavy hair. (Discount Dance Supply, $6)
L’Oréal Damage Repair
This one is similar to the Aussie three-minute mask but does more of the heavy lifting. If I have done some serious damage to my hair, this is my go-to. (Target, $6)
Invisibobble
I kid you not, these hair tiesdo not budge. I cannot exercise without them. They don’t pull or tug at your hair but keep it perfectly in place all day long. (Sephora, $8)
Suave Biotin
Suave is highly underrated, IMO. I’ve tried shampoos and conditioners that cost $40-plus, but none of them have worked quite as well as this line. My hair feels healthy, smooth and nourished after every use. (Walmart, prices vary)
NYM Beat The Heat
If you use a blow-dryer or straightener frequently, you need to start using some kind of thermal protection. While no product can completely safeguard your hair from a 400-degree flat iron, this spray does help lessen the damage to your strands. (Walmart, $8)
Frizz Ease Unwind Curls
While I wouldn’t exactly say this relaxes your curls, it is a great product for controlling frizz and giving curls shine and shape. (Walmart, $6)
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