Main Ingredients: Blue Agave Nectar, | Target Audience: All curl patterns and thickness
Perfect for tight curl patterns: Shea Moisture Coconut & Hibiscus Curling Gel Soufflé
shea moisture
Shea Moisture Coconut & Hibiscus Curling Gel Souffle
Why it’s worth it: In addition to smelling great, SheaMoisture’s Coconut & Hibiscus Gel Soufflé is free of substances like silicone that can cause buildup in your hair. Agave nectar promotes curl formation, while shea butter and coconut oil condition hair.
Editor’s tip: If you have wavy hair or a loose curl pattern, you might want to try SheaMoisture’s Curl Enhancing Smoothie, which has a lighter texture and more flexible hold.
Main ingredients: Agave nectar, shea butter, coconut oil, flaxseed oil | Target audience: Thick hair, curl pattern 3B+
How to test and review products
We always ask different testers from the makeup industry to help us, but when it comes to hair care products and tools, it’s a different story. While there are certainly products that can be used to suit different hair textures, lengths, curl patterns, thicknesses, colors (natural and unnatural hair), and needs, hair products are often Made with a specific consumer in mind. Many are created to address concerns (dandruff, hair breakage, brittleness) or work best on specific hair types (4C curls, wavy hair, gray hair). For example, you wouldn’t want to pick up a purple shampoo that was only reviewed by people with auburn hair or a diffuser that wasn’t tested by people with curls, right?
For our review of the best gels for curly hair, we enlisted the help of multiple editors, writers, contributors, and hairstylists from a variety of curl patterns for defined, frizz-free results. Testers considered performance across four key categories: effectiveness, texture and experience, fragrance, and packaging. For more information on what our report includes, please visit our full review process and methodology page.
Our staff and testers
Beautiful items are purchased individually. You might be looking for a face cream to combat stubborn dryness or a new nail product to add to your Sunday self-care routine. You may simply be looking around for the latest products to hit the hair market. No matter what you’re looking for or what your personal needs and concerns are, Allure wants you to love everything we recommend in our stories. We believe that having a diverse team of writers and editors, in addition to the wide range of external testers and industry experts we regularly engage, is essential to achieving that goal.
