Best Shampoo For Fine Curly Hair [Review] in 2022

When it comes to shampooing fine curly hair, its all about looking for products that are lightweight and will inject volume into the hair while also being friendly on curls– let me tell you it is no easy task, but it is possible, as long as you’ve got the right products.

You could have the tightest of coils and suffer from frizz which makes your hair look thicker than it actually is, but in reality, when your curls are in the best condition, they look the thinnest. But it doesn’t need to be like that; you just need the right products to do the job!

Lucky, I’m here to show you how to wash fine curly hair as well as help to infuse a bit of volume into your curls without damaging the curl shape or pattern. So stay tuned; you won’t want to miss this.

The top issue we fine hair curlies face is oily roots and dry ends the day after washing; washing our curls is hell as it feels like the next day it is as dirty as it was the day before washing. It’s a constant, vicious cycle.

The best method for cleansing fine hair is with a gentle sulfate-free shampoo rather than a co-wash. But if your hair is particularly dry, I would still recommend you do a co-wash rather than a shampoo.

Co-washes may cause your hair to appear greasy at first, but naturally, over time, your hair will adapt, trust me. I would experiment with co-washing, and if it doesn’t work after a couple of weeks, then switch back to a sulfate-free option.

If co-washing isn’t working for you, I would recommend cutting down shampooing your hair to 2-3 days a week, doing a water wash in between to help with excess oils. But this may be different for everyone.

It also depends on your city’s water quality, your hair type, so whenever your hair feels dirty, or if you feel you have buildup, then that’s a sign to wash. Of course, your hair type is not the only contributing factor to how often you should wash your hair.

For example, your porosity and your city’s water qualities will also affect what might be best.

High porosity hair:

With this hair type, you will struggle to retain moisture, but applying heavy oils to your hair will just make it appear greasy, which is the last thing we want. Instead, you should opt for a lightweight oil to help seal in moisture and only apply a fine layer to the ends of your hair.

Argan oil, almond oil, grapeseed oil, and jojoba oil are great hydrating oils that won’t leave a greasy residue on your hair, making them ideal for fine curly hair.

Low porosity hair:

Having fine hair with low porosity can be quite a challenge since hair products like to sit on top of the hair strand, so it will likely leave a greasy residue.

For this type of hair porosity and with curly or wavy strands, I would recommend deep conditioning heat treatments and a hydrating cleanser; you can also use lightweight oils, as I mentioned above, to help nourish if your hair is particularly dry.

So now we’ve covered how often you should be washing your fine curly hair; how do you actually wash fine curly hair  to ensure that you’re removing all of the grease buildups, adding volume without damaging the curl shape? Well, stay tuned.

Step 1: Rinse with water for a minute:

Before we go in without shampoo, we want our hair to be sopping wet; I tend to do a 1-minute rinse with just water, massaging my scalp. This is brilliant for fine hair as it helps to break down the natural oil buildup on the hair before shampooing.

This also helps to stimulate blood flow and help break down oil buildups. If you have low porosity hair, this is when you do a warmer rinse to help open the cuticle. This can help with hair loss, perfect for those with thinning hair as it can help to promote natural hair growth.

Step 2: Massage Cleanser into your scalp:

You must use a sulfate-free shampoo; all the products you use should also be free of non-soluble silicones and waxes to prevent buildup. Traditional drugstore shampoos are packed with detergents that can really strip the natural oils in your hair and dry out the ends.

Since curly hair is already brittle and dry, it is not recommended that you use sulfate shampoo.

Whether you’re using a low-poo shampoo or cleansing conditioner to wash your hair, make sure that it has gentle ingredients. Check out the full list of ingredients to avoid in my breakage down on the Curly Girl Method guide here.

 I massage my scalp for a further 60 seconds with the tips of my fingers and continue to massage while rinsing; the only thing that REALLY cleans your scalp is a good massage; this will help to remove oils from your hair and stimulate the scalp.

Make sure you don’t massage your curls above your head; this will make detangling your curls a painful and a hell of a long process. Try to apply your shampoo or cleanser to the root and work it through to the ends.

This will help keep your curls knot-free and won’t disrupt the natural curl pattern.

Step 3: Apply Conditioner and Start Detangling:

With curly hair, you are brushing your curls while dry is a no-go. Instead, you have to detangle while wet, being extra careful as your hair is most fragile while wet.

This is why I recommend detangling with your fingers or a wide-tooth comb while the ends of your hair are soaked with conditioner; this will give your hair slip and help easily detangle knots.

Be patient and do this step in sections, starting underneath and working your way to the top; I do a rough detangle while the conditioner is on, then thoroughly after rinsing out and applying my leave-in conditioner.

Combing your hair while the conditioner is on the ends also helps encourage as much moisture as possible to enter the cuticle– which is ideal if you have low porosity hair.

As I said earlier, you have to be sure to avoid silicones in your conditioners, these leave a plastic film over the ends of your hair, and while your hair will look shiny, it will lead to buildup and can be quite drying.

Silicones can only be removed with a sulfate shampoo, so if you accidentally use silicones, be sure to do a ‘reset’ wash with regular, clarifying shampoo.

Step 4: Apply styling products to sopping wet hair:

After showering, I prefer to work in sections when applying my styling cream or gel. Instead of applying them in the shower, I use a water spray, soak each section before applying my gel, and then style with my Denman Brush.

Most curly girls prefer to apply all their products in the shower before drying their hair, but I find I have a more defined curl when I use this technique.

Step 5: Dry your curls:

Once you’ve washed your curly locks, you can either plop, diffuse or squeeze out the excess moisture with a cotton t-shirt or microfibre towel and leave it to naturally dry.

Check out my full guide here for the best way to dry curly hair.

For fine curls, volume is absolutely key, but there are a few different ways that you can help give your curls a bit of volume at the roots, so they appear thicker and fuller than they actually are.

The best way to style fine curls is to use products that will help add volume. Make sure all your products are lightweight so they won’t weigh down your curls, not just your shampoo. Here are some of my top tips for increasing volume!

Diffuse Upside Down:

I would recommend using a diffuser or plopping your curls rather than leaving it to air dry; this will prevent your curls from losing volume from gravity as your curls will sit on top of your head. Diffusing upside down should help lift your roots too.

Blow drying upside down with a diffuser should help your curls look more volumized than just air drying. Hold your head to one side and then the other to help your curls dry away from your scalp; this should help provide a bit of lift.

Start with your roots and make sure that your roots are 100% dry, it doesn’t matter if your ends are slightly damp still, but the roots should be bone dry; otherwise, it will leave your curls looking flat at the crown once your hair is dry then flip it upside down and give it a shake.

This should help add a bit of body to your curls and increase the volume within the hair.

Use Volumizing Products:

If you have fine curly hair, then you’ll want to invest in some volumizing products like mousses or foam formulas overusing gels in your curly girl styling routine. Mousses have a very lightweight texture that doesn’t weigh down curls but provides extreme volume.

Cream or oil-based stylers tend to have the opposite effect, which is why those who have thick, coarse curls benefit from using a cream or gel. But volumizing foams or mousses help to give the root a bit of lift and can even help define your curls.

If you want a bit more hold, then you can also scrunch a bit of styling gel into the ends of your hair to prevent frizz and provide your curls with a hold that will last all day; it will also protect your curls against humidity related frizz.

Clip Your Roots:

Another great way to increase volume is by clipping your curls to your roots as they dry. It helps provide a bit more lift at the root and increases the volume on top of your head instead of your curls weighing down your roots because of gravity.

Instead, your curls will be left bouncy, and your roots will look very lifted and voluminous; just make sure you’re clipping away from the scalp; once your hair is 100% dry, then remove the clips and massage the scalp to release the curls.

There are a few chemicals to avoid; some chemicals can be really damaging to the natural curl and cause breakage, frizz, and even damage the way the curl looks. In the Curly Girl Method, here are the top chemicals to avoid after the ‘reset’ wash.

Sulfates: 

Remember the foamy, creamy, forthy lather when you wash your hair with normal shampoo– it is the ‘ahh’ moment that everyone loves; well, this is actually caused by sulfates and can be very damaging for your hair, especially curly hair.

Although the sensation of lathering your hair up with shampoo is lovely, sulfates can actually STRIP your hair of its natural oils, making it more prone to frizz, breakage, and overall leaving the hairdryer.

Plus, since curly hair is naturally dry to begin with, regularly using sulfate shampoo is a terrible idea, even worse the curlier your hair type is.

In the Curly Girl Method, Lorraine recommended you do one last ‘reset wash’ with a shampoo filled with sulfates to get rid of the silicone and wax buildup before switching to a sulfate-free shampoo.

She also strongly suggests switching to the No Poo method, which cuts out all shampoos completely and switching to a cleansing conditioner instead. Cleansing conditioners are brilliant for cleansing any dirt from your hair without causing dryness.

Silicones:

So if you’re following the curly girl method, you will also need to avoid silicones, silicones are like plastic, and they’re used in conditioning products to smooth down the cuticle, making your hair feel softer reduced frizz.

However, without a sulfate shampoo to remove them, it can lead to product buildup, and over time, this makes hair frizzier, look limp and lifeless. It will also lose the life of your curl.

Silicones can only be removed with sulfates, and without sulfates, it causes buildup– not ideal, so it is best to cut it out completely. But don’t worry, you can still achieve silky soft hair without silicones; some people will tell you it’s even softer too!

Mineral Oils and Waxes:

Mineral oil and petrolatum are other ingredients you should try to avoid when doing the curly girl method or just caring for curly hair, they can weigh down your hair, and without sulfates to remove them, they build up like silicones. 

Some waxes use natural ingredients which are safe to style curly or kinky hair. However, most waxes are s non-hydrous, meaning they won’t wash out with just water or co-washing.

If you find yourself accidentally using waxes or silicones, then you can use your reset shampoo to remove them, then go back to the Curly Girl Routine.

Parabens:

Parabens are used in many hair products to prevent and stop the growth of bacteria in your hair, but there are far more negatives than positives to using parabens. 

Glycerin:

Glycerin is another ingredient you should avoid if you have curly hair, especially if you live in a humid climate. If you live in a hot, humid environment, glycerin will absorb moisture from the hair and cause the hair to swell. 

This is not ideal for curly hair as it raises the cuticle and disrupts the curl pattern, creating coarse, frizzy hair. If you live in a hot, humid environment, then you should definitely avoid products with glycerin. 

So there you have it, everything you need to know of how to wash fine curly hair, my top product recommendations, and tips on how to increase the volume within your curls. No matter if you have fine coils or fine waves, caring for your curls properly is key to unlocking volume.

Give a few of these tips a go today, and give a few of these shampoos a go on your next wash day. You can count on these shampoos to keep your hair hydrated without weighing it down or damaging your natural curl pattern.

After all, every day should be a good curly hair day!