How to Pick the Right Products for Your Hair Type

Help is here: this guide will lead you straight to the right products for your hair type—and tell you exactly how to use them.

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    Did you know the average drugstore hair-care aisle displays more than 600 products? (For some perspective: The skin-care aisle only has about 400.) This veritable sea of pomades, mousses, gels, and soufflés only makes us love our hair even more, right? Well, not exactly—new studies from Unilever found that only one third of us even bother to use a hairstyling product daily, and a crazy 89 percent of us report feeling dissatisfied with our hair. Apparently all that choice is leading to a lot of confusion.

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    If Your Hair Is Fine and Straight...

    To style your hair, spritz a heat-protecting spray from midlength through the ends of your damp hair, then comb through a mound of mousse. "It adds body with a bit of control," says hairstylist Nunzio Saviano. And you'll definitely want to embrace dry shampoo—it adds texture, grip, and bulk to slippery fine hair, and it can be used throughout the day to create fresh lift. You'll need to wash it out within a few days though, especially if you plan to wear your hair down—too much buildup kills volume.

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    If Your Hair Is Fine and Straight...

    The flat blahness of fine hair needs volume without weight—which only sounds like it defies the laws of physics. Start by using a thickening shampoo and conditioner (we like L'Oréal Paris Advanced Haircare Volume Filler Shampoo and Conditioner), but use the latter only on the very ends of your hair. And rinse it out really, really well.

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    If Your Hair Is Kinky and Coiled...

    Tight curls require an intense, carefully considered approach to styling products. Your routine should start in the shower: Use a deep conditioner, but only rinse it out halfway. "Conditioner residue helps keeps curls shiny and smooth," says Hawkins. Post-shower, immediately comb through a leave-in conditioner.

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    If Your Hair Is Thick and Straight...

    Your Layering Cheat Sheet:

    Styling oil + smoothing cream + shine spray

    Try: Dove Pure Care Dry Oil Restorative Hair Treatment + Living Proof Perfect Hair Day 5-in-1 Styling Treatment + Tresemmé Keratin Smooth Illuminating Shine Spray

    Avoid: Volumizers...and that's it. Your hair can hold its own against any styling product (when used in moderation, of course).

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    If Your Hair Is Kinky and Coiled...

    For more gloss and definition, when your hair is about 50 percent dry, twist large chunks of curls around your fingers (with a generous blob of styling oil or silicone serum) and then stop touching them. And as a general rule, opt for creamy products instead of sprays (they can leave hot spots of product in curly hair).

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    If Your Hair Is Wavy...

    Wavy hair needs frizz and pouf control. But that doesn't mean you should drown it in rich shampoos and styling products. If you're using a frizz-fighting shampoo and conditioner (most of which have silicone in the first handful of ingredients), pick lighter styling products that contain natural oils instead of silicone, says Hawkins. They'll smooth waves without smothering them.

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    If Your Hair Is Wavy...

    If your waves need a little coaxing to reach their full potential, salt sprays are better than gels or curl creams (the pump trigger lets you mist them on more evenly). Once all your products are in place, part your hair and then let it air-dry. If your ends look scraggly once your hair is totally dry, run a little styling oil (most are actually a mix of oils and silicones) over them with your fingertips.

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    If Your Hair Is Kinky and Coiled...

    Your Layering Cheat Sheet:

    Conditioner + styling cream + silicone serum

    Try: Trader Joe's Nourish Spa Conditioner + Miss Jessie's Coily Custard + Garnier Fructis Marvelous Oil Frizz Defy

    Avoid: Any styler with alcohol and strong-hold gels (they sap moisture); dry shampoo (you need your oils).

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    If Your Hair Is Wavy...

    Your Layering Cheat Sheet:

    Styling Cream + wave enhancer + lightweight styling oil

    Try: R + Co Jackpot Styling Crème + Bumble and Bumble Surf Spray + Suave Professionals Natural Infusion Light Oil Spray

    Avoid: Pomades (too sticky); gels (too crunchy); straightening creams (too heavy)

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    If Your Hair Is Curly...

    You need to battle frizz and dryness with the fire of a thousand suns. And a few key styling products. If you haven't already, switch to sulfate-free shampoos, which won't exacerbate dryness, and rich conditioners (with silicone or panthenol), which seal in moisture. But know your limits: Fine curls can take only so much hydration before they fall flat. If you're using a heavy conditioner (the kind in a tub), choose water-based stylers that have water as the first ingredient.

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    If Your Hair Is Curly...

    On days you aren't shampooing, refresh your curls by getting them wet in the shower and running a conditioner from the midlength to the ends. And to keep curls in place without the crunch of gel, use a curl-refreshing mist (water spiked with light conditioners) as needed throughout the day.

Keywordsbeauty productshair productshair typehair careleave-in conditionercurl definerstyling oilstyling creamwave enhancersilicone serumshine sprayheat protectantVolumizermoussedry shampooNunzio SavianoNathaniel Hawkins