Shampoo To Make Hair Curly [Top 5 Curling Shampoos] – Do They Really Work? (2024)

Wouldn’t that be easy if just shampooing our hair gave us banger curls? No heat treatments, no long hours in solon, and no extra spending of money. With one shampoo session, we would have gone from silky straight to bouncy curls.

But is there really a shampoo out there in the market that makes the hair curly? And if yes then, what is the chemistry behind it?

With the advancement in the hair product industry, it is no surprise that we do have such shampoos available. But these shampoos are much more complicated and misunderstood than we think.

This article includes everything you need to know about the shampoo that makes hair curly.

Do curling shampoos really work?

The answer to this is pretty complicated. It is because a curling shampoo works, but it does not work as its name suggests. This means, to expect straight hair to turn curly right after one shower with curling shampoo is only a disappointment. So, how does a curling shampoo work?

A curling shampoo works on a formula of adding ingredients and elements to the hair that supports and enhances waves and curls. It mainly works on a principle of a curl enhancer.

So when you style your hair after using curling shampoo, the chances of getting the best curls are maxed. It means the shampoo will help you in forming most of your hair’s curl potential.

For example, a curling shampoo, when used on initially curly or wavy hair, enhances its curl further. It also makes the quality of the curl better and longer-lasting.

So, the one basic thing that we need to know about a curling shampoo is that: it enhances the curl potential of a hair, but it does not curl the hair on itself.

How does curling shampoos work?

As mentioned above, we already know that a curling shampoo works on the principle of curl enhancement and curl activation. It enhances your hair’s existing curl pattern and makes it last longer. But how exactly does it enhance the curls?

So for this, before we understand how a curling shampoo enhances a curl: we need to know why is it that curly or wavy hair needs extra enhancement.

Curly hair has multiple waves and bends in it. These waves and bends limit the natural oils and moisture produced from the scalp to distribute in every part of the hair strand.

Thus, this leads to moisture-less and frizz-free hair with no curl pattern. A curling shampoo provides hydration and moisture by deep conditioning the hair, which limits the dryness and frizziness.

Hence this deep conditioning will lead the hair to attain its natural maximum curl potential.

What type of shampoos make hair curly or wavy?

In simpler words, a shampoo that has a curl enhancement and curls activating formula will make a hair curly or wavy.

These kinds of shampoos are rich in hydrating agent that balances the moisture level of the hair.

Also, the other essential thing that these shampoo needs to have its natural emollients. The presence of natural emollients in these shampoos balances the oil level of the hair.

Some of the natural emollients that these kinds of shampoo contain are coconut oil, shea butter, aloe vera, avocado oil, and sunflower seed oil.

Besides having a hydrating agent and natural emollients in these shampoos: there are some other substances, that in their absence work best for the curls.

These are sulfates and non-soluble silicones. Sulfates strip away the existing oils and moisture from the hair. It leaves them further dry, damaged, and frizzy than curly.

On the other hand, silicones tend to build upon the hair strand, which makes hair impermeable to moisture and oils. Also, silicones cause the hair strand to become heavy, which leads to loss of hair shape.

So, an ideal shampoo that makes hair curly and wavy needs to have a hydrating agent and emollients in it.

Also, it should be sulfate and non-soluble silicon-free. Listed below are some of the best shampoo that makes hair curly.

Top 5 Shampoos that Make Hair Curly

1. Living proof Curl Shampoo and conditioner

Living proof Curl shampoo and conditioner is one of the best seller products produced by Living proof. The beauty company has produced more than 50 products in the past 15 years.

They have received more than 30 awards for their excellent product service. This particular hair shampoo and conditioner is also top-rated on amazon with many positive reviews.

The brand is also known for its sustainability mission: its products are vegan, gluten-free, and cruelty-free with recyclable packaging.

Key Features & Benefits:

• The shampoo contains mineral oils and hydrating agents that produce frizz-free and well-defined curls after a shower.
• It is Paraben, sulfate, phthalates, and silicon-free. So, it cleanses the hair gently without stripping and damaging the hair.
• It also works fine in chemically treated and colored hair.
• It is suitable for all hair types from wavy to coily and all hair textures from fine to thick.
• The shampoo is vegan, cruelty-free, gluten-free and, the packaging is recyclable.
• The shampoo encourages curl grouping and gives frizz-free and visibly healthier curls.

How to use:

• First, wet your hair with wet water and then apply the required amount of shampoo to the hair.
• Massage it gently. Also, the product nature makes detangling easier: so you can detangle your hair a while after massaging.
• Finally, rinse the hair with cold water.
• Use a hair towel to soak excess hair.
• Apply Living proof conditioner in the wet hair and leave it for 5 to 10 minutes.
• Lastly, rinse your hair with water, towel dry, and style it.

2. OUIDAD Advanced Climate Control Defrizzing Shampoo

UNIDAD Advanced Climate Control Defrizzing Shampoo is another best-selling shampoo on amazon. It has marked the high rated bar and has good customer reviews.

This reputed beauty brand has produced the best products for the past 30 years. Also, the brand has been awarded multiple awards for its products.

One of the reasons for the brand to be people’s choice and their product to be top-notch was its thorough research on hair types.

They identified and divided hair types into four categories- Loose, Classic, Tight, Coily and produced products based on specific hair types.

OUIDAD Advanced Climate Control Defrizzing Shampoo works for all hair types but, it works best on coily hair.

Key Features & Benefits:

• The shampoo is free of sulfate, paraben, Gluten, and alcohol so, it does not strip the hair’s natural protective barrier. This results in frizz-free hair.
• The shampoo is also works for color-treated hair.
• The shampoo protects the hair from humidity. It
• It contains emollients like Shea butter, Murumuru butter, and ceramides that moisturizes and hydrates the hair. This results in frizz-free hair with enhanced curl definition.
• The product has an anti-Frizz Nano Technology with a protein derived from silk that protects the cuticle of the hair and prevents frizz.
• The shampoo has a special Uv filter that protects the hair from harmful Uv rays and environmental damage.

How to use:

• Wet your hair and apply a generous amount of shampoo to the hair.
• Gently massage your hair for 5 to 10 minutes and rinse the hair with cold water.
• Apply conditioner on the hair and rinse it too after 10 to 20 minutes.
• Now, remove the excess water with a towel and air dry your hair.
• Lastly, style your hair as you wish.

3. Aveda Shampoo and Conditioner

The beauty brand Aveda has been widely known for its environmentally sustainable product production approach. The company produces total plant-based products with recyclable packaging.

Also, they adopted a unique approach to use 100% wind power for production. The company, along with being environmentally sustainable, also produces top-notch products. And, it is one of the best-selling products on the market.

Key Features & Benefits:

• The product contains two main ingredients: hydrolyzed wheat protein and aloe vera. The hydrolyzed wheat protein strengthens and repairs minor hair imperfections while aloe vera moisturizes the hair.
• These two products are also responsible for taming the frizz and increasing the shine of the hair. They can reduce the frizz up to 57%.
• The shampoo and conditioner contain natural hair essences that give your hair a fresh citrus smell after a shower.
• The product is 100% vegan and is free of sulfate, parabens, and silicons.

How to use:

• Apply the shampoo in wet hair and gently massage it for 5 to 10 minutes.
• Rinse it with cold water.
• Now apply a conditioner all over the hair and leave it for few minutes.
• After that, rinse it and remove the excess water with a towel.
• Finally, leave it to air dry and style it as you wish.

4. MIZANI True Textures Moisture Replenish Shampoo

Mizani is another brand that has been providing wholesome products for many years. The beauty brand believes in providing hair care solutions for every hair type.

Also, their products are best sellers in the market. MIZANI True Textures Moisture Replenish Shampoo is one of the top-rated shampoos on Amazon.

Key Features & Benefits:

• The shampoo is ideal mainly for curl types 2C-4C but also works fine for other hair types.
• It’s a hydrating shampoo that hydrates the hair and also removes the residue giving frizz-free smooth hair.
• The shampoo is rich in antioxidants that give healthy-defined curls and restores the hair.
• The shampoo is free of sulfate, silicone, and paraben.
• It also works in color-treated and damaged hair.
• It contains natural oils like olive oil and Marula oil: they moisturize the hair, controls the frizz, and make the hair shiny and soft.

How to use:

• First, apply the shampoo to wet hair and massage it until it lathers.
• Rinse it with cold water.
• Then apply conditioner to the hair and keep it for 5 to 10 minutes.
• Finally, rinse the hair again and air dry.

5. Shea Moisture Coconut and Hibiscus Combination Pack

The Shea moisture beauty brand is in the market for more than three decades. They use an ancient formulation of the ingredients to manufacture their products.

Also, the products are tried and tested on generations of their people. The company also took the lead in providing sustainable products.

Key Features & Benefits:

• The shampoo is rich in moisturizing and hydrating agent that nourishes the hair and produces frizz-free smooth curls. The moisturizing and hydrating agents in the shampoo are coconut milk, plant peptides, combined rich Coconut Oil, and Kokum Butter that deeply condenses and enhance the curl definition of the hair.
• It is free of parabens, phthalates, petroleum, and formaldehyde.
• It is most suitable for hair types 4A, 3B, 4B, 3C, 4C.
• It is also sulfate-free and protein-rich, due to which it gently cleanses the hair without stripping it and detangles it smoothly.

How to use:

• The shampoo is as simple to use as any other regular shampoo. First, you wet your hair and put it in the conditioner.
• Gently massage the hair until the shampoo forms lather.
• Rinse it well with cold water once your done massaging.
• Apply a conditioner and keep it for 10 minutes.
• Rinse the hair again with cold water and dry your hair.
• Finally, style your hair.

Final comments:

Shampoo that makes hair curly might not give you curls right after you use it. Due to its curl enhancement formula rather than curl formation: it isn’t a one-time thing. But, when used on a routine basis, it works wonders.

Also, one can easily get their preferred brand and type of curling shampoo in the market; due to the major rise in the hair care industry. So, go grab your bottle of curling shampoo and rock your