Imagine this: You have finally found curly hair products that work for you - products that you have researched extensively for months. Then suddenly, they stop working. Your hair is excessively crunchy, greasy or just wonky.
Before you toss your products, pause to identify why your products don’t seem to work. It’s not that your hair is being difficult; your hair is telling you something about the product, your technique, or what it needs right now.
You're Not Using the Product as Intended
This sounds obvious, but most of us skip reading the instructions. I did it just the other day. I was in a Facebook group discussing hair gels, and I shared that I couldn’t justify buying this particular gel as it was 8 oz and I would go through it within a month. A commenter replied that you only need the smallest amount. After more research, I realised she was right.
Following instructions matters more than you think, as they tell you:
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How wet your hair should be - 'damp' or 'soaking wet' makes a huge difference with stylers for curl definition.
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The amount - that 'quarter-sized' recommendation exists for a reason
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Application - does it need to be emulsified in your palms first?
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Layering order - does it work best over a leave-in conditioner or on product-free hair?
Product Buildup Sabotages Your Curl Results
Dirty won’t perform its best, as the products just sit on top of your head rather than being absorbed into your strands. Build-up can clog your pores and make your hair appear greasy rather than shiny, feel sticky rather than soft, and wonky rather than curly.
Before blaming the product for not working, make sure you've applied it to clean hair if you are looking to achieve frizz-free results. It doesn't need to be day 1 hair, but past day 7, you're risking significant buildup that will block any product from working properly and ruin your curl definition.
You're Not Clarifying Often Enough
Even if you’re double cleansing, your regular shampoo might not be enough to remove everything. Silicones, oils, creams, gels, hard water minerals and product residue can accumulate over time - and your everyday shampoo isn't designed to strip all of that away.
Here’s a tip: if your shampoo is described as ‘gentle’, you might just need a clarifying shampoo to detox your hair every 4-6 weeks.
Signs you need to clarify:
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Your curls feel limp or weighed down
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Products sit on top of your hair instead of absorbing
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Your hair looks dull, even right after washing
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You're using the same products but getting different results
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Your scalp feels itchy or greasy faster than usual
Our product recommendation: Use a clarifying shampoo like Olaplex No. 4C Bond Maintenance Clarifying Shampoo, which removes buildup, hard water minerals, and pollutants without stripping your natural hair. Apply to wet hair, lather well, and leave on for up to 5 minutes before rinsing. Always follow with a conditioner or hair mask since clarifying can be drying.
Your Protein-Moisture Balance is Off
Your hair needs both protein and moisture to thrive. Too much moisture makes curls limp, stretchy, and unable to hold shape. Too much protein makes hair dry, brittle, and straw-like. So if your curly hair products are all protein or all moisture, you might be dealing with an imbalance.
Here’s how to fix it in your curl routine - check the ingredients for every product you use. Look for products like hydrolysed wheat protein, keratin, amino acids, and moisture products like glycerin, aloe vera, or oils. Use protein treatments every 4-6 weeks and deep condition weekly with a hair mask.
Balance is key for frizz-free curls.
Your Water or Climate is the Problem
Hard water minerals coat your hair and prevent products from penetrating. Humidity affects glycerin-based products, which is a favourite ingredient in most curly-based products. A product that works beautifully in one season can fail to work in another.
Tip: to make your curls last longer and to prevent humidity from ruining your curls, use hairspray once your hair is fully dry.
Final Thoughts
Most of the time, a product stops working isn’t because your hair got used to it (which is definitely a thing - switch things up occasionally), it is because your is telling you it needs something else - to be clarified, more moisture or protein or applied differently.
Before you blame the product and start shopping for replacements, pause and troubleshoot. Your natural hair isn’t being high maintenance - it’s just telling you what it needs.
