Curl enhancing ingredients?

[brave]

Wasn't sure where this topic belonged, if the mods believe it would be better off in conventional products or herbal please move it :)

What ingredients should one look for in their products if they want to enhance the curliness of their hair? Not definition or anti-frizz or what have you, but make their waveys slightly more wavey or their wurls a little curlier. So far I only know of marshmallow, which I think I read somewhere did that. But I was hoping to tap into the LHC brains and see if there are more I should be looking for.

Conversely, what ingredients have the opposite effect?

[Astraea]

For me, pure aloe, or anything acidic and south of 7.0 on the pH scale such as ayurvedic herbs (amla comes to mind) - between 4.5-5.5pH - are good at bringing out waves and curls without being drying. Also products with humectants have worked at bringing out curl and volume for me aloe, glycerin or honeyquat. I have two straight-wavy patches that I used to tame this way but eventually gave up. I mixed at home and wasn't that great but there are tutos on YT.

There are curlies that report henna as loosening curls, sometimes permanently if used consistently.

Wanted to add that humectants have been extremely drying for me in dry air conditions nullifying their curl enhancing abilities.

[battles]

I find that using shampoo bars with a vinegar rinse after always makes my hair much wavier.

[CurlyMopTop]

I second Astraea! Sometimes a little dose of protein works too. I love Shea moisture curling cream! I haven't used it in a while (stretching washes and trying to use as little product as possible). I've also come to the conclusion that Henna loosened my curls (the 3rd and 4rth application). Stretching washes has loosened them even more (down to a wave). I can actually brush my hair and it will come out looking smooth and shiny (very little frizz)! I don't mind much though. I can still coex it into it's original texture on occasion, but normally I wear it up anyways. I do that using the above mentioned product on freshly washed hair and plopping. :D

[Avital88]

Amla oil works for me

[brave]

I'm looking not so much for specific products, more for specific ingredients to look for in products, if there are any. I do love the Shea moisture curling cream but my hair rebelled against protein recently. I will have to try more aloe -- usually I kind of avoid humectants since I'm either in very dry places or very humid places.

[chou]

On the natural side, amla powder in a pack or a rinse is a pretty powerful curl enhancer--it's very drying on my hair though. On the chemical side, gels and sprays with polyquats as opposed to silicones cause my waves to really "sproing" up and hold in place. Curly hair products that have polyquats include Garnier Wonder Waves spray, Curl Junkie Curls in a Bottle, and Pantene curly hair mousse.

[Tehillim408]

Amla oil works for me

Where do you get your Amla oil, and how do you use it, if you don't mind me asking?

[cherry blossom]

Same question here Avital88 - what maybe a good place to buy Amla oil ? Also, I found that washing hair with ayurvedic herbal powders helped with some curl and volume. on the contrary, when I use conditioner (nature gate jojoba) my hair loses whatever little waviness.. Anyone here, who knows of a curl enhancing conditioner ?

[lilliemer]

I am a 2c bordering on 3a with spirals at the ends of my hair and in the underlayers. I find that jojoba oil applied to dry hair with a leave in (nightblooming panacea) loosens my curls quite a bit which I like because it makes the waves more uniform. On its own, the panacea defines curls without making them crunchy which is quite nice.

Aloe didn't do much for my hair, in fact I thought it made my hair kind of dry without increasing the curl at all.

Garnier makes a super hold curling gel with acacia gum. It worked really well to increase curl but I would not buy it again because they test on animals (which I didn't realize when I bought the first bottle).

As far as amla oil goes, one of the Dabur Vatika coconut oil types (the one in the light green bottle with the dark green screw top) has amla oil in it, but I am not sure exactly how much. This oil doesn't exactly enhance my curls but it doesn't relax them like the jojoba oil.

HTH

[luxepiggy]

Behold, peer-reviewed research! (^(oo)^)v
http://i239.photobucket.com/albums/ff33/shoppingpiglet/hair/16420120626.jpg

Source: J. Cosmet. Sci., 60, 261–271 (March/April 2009)

[ravenheather]

hennasooq has amla oil but I haven't tried it. mountaintainroseherbs.com has amla powder. I'll be ordering some powder soon.