It can be incredibly daunting trying to narrow down and select the best products for your hair type from an endless selection of hair care products.
Not only is there thousands of options to choose from, you could also waste a lot of time and money investing in the wrong ones.
So to help, we’ve put together our guide to choosing the right products for you if you’ve type 3 (and more specifically) type 3B curl pattern hair.
What exactly is type 3B hair anyway?
Type 3B hair is a sub-category of type 3 hair. Specifically, type 3B hair can be described as ‘ringlets’ in shape.
That being said, the appearance of 3B hair can vary quite significantly depending on the person and how hydrated their hair is.
Tip: We’ve put together a guide which covers everything you need to know about type 3B curly hair. Be sure to check it out!
How do you choose the right products for 3B curly hair?
It should come of no surprise that what can work for one person with type 3B hair may not work with someone else with even an identical curl pattern.
That’s largely thanks to hair porosity.
In fact, hair porosity plays a much larger role in finding the right products for your curls over what curl pattern you have.
Understanding your hair porosity first makes it far easier to determine what products will work better for you and which products you’re best to keep away from.
That being said, let’s dig into finding the best products for your 3B curls!
There are some products you absolutely need to have in your hair care collection if you’re looking to keep your 3B curls healthy and make hair care easier and faster.
- Shampoo
- Conditioner
- Leave-In conditioner
- Deep conditioner
- Long-tooth comb or detangling brush
- Styling cream or styling gel
- Oil to act as a sealant
Let’s look at each of these products in order and see why they’re each important for 3B hair.
Shampoo for 3B Curls
When you’re choosing a shampoo hair, it’s important to review the ingredients and ensure it’s free of sulfates.
Sulfates are a group of cleansers and although they’re effective at cleaning and degreasing, they also dry out your hair and scalp too.
This can cause your hair to become frizzy, loss of curl definition and weakens your hair increasing the chance of breakage.
Conditoner & Deep Conditioner for 3B Curls
When it comes to choosing a worthy conditioner for your 3B curls there are some must haves and some pesky ingredients to also avoid.
First and foremost, you need a conditioner with plenty of slip. Having lots of slip adds lubrication to your tresses – which in turn reduces friction and breakage when it comes to detangling.
Additionally, it also makes it easier for those pesky tangles to come loose without causing breakage too. Lots of slip and detangling using a long-tooth comb or detangling brush is a great combo!
Deep conditioner takes a regular conditioner up a few notches often increasing the amount of slip to make detangling even easier, but also much more nourishments to help make your hair stronger and moisturise your hair.
A deep conditioner is an absolute must on wash day for anyone serious about growth, length retention and maximising the health of their hair. You’ll find it much more difficult to hit your hair goals without one!
Leave-In Conditioner for 3B Hair
A leave-in conditioner is a great way to renew curls between washes and also inject some needed moisture as and when needed too. You can also add leave-in conditioner after you’ve washed and conditioned your hair prior to styling.
There’s plenty of options on the market from lightweight sprays to richer and creamier consistency products. What will work best for you largely depends on your hair porosity and your desirable style.
Long-Tooth Combs & Detangling Brushes
An essential component for wash day or if you’re refreshing your hair between washes, using a long tooth comb in combination with a leave in conditioner can be a great way to bring volume and body back to your curls.
Either way, it makes detangling and encouraging growth more easier if you have a solid detangling brush or comb to hand.
Hair Oils
Two things we need to make crystal clear when it comes to hair oils.
- Oil will not moisturise your hair
- Hair oil does not have to make your hair greasy!
- Hair oil is not the same as hair grease
So, let’s address the first point here. Oil is a sealant. In other words, it’s designed to lock in moisture but it doesn’t add moisture itself.
Ultimately, hair oils stop moisture from escaping the hair which keeps your hair more moisturised for longer.
This is why hair oil is so important for 3B hair. It helps to keep your hair moisturised, reduces frizz and helps maintain curl definition.
The secret to using hair oil correctly is to understand your hair porosity as your hair will respond differently to different oils.
Addressing the second point, whenever you’re applying oil to your hair, be sure to do so to wet hair and apply it it small amounts. This reduces the oily and greasy feel. Apply more water after adding oil if needed and brush through to help distribute oil through to your ends.
Lastly, hair oil is not the same as hair grease. Grease is typically this thick, vaseline like consistency product and yes, although it is a sealant and will lock in moisture, hair grease will likely leave your hair greasy and can actually lead to a lot of build up and weigh down your 3B curls.
Not to mention it’s very difficult to distribute through your hair evenly as it’s so thick and it can take a lot of shampooing to get it all out of your hair
When we talk about hair oil, we’re talking about avocado oil, black castor oil, rosemary oil, almond oil etc.
Styling Gels, Creams & Mousse
Styling gels and creams can be useful if you want to add some hold to your curls. Equally, some styling gels and creams even accentuate your curls further to add definition.
Styling gels can also be used to lay hair flat, for example if you’re laying edges or working on a slicked-back style.
So, if you’re looking to keep your curls healthy whether you’re aiming for a protective style or show off your curls in all their glory; these are the products that we recommend you invest in.
Remember, pay attention to your hair porosity to ensure you’re not over or under moisturising your hair.
Also, the keen eyed readers amongst you may have realised that we haven’t included any hair lotions or hair moisturisers in this list – and for good reason.
Some curlistas swear by a great hair moisturiser, others feel that a solid leave-in conditioner is all you need.
Not all lotions are created equal with some having more of an oily composition and others on the more lightweight side. See what works for you – but it’s very much a personal preference, which is why it’s not considered a staple for our list!
Scalp Massagers
Both essential and both great at helping you to maintain great hair health.
Let’s dig into scalp massagers. They essentially help to lift dirt, oil and build up from the scalp without irritating the scalp or being overly aggressive.
As we know, a scalp that’s unclean is often the cause of irritation and inflammation of the scalp – and in severe cases hair loss.
So if your scalp is sensitive or you struggle to clean your scalp by hand, we recommend a scalp massager to use during wash day.
We personally love the O So Curly scalp massager as it’s soft silicone bumps remove dirt from the scalp without irritating the scalp and it feels great too.
Bonnets
Bonnets come in all different shapes, sizes, materials and price points – but all good bonnets do two things well:
- Reduce tangles and knots whilst you sleep
- Prevent your pillow and bedding from pulling moisture from your hair resulting in dryness and compromising your haircare regiment
If you don’t have a bonnet to sleep in (particularly if you’ve going for growth or you wish to maintain it) you really should.
We highly recommend a silk or satin material (satin is vegan friendly) as these low-friction materials really minimise maintenance the next morning.
Closing thoughts…
So there we have it! Here’s a list of all of the product you should consider buying if you have 3B curly hair (although being honest, whether you’ve 3B or 4C hair, the list is a good one to follow and adhere to).
Although this may seem like a lot of product and maintenance, particularly if you’re new to focussing on a curl-specific hair care regiment, it pays dividends, makes hair care much easier, simpler and honestly saves you time too.
