The Best Products For Biracial Curly Hair (Updated For 2019)

Inside: The best products for biracial curly hair!

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Two of the questions I’m most often asked about my kids biracial curly hair are, how do you manage their hair and what products do you use for it?

Let me tell you I’ve done a lot of trial and error over the years and because of that, I can share the products that I’m confident in and love.

There’s a million products out there for curly hair so it’s hard to know which ones to pick.

If you’ve been wondering which ones to try, these are the hair products I’ve used on my kids biracial hair from when they were babies, along with what I’ve found that works best now!

The Best Products For Mixed Hair

Shampoo for curly mixed hair

When my daughter was younger, I stopped using shampoo on her hair because it would dry it out too much.

However, now that she’s older and I’m using more products on her hair, I’m seeing the benefits of using a clarifying shampoo every once in a while.

(If you’re not using many products in your child’s hair, they may not need a clarifying shampoo yet).

With curly hair, you need to use some products to add or keep, moisture in the hair. But after layering on those products day after day, build up can occur on the hair and/or scalp.

A clarifying shampoo can deeply cleanse the hair and scalp, making the products effective once again.

Clarifying shampoos are too harsh to use on a frequent basis, so in general you may want to start out using it once a month.

But you’ll want to keep an eye on your child’s hair and if it’s looking dull or the regular products you use aren’t working as well, you can try using a clarifying shampoo sooner than a month.

The clarifying shampoo I use for my kids is Kinky Curly Come Clean Clarifying Shampoo.

Co–wash for biracial curly hair

I use Cantu Shea Butter For Natural Hair Complete Conditioning Co-Wash for my kids hair in-between clarifying washes.

Co-washes are gentle enough to use whenever you need to cleanse your child’s hair because they don’t have sulfates in them.

The scrubbing action is what cleanses the scalp, while the co-wash moisturizes the hair.

You can also use a regular conditioner to co-wash if your child’s hair is really dry, as long as you’re thoroughly cleansing the scalp.

If you’re interested in what the step by step process looks like, check out how to cleanse, detangle, moisturize and style mixed girls hair.

Conditioner for curly hair

Once your child has thicker, more coarse hair, you’ll definitely need a thick moisturizing conditioner because curly hair is very dry.

When you’re combing through your kid’s hair you’ll want a conditioner that’ll stay in their hair while you’re combing out their curls because it makes detangling easier.

(Trust me you’ll need all the help you can get when you’re combing those beautiful but tangly curls!).

Shea Moisture Coconut & Hibiscus Curl & Shine Conditioner is a great conditioner that I love, but it’s more expensive. So once I had two kids that needed a thick conditioner, it didn’t make sense for me to keep paying a higher price for the conditioner when I was going through it so fast.

But it’s a great conditioner so if you don’t mind spending the money, or if you only have one kid and you aren’t going through it as fast, this is a great option!

Cantu Shea Butter For Natural Hair Hydrating Cream Conditioner is one of my favorite finds!

It’s a great thick, moisturizing conditioner and it’s SO cheap! This makes it an easy purchase because again, we go through it so quickly.

It coats my kids hair so when I’m combing through it in the bathtub it doesn’t drip out while I’m combing.

Leave in conditioner for mixed hair

Leave in conditioners are perfect for moisturizing biracial hair after you rinse out the conditioner.

If your kid has fine textured curls, a leave in may be the only product you need to keep their curls moisturized and provide some curl definition.

When my kids were younger and had fine curls, I used Mixed Chicks Leave In Conditioner because it was light and it didn’t weigh down their curls. It also helped define their curls and prevented their hair from becoming frizzy so quickly.

This didn’t work as well once my daughter’s hair started becoming more coarse, but I still recommend it if your child has fine curls.

(This is the hair texture my son had when he was little and Mixed Chicks worked well for him at this point!)

Read here for the best biracial hair products for babies.

Currently I use and love Kinky Curly Knot Today Leave In Conditioner for both of my kids.

It’s also a detangler so it doubles as a miracle worker because it makes combing through my daughter’s hair so easy when I’m styling it!

Creams for biracial hair

Shea Moisture Coconut & Hibiscus Curl Enhancing Smoothie is a heavier cream that defines curls, keeps them soft, and moisturizes them. I graduated to this after Mixed Chicks leave in didn’t work for my daughter anymore.

This is a thick cream so you don’t need to use a lot at all, (if you use too much, your child’s hair will become greasy looking or it’ll weigh down their curls).

One jar lasts me months and I use it for both of my kids!

(This was around the time I transitioned from using Mixed Chicks to Shea Moisture and Cantu products as her hair texture had changed)

I also love Cantu Moisturizing Curl Activator Cream, which enhances curls, moisturizes them, and reduces frizz.

I used to use a little bit of both of these creams together, but now that I’m using more products in my daughter’s hair, I’ve cut down on only using one to avoid build up from too many products.

Now I just switch between these curl creams for both of my kids.

Again, because it’s a cream, you don’t need to use a lot of it so the bottle will last a long time. One bottle lasts me a few months between both of my kids.

Gel

I never had success when I tried gel in the past. It was always tacky and weighed my kid’s hair down.

But I have finally found a gel that’s worth recommending to you! Kinky Curly Curling Custard has been a game changer!

(This is her hair with Kinky Curly Curling Custard added into the mix)

When I’m leaving my daughter’s hair down this is the last thing I put in her hair, (after the cream).

Your child’s hair texture will determine how much of the product you should use.

For example, because my daughter has thicker, coarser hair, I use more gel because then when it air dries, there’s a cast left.

I can either scrunch the cast out, or my preferred method, which is letting her sleep with it overnight and the next morning the cast is gone but the curls are gorgeous!

(If you’ve never used this product before start out using less so you can see how it looks in your child’s hair to determine how much you’ll need to use).

But for my son, (who has more fine textured curls) I only use a very little bit to define his curls.

If your child has fine curls, you probably won’t want to use it too often between washes because it can end up looking like there’s too much product in it.

This gel works AMAZING and definitely gives the best definition while keeping the frizz away for the longest amount of time!

I also use this to coat my daughter’s hair before I do twists or braids because it helps the styles hold longer.

Edge Control

Creme of Nature Argan Oil Perfect Edges was another major game changer!

I ALWAYS wondered how other kids with mixed hair would get such a sleek look when they had their hair styled with no frizzies or flyaways!

No matter how sleek it looked when I styled my daughter’s hair the flyaways would always creep out over the day. I just figured it was something we’d have to live with.

I would combat it as much as possible with bobby pins to tame the frizzies right by her hairline, but it didn’t help much.

Enter edge control…

I stumbled on an article about edge control and I realized this was the product I was missing!

Now when I use this I do get the smooth, sleek look with all of her hairstyles. Fly aways be gone!!

You can also use this to lay their baby hairs down to enhance the hairstyle.

I love this particular edge control because it’s not sticky, flaky, or hard/crunchy when it’s in her hair.

I use my fingers to apply this to her hairline and then comb it into her hair to prevent flyaways.

If I’m laying her edges down, I use an edge control brush, (but you can also use a toothbrush).

Another line of products I’ve recently started using on my kids is Mielle Organics .

I use the Pomegranate & Honey line, but there are a few different lines depending on your child’s hair needs.

This line is very affordable, and it smells amazing! (For anyone who doesn’t love the coconut smell that most other natural hair products have, you’ll love this scent!)

Mielle Organics is not only very moisturizing and keeps all of my kids hair really soft and healthy, it also produces beautifully defined curls!

Hair Accessories

Satin Bonnet

This is a must have to keep your child’s hair protected at night. A good satin bonnet will help prevent your child’s hair from rubbing against a pillow or sheet, which reduces frizz and breakage.

This particular satin bonnet is the only one that actually stays on my daughter’s head all night, (and I’ve tried several!).

Hair Ties for Curly Hair

You need good hair ties that won’t break your child’s hair when you try to take them out.

These hair ties or scrunchies are easy to take out without damaging your kid’s curls.

Rat Tail Comb

These are great for getting the perfect part when you’re doing hairstyles!

You’ll also want to get a detangling brush or comb to speed up the detangle process without ripping any tangles out!

Final Thoughts

These are the products that I swear by. My kids always get compliments on their hair and these products only enhance their beautiful curls!

A good moisturizing conditioner is essential to the detangling process and keeping your child’s hair moisturized. Making sure the products you use are focused on keeping moisture in, will help promote healthy curls.

Of course the two game changer products are vital for styling your child’s hair, whether you’re leaving their curls down, or styling them in a protective hairstyle.

Biracial curly hair does need extra care, but with the right products, you can keep your child’s hair protected, healthy, and beautiful!

The Ultimate Guide To Biracial Hair Care is now available! Get the entire mixed hair care routine, tips, and how to maintain it!

The Best Products For Mixed Curly Hair

The best products to cleanse, moisturize, and style mixed hair. These will keep curls defined, healthy, and protect hair from becoming dry.

If you don't properly moisturize naturally curly hair, it'll become dry and brittle, which causes it to break and become damaged.

You'll learn how to use these products, how often you should use them, and a recommendation for what order to use them in.

You'll also find a few must have hair accessories that'll help prevent breakage and make detangling and styling curly hair easier.