What’s in my curly hair kit? 5 must have curly hair products to always have in your bag this season

What to watch out for in your curls this autumn: 

1. Loss of definition: without humidity to hold your curl pattern in place, your curls start to relax and lose their shape faster than they did in summer.

2. Breakage: dry hair is brittle hair. When moisture drops, strands lose elasticity, and hair that can't stretch is hair that snaps.

3. Frizz and dryness: the hair shaft opens up to search for moisture in the air around it, and when there isn't enough there, it grabs at whatever it can, which shows up as frizz.

4. Split ends: ends are already the oldest, most fragile part of the hair, and dry air speeds up the wear that leads them to split.

5. No bounce in your hair: bounce needs moisture and elasticity working together. Take either away and your curls sit flatter and heavier than they should.

6. Product overload: when we talk curly hair, we talk product. What to use, how much, when. But watch out for overdoing it. Too much product sits on top of the hair rather than working into it, and hair that's carrying more than it needs starts to look limp and lifeless instead of defined. Our top tip to avoid this: wash weekly. Not just an autumn tip either, curly hair needs a proper wash day, every week, all year round.
   

Now, we know a new season means the calendar fills up fast. New term, new routines, no time to be doing a full wash day mid-afternoon because your curls had a moment. So before we get into your actual curly hair care routine (next post, we promise), let's talk about what's living in your bag right now to get your curls through the day. Here's what autumn hair care actually means for your curls this season.

The 5 Curly Hair Products You Need in Your Bag Right Now

1. Mini gel

A mini curly hair gel is most useful thing you can carry, full stop. Quick touch up on the go, laying edges down before a meeting, reviving definition that gave up on you somewhere between home and here. One product, several jobs. We all need a hand sometimes, and that's completely fine.

Umberto Giannini Scrunching Jelly mini - £3.75

Ecostyler Olive Oil mini gel - £3.49

Fenty Hair The Controlling Type Hair Thickening Edge Control - £17.60

2. Mini hair oil.

For the days you don't get to crack your gel cast properly at home, or your hair just needs a bit of shine by 2pm because as the weather turns dull, your hair can start looking a little dull with it. 

One thing to remember: oil sits on top of the hair shaft rather than absorbing into it, so it's not a moisturiser, it's a seal. Use it to lock in shine on the go, not as a substitute for actual hydration.

Matrix Multi-Use Hair Oil - £14.40

Gisou Honey Infused Hair Oil - £22

3. Hair ties that don't cause breakage.

If your hair needs to be out of the way, it shouldn't cost you strands to do it. Skip anything with a metal seam or seal and go for nylon or fabric covered ties. The plastic ones are only playing in your head. We're also predicting scrunchies are having a real moment again this season, so lean in.

Your actual moisture top up. The one product on this list doing real hydration work, not just holding you over. Maybe you can do your hair at the gym this time instead of missing the gym to do your hair? Keep it small, keep it close.