I thought my wavy hair had given up on me until I tried these curl-enhancing products

Hello, summer waves!

Valeza's wavy hair after using the only curls starter bundle
(Image credit: Future)
Valeza Bakolli
By
published
in Buying Guides

My wavy hair journey has been somewhat of a bumpy one over the years. I used to wear my hair wavy all the time, preferring to air dry my hair as a lazy-girl fix to looking like I’d made some sort of effort. Over the years, though, increased heat styling and bleaching has caused my once-silky hair to become somewhat frazzled and flyaway-prone, so simply air drying wasn’t enough to bring my waves out. Add to this the fact that I have naturally fine hair, which falls flat without some kind of heat styling, and I’d decided to give up on trying to coax a curl out of my hair. That was, until I tried the Only Curls Starter Bundle.

This brand was literally created on the basis of encouraging people to embrace their natural waves and curls, so its products have been specially formulated to do just that. This genius set is no exception – it includes all you need to enhance and define waves and curls – so of course I tried it out for myself to see if it would bring my limp waves back to life. Shop it for yourself and find out how I got on below…

Only Curls Starter Bundle with Towel
Only Curls Starter Bundle with Towel

 My review of the Only Curls Starter Bundle  

These products are best used together to get the full result, but they can also be used (and bought) separately, so they each deserve an individual review. Here’s a step-by-step of how I used each product to create the best waves of my life…

Only Curls Mini All Curl Cleanser
Only Curls Mini All Curl Cleanser

This is one of my favourite shampoos for wavy hair. It gave my hair a really great clean and is super hydrating without weighing down my hair. Oh, and it smells lovely.

Only Curls All Curl Conditioner
Only Curls All Curl Conditioner

This conditioner made my hair feel super nourished. Seriously, I used it after a day at the beach, and you’d never have known my hair was a dry, salt-filled mess just half an hour before. It’s important to detangle your hair with a comb while it’s still wet and saturated with the conditioner, this left my hair tangle-free, silky soft and ready for the next step in the routine.

Only Curls Hydrating Curl Creme
Only Curls Hydrating Curl Creme

This is where the ‘curl routine’ really comes into play. To use, I turned off the water, ensuring my hair was still sopping wet, turned my head upside down and scrunched a generous amount of the curl cream into my hair, from root to tip. After using this, I already started seeing curls forming.

Only Curls Microfibre Hair Towel
Only Curls Microfibre Hair Towel

Next up, I scrunched my hair dry with the microfibre towel—again, scrunching from root to tip and holding each scrunch for three seconds without rubbing to minimise friction and flyaways.

Onlt Curls Enhancing Curl Gel
Onlt Curls Enhancing Curl Gel

Using this gel was when I really saw curls start to form in my hair. Once my hair was towel-dried, I scrunched a penny-sized amount into my hair, in a similar way to how I applied the cream. It gave my hair plenty of hold volume and definition.

Controversially, I like to brush out my waves – I just prefer the softer effect – and I did feel like the gel made my hair look more ‘wet’ than I’m used to. So, once I’d brushed out my hair, I was obsessed with the result and will definitely be using this set when I want to really enhance the natural curl in my hair.

valeza's wavy hair after using the only curls starter bundle

(Image credit: Future)

My natural waves even lasted until the next day—an unheard-of result for my fine hair, which usually falls flat overnight. Overall, I really enjoyed using this Only Curls bundle. It left me with bouncy, hydrated and enhanced waves of the kind I hadn’t seen in years. I’m sure that by continuing to style my hair in this way (and heat styling less as a result), I will see my hair become healthier and my curls even more defined over time.

Valeza Bakolli
Valeza Bakolli
Junior Shopping Editor

Valeza Bakolli is Marie Claire’s Junior Shopping Editor, and as such, she’s made it her mission to encourage people to shop mindfully and with purpose. In her role, she covers all things shopping - from thoroughly road testing the best fitness kit to keeping a finger on the pulse of what’s new in fashion and beauty. She dedicates hours of her time every day to scouring the online stores, finding the best products online so you don’t have to (from small and sustainable businesses wherever possible, of course).

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