When it comes to caring for my fine natural hair, I like to try new products from time to time. Sometimes new product lines come out on the market and I like to see how my hair responds to them. Below are the essential hair products for fine natural…well, my fine natural hair.

It’s so easy to get bogged down with the many offerings on the market. Oh, but when you discover what works for your hair and, more importantly WHY it works, then you can start working on your hair goals.

From hairstyles to hair products, I know what my hair likes and doesn’t like. Below you’ll find my favorite hair care products. This page will be updated as I discover new products and as manufacturers change their formulas.

This may seem like a lot of products to some and not enough for others. Most importantly, these grouping of products are what I have found work really well in my fine natural hair. If you have hair that’s similar to mine, you may find success with these as well.

My Hair Stats

Color: Brown with Silver streaks

Curl type: Fine

Hair typing system type: 4A with sprinkles of 3C (nape and sides)

Density: Medium

Current Length

• Sides: Bra Strap Length
• Back: Between Bra Strap and Waist Length

Desired Length: Waist Length All Around

What are staple hair products?

Simply put, your staple hair care products are the products your hair can’t do without. It’s those go-to hair products you would NEVER want to give up. Not ever. It’s your cleansers, conditioners, treatments, oils and stylers.

Some would call these your holy grail products. Others say there’s no such thing as holy grail products.

I say when you know what your hair loves so much that you don’t ever want to be without these products, call them what you want.

I’ve tried many products for fine natural hair. Some were sold by mass manufacturers. Some were sold by small businesses. Then, there’s the DIY recipes I’ve found on the web using ingredients right in the kitchen or straight from nature.

Without a shadow of a doubt, I KNOW what my fine natural hair likes, loves and hates.

For the products that don’t have links, please bookmark this page. I update regularly!

This page will continue to evolve as I add and remove products from this list. Sometimes the manufacturers of hair products change their formulas, and I no longer love those products. That’s what has happened in the past.

Current Products I Use on My Fine Natural Hair

Below I’ve shared specific products that my fine natural hair loves and that I’m currently using. Instead of listing the hair products by group, I listed them individually along with their function.

In addition, you’ll find links to where you can find each product in case you want to scoop any of them up.

Here’s a recent video where I share some of my go-to products (I will periodically update this video as well):

I tend to buy more stylers than anything but I typically stick with the same product brands for everything else. Here are the main brands I use (categorized below):

• Ominira Naturals – I use all 8 products in this line faithfully. They are available from Ominira Naturals individually as well. In this image is the growth potion; some of the individual products are also linked on this page. UPDATE: Ominira has had a product design change, and it’s beautiful. Check it out.
• Camille Rose Naturals
• Kinky Tresses – The entire wash day bundle is fire. I love it so much. Moisture and more moisture plus balance with strength. The Hair Milk is my favorite. I hope they never change the formula.
• RevAir Extreme Hydration line (this line has been discontinued but I stocked up!)

In addition to these, I have some one-offs.

Ominira Naturals Ultimate Strength Silk Infusion Deep Conditioning Mask: Strength like none else and it’s also balanced to moisturize your hair so you don’t need a separate deep conditioning afterward (available from Ominira Naturals)

Cleansers

Ominira Naturals Shampoo Herbal Infusion Hair Growth Shampoo – Tingly but not too much so, this shampoo is one of my recent loves. However, I have been using it for over two years. My scalp always feels so clean and my hair is never stripped.

Deep Conditioners

TGIN Miracle Honey Hair Mask – This hair mask is very moisturizing and my hair always feels amazing after using it. Honey is a humectant, so this deep conditioner is designed to pull moisture into the hair.

Fine Hair Protein & Strengthening Treatments

Ominira Naturals Silk Herbal Infusion Ultimate Strength Conditioning Mask – balanced with strength and moisture. This is my favorite protein treatment.

DIY Goat’s Milk Treatment Conditioner – Smooth cuticles, stronger hair, poppin’ curls. This DIY recipe delivers a serious dose of strength and moisture. I use it sporadically throughout the year when I don’t feel like using henna.

Henna – Full strength, gloss, and Henna tea spray. I’ve done it all! All-natural organic henna is all I will ever use. Monthly treatments worked in conjunction with my DIY goat’s milk treatment to keep my fine hair nice and strong. I attribute a lot of my fine hair’s health to henna.

However, I’m no longer using full-strength henna treatments because my hair is graying and I don’t want to color it. I still use Henna (1-2 tablespoons in my deep conditioner) as a gloss. This doesn’t change the color of my hair.

Leave in Conditioners

Kinky Curly Knot Today – Always my favorite leave in from the time I first tried it. It’s lightweight and smells amazing but more importantly, it helps keep my hair hydrated for a very long time. I use it solo and I also use it to make my Kimmaytube leave in recipe.

Melanin Haircare Multi-Use Softening Leave in Conditioner – Baby, when I tell you the name doesn’t betray itself…. this has rapidly become my fave! I not only use it as a leave in but I also use it to finger detangle. The slip is amazing, and the peppermint essential oil is so refreshing to my scalp!

Rinsing Conditioners

Ominira Naturals Tangle Slayer – This is the best darn detangling conditioner around. If I didn’t know better, I’d think it contains silicones to give it all that slip. However, it doesn’t. It’s activated with water and works best under the shower stream but can also be used on damp hair outside of the shower.

Herbal Essences Hello Hydration – This is by no means a curly girl friendly product due to the silicones in it, but it has never left my hair feeling dry. There is no conditioner that I’ve ever tried that could detangle my hair on contact but this one. It’s cheap, and my hair always feels butter soft after using it. Yes, I know it’s the silicones, but I’ve never had issues using them.

Gels & Stylers

Camille Rose Naturals Curl Maker – the most moisturizing gel I’ve ever encountered. Expensive and worth every penny. My hair grew to love this…or rather I figured out how to properly use it (for lush twists and a wash and go paired with specific products).

Creme of Nature Pure Honey Curl Activator Cream – I get the best, most defined curls using this styler. What’s even more phenomenal is

Ominira Naturals Grip and Grow Gelée – very new product on the scene – it’s an ultra-moisturizing flaxseed gel infused with herbs that helps “lay” your edges without crunch or damage. I like to use this for twists too.

Oils & Butters

Coconut -This is a multipurpose oil and my hair loves it for everything but sealing. The link is to a specific brand I love but to nix the shipping costs, I use organic unrefined grocery store brands, including that from Trader Joe’s.

Jojoba or Almond – The lightest of all oils, I love using one of these oils when I want a lightweight sealing oil.  While I’m not doing much in the way of DIY Recipes, both are staple oils used to create them.

Jamaican Black Castor Oil (aka JBCO) – I used JBCO for a while but then stopped due to the unbearable itching it caused my scalp. BUT, it’s back on the staples list because I haven’t found an oil thick enough to keep my ends sealed for an extended period. When protective styling, I use it on the full length of my hair. It’s definitely not one of those products created for fine natural hair  The link is to the plain JBCO that I was using, but I also use Extra Dark.

Melanin Haircare Multi Use Pure Oil Blend: Pre-Poo, Sealant, Detangler, Hot Oil Treatment (available from Melanin Haircare) – Just like the leave in, the oil does not disappoint. However, this is one I use sparingly because it’s not available in stores and shipping costs really add up.

Deanna’s Breakthrough Formula Sealant: for sealing the ends of twists and braids, this butter is butta! It’s so good and the best I’ve ever used to keep the ends of my hair smooth and moisturized.

Other Items

Organic Amla Powder: I use Amla powder to create a pre-poo or to add to my deep conditioners to aide with hair growth and curl definition. I typically purchase from Henna Sooq but also on Amazon

Essential oils – Lemongrass, Peppermint, Lavender, Rosemary and Tea Tree are my staple EOs. I use the first two to scent my products, the remaining essential oils are used to stimulate my scalp. The tea tree oil also serves as a natural preservative along with a little vitamin E when I want to DIY things.

Fresh Aloe Vera Leaf + Aloe Vera Juice: Pre-Poo, Ph Balancer – this, I grab from the grocery store and use it with whenever I’m feeling in the DIY mood

One DIY Hair Product

Lastly, I use this DIY Goat’s Milk Conditioning Recipe when I’m feeling in the mood to DIY. It’s a balanced protein and deep conditioner treatment. The strength and moisture I receive is better than any store bought products.

Shea Moisture Strengthen Grow and Restore Leave in Conditioner – I really liked this leave in conditioner but it was just so like Shea Moisture to just change the formula. I don’t care for the change.

Eden Bodyworks Coconut Shea Co-wash – This is my number favorite co-wash in the category of mass-produced products. I’ve tried the As I Am Coconut Co-Wash and a couple of the Shea Moisture Co-washes. None of the beauty supply store co-washes I’ve tried can rival the slip and cleansing action of this one. However, I’m really focusing on herbal hair care products, so I’m not using this product right now. I can definitely see revisiting this.

Henna Sooq’s Cleansing Conditioning Co-washes – I started using Henna Sooq’s cleansing conditioners in early 2019. I was quickly hooked. I love herbal and natural products. These are made with such love and care, with ingredients such as Sage and Lemon. I used all three of the available cleansers, switching them up every so often: Sweet Orange; Rosemary, Tangerine & Clary Sage; and Peppermint. I may actually return to using these.

Camille Rose Naturals Coconut Water Penetrating Conditioner – This is an amazing deep conditioner. With the added benefits of coconut, my hair was always left feeling strong and hydrated. I basically love most things from Camille Rose Naturals. I used this for over 4 years. Lastly, I used to always add a tablespoon of henna or cassia to this to boost it further. Currently, I’m not using this because I just love my other deep conditioners more but I wouldn’t hesitate to return to using this one in the future.

Thirsty Roots Apricot Castor Oil – Love this oil. Always will, but I’m cutting down on the number of products I use, and I am no longer willing to pay shipping charges to obtain this. I use other oils that works just as well.

CurlPrep Sweet Butta – Rich in goat’s milk and protein, this butta is very moisturizing. The only reason it’s no longer a staple is I’m pairing down the number of products I use and am sticking with lines that can care for my hair from start to finish on wash day. This is an amazing sealant though.

CurlPrep Around The Way Gel – This was my favorite gel of all time for a long time but things change and I have narrowed down what I’m using. Maybe I’ll revisit some day.

Mielle Organics Mint Almond Oil – Almond is oil on its own is a great oil to promote moisture retention. Add in the mint and you have a super oil that helps stimulate growth! Mielle really did the darn thing on this one but I my hair is just fine with simple almond or jojoba oil. I can mix in my own peppermint EO for the same result.

Camille Rose Naturals Ginger Cleansing Rinse– This product surprised me from the very beginning. It’s not a shampoo but it performs very much like one with a ton of sudsing but no stripping of the hair whatsoever. I’ve washed my hair with it up for a lengthy period of time and still my hair didn’t feel stripped. What’s best is you only need to use a very small amount to generate a lot of cleansing action. But, it’s all about Henna Sooq for me now.

The Mane Choice 3-in-1 Conditioner – One of the best leave in conditioners I’ve ever tried, I rotated this on wash day and used when I used the other Mane Choice suite of products. It’s an amazing leave in and can also be used solo as a styler, and even a co-wash. This just can’t be a staple because I feel like I have to use a lot of it. So, it’s not cost effective.

Argan Oil – a very rich and expensive oil, it’s also very precious. I use this a lot on my face but started using it on my hair to smooth fly aways and add shine. It also helps add strength to the hair. However, really good quality is expensive so I don’t use this regularly anymore.

Mango Butter – With my lifestyle changes, I don’t much time for DIY projects. Mango butter will always be a love of mine but I need to use products that are already whipped up the way I need them. That’s not to say I’ll never use mango butter again. Life changes. When I have more time, this is my butter of choice for DIYs since it has no scent. Alternatively, when not available I’ll use Shea Butter.

EcoStyler Curl and Wave Gel – This was my favorite gel by EcoStyler. No flaking and no crunchy hold. I used it to lay my edges daily when I didn’t use my edge control product. However, I’m trying to use products that are more natural so I had to put this one down 🙁

As you can see, I’ve gone through a lot of hair products for my fine natural hair. It’s the herbal products and other products infused with herbs that stand the test of time.

Camille Rose Naturals Style Setter – This is a super multipurpose hair product! I use it for my braid outs and twist outs. This It’s really great although it’s a little pricey. Thankfully, a little goes a long way.

Lily of the Desert Aloe Vera Juice/Gel – The juice is great for sealing the cuticles after washing. I got this tip from Naptural85 on Youtube. I also purchase the Aloe Vera Gel by this brand. It’s more like a jelly but very soft and literally melts in your hands on contact. However, I now just purchase a pure aloe vera leaf for pre-pooing.

Additionally, I used to use a whole host of herbs in my hair care. You can read about them here. Again, I don’t have time to make a lot of DIYs but when I did, I got my herbs from either Amazon or Henna Sooq.

That’s it for the essential hair products I’m using in my fine natural hair. While this may seem like a lot of hair products to have as staples, it’s not. Remember, minimalism is about having what you use and love.

Every few years or so, my favorites change a little bit. I either remove a product or add a product. However, for the most part, things remain consistent.