Redken Align 12

This product may be marketed to straighten your hair, but ladies, this is the best thing for taming and enjoying your wavy hair!

The Redken website advises users to:

apply to damp hair and blow-dry straight. Flat iron for stick-straight results.

I couldn´t disagree more. The product is okay for straightening, but it kick-ass for wavy hair!

The real genius of this product is using it to form waves and curls. The somewhat stiff nature of the cream helps to keep curls together and stop them from frizzing. Here is an example of my thick, wavy hair using only the Redken Align 12:

If you have heavy thick hair with a natural wave and don’t want it to be huge, and you want to determine the shape of your curls, apply 2 or 3 pumps of the Align 12 to half-dry hair, twist into the desired shape and let air dry.

If you have one of those hairdryers with the spikes on the end, like the Braun Volumizer (another product aimed towards the wrong market – this hairdryer was the best hairdryer for curly hair I’ve ever tried!), you can also dry your hair from here, making sure not to let it move too much. It’s the moving that causes frizz.

I’ve read in some reviews that the Panasonic EH5502W Ultra Ionic Hair Dryer is the next best thing now that the braun volumizer is off the market. Stuff your curls up into the spikes and it will hold them put until dry. it appears as if this hairdryer is no longer available, but you get the idea – these types of hairdryers are ace for keeping curly-hair frizz free without having to air-dry.

Available in: US, Canada, Europe, and beyond…