Ouidad: Curl Types, the Rake-and-Shake, and Which Line Fits

Ouidad is built specifically for curly hair, which means the buying decision starts with knowing your curl pattern rather than picking the best-reviewed product.

Match the line to the curl, not the review

Curl products are not interchangeable across textures, and this is where most disappointment comes from.

Loose waves and soft curls get weighed down by rich creams built for coils. They need lightweight gels and mousses.

Tighter curls and coils need genuine moisture and hold, and the lightweight products do essentially nothing for them.

Coarse or high-density hair needs more product than the packaging suggests; fine curly hair needs far less.

Ouidad's lines are named by concern — moisture, definition, volume, frizz control — and picking by your texture first, then your concern, is the order that works.

The technique matters as much as the product

Ouidad is associated with specific application methods, and they genuinely change the result.

Rake-and-shake means raking product through a section with your fingers, then shaking the section to encourage the curls to clump. Clumping is what produces definition — separated strands read as frizz.

The broader principle: apply product to soaking wet hair, not damp. Curl products are designed to be distributed through water, and applying them to towel-dried hair gives patchy definition and uses far more product.

Then stop touching it. Handling curls while they dry is the single biggest cause of frizz, and no product prevents it.

Protein and moisture for curls

Curly hair is structurally drier than straight hair because oils travel down the shaft less easily. That makes moisture the default need — but protein still matters for damaged or colour-treated curls.

Too much protein on curls makes them stiff, crunchy and prone to snapping, which people often read as needing more treatment. If a strengthening product has left your curls brittle, switch to a moisture line for a few washes.

Alternating rather than committing to one is what most treated curly hair actually needs.

The Ouidad lines by name

Ouidad names its collections, and the names map onto curl types more closely than the marketing suggests.

Advanced Climate Control is the Ouidad line for humidity and frizz, known for its heat and humidity gel. It suits anyone whose curls lose definition in damp weather.

VitalCurl is aimed at loose to medium curls, where weight is the enemy and definition without stiffness is the goal.

Curl Quencher is the moisture line for tighter, drier curls, and Coil Infusion is designed for coily hair that needs the richest products in the Ouidad range.

Ouidad updates and renames products periodically, so check the current product page for the curl type each one is designed for.

The cut matters as much as the product

Ouidad started as a curl salon, and its cutting method removes weight from within the curl rather than layering across the surface. The aim is curls that sit together instead of forming a triangle shape.

No Ouidad product fixes a cut that fights your curl pattern. If your curls sit flat on top and bulk at the ends, a curl-specific cut will usually do more than any product change.

If you are near a Ouidad-trained stylist, a consultation is also a good way to find the right line before buying full sizes.

How many Ouidad products you need

A working Ouidad routine is three products: a cleanser, a conditioner and a styler. Treatments and extra stylers are optional once the basics are right.

Many curly routines wash less often than straight-hair routines, rinsing or co-washing in between. How often you wash still depends on your scalp; an oily or itchy scalp needs cleansing whatever the curl advice says.

Conditioner is the Ouidad product most people run out of first, because curly routines use it generously. If you buy one Ouidad product in a large size, make it the conditioner you have already tested.

Deep treatments are weekly or occasional products. Using them more often than the label suggests is how curls end up limp.

Where the Ouidad savings are

Ouidad discounts more deeply than most salon haircare, with codes reaching levels that salon brands usually avoid:

The two 30% Ouidad codes are worth the same, so use whichever works rather than trying to stack them.

Because curl products are used generously and repurchased often, the larger sizes on anything you have settled on are worth the up-front cost. Buy small sizes of anything you are still testing — a full-size cream that does not suit your texture is the most common waste in this category.

Common questions

Why are my curls crunchy?

Usually gel cast, which is normal and meant to be scrunched out once the hair is fully dry. If it persists after scrunching, that is protein overload.

How much product should I use?

More than you expect on coarse or dense hair, considerably less on fine hair. Apply to soaking wet hair either way.

Which line should I start with?

Match your curl pattern first. Lightweight for waves, moisture-rich for tighter curls.