By Akili King·Updated May 16, 2024
ESSENCE’s Senior Beauty Editor shares why she’ll be including a few of the products in her permanent rotation.
It’s safe to say that I’m a creature of habit. That includes everything from my morning routines (if you know me, I’m all about my vitamins!), to my favorite vegan restaurants and the products I use on my skin and hair (shout out to eczema for that). But although these habits might seem mundane, having a busy, at times ever-changing work and social schedule, I find these personal moments of predictability to be quite sweet and grounding. Additionally, the years-long trial-and-error processes to find the right products and routine for my curls isn’t worth shaking up at this big age.
But, I will say, after trying out Aveda’s NEW be curly advanced™ line over the past few weeks, I’m considering adding a few of their products into my permanent rotation. Before heading off to my favorite city, Mexico City, for my dear friend’s wedding, I knew I needed to give my hair a good cleanse and proper hydration. After receiving the new line, neatly packaged in vibrant green bottles that remind me of my beloved plants– reflective of their silicone-free and plant-powered formulas– I thought I might as well give them a go for my pre-travel wash day.
It wasn’t just the packaging and formula that drew me in, though. Before trying out the line– which consists of seven products– I was reminded that Aveda champions sustainability. This line in particular is 93-98% naturally derived, silicone free, vegan, and cruelty free. “Aveda is all about naturally derived ingredients and sustainability. Our green chemistry methodology helps us prioritize human and environmental health as we create new products,” Christine Hall, Aveda’s VP of R&D, tells ESSENCE. “We try to ensure the highest percent of naturally derived ingredients that we can because at Aveda we believe in no compromise: fantastic performance, vegan, high % naturally derived, and a green chemistry focus.”
After hearing this, I was inspired to try out the be curly advanced™ intensive curl perfecting masque first. I typically wash my hair once a week, and sometimes I like to start with the mask as a pre-treatment. I like to wet my hair with my spray bottle, add in the masque, and detangle my hair while it’s in.
Upon applying this mask, it immediately took my dry, brittle hair to new hydration levels thanks to the expeller-extracted kokum seed butter, sunflower seed oil and shea butter. Meanwhile, pea and vegetable derived peptides help to strengthen the strands. Although I usually use masks as a pre-treatment, the recommended way to use this product is to work it through freshly shampooed hair and leave it on for 2-5 minutes.
Meanwhile, our Senior Fashion Editor, Devine Blacksher, reminded me that it also works well post shampoo and conditioner, too. “As someone with 3C curls, finding products that truly cater to my hair needs is crucial,” she details. That said, “the masque worked the best on my hair. I noticed a difference in the softness and shine of my curls,” Devine adds. As for what impressed her most? Not only did it leave her curls, as she says, “bouncy and manageable,” but the scent also caught her attention. “It was subtle but lingering, adding a touch of comfort to my daily routine,” she adds of the aroma that is scent is composed of essential oils; a refreshing combination of orange, certified organic lemon, and bergamot.
After letting the mask do its thing, I hopped into the shower and rinsed it out. My hair felt smooth as I did this. I then reached for the be curly advanced™ shampoo and worked up a lather. My scalp felt revived, much like our Fashion Editor, Robyn Mowatt’s. “The be curly advanced™ shampoo left my 4C hair feeling clean and refreshed.” Following this, I used the be curly advanced™ conditioner which is truly a favorite of mine now. The slip was so great and made the final detangling process a breeze. Robyn echoes my sentiments. “I left it in for a few minutes. After rinsing it once, I immediately felt as though my hair had been moisturized wholly.”
Once I was out of the shower, I used the be curly advanced™ curl perfecting primer to reactivate my hair’s moisture and prep for styling. I later learned that it is formulated with a naturally derived UV filter to help protect hair from the drying effects of the sun. Following this, I grabbed the be curly advanced™ curl enhancer cream and the be curly advanced™ coil definer gel to define my coils.
To refresh my hair between washes, as I only wash my hair once a week typically, I simply sprayed on a little water and applied the be curly advanced™ curl enhancer cream, which served me well throughout my travels.
The only product from the line I have yet to try is the be curly advanced™ co-wash, as I typically don’t use a co-washing product in my regular routine. But, ESSENCE beauty writer, India Jones, really enjoyed her results. “I used a generous amount of the be curly advanced™ co-wash on my 4B hair as a touch-up between wash days. First, I bathed my tight coils in the citrus aroma of the be curly advanced™ co-wash to refresh and define my coils. I washed it out before applying the be curly advanced™ intensive curl perfecting masque for deeper moisture.,” she tells me.
“My hair felt gently cleansed and ready for the next steps: the be curly advanced™ curl perfecting perfecting primer and the be curly advanced™ curl enhancer cream, as the only styling products needed to prep my afro for the day,” India continues. “The mist application of the curl perfecting primer easily saturated my hair, while the curl enhancer cream was a lightweight finish– especially nice for the warmer New York days.”
Upon returning from the trip, I was inspired by India’s routine and wanted to opt for a less-is-more approach to my wash day. I did the same pretreatment step with the mask, and shampooed and conditioned my hair. After I got out of the shower, I just reached for the curl enhancer cream and evenly saturated it throughout my hair. I used my fingers to define the coils, hit them with a little heat protectant and then diffused my hair dry.
I was in love with the results. I love that the line has a product for whatever your desired style is– be it defined or elongated. There is something for every curl type! And it makes sense, because– as Renée Gadar, Aveda’s Global Artistic Director, tells us via Zoom– there was a rigorous testing process on different curl patterns. “We had this easy loop of information that allowed us to make minor adjustments,” she says. “We were able to do rigorous work with quick turnover; helping us to produce a product that really works.”
For me in particular, focusing on lightweight moisture was the key to my curls thriving. The most recent wash day was the night before my birthday. Throughout my entire birthday week, I had many people come up to me to ask what I use in my hair and telling me my curls were doing what they needed to do. Naturally, I haven’t looked back since.
