We Tried It: Local Denver Haircare Brand Keeps Our Hair Hydrated and On Point

The Curio Cabinet team is constantly opening themselves and their community up to new narratives and experiences. We Tried It is an ongoing series of testing and applying beauty, fashion and wellness products.

What keeps your hair on point? What daily rituals, products, and practices make you feel like you are having the most ultimate good hair day? These are questions Abby and Jordan, co-founders of The Curio Cabinet asked each other as they discussed their victories and qualms with their natural hair. 

Luckily, with the help of a local Denver haircare brand and salon, these two curly girls found all the beauty in their tresses.

Jordan:

Growing up, I was never raised around women who looked like me – yes, I am a suburban Black girl. 

Like many women of color, especially those with curly/coily hair types, learning to love our hair and step away from Eurocentric beauty standards is a hard but necessary battle. I’m sure it won’t take much to imagine what my hair looked like as a teenager. Eventually, I finally grew tired of watching my hair fall out and never seeing any progress in regard to hair growth. I decided I needed to do something and change the narrative of how I see myself so…I decided to rewire my brain and brainwash myself. 

Let me explain when you turn on the TV and all you see is Lizzie McGuire, Hannah Montana, Zoe 101, etc., and on top of that going to school with girls who all look like these characters as well, it was hard for me to navigate who I wanted to be and how I could externally be happy with my appearance, especially my hair. So when I say I brainwashed myself, I mean for 6 months straight, the only thing I looked at or watched was Black women who looked like me. Whether it was Pinterest, or watching all the Youtube hair tutorials I could find on curly/coily hair, I taught myself that this is normal and that there are women who look like me!

Now that I am in my late 20s, I am very happy and proud of where my hair is at. I’ve probably used most of the curly hair products to date in order to find the right one that fits me and my needs. Recently, a few of us curly girls on The Curio Cabinet team tested On Point Beauty, a South-Asian and Black women-owned haircare brand and salon local to Denver and now sold at Walmart.  

Trying to find the products that fit my needs as a curly girl has not been an easy journey. As I mentioned, I tried just about all of the curly hair products and am constantly trying to optimize the way I nourish and care for my hair.

And to be completely honest, I don’t even know what my hair type is! Probably somewhere between 3B, 3C and 4A – does this matter anymore? Not quite sure. What does matter though, is finding products that keep my hair extra hydrated because of my curl type (whatever it is).

With curly hair, especially in dryer climates like Colorado, finding products that retain moisture is essential. Unlike straight hair, curly hair needs more natural oils, and product-based oils to keep it healthy. When oil is applied to curly hair from the root, it takes a while to work down to the rest of the hair because of the coils and curls. In other words, you need to pack that stuff on!

With On Point Beauty’s natural and essential oil-infused products, I swore I heard my hair start singing the hallelujah chorus. Co-founded by Priya Burkett and Vicki Howard, this haircare brand revived my faith in clean, healthy and hydrating hair products. On Point Beauty offers a number of essential products like shampoo, conditioner and hair masks, as well as offering more curl-exclusive products.

On Point Beauty arrived to me just in time for wash day and I of course started off with the Hydrating Shampoo and Conditioner, which is safe for all hair types. On wash days, most of the time I avoid using shampoo altogether because it leaves my hair super dry and tangled. However, that was not the experience with On Point Beauty’s Hydrating Shampoo ($24.99). The shampoo left my hair feeling incredibly soft and DETANGLED my curls – I honestly gasped. I’m usually fighting for my life while shampooing my hair; however, this experience was so effortless and satisfying.

After an amazing and refreshing shampoo, I moved over to the Conditioner ($24.99) and this is where my scalp and my curls started harmonizing. The best part about these products is how natural essential oils are utilized in the ingredients. And in this case, both the shampoo and conditioner are infused with peppermint, rosemary and tea tree oil. With the help of the peppermint and tea tree oil, my scalp felt a cooling and slight tingling sensation and the natural aroma made me feel like I was in a spa.

My hair was refreshed and I felt refreshed in the process. After an excellent wash experience, I lathered my curls with the Curl Defining Custard ($18.99) to define and add shine to my hair. This jiggly-like custard has easily become one of my everyday hair products, especially if I need the perfect curl refresh.

Abby:

For most of my life, if I had one wish it would be for naturally straight hair. Instead, I am faced with the reality of waking up daily with extreme bedhead.

My solution for years was some sort of heat tool. Whether it be a blowout or adding curls to my natural hair, I was constantly applying heat and attempting to change what I had not realized was a gift.

Recently, I found a curl specialist who cut my hair to accentuate the curls. I learned that the key to a good hair day with curls is the right products. For the first time in my life, I have left my hair naturally curly for over six months and have loved every minute of it.

As I mentioned, the key to a curly hair day that will make you feel like a million bucks is the products. It took some time for me to completely give up what I had been using to fry my hair, including every Olaplex product you could think of. Once I tried On Point Beauty, my curls became luscious, soft and delightful.

I had never considered the importance of clean products and understanding the impact of beauty products on both the environment and my hair. After washing with the Hydrating Shampoo and conditioner for the first time, the essential oils gave my curls life that I have never seen before. I was getting compliments on how good my hair smelled and looked.

The holy grail of my haircare routine is now the Curl Revitalizing Conditioner ($24.99). For all the years that I avoided my curls, I was thinking about the reality of my hair on the day after a wash. With a blowout, I could wake up and my hair was just as beautiful and voluminous as the day before. However, I embodied a train wreck on the second day with my natural curls.

The reality with curls is that it’s necessary to reapply products and practically start over with the routine every day. There’s no preventing bedhead in the morning.

That’s where the Revitalizing Conditioner comes in. Generously spritzing my entire head, the product helps reshape my curls and provides the moisture that a wash does. I started to notice that day two hair was almost better than wash day, with the product eliminating my frizz and giving my curls life once again.

I’ve always struggled with a lack of education on how to cut, style and learn to love my curls. It was only recently that I found a curl specialist and prior to that, I was cutting my hair to style it straight and struggling until my next appointment. With their dedication to curly hair, On Point Beauty products offer a solution to the lack of knowledge on how to embrace natural curls. The variety of essential-oil based products are meant for all hair types but are a crucial step for those with curls to bring their hair to life.

On Point Beauty products have found their rightful home in my shower, medicine and Curio Cabinet and they are there to stay. No curly head is the same but finding the right products to nourish curls makes all the difference.

Check out On Point Beauty at www.shoponpointbeauty.com and on Walmart.com