What Curly-Hair Expert Cataanda James Buys at the Drugstore

The Elnett hairspray has been one of my favorite hairsprays for years because it gives you amazing hold, but it’s still brushable, it’s still touchable. You can use this hairspray and set the hair, but you’re still able to run your fingers through it. I am not a crunchy-hair girl, on myself or my clients. If they request that, I’ll give it to them. But I’m still going to use Elnett because what happens is you’ll need to reset your hair. Your hair is not going to stay perfectly done — I don’t care what hairspray you use. And if you are wearing a roller set or an iron style, you can spray a little of this, go back in with the curling iron, and you won’t get the webby effect that you get from some of the other hairsprays because it has too much hold. Your hair is always bouncing and behaving. I always tell my clients, this is the perfect hairspray for those who want the Victoria’s Secret touchable, movable, lived-in, sort of messy but contained hair look.

The UNbrush has a funny name, but it’s called that because it’s really just the bones of the brush. If you think of a paddle brush or a vent brush, there’s always a backing on it, like a cushion part on the inside where the bristles come out of. This doesn’t have that. But what it does absolutely amazingly is detangle. It doesn’t pull or tug the hair. It allows the hair to flow through those bristles without the friction of that padding. It doesn’t snap my hair off when I’m moving through the curls, because sometimes, even if you’re using a detangler spray, you get those little knots in your curls. This will glide right through them. I feel like it was probably made for curls just because curls are a little more challenging to detangle, but it works for any hair type and it will shorten your detangling time. I’ve used it on all different hair textures and curl patterns. I’ve also used it on straight hair, and it’s amazing. I feel like everyone needs this UNbrush. It’s the best detangling brush I’ve ever used.

I have a huge patch of gray in the front of my hair, and this gives 100 percent gray coverage. It’s so easy. You don’t have to grab your scale and measure and weigh out. You don’t have to custom-formulate anything. There’s a color guide on the side of the box to give you a visual. I am a colorist and a licensed hairstylist, so I don’t use a bowl and a tint brush to mix it up. I do that at the salon with my clients. But for me, I need it to be quick, like a wash-and-go. This is like a color-and-go. There’s three steps. You have the colorant, you have the developer, and you have the after-color, which is the conditioner. I love this particular one because it is especially made for curls. It’s ammonia-free, so it doesn’t have a smell. It is more gentle on your curls because it does not alter your curl pattern. And Garnier Nutrisse always includes a little oil pack, because as you’re coloring your hair, your cuticle is wide open. That oil gets absorbed into the hair strand, so it’s also conditioning your hair and your hair doesn’t feel dry afterward.

It’s my favorite lipstick. My particular shade, Own Your Empire, is the perfectredfor anyone because it’s not too orange, it’s not too deep, it’s not too dark. I love a liquid lipstick, and this gives you the look of a liquid lipstick in crayon form. You roll it up to extend it, and it’s easy to keep that pointed precision tip by swiping it on a tissue. You don’t have to use a separate liner.

I’m not one to touch up my lipstick every five minutes, because I’m constantly snacking on something or drinking something. The best thing about it is it doesn’t feather. It doesn’t smudge. I actually find it a little challenging to remove it. I have to use some Vaseline to wipe it away. But other than that, it is absolutely perfect. Just know that when you put this on, it is there to stay. And when you want to remove it, you may have to use a little elbow grease to get it off.

This is the only mascara that I use. I discovered this many years ago when I was doing makeup. One of my favorite makeup artists said, “Yeah, I use Voluminous mascara.” I pulled it up and I was like, “Oh my gosh, it’s the drugstore mascara.” I tried it and I never turned back. It comes in various colors: Blackest Black, Carbon Black, Brown Black, and there are beautiful blue and burgundy colors as well. It’s really economical and it lasts me for a while. A lot of people will pump air into the mascara container — pushing the wand up and down and twirling and twisting. You can go crazy with that, and it still won’t really dry out.

It gives you volume, but it also extends your lashes and separates them. It gives you the look of falsies. Granted, I do three or four coats, but I can wear this mascara without a primer. People are like, “Your lashes are so beautiful. Where did you get them done?” It’s just mascara. That’s why I love the Voluminous.

I love the Dippity-Do detangling conditioner because it’s a three-fer. It’s a leave-in, it’s a detangler, and it’s a conditioner. I’m constantly needing to detangle my hair, whether it’s during the week or in between wash days where I want to refresh my curls or if I’ve been encountering some weather issues. If I start to see a little bit of frizz or it gets too unruly, I like to use this. Because curls are generally drier than straighter hair textures, we want to make sure that we are keeping it hydrated. This has honey in it, which is a natural humectant. It has a couple of different natural UV protectants in it, macadamia oil and coconut oil. I also like it because it’s color-safe.

It leaves my hair light enough so that it’s not too weighed down and it’s not too perfect-looking. Because I do like the personality of my curls, I just want to tame them a little bit, and this is excellent for that. I never really style or manipulate my curls too much. So this is the best friend to my wash-and-go.