When you’ve got a hair routine nailed down, there are very few products that’ll make you stray away from what you know already works. This sentiment is amplified with curly hair. For me, it’s been a full-blown quest for a hair routine of which I’m still not completely sure. Curly hair – or my “lion’s mane” (as I like to refer to it), requires quite a few maintenance steps.

First, you’ve got to nail down the perfect shampoo and conditioner combo. You may also be in need of a pre-wash, if your locks are especially tangled. But, when you’re done cleansing and nourishing those locks, styling is arguably one of the most difficult curly steps to master. It’s exhausting. There are a million-and-one gels, creams, texturizers, and leave-in conditioners out there, and most folks swear by a personalized combination of two or more products. So, where do you begin?

Once you find a line of shampoo and conditioner that you feel really brings out the best in your curls, it’s easiest to stick to that brand for styling products. Of all the curly hair lines I’ve tried, I’ve been most impressed with how DevaCurl brings out my curl pattern. What I once thought was wavy, unkempt hair has now developed into individual curl segments. So, when it came to picking a styling product, I started with DevaCurl. As it turns out, so did thousands of other curly girls online.

You may also be interested in learning how to wash those curly locks:

If you won’t take my word for it, turn to the nearly 1000 reviewers who have rated the Ultra Defining Gel as a five-star product. One top reviewer says she “found the missing puzzle piece” to her curly hair routine; others rave that they’ll never use another curly hair gel again. (I just may be one of them!) And, it’s Southern humidity-approved. One reviewer wrote: “I live in Coastal Georgia where there is a lot of humidity…My hair does not frizz with this product.” Is there any other seal of approval we need?