If you’ve been curious about this brand, here’s my Bounce Curl review and recommendations on what to buy. And of course, a discount code and a giveaway! I’ve been using Bounce Curl products for over 2 years. Some of their products are cult-favourites in the curl community. And I truly believe they have some of the best cleansers on the market, that don’t get as much attention and hype as they deserve!
AD | This post is sponsored by Bounce Curl. I’ve wanted to do this post for a while, so when they agreed to sponsor it, I was thrilled to have their support, and work with a brand that I love so much. However, this hasn’t influenced the way I’ve written about the brand or products featured in this post. Some items were gifted, other items I have purchased (repeatedly) for myself, and others!
Overview
Bounce Curl have nailed the protein moisture balance throughout their product line. In order to get that balance, you have to pair, or layer, protein with moisture. Most of their cleansers and styling products contain protein, but their conditioners and styling cream don’t. Bounce Curl also contains a lot of oils, which is great if you want all the benefits of oils in your hair care, without applying oils directly to your hair. Their formulations are very concentrated, so you only need a small amount. Making the product, and your money, go much further! They are colour-safe, vegan, cruelty free and CG friendly. Based on natural, plant-derived ingredients. No parabens, sulfates, silicones, PEG’s, synthetic fragrance or harsh chemicals. I always get incredible shine and hydration, without weighing down my curls, when I use Bounce Curl. Merian, the founder, also has some great tips and techniques on the Bounce Curl YouTube channel and Instagram.
Who are Bounce Curl?
Bounce Curl was founded by beauty, skincare and haircare formulator, Merian aka Mismmo on Instagram. I think this is part of what sets Bounce Curl apart from many other brands on the market. Because of the person behind the formulations. Not only does Merian have curly hair herself, and a rich Middle Eastern culture and knowledge, using natural ingredients in haircare. But she also has the chemistry and formulating background that allows her to develop unique products and formulas, from scratch, in the lab. In 2015, Bounce Curl released their Light Creme Gel. Two years later, they launched their cleansers and conditioner. Since then, they’ve added vitamins, tea and more styling products. So here are my favourite products, what I recommend to buy from Bounce Curl, along with reviews of each product mentioned. And of course, an amazing giveaway!
Price & Discount Codes
Before we get started on the products. I wanted to take a quick minute to talk about the price. Although they may seem more expensive than other brands, you’re actually getting more bang for your buck. Because the quality of the ingredients in these products is so high, and the formulations are so concentrated. One bottle lasts much longer because you actually need less product, only the smallest amount. I’m only on my second bottle of clarifying shampoo and moisturizing shampoo in two years!
I have a 10% discount code for you, available site wide. Use code CURLMAVEN at checkout. If you’re outside the US, you can get Bounce Curl at Naturalistic Products, who ship throughout Europe. If you live outside the USA and EU, click here to find your nearest distributor. However, please note my discount code only works on the Bounce Curl website. They currently have a price reduction running across all their products, and my code still works. So if you’ve been wanting to try Bounce Curl, now is the time!
My Holy Grail Cleansers!!!
For many people, the first Bounce Curl product they fell in love with was the Light Creme Gel. But for me, it was their cleansers. If you’ve been following my blog for a while, you’ll know that I’ve been using, loving and recommending the Clarifying Shampoo and Moisturizing Shampoo for a long, long time! I’ve been following the curly girl method for almost three years, and I’ve tried so many different brands and products. I truly believe Bounce Curl have the best cleansers on the market! They deserve so much more attention and hype than they get.
Bounce Curl Cleansers
The cleansers are divided into light, medium and extra moisture. The protein and moisture levels change from cleanser to cleanser. For example, the light moisture, Clarifying Shampoo has the most protein and least amount of moisture. The extra moisture Cleansing Conditioner has no protein at all, and the most moisture. The light and medium moisture shampoos are so well formulated! They are the only lo poos I’ve tried that don’t dry out my hair, at all. This is why I think they’re the best on the market, why I continue to use and recommend them. Because they are so hydrating and moisturising – in a good way. They’re the perfect balance of protein and moisture! And because they’re formulated so well, with a balance of concentrated ingredients, you don’t need a lot of product. If in doubt, add more water, not more product!
Clarifying Shampoo
I use the Clarifying Shampoo the most. It’s gentle enough for regular use, perfect for wavy or fine hair, or if you’ve got an oily, itchy or flaky scalp. It lightly moisturizes the hair without weighing it down. Despite lathering up, which can turn a lot of CG followers off, as well as the protein, it’s not drying at all! It’s also great as a gentle clarifying shampoo, if you don’t have hard water or swim in the sea or pool – read this post for info on clarifying. If I could only use one cleanser for the rest of my life, this would be it!
Top Tip: Bounce Curl’s Clarifying Shampoo is the best product I’ve found to clean my (many) makeup brushes! There’s not many makeup brush cleansers I haven’t tried! BeautyBlender, Cinema Secrets, MAC, Real Techniques, various soaps, even my trusty Bumble & Bumble Sunday Shampoo! But for the past year or so, I’ve been using the Clarifying Shampoo, and it is the ONLY brush cleanser that gets 100% of the dirt, grime, oils, pigment and makeup out of my brushes! A curl friend of mine uses the Moisturizing Shampoo to clean her silk pillowcase!
Moisturizing Shampoo
For me and my fine hair strands, the medium moisture, Moisturizing Shampoo is like a beautifully balanced, light-weight co-wash. I have a lot of hair! But my actual hair strands are pretty fine, I just have a lot of them, which is why my hair looks so thick. So for me, the Moisturizing Shampoo is the perfect co-wash, the perfect in-between. Not too much protein, not too much moisture, not too much lather. I prefer to use this one on my daughter’s hair, as her hair is more dry and frizzy than mine. It lathers up a bit, but not as much as the Clarifying Shampoo. Again, less is more, you don’t need a lot!
Cleansing Conditioner
If your hair is a little denser, thicker, dryer or coarse. Or if you’re trying to recover from protein overload, then the Cleansing Conditioner and more traditional “co-wash” is the one for you. It’s the only cleanser that’s protein-free, and its super moisturizing. Unlike the other lo poo’s, this cleanser doesn’t foam or lather. Resist the temptation to apply palmfuls of product to your hair, the formula does all the hard work for you, so less is more with this product, otherwise you’ll end up weighing down your curls.
Conditioner
The only stand-alone conditioner from Bounce Curl. Labelled as “Required Moisture”, their extra moisture, Cream Conditioner is an amazing protein-free, de-tangling conditioner. It’s very moisturizing, with a lot of natural oils and extracts. I can’t stress enough how little you need of this product! It works best when I’ve used really warm water to wash my hair, so the residual heat helps break down the natural oils in the conditioner. I warm it up in my hands and work it through the ends of my hair, gradually working upwards as I de-tangle. It’s also great as a deep conditioner, and paired with a Curly Cailín Heat Cap – back in stock soon on my Etsy shop! If you use too much of this conditioner, your hair will feel weighed down and heavy and your curls may appear limp. So if you’ve tried this conditioner before and it hasn’t worked, try again using those tips and less product.
Leave In Conditioner
The Moisture Balance Leave In Conditioner is one of the most recent additions to the Bounce Curl lineup. Again it’s protein free, and very moisturizing, so you can probably guess what I’m going to say next. You only need the tiniest amount. And when I say tiny, I mean like a pea-sized amount, for all of your hair, no matter how long or thick it is! On the website, it’s listed as ultra-concentrated, using words like powerful, deep nourishment, extreme moisture. When those kind of words are used to describe a product, you know it’s very potent stuff!
So if your hair doesn’t need that much moisture, or gets easily moisturized like mine. Then either use extreme caution, or spend your money elsewhere. Otherwise your hair may become over-moisturized from such a highly-concentrated, potent moisturizing product. I’m not saying this is a bad product, not at all! If your hair is dry, thirsty, coarse, high porosity, struggling with protein overload or very textured, kinky or coily, then this would be a great product for you! My hair just isn’t any of those things, so this product isn’t for me. Hey, this post may be sponsored, but I’m still going to be honest, authentic and genuine!
Light Creme Gel – Holy Grail?
Light Creme Gel can be another tricky product. Some people seem to love it, swear by it, it’s their all time favourite, holy grail gel! While others can’t seem to make it work for them at all. I was like that for a long time, but I think I know why, and I’ve figured out how to make it work for me. So if you purchased it a while ago and it’s still sitting on your shelf, maybe this will help you figure out how to make it work for you too. This light weight gel has a lot of protein in it. It can also cause flash-drying, where as soon as you apply it to wet hair, even if it’s soaking wet, your hair immediately feels dry.
This is down to the protein, and possibly the aloe too – both are high up on the ingredients list. It’s a weird thing to try and explain unless you’ve experienced it. Most people banish it to the shelves at this point, never to be used again, confused as to why so many people love it. I know I did! That’s because you need to pair it with moisture. Light Creme Gel works best with a protein-free curl cream or leave-in conditioner underneath, to almost “balance out” the protein. Kinky Curly Knot Today was probably the most popular pairing with this gel. Until recently, when Bounce Curl released their Clump & Define Cream. Which brings me to my next recommendation…
Clump & Define Cream
One of Bounce Curl’s most recent launches, and already generating a lot of love on Instagram. The Avocado & Rose Oil Clump & Define Cream is another super-concentrated product, a multi-purpose leave-in cream that contains 10 different oils. So again, I’m gonna say you only need the smallest, pea-sized amount. Like, a petit pois sized pea!!! no matter how long or thick your hair is. Less is more! I take the tiniest amount on the tip of my finger, then warm it up in my hands and you can quickly see how much product that really is. Then I glaze my hands over my hair and rake the product in, working from the ends of my hair upwards. Pairing it with the Light Creme Gel is how I’ve managed to get success using the gel. I also use it on my daughter’s hair as a one-and-done styling product. The definition and soft hold is perfect for what her hair needs.
Hairspray
Finally, a CG friendly, alcohol-free hairspray! I find it’s a great curl enhancer, tightening my curls up, as well as giving them extra hold. It also contains protein, but doesn’t flash dry. I’ve found a few different ways to use it:
- Sprayed on soaking wet hair, after I’ve applied all my styling products, before I start diffusing.
- Probably my favourite way, I apply it mid-way through diffusing, similar to the Smasters technique, only instead of applying gel, I use this hairspray.
- On rare refresh days, instead of mixing water and gel in my hands, I mix water and a few sprays of the hairspray to my hands and then work it into my hair, finishing with a quick spritz.
- Spray it onto a wide tooth comb or hair pick and fluff up my roots for volume and hold! A great tip from Merian.
- I spray it on my hair shortly before putting it up in a pineapple for bed. Another one of Merian’s tip. See this post for how I protect my curls at night.
For each application, I spray four sprays: one each side and one at the back, then I flip my head over and spray one underneath, holding my arm as far away as I can. It feels sticky when I first apply it, but once my hair is completely dry, it doesn’t leave any kind of residue or sticky feeling.
My Bounce Curl Routine!
Finally, I wanted to share with you my Bounce Curl routine, and you can also win this lineup of products! Which happens to be the same product line up Merian uses too! It’s what I’ve got in my hair for all the images in this post, and in my Bounce Curl washday highlight on my Instagram page. I use the Clarifying Shampoo, Cream Conditioner, Clump & Define Cream and Light Creme Gel. Then I apply some Pantene Defined Curls Mousse, after the gel. Usually I follow the LMG Method – which you can read about here. But after lots of experimenting with the Light Creme Gel, I find this way works best for my hair.
I’d love to know your Bounce Curl routines, other combinations you’ve found with their styling products. Especially the Light Creme Gel, and their new Clump & Define Cream. Also, what do you want to see next from Bounce Curl? You’ll probably guess that I’d love a mousse or a foam, surprise surprise! But I’d also love to see re-fillable mini’s – perfect for travelling, or to try out before splashing out on the full size products. Thank you so much for taking the time to read this review, if you have any questions, drop them in the comments below and I’ll get back to you. And thank you to Bounce Curl for sponsoring this post! Don’t forget you can get 10% off using CURLMAVEN at checkout, across all the products on the Bounce Curl website.
Get 10% off Bounce Curl using code CURLMAVEN at all of the following distributors/online retailers:
- USA: Bounce Curl
- IRELAND: The Clean Beauty Edit – ships worldwide
- UK: Kiyo Beauty – ships worldwide
- Canada: Curl Warehouse
Finally, please subscribe to this blog if you haven’t already. I’m going to be putting a lot more time and effort into my subscriber list and emails will be going out again soon. And I would love it if you would follow me on Instagram! I love having the chats and the craic with you guys on IG stories. Gabriella, not Cailín. If you know, you know… x
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*This post may contain some gifted items and affiliate links. Which means I get paid (a very small) commission on any products you purchase through my links. This in no way affects you, the price you pay or the way in which I write about products featured on this site. My content and opinion is not influenced by advertisers, sponsorships, affiliate partnerships, brands or PRs.
Hey girl hey, eloquent and comprehensive post as always! Just a quick comment: your IG page says 10% discount code versus your blog at 5%..
Thanks Claire, sorry that’s my fault. The blog post is correct, its 5%. I’ve updated my IG page to reflect that. Thanks for letting me know. x
Fantastic review! So in depth. And very helpful! I’ll definitely subscribe to your blog 🙂
I was wondering whether you will try Rawkyn which I believe Merian also formulates?
Does the clarifying shampoo work as well as a scalp scrub?
And you said the light creme gel works well when paired with moisture but you like the clump & define cream with it. Could the ‘moisture’ pair be the leave in cream or is that not a traditional curl cream? I ask because I don’t want volume which is what I read the clump & define cream does. How much volume does it give? And do you have any tips to reduce volume?
Does the hairspray add volume? Those different methods of how you use the hairspray is so intriguing!
Thanks for a fantastic review!
Hi Dilushani (such a beautiful name btw!) Thanks so much, I was worried it was so long and in depth that people wouldn’t read it! I tried one RawKyn product years ago, but I don’t think it was the right product for my hair. I’m keen to try the protein on though. Hopefully soon! I wouldn’t class the Clarifying Shampoo as a scalp scrub, for me, I use my fingers, and a scalp massaging brush thing if I need something extra. You could absolutely pair the Moisture Leave In Conditioner with the gel, it’s just that particular product is too moisturising for me. The cream doesn’t give me a tonne of volume, but more definition and clumps – just like it says. If you want to reduce volume, rake your products in, don’t flip it around too much. And diffuse your hair standing up straight, and hold the diffuser at a 90 degree angle to your hair as you dry. This will reduce the volume as much as possible without actually dragging or pulling your hair down. The hairspray can add volume depending on what way you apply it, for example spraying it onto a comb and fluffing your roots will add volume. Hope that helps lovey x
I simply want to say thank you!
You have no idea how much I needed this today. I had fallen down the rabbit hole of product despair and confusion, wishing for someone who seemed knowledgeable and trustworthy to just tell me what to buy.
Thank you so very much!!
Aww thank you so so much! And I’m so glad you found it helpful, that’s always my aim. Never to push people to spend spend spend, but to help guide and educate them on what is worth them spending their money on. x
I ordered the products you use and followed you technique. Let me just say..AMAZING I’ve got curlsand fullness (which both were lacking), less stringiness all in my 1st use. I think I need more Aphogee and rice water treatments. But I see huge potential and hope to be a curly girl again. I cant get over the difference. My hair even dried faster on the medium setting. THANK YOU! @Bouncecurl for the win.
You’re very welcome, so glad they’ve worked so well for you! x
Wonderful, thoughtful, well written and easy to follow post, as usual. New to your blog and I love it.
After buying the light gel, clarifying shampoo and cream, my first day using it didn’t go so well, because I used deva decadence conditioner and curls blueberry bliss leave In. I’m so glad I went back and read because those all had protein in them, no wonder I was a frizzy mess yesterday, not a good balance of protein and moisture. So until my bounce curl conditioner and leave in arrive I will use my kk not today and a less protein conditioner after the wash, maybe mop Top? I have a wall of products to choose from, yikes I’m a product junkie! Thanks
Yes, that’s a lot of protein, but it’s also a lot of heavy ingredients. The Bounce curl cream, Deva Curl Decadence Conditioner and Blueberry Bliss are all quite rich and heavy and not a good balance of protein and moisture. So definitely re-think the lineup until the rest of your Bounce Curl products arrive. x
So my hair did turn out great yesterday, I went back and watched all the bounce curl videos, did the suggested acv rinse between wash and conditioning, then applied stylers in super wet hair, dried in front of my space heater, then the roots with my deva diffuser hand. You say you use Pantene mouse at the end, I have the deva mouse, would that be a good match as well if I wanted more hold? I flipped and fluffed throughout the day, then before I went out last nite, it was raining, gave lite mist of devacurl hairspray, I don’t have bounce curl one yet. I have hardly any frizz now, it’s so soft and fluffy, I really like it, but I’ve been so used to the hard and texture feel. Thanks
Hello I have been looking into this products for a while now but I’m not sure what I need I love curls and I have a perm want it to help my curls am thinking of getting another perm my hair is way down my back i want volume from my roots down what products would I need to get the colander curl I so need and love I’m not sure on what to do or what I need to order due to me having a perm any suggestions pls help Thks so much xx hope to here from u soon pls Thks
HI, I don’t have any experience with perms I’m afraid. But if you want volume from the roots, you need to take off some of the length. If your hair is that long, the weight and length of it will be pulling and dragging and weighing your hair down, which will be hampering any chance you have for volume. I’d definitely get lots of layers done throughout the hair from the chin or collar bone down. Hope that helps.
Awesome review, Gabriella, but I always love your thorough reviews the most! I have had one wash day with Bouncecurl. I used the clarifying shampoo, extra moisture conditioner (used way way too much of both) Made another mistake by using Curl’s Blueberry leave in (thank you for pointing out the high protein in your review) then added the light cream gel to soaking wet hair (did not comb it but did rake products), towel dried with microfiber towel, diffused. Half way through I had the worst frizz I’ve had since starting curly girl. Sprayed hair to dampen it and added more gel in smaller sections to really coat my hair and used wet brush to distribute it (like the owner does). Turned out better but still not great. Will wash again today and am going to use Giovanni leave in, will wet brush my hair then add gel. Hoping to get the right balance this time. Any tips you could pass along about how you actually added the gel would be very helpful. Thank you again for a wonderful review and the tips! Oh and have you ever paired all the products with a different lo poo shampoo (like deva curl)? I’m not sure my hair can take using the clarifying two times a week. Didn’t order any other shampoo from bouncecurl so was trying to use what I have.
Hi, thanks so much for your blog! It’s helping me on my curl journey so much. I think my hair is similar to yours only less curly- so I’m thinking I need less moisture than you. I get very easily over moisturized. Anyway, do you think I could do the clarifying shampoo, then skip conditioner and use the curl cream as a kind of conditioner? I typically can’t use more than one conditioner- like if I use Giovanni ttt shampoo and then their silk conditioner I can’t add a leave in – no matter how little I use.. my hair gets weighed down.
Hi! Thanks for this video. It’s refreshing to read something straight forward when it’s so easy to get yourself into a product rabbit hole!
How many times do you wash your hair with the shampoo? And do you use the clarifying one for every shampoo or use the moisture shampoo in between?
Hi Jade, thanks so much! I use the Clarifying Shampoo pretty much every wash day, except for my clarifying wash with Bumble & Bumble Sunday Shampoo once a month. If my hair is feeling particularly dry, then I’ll switch it for the Moisturizing Shampoo, but I tend to use the Clarifying Shampoo twice a week.
Hi!! Thank you so much for the review, it really helped!! I have a question about the leave in conditioner… My hair is really dry (2c-3a btw, long, there’s a lot of it, and it’s in between fine and coarse) so i’ve been doing coconut and olive oil mask before every wash day, it’s helped quite a lot. However, I would like to be able to skip that step once in a while so I was wondering if, in order to do that, I would have to make sure to use very moisturizing products. I guess my question is if using the leave in conditioner, the clump cream, and the light cream gell is way too much, especially after the clarifying shampoo and the cream conditioner? It’s really hard for my hair to retain moisture and definition so I don’t know if to pick and choose or if to just go for it. I’d really appreciate any tips/insight you may have!!
Hi Nathalie, oh boy! I do NOT recommend using raw, neat oils on your hair. ESPECIALLY to the extent and frequency that you are currently doing. That’s why your hair is unable to retain moisture, because it’s suffocated and coated in oils. The water needed to hydrate your hair is unable to penetrate through those oils. You’re going to damage your hair if you continue with that routine. You need to do a deep, detoxifying, clarifing, chelating wash to get rid of all those oils from your hair, I suggest using Bumble & Bumble Sunday Shampoo, you may need to use it for more than one wash day in a row to completely cleanse the hair from all of those oils. Then you need to deep condition afterwards and then continue to clarify your hair once every 4-6 weeks after that. Please see this post for more details on how you can achieve and maintain healthy hair that is able to retain moisture and with that will come the definition and shine etc. https://curlmaven.ie/the-golden-triangle-of-healthy-hair/
THANK YOU SO SO SO MUCH!!!!
Great post! I’d love to see the 1L size bottles of shampoo/conditioner.
Hi, thanks for this great and detailed product review as I am fairly new to the CGM. I am looking into purchasing some products from this line, mainly the stylers to start with. I know you don’t know my hair type, porosity etc. and I am still trying to figure all that out myself (even after reading your blog on porosity), but would you use the leave in conditioner, clump and define cream and gel together? I definitely want to purchase the gel but having trouble figuring out which of the other two (or both) to choose. Any tips or advice would be really appreciated. Thank you!
Hi Christina, I wouldn’t use the leave in conditioner and the clump and define cream together. They are both extremely potent and extremely moisturising, so it’s moisture on moisture and that would be too much for my hair, and many others. I suggest trying the clump and define cream, but please know that you only need the smallest amount! And then the gel.
Hi, thanks for this great product review. I am new to the CGM and looking to buy some of the Bounce Curl products to start my journey. I have worked out that my hair is currently very dry due to heat damage, and snaps easily so think it needs moisture over protein. However now not sure whether I need the Enzyme Gentle Clarifying Shampoo or the Moisturing Shampoo or if I should get both and then use alternatively on wash days?
Any insight would be gratefully received. Thanks so much.
Hi Sarah, you could get both and use alternatively, or when your hair feels particularly dry use the moisturizing shampoo. Or, get the clarifying one and see how you get on, if you feel like it’s still not moisturizing enough, then get the moisturizing one. You’ll probably like their leave in conditioner as it’s very moisturizing, but just remember to only use a very small amount!
Hello! Thank you for the review of these products! You usually mention something about how high humidity affects products you have reviewed. Living in Southern Georgia, I always have to be aware of humidity as well. I noticed a lot of their products have glycerin, have you found that to be an issue?
Hey Jayne, so glad you liked the review! I tend to use the cleansers, gel and hairspray the most and haven’t found any issues.
Hi, I was wondering if you have any issues with the curl creme and gel having glycerin. I just received mine and didn’t realize there was glycerin (my bad). My weather’s dewpoint is almost never in the best range for glycerin. I don’t know if I should return them or try it out. I think the mouse at the end might help…
Hi Karen, the curl cream is extremely moisturising and you only need the very, very smallest amount!
Thanks so much! I have a lot of hair but it’s fine. My curls can range from 2C, 3A, 3B and 3C. It is hard to find real reviews of safe products. Devacurl made my scalp break out and hair fall out. I just want soft hold and definition. I do color my hair- does the clarifying shampoo remove hair color? I thought curlies were only to clarify monthly…thanks for the help. Gorgeous hair. It looks like mine one it’s best days so hoping I can get consistency….
This is a real review of safe products, my blog has millions of views and I take my role, platform, influence and opinion very seriously! The Bounce Curl Clarifying Shampoo isn’t clarifying the same way as a chelating shampoo is, to be honest, I wish they’d change the name as it’s very misleading. It’s also colour safe.
I just wanted to say thank you! Bounce Curl Clarifying Shampoo is the perfect cleanser! I just started using it and can’t believe how much this has helped my curl pattern.