How every refresher here goes on
Four makers say dry hair, and PATTERN also allows slightly damp curls; Camille Rose says to spray its refresher through before you re-style or fluff. Then you scrunch or finger-curl to bring the curls back. None of their directions has a rinse, and none replaces a wash.
Waking up the styler you already have in
Jessicurl says Awe Inspiraling Spray works only on hair that already has styling product in it: it re-activates that product and adds no hold of its own. For more hold, it says to mix a pea-sized drop of its Confident Coils Styling Solution with the spray in your palm.
Curlsmith’s Shake & Shine is a two-layer mist you shake, mist sparingly through dry hair, smooth in with praying hands and finger-curl or scrunch, then let air-dry. It lists hydrolyzed quinoa, a protein.
Adding water and moisture
PATTERN’s Hydrating Mist goes on dry or slightly damp curls from about 6 to 8 inches, section by section, without soaking them, then scrunched; a little leave-in or a light cream after is optional. Rizos Curls’ spray is scrunched into dry hair and left in, with a diffuser for best results; it doubles as a wash-day detangler.
Camille Rose’s Honey Dew is sprayed through before you re-style or fluff, to revive a wash-and-go or moisten a protective style. Its own page doesn’t give the bottle size.
If you diffuse a refresh
None of these is a heat protectant, and PATTERN says so of its mist. Curlsmith’s Curlshield Cream is a heat protectant its maker sells for refresh days, on dry hair.
What this comparison does and doesn’t claim
We haven’t used these refreshers; we compare what their makers publish. This isn’t a ranking, and how long a refresh lasts is not something we can check.
Questions before your next wash
Do I put a refresher on wet or dry hair?
Dry hair, in four makers’ directions; PATTERN also allows slightly damp curls, and Camille Rose says only to spray it through before you re-style.
Do I need a styler on top of a curl refresher?
PATTERN suggests a little leave-in or light cream after its mist if you want more moisture, and Jessicurl suggests a drop of its styling solution for more hold. The other three makers don’t say.
Can I use water to refresh curls instead?
Yes: our refresh guide covers water and the products you already own. A refresher adds its maker’s ingredients to the water.
Updated · The sources for this guide are on our Sources page. Report a changed detail.