Clever Curl Review: The Best Curly Hair Products in Australia
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Why Clever Curl Is the Curly Hair Range Australians Actually Need
The Curly Hair Range That Was Actually Made for Us
Let me be honest with you. I have been doing curly hair for over 20 years and I have seen a lot of products come and go. Most of them were designed overseas with zero understanding of what Australian curls actually deal with. The humidity. The heat. The hard water. The fact that we have four seasons in one day and our hair just has to keep up.
Clever Curl is different. It was created by a group of Australian curl specialists who were just as fed up as the rest of us, and it shows in every single product. This is not a brand that stumbled into the curly hair space. These people knew what they were building and who they were building it for.
We stock the full Clever Curl range at Curly & Blonde and I am going to walk you through all of it because if you are spending money on your curls, you deserve to know exactly what you are buying and why.
Start With the Cleanser: Clever Curl Cleanser
The Clever Curl Cleanser is a co-wash, which means it cleans your scalp and hair without stripping your curl pattern. If you have been using regular shampoo and wondering why your curls feel dry, crunchy, or like they have given up entirely, this is usually why.
A traditional sulfate shampoo removes everything including the natural oils your curls rely on for moisture and definition. Co-washing keeps the moisture balance intact while still refreshing the scalp. The Clever Curl Cleanser is formulated to be gentle enough for regular use and effective enough that you actually feel clean.
It comes in a 450ml and a 1 litre, and if you go through product at any real pace, the litre is always the better value. Shop the Clever Curl Cleanser here.
The Conditioner Question: Light or Rich?
This is the question I get asked constantly and the answer is always the same: it depends on your curl type and your hair's current condition.
Clever Curl Light Conditioner is for fine curls, wavy hair, and anyone whose hair tends to go limp or weighed down with too much product. It hydrates without sitting heavy on the hair. If your curls have lost their spring and everything feels like it is sticking together, this one is for you.
Clever Curl Rich Conditioner is for thicker, coarser curl types, or anyone whose hair is particularly dry or porous. It delivers a deeper level of moisture and softness. If your hair always feels like it is thirsty no matter what you do, start here.
Both come in 450ml and 1 litre. Both are free from the ingredients that dry curls out. Neither will let you down. Shop Clever Curl Light Conditioner or Clever Curl Rich Conditioner.
Deep Treatment: Clever Curl Curl Treatment
Once a week, or more often if your hair needs it, you want to be doing a treatment. The Clever Curl Curl Treatment is a deep conditioning mask that brings your curl pattern back to life when it has been through a rough stretch. Heat, colour, chlorine, dry weather. All of it takes a toll.
This is the product you use when you want your hair to feel genuinely restored, not just temporarily soft. You apply it to clean, damp hair, leave it for a few minutes, rinse thoroughly, and then style as usual. The difference in elasticity and definition is noticeable from the first use.
Available in 450ml and 1 litre. Shop the Clever Curl Curl Treatment here.
For Blondes: Clever Curl Blonde Curl Treatment
Colour-treated curls need more. Full stop. If you are blonde or have highlights, you are dealing with hair that has been opened up during the lightening process and that means it absorbs everything, including damage, much faster than virgin hair.
The Clever Curl Blonde Curl Treatment is formulated specifically for colour-treated curls. It tones, treats and conditions in one step. It keeps brassiness in check while actually nourishing the hair structure rather than just coating it. This is the kind of product that makes coloured curls sustainable long term.
Available in 450ml and 1 litre. Shop the Clever Curl Blonde Curl Treatment here.
Styling: Cream, Gel or Foam?
This is where it gets interesting. Clever Curl gives you three styling options and which one you choose (or which combination) depends on your hair texture, the weather, and the result you are after.
Clever Curl Curl Cream
The Curl Cream is for definition and softness. It adds moisture into the styling step while giving your curls enough hold to maintain their shape throughout the day. If you want curls that look touchable rather than crunchy, this is usually the right call.
It works brilliantly on its own for looser curl types and works even better when combined with the gel for curlier or coarser hair. Available in 450ml. Shop the Clever Curl Curl Cream here.
Clever Curl Curl Gel Humid Weather
This one is a Brisbane essential. If you have ever walked out of the house in summer with perfect curls and arrived somewhere looking like you put your head in a hedge, you need this gel.
The Clever Curl Curl Gel Humid Weather is designed specifically to fight frizz in high humidity conditions. It creates a cast around each curl that locks the shape in against moisture from the air. You scrunch out the cast once your hair is dry and what you are left with is defined, bouncy, frizz-free curls that actually stay that way.
Available in 450ml and 1 litre. The litre makes sense if you are in Queensland or anywhere else that is humid most of the year. Shop the Clever Curl Curl Gel here.
Clever Curl Curl Wonderfoam
The Wonderfoam is for those who want volume and definition without weight. It is lightweight, applies fast, and is a great option for finer curl types or anyone who wants a more effortless everyday look. Apply to soaking wet hair, scrunch in, and diffuse or air dry. Shop the Clever Curl Curl Wonderfoam here.
Finishing: Clever Curl Curl Oil
The Curl Oil is a finishing product, not a styling product. Apply it sparingly to dry curls to add shine, smooth any remaining frizz, and protect against humidity throughout the day. A little goes a very long way.
If you have been using other oils that leave your curls greasy or weighed down, this one is worth trying. It absorbs well and leaves a shine without the heaviness. Shop the Clever Curl Curl Oil here.
Tools That Actually Work: Microfibre Plopping Towel and Afro Comb Pick
You can have the best product routine in the world and still wreck your curls by drying them wrong. A regular cotton towel creates friction, which creates frizz. That is the whole story.
The Clever Curl Microfibre Plopping Towel is made from 80% recycled materials and the microfibre is gentle enough to absorb excess water without disturbing your curl pattern. You plop your hair in the towel for 10 to 20 minutes after washing, then let it air dry or diffuse from there.
The Afro Comb Metal Pick is an essential for anyone with thicker or tighter curl types who needs to detangle or lift roots without disrupting curl definition. Metal picks are also more durable than plastic, which means they actually last.
Shop the Clever Curl Microfibre Plopping Towel here and the Afro Comb Metal Pick here.
A Simple Clever Curl Routine to Get You Started
If you are new to the range or switching from a different system, here is where I would start depending on your hair type.
For wavy or fine curls: Cleanser, Light Conditioner, Wonderfoam or a small amount of Curl Cream, finish with Curl Oil if needed.
For classic curly hair (3a to 3c): Cleanser, Rich Conditioner, weekly Curl Treatment, Curl Cream and Curl Gel layered while hair is wet, Curl Oil to finish when dry.
For colour-treated curls: Cleanser, Rich or Light Conditioner depending on your texture, weekly Blonde Curl Treatment, then style as above.
Dry with the plopping towel first, then diffuse on low heat or air dry. Scrunch out the gel cast only when your hair is completely dry.
Why We Stock Clever Curl at Curly & Blonde
We are not a store that stocks everything. We are deliberate about what we carry and Clever Curl made the cut because it is genuinely one of the best curl ranges available in Australia. It is clean, it was created by people who understand curly hair, and it works.
All orders over $75 ship free with standard delivery Australia-wide and you can pay in four with Afterpay. If you have questions about which products are right for your specific curl type, feel free to reach out or book a consultation at the Bardon studio.
Shop the full Clever Curl range here.
Belle is the founder of Curly & Blonde, a curly & blonde hair specialist hairdresser turned e-commerce business based in Brisbane with over 20 years experiene in the industry.
Curly & Blonde is an online retailer and Bardon-based salon specialising in clean, curl-focused haircare.