The Hydra Curls CGM Starter Kit: How (and How Much) to Use All 5 Products
There is something quietly sacred about the first time you lay out a new hair care routine on your bathroom shelf.
The bottles lined up in order. The instructions read and reread. The quiet, tentative hope that this time - this routine, these products, this particular combination of ingredients and intention, might finally be the one that lets your curls be what they have always wanted to be.
If you have found your way to Parachute Advansed Hydra Curls, it is likely because you have been on some version of that journey for a while. Perhaps you have tried the Curly Girl Method before and felt overwhelmed by the sheer volume of conflicting information. Perhaps you are brand new to the world of curly hair care and walking into it with a mixture of excitement and nervousness. Perhaps you have been using your Hydra Curls products for a few weeks and are not quite sure you are using them correctly or using the right amounts.
This guide is for all of you.
What follows is not just a set of instructions. It is a conversation about your hair, about the specific, particular, deeply personal relationship between Arab curly, wavy, and coily hair and the products designed to honour it. We will walk through each of the five Hydra Curls products in the CGM Starter Kit, explain exactly how to use Hydra Curls products at every stage of your wash day routine, and give you the guidance on quantities that most product descriptions quietly skip over.
Because you deserve to know not just what to do, but why and how much.
BEFORE WE BEGIN: UNDERSTANDING WHAT YOUR HAIR IS ASKING FOR
Arab hair is one of the most textured, diverse, and historically underserved hair types in the beauty industry. Whether your curl pattern leans toward loose, sea-salt waves or tight, spring-coil spirals, the underlying need is the same: deep, sustained moisture that actually penetrates the hair shaft rather than sitting on top of it.
The Hydra Curls range was formulated with this specific need at its centre. Every product in the CGM Starter Kit is built around three hero ingredients
Avocado oil, which penetrates the hair shaft to restore elasticity from within.
Coconut extract, a centuries-old staple of Arab hair care that reduces protein loss and seals moisture in.
Hyaluronic acid, a powerful humectant that draws moisture from the environment and keeps it locked into your curls for up to 48 hours.
No sulfates. No silicones. No harsh chemicals that strip your hair of the very things it is trying to hold onto. Just clean, intentional formulations designed to let your curls flourish.
Now, let's open the kit.
PRODUCT 1: THE HYDRATING CURL CLEANSER
What it is
This is your wash day foundation. The Hydrating Curl Cleanser is a gentle, sulfate-free cleanser that does what conventional shampoos have always promised but rarely delivered, it cleans the scalp thoroughly without stripping the natural oils that your curls depend on.
If you have been using a regular shampoo before switching to Hydra Curls, your first wash with this cleanser will likely feel different. Less lathery. More gentle. That is not a sign that it is not working. Sulfate-free cleansers do not foam the way sulfate-containing ones do because they are not using the harsh detergents that create that foam, and that also create the dryness that has been your hair's constant companion.
How to use it
Begin with fully saturated hair. Water is the first step of every curl routine and your hair should be dripping before any product touches it. Part your hair into sections if you have thicker or coilier hair, and apply the cleanser directly to the scalp, not the lengths.
Work the cleanser into the scalp using the pads of your fingers, never your nails, in gentle circular motions. You are cleaning the scalp, not scrubbing it. The suds (modest as they are) will travel down the hair shaft as you rinse, providing enough cleansing to the lengths without over-stripping them.
Rinse thoroughly with lukewarm water. Hot water opens the hair cuticle and allows moisture to escape. Lukewarm keeps the cuticle in a more receptive state, ready for the conditioning steps ahead.
How much to use
For short to medium length hair: roughly a 20 to 25ml application, about the size of a large coin. For long or thick hair: 30 to 40ml, applied in sections if needed.
Less is genuinely more here. If you feel the urge to use more because the lather is modest, resist it. The formula is working even when you cannot see the foam.
Frequency: For most Arab curl types, once a week is sufficient. If your scalp runs oily or you are in a humid climate, as many Gulf-region women are, twice a week is appropriate. Listen to your scalp. It will tell you what it needs.
PRODUCT 2: THE MOISTURE SURGE CONDITIONER
What it is
This is where the real work of hydration begins. The Moisture Surge Conditioner is designed to be used immediately after cleansing, while your hair is still soaking wet and the cuticle is open and receptive. Think of it as the first deep drink your curls take after washing, the moment they begin to remember what it feels like to be truly moisturised.
How to use it
After rinsing out the cleanser, squeeze the excess water from your hair gently, do not wring or twist and apply the conditioner generously from the mid-lengths to the ends. This is where your hair is driest and most in need of moisture. The roots typically do not need conditioner; applying it too close to the scalp can weigh down the hair and cause buildup.
Using a wide-tooth comb or your fingers, gently work the conditioner through any tangles starting from the ends and working upward. This is a crucial step for coilier hair types, where single-strand knots and tangles accumulate during washing. The conditioner provides enough slip to allow detangling without breakage.
Leave the conditioner in for three to five minutes, longer for coilier textures, which are structurally drier and absorb moisture more slowly. For a more intensive treatment, cover your hair with a shower cap and allow the warmth of your shower to open the cuticle further and deepen the penetration.
Rinse with cool water. The cool temperature closes the cuticle, sealing in the moisture you have just deposited and creating the smooth surface that reflects light and gives your curls their shine.
How much to use
For wavy hair (Type 2): One to two large coin-sized amounts.
For curly hair (Type 3): Two to three palmfuls, working in sections.
For coily hair (Type 4): Three or more palmfuls. Coily hair is thirsty.
Do not be afraid to give it what it is asking for.
PRODUCT 3: THE INTENSIVE CURL MASK
What is it?
If the Moisture Surge Conditioner is a drink, the Intensive Curl Mask is a meal. This is your weekly deep conditioning treatment, the step that most beginners underestimate and most experienced Curly Girls consider the single most transformative thing they do for their hair.
Understanding how to use Hydra Curls products correctly means understanding that the mask is not optional. For Arab hair that has spent years under heat tools, harsh shampoos, and silicone-coated products, the first few months of mask treatments are essentially a rehabilitation programme. You are restoring elasticity, repairing the cuticle layer, and replenishing the moisture stores that have been depleted over a long time.
How to use it?
The Intensive Curl Mask replaces your regular conditioner once a week, it is not used in addition to it. After cleansing, apply the mask generously from root to tip, ensuring every strand is coated. The avocado oil and hyaluronic acid in this formulation need time to penetrate, so do not rush this step.
For best results, apply the mask to hair that has been gently squeezed, not dripping, but not dry. Damp hair absorbs treatment products more effectively than soaking wet hair because there is less water competing for entry into the hair shaft.
Leave the mask on for a minimum of fifteen minutes. For deeper treatment, apply heat: sit under a hooded dryer, use a heat cap, or simply wrap your hair in a warm towel fresh from the dryer. The heat encourages the cuticle to open further and allows the mask's active ingredients to penetrate more deeply than they would at room temperature. For coily hair, twenty to thirty minutes is ideal.
Rinse thoroughly with cool water.
How much to use
Use generously, this is not a product to be rationed. A thorough application for medium-length hair requires at least three to four tablespoons. For longer or thicker hair, use more. The mask is your investment in your hair's long-term health. Give it what it needs.
PRODUCT 4: THE LEAVE-IN CURL CREAM
What it is
This is where wash day moves from the shower to the styling stage and where your curls begin to take their final shape. The Leave-In Curl Cream is your moisture base for styling. It goes on first, before any gel or defining product, and its job is to keep the moisture you have just deposited through cleansing and conditioning from evaporating as your hair dries.
This is also the product that, more than any other, will change the way your hair feels on day two and day three. Sealed moisture means softer, more flexible curls that do not turn brittle and frizzy as the day goes on.
How to use it
This is applied to soaking wet hair after you have stepped out of the shower but before you have done anything else to your hair. Working on wet hair is non-negotiable at this stage. The leave-in needs water present to distribute evenly and to do its humectant work effectively.
Divide your hair into sections. Apply the cream to each section by raking it gently through from root to tip, then scrunching upward to encourage the curl pattern to form. The raking distributes the product; the scrunching defines the curl.
For wavy hair, use a lighter hand, too much leave-in will weigh down a fine 2B wave. For coily hair, be generous and thorough, ensuring every section is evenly coated.
How much to use
For wavy hair: A small coin-sized amount per section, two to three sections total.
For curly hair: A large coin to a teaspoon per section, three to four sections.
For coily hair: A teaspoon or more per section, as many sections as needed.
There is no award for using less than your hair needs.
PRODUCT 5: THE CURL DEFINING GEL
What it is
This is the final step of your wash day - the product that holds everything in place and gives your curls the definition, bounce, and frizz-free finish that you have been working toward through every step that preceded it. The Curl Defining Gel creates a cast around each curl as it dries, a protective shell that keeps the shape intact and prevents humidity from causing frizz.
How to use it
Apply the gel immediately after the leave-in cream, while the hair is still dripping wet. The water in your hair is a delivery mechanism, it carries the gel evenly through every strand and ensures that the cast it creates is uniform and flexible rather than stiff and patchy.
Scrunch the gel into your hair section by section, working upward from the ends toward the roots. Do not apply by raking! Raking at this stage will disrupt the curl pattern that the leave-in just encouraged. Scrunching only.
Once the gel is applied, allow your hair to air dry completely or use a diffuser on the lowest heat and speed setting, moving from section to section without disturbing the forming curls.
When your hair is fully and completely dry (and not mostly dry), fully dry - scrunch out the cast by gathering sections of curls in your palms and squeezing gently. What emerges from beneath the cast are soft, defined, touchable curls. This is the SOTC moment, scrunch out the crunch and for most first-time Hydra Curls users, it is the moment they understand what their hair was always capable of.
How much to use
For wavy hair: A five-pence-coin-sized amount per section.
For curly hair: A teaspoon per section.
For coily hair: A generous teaspoon or more per section, applied until every curl feels evenly coated.
PUTTING IT ALL TOGETHER: YOUR FULL WASH DAY ROUTINE
Here is the complete sequence, written out simply:
Shower: Saturate hair fully with lukewarm water → Apply Hydrating Curl Cleanser to scalp → Rinse → Apply Moisture Surge Conditioner to lengths and ends (or Intensive Curl Mask once weekly) → Detangle gently → Rinse with cool water.
Styling: Squeeze out excess water gently → Apply Leave-In Curl Cream section by section, scrunch upward → Apply Curl Defining Gel section by section, scrunch upward → Plop in a microfibre towel or T-shirt for fifteen to twenty minutes → Release and air dry or diffuse on low.
Finish: Once fully dry, SOTC — scrunch out the crunch — and reveal your curls.
A FINAL WORD ON HOW TO USE HYDRA CURLS PRODUCTS: TRUST THE PROCESS
The most important thing to know about learning how to use Hydra Curls products, beyond quantities, beyond techniques, beyond every step in this guide, is that your hair is on a journey, not a deadline.
The first wash may not produce the results you imagined. The second might be better. By the fourth and fifth, your curls will have begun to understand what is being offered to them, consistent moisture, clean ingredients, gentle handling and they will respond in kind.
Arab hair has a long memory. It remembers years of sulfates and heat and being told it was too much to manage. It takes a little time to trust that something different is being offered now. Be patient with it. Be generous with your products. Resist the urge to go back to the straightener on the difficult days.
Because on the other side of those difficult days are curls so soft, so defined, so genuinely, unmistakably yours, that you will wonder how you ever considered them something to be tamed.
They were never wild. They were just waiting to be understood.
