I guess I'll just go with trial and error then, huh? I'm pretty sure ulta has a good return policy, too. I've got one close enough to me

I'm mostly worried about silicones and oils because I only shampoo once a week and I don't want things to build up. That's the reason I'm cautious around products in general. I haven't tried gels, but if I find one that comes as a sample size and is for hair like mine, I should probably try it. It depends on how much time it takes, too, because I hate having to get ready for a long time for anything. Water only sounds sweet, but my hair is too porous for that, and the water alone wouldn't keep it hydrated. I think that's my main problem now, keeping the moisture in.

I rinse it because I sleep with my hair down and it gets flat on the back of my head and wetting it and letting it air dry helps fluff it up again. I don't use any separate products so I wasn't worried about washing anything out I wanted to keep in. I don't really lose my curl hold, but it does get frizzy. You're probably right about the products, but like I said in the other reply, I'm scared to buy something I won't end up using. I came asking for products that work for hair like mine.

My hair is layered, and goes just past my collarbone when curly but goes down about 3 or 4 inches when you pull it out of the curl, not stretching. It snaps and doesn't stretch so you're probably right about the moisture. I have used cream and mousse, separately, but I mean it was a year or two ago and I didn't read if it was right for me, and it turned out to be too heavy and weighed down my hair and made it look greasy. I looked at the product list on reddit but they don't really tell you anything about porosity or thin/thick hair so I'm not sure what to try. I also wanted to ask if there was any place to buy products that are smaller containers so I don't sink a bunch of money into stuff that doesn't work for me.

Shoot, forgot to say, I shampoo and condition once a week and rinse it every morning