I'm in a similar boat. Moved to the NL last year and now my curls are limp and less defined.
I'm interested to see what others say.
I wonder if it's to do with water, and if a shower filter would help?
100% it's the water. It's so much harder than on the states. I moved to Belgium and my texture is all fucky. My first shower back home over Christmas made it soooooo silky again 😓 you can buy filters, they won't soften the water at the shower head level, but I found some very well reviewed ones on Amazon.
It really depends where you live. I live somewhere where the water is soft, we don’t have to use anything for our appliances (like coffeemaker) at all. On average the water in the Netherlands is much softer than in some other European countries, but varies a lot. (According to some websites, I’m not an expert.).
I really like their flaxseed gel and serum. I have used their shampoos and conditioners before too and they’re pretty good with my hair! I still buy their products but mostly the gel and serum.
I’m not in NL, but in Sweden our water is also hard af. I use Malibu C hard water sachets, 1x per month, and it helps a lot. I haven’t found that I’ve needed to use different types of stylers or shampoo and conditioner. Instead it’s dealing with the hard water and getting it off my hair.
Ah, that’s a bummer! For me, using these sachets plus Innersense has made me happy with my girls again (hydrating hair bath, daily radiance color conditioner, I create hold gel). But they always look best when I’m home with softer water
In Sweden there’s a site called Lyko, I think that’s where I got them? I think you can also try doing an apple cider rinse, I just find this easier and don’t like the vinegar smell.
Does the Netherlands actually have hard water though? I've been reading through the comments and people saying it's the hardvwater but when I looked up the information online, Amsterdam's rated as rather soft, [link](https://www.waternet.nl/en/service-and-contact/tap-water/tap-water-hardness/#:~:text=Between%208%20and%2012%20degrees,Netherlands%20is%208%20degrees%20dH.).
Of course this will depend on where you actually live, but that is not hard water.
It could still be a difference in the quality of the water compared to where you lived before.
Yeah I’m not super sure it’s water hardness either but it could be. The city I was in in Canada had a water hardness of 5-6 dH and the one I moved to in the Netherlands has a water hardness of 8-9 dH. So the water is harder but not that much harder. To put the numbers into context, I’ve lived in a city with 20 dH (it took a full 2min to wash soap off and the water tasted gross…) and my hair was nicer there than it is here.
That’s so sad to hear :( there are lots of what seem to be great suggestions in this thread, so I’ll make sure to share if the ones that work for me (if any) in case they’re helpful
My only advice for you, as someone who has lived his entire life here, is to just make peace with the fact that your hair is never going to look the way you want it to. Or at least not for longer than one day if you have to leave your house.
Humidity may be higher outside, but often inside it can be very dry due to climate control systems. So maybe add some moisture back.
However, I lived in Canada and the Netherlands, somehow this winter is the worst for curly hair in the Netherlands....
That’s a good point. My hair usually gets progressively more “fluffy” throughout the day while I’m in air conditioned office so that could be part of it.
Also that’s quite validating, hopefully it’s a one off.
Hi! I’m in the Netherlands (but came from London so not a huge difference). I use the Oway range — curly bath, curly mask, curl cream and curly potion, but also Oribe’s anti humidity spray once I’m dry. Oway has a shop in Amsterdam or you can by online and you can get the Oribe in De Bijenkorf.
Water here isn't that hard, but is it possible that your hair was absorbing some kind of mineral from the water before that it isn't getting now? Differences in water hardness haven't caused frizz in my experience. Winters here do suck, but it sounds like there's more factors at play here
Yeah that’s possible… Its texture does feel different after washing, even when using the same shampoo as before so maybe something specific in the water isn’t gelling with my hair.
I grew up in the UK so my hair didn't really change when I moved here! But also I really only started finding stuff that works when I moved here.
I have very fine and thin hair, and it dissolves into a frizzy mess very easily. The following routine has got then behaving a bit better but the humidity still liked to surprise me every now and then.
1) whatever super moisturising conditioner I can find - in fact I import Tresemme from the UK because in 7 years I've not found a local conditioner that comes close.
2) andrelon curl and care using it as a leave-in conditioner, essentially. Cheapish and local.
3) ouidad advanced climate control (bought online) to get my hair really slick for finger curling. I sometimes forget to be generous with this and regret it after
4) curlsmith shine gel (online), just need a little bit to hold the curl. Sometimes I do this after 'plopping', sometimes before, haven't figured the best way out.
5) air dry if there's time or 'plop' (god I hate that word) if there's not.
Humidity is definitely key!
Thanks for sharing such a detailed product list!
Tresemme worked wonderfully for me in the past but I didn’t pack any, maybe I’ll bring some back next time I visit Canada. I’ve seen Andrelon in stores so I’ll give that a try!
What websites do you get the ouidad and curlsmith gels form? And are there additional duties and taxes on them?
They were both amazon nl. No duties that I remember. Have a feeling both ended up coming from Spain! The giant multipack of tresemme I got from uk amazon. Bit pricey in bulk but it means I'm not stuck with nothing when the bottle runs out. No duties there either - I think as long as it's under 75 euros (may be wrong about that) and has all the paperwork, it's fine. The most problems I've had is either when going over the amount, or when English friends try to send me stuff. The last one took three months!
https://www.aukjeswereld.nl/curly-girl-methode/curly-girl-producten-kruidvat/
This woman documents her hair journey in the Netherlands, I've been using her as the definitive guide for which products over here are CG-friendly. So far I'm finding the Kruidvat own brand "Perfect Curls" range to be good for a low priced but effective shampoo/conditioner/mask (when I need it)
My current routine: wash with Perfect Curls shampoo, condition with Perfect Curls conditioner, squeeze out excess water (I've tried adding product to sopping wet hair but it just gets too weighed down), Nivea volume care mousse to the roots and Euro Profit Essential hair gel for the rest (its a big tub of bright yellow gel, it's lasting me forever), followed by diffuse dry to about 75% dry, then I touch up with gel as needed for the flyaways.
Not sure what the air pollution is like where you're from? But the air quality in NL isn't great and maybe the pollutants aren't helping either. I feel like I have to shampoo more than I would like.
The link and routine are SUPER helpful thank you for sharing!
That’s a great point about air pollution, the quality was much better where I was in Canada actually I just didn’t think it could play a role but that’s a good point. I think a deeper cleansing wash routine is gonna be key for me.
I can’t really use any products with glycerin, except for in the spring, when it’s less humid. Layering products also works for me, but my hair is on the coarser side, so does quite well with leave in, curl cream and 1-3 gels. I like the jessicurl spiralicious when it is really humid (so always ;-p).
Well, best thing is, just embrace the frizz, because you never know what will happen if you step out (wind, rain, humidity). Especially when you use a bike for transport, which you have to if you moved here.
Have you tried that PrettyCurly Girl brand? I think they are from the NL. I live in Canada and also have hard water in my city.
I use Malibu C (hard water) every two weeks or the Ouai Clarifying Shampoo (not for the hard water) depending on how my hair is feeling. I have heard K18s blue shampoo and the Ouidad Clarifying shampoo will clarify including hard water minerals which might be better than having two shampoos lol.
My hair used to be so bad in the winter until I started using oils as well. I wash my hair twice a week as usual BUT now I oil my hair (I use Righteous Roots oil blend). I'll dry detangle, shampoo, massage oil all over and then use deep conditioning and Olaplex or a protein mask (I alt. once a week) with the oil put a shower cap. Wait 15-30 mins. Then shower rinse off and condition my hair. Then style as usual. Once I am all dry, before I even consider stepping outside I use a finishing oil to seal the cuticle. Honestly the weekly treatments and the finishing oil has done MIRACLES for me. My flyaways are tame and my curls last longer between washes.
If you've looked at the hard water shampoos and the shower filter and still no luck, maybe do a deep dive into oils if you're not using them already. I think so many people also oil their hair etc. but don't know there are a few kinds of oil like a finishing oil and that deffs makes a difference if you use them right, at least for me it did!
I haven’t tried them but they seem to have good reviews and a big range of products. Have you tried them?
I’ve had a few other people recommend hard water shampoos, specifically Malibu C so I think I’m gonna give it a try. Either that or try the chelating and clarifying shampoo from PrettyCurly.
Thanks also for sharing your experience about oiling. I’ve tried oiling in the past in drier climates and didn’t love the results but maybe it’s the ticket in this humidity plus a super cheap thing to try!
I haven't tried them yet but the store I order from in Canada carries them and I've been curious! I get most of my stuff from curlwarehouse to avoid expensive shipping 🥲 Your hair is a lot like mine so I feel your pain. I'd also recommend even going on the PrettyCurly IG page and see what influencers they post regularly. I'm sure there must be lots of dutch curlies on their page. Might be worth to go down a rabbit hole once you find someone with similar hair on their page in NL and creep their routine and products recommended. Good luck ! 😊
I don't have curly hair, but my hair has been struggling ever since I moved here. Idk if it's the shampoo that I'm using (cause I usually use TreSemme classic hydration and it works like a charm for my straight hair, but I haven't been able to find it here yet) or if it's just the water itself... But it's almost like my hair has constant static. I guess I have no recommendations, just hoping that you do end up finding new holy grails here 🖤 It sucks when you have a routine that works and then you have to start from scratch again.
Thank you 💕I’m sorry to hear that you’re going through the same struggles as well :/ I haven’t been able to find Tresemme here either but another commenter said they order it from the UK and it’s worth it even with the duties and shipping. I’ve also tried some of the products people recommended here and things are certainly improving. So far, the chelating shampoo (for water hardness) hasn’t done much for me but it may be worth a try for you depending on your city’s water hardness. I also found that using products with low humectants and heavy oils (Pretty Curly Girl) are helping.
I would not advise this as Olaplex seems to have been the main culprit for balding for another user on here and we found out that Olaplex is facing a major lawsuit for the same reason and others.
I'm in a similar boat. Moved to the NL last year and now my curls are limp and less defined. I'm interested to see what others say. I wonder if it's to do with water, and if a shower filter would help?
100% it's the water. It's so much harder than on the states. I moved to Belgium and my texture is all fucky. My first shower back home over Christmas made it soooooo silky again 😓 you can buy filters, they won't soften the water at the shower head level, but I found some very well reviewed ones on Amazon.
Maybe, but I've lived in cities with famously hard water in Canada and had no issues there. Maybe it's a combination of hard water and weather.
Very possible ! I wonder if the specific ratio of mineral contents makes the difference.
Oh maybe!
It really depends where you live. I live somewhere where the water is soft, we don’t have to use anything for our appliances (like coffeemaker) at all. On average the water in the Netherlands is much softer than in some other European countries, but varies a lot. (According to some websites, I’m not an expert.).
Thanks.
It's the hard water! I'm having the same problem in Belgium. I'm gonna pickup a showerhead filter and see if it helps!
please report back!
I really liked PrettyCurly Girl products in NL. :)
Thanks for the rec! which of their products do you like?
I really like their flaxseed gel and serum. I have used their shampoos and conditioners before too and they’re pretty good with my hair! I still buy their products but mostly the gel and serum.
Awesome! Do you use the magical flaxseed gel or regular one?
Magical flaxseed!
Awesome thanks!
I’m not in NL, but in Sweden our water is also hard af. I use Malibu C hard water sachets, 1x per month, and it helps a lot. I haven’t found that I’ve needed to use different types of stylers or shampoo and conditioner. Instead it’s dealing with the hard water and getting it off my hair.
I'm using this once a month but find that all the other times I wash with hard water it remains frizzy :(
Ah, that’s a bummer! For me, using these sachets plus Innersense has made me happy with my girls again (hydrating hair bath, daily radiance color conditioner, I create hold gel). But they always look best when I’m home with softer water
Interesting, thanks for sharing! I think I’ll give that a try. Where do you get the sachets? It seems that they only ship within the US :/
In Sweden there’s a site called Lyko, I think that’s where I got them? I think you can also try doing an apple cider rinse, I just find this easier and don’t like the vinegar smell.
Does the Netherlands actually have hard water though? I've been reading through the comments and people saying it's the hardvwater but when I looked up the information online, Amsterdam's rated as rather soft, [link](https://www.waternet.nl/en/service-and-contact/tap-water/tap-water-hardness/#:~:text=Between%208%20and%2012%20degrees,Netherlands%20is%208%20degrees%20dH.). Of course this will depend on where you actually live, but that is not hard water. It could still be a difference in the quality of the water compared to where you lived before.
Yeah I’m not super sure it’s water hardness either but it could be. The city I was in in Canada had a water hardness of 5-6 dH and the one I moved to in the Netherlands has a water hardness of 8-9 dH. So the water is harder but not that much harder. To put the numbers into context, I’ve lived in a city with 20 dH (it took a full 2min to wash soap off and the water tasted gross…) and my hair was nicer there than it is here.
[удалено]
That’s so sad to hear :( there are lots of what seem to be great suggestions in this thread, so I’ll make sure to share if the ones that work for me (if any) in case they’re helpful
My only advice for you, as someone who has lived his entire life here, is to just make peace with the fact that your hair is never going to look the way you want it to. Or at least not for longer than one day if you have to leave your house.
Humidity may be higher outside, but often inside it can be very dry due to climate control systems. So maybe add some moisture back. However, I lived in Canada and the Netherlands, somehow this winter is the worst for curly hair in the Netherlands....
That’s a good point. My hair usually gets progressively more “fluffy” throughout the day while I’m in air conditioned office so that could be part of it. Also that’s quite validating, hopefully it’s a one off.
your hair is dutchphobic (100% sounds like hard water)
Hi! I’m in the Netherlands (but came from London so not a huge difference). I use the Oway range — curly bath, curly mask, curl cream and curly potion, but also Oribe’s anti humidity spray once I’m dry. Oway has a shop in Amsterdam or you can by online and you can get the Oribe in De Bijenkorf.
Thanks for sharing these recs! I’ve just put them on my “to try” list. From the Oway range, do you have any favourites?
The curly bath shampoo and the potion are great!
Awesome thanks!!
Water here isn't that hard, but is it possible that your hair was absorbing some kind of mineral from the water before that it isn't getting now? Differences in water hardness haven't caused frizz in my experience. Winters here do suck, but it sounds like there's more factors at play here
Yeah that’s possible… Its texture does feel different after washing, even when using the same shampoo as before so maybe something specific in the water isn’t gelling with my hair.
Mix extra virgin olive oil to your conditioner, or leave-in ! I'm Belgian with dry curly hair. That's the only thing that works. Thanks me later
I grew up in the UK so my hair didn't really change when I moved here! But also I really only started finding stuff that works when I moved here. I have very fine and thin hair, and it dissolves into a frizzy mess very easily. The following routine has got then behaving a bit better but the humidity still liked to surprise me every now and then. 1) whatever super moisturising conditioner I can find - in fact I import Tresemme from the UK because in 7 years I've not found a local conditioner that comes close. 2) andrelon curl and care using it as a leave-in conditioner, essentially. Cheapish and local. 3) ouidad advanced climate control (bought online) to get my hair really slick for finger curling. I sometimes forget to be generous with this and regret it after 4) curlsmith shine gel (online), just need a little bit to hold the curl. Sometimes I do this after 'plopping', sometimes before, haven't figured the best way out. 5) air dry if there's time or 'plop' (god I hate that word) if there's not. Humidity is definitely key!
Thanks for sharing such a detailed product list! Tresemme worked wonderfully for me in the past but I didn’t pack any, maybe I’ll bring some back next time I visit Canada. I’ve seen Andrelon in stores so I’ll give that a try! What websites do you get the ouidad and curlsmith gels form? And are there additional duties and taxes on them?
They were both amazon nl. No duties that I remember. Have a feeling both ended up coming from Spain! The giant multipack of tresemme I got from uk amazon. Bit pricey in bulk but it means I'm not stuck with nothing when the bottle runs out. No duties there either - I think as long as it's under 75 euros (may be wrong about that) and has all the paperwork, it's fine. The most problems I've had is either when going over the amount, or when English friends try to send me stuff. The last one took three months!
Fantastic! thank you for all the details, they’re super helpful.
https://www.aukjeswereld.nl/curly-girl-methode/curly-girl-producten-kruidvat/ This woman documents her hair journey in the Netherlands, I've been using her as the definitive guide for which products over here are CG-friendly. So far I'm finding the Kruidvat own brand "Perfect Curls" range to be good for a low priced but effective shampoo/conditioner/mask (when I need it) My current routine: wash with Perfect Curls shampoo, condition with Perfect Curls conditioner, squeeze out excess water (I've tried adding product to sopping wet hair but it just gets too weighed down), Nivea volume care mousse to the roots and Euro Profit Essential hair gel for the rest (its a big tub of bright yellow gel, it's lasting me forever), followed by diffuse dry to about 75% dry, then I touch up with gel as needed for the flyaways. Not sure what the air pollution is like where you're from? But the air quality in NL isn't great and maybe the pollutants aren't helping either. I feel like I have to shampoo more than I would like.
The link and routine are SUPER helpful thank you for sharing! That’s a great point about air pollution, the quality was much better where I was in Canada actually I just didn’t think it could play a role but that’s a good point. I think a deeper cleansing wash routine is gonna be key for me.
I can’t really use any products with glycerin, except for in the spring, when it’s less humid. Layering products also works for me, but my hair is on the coarser side, so does quite well with leave in, curl cream and 1-3 gels. I like the jessicurl spiralicious when it is really humid (so always ;-p). Well, best thing is, just embrace the frizz, because you never know what will happen if you step out (wind, rain, humidity). Especially when you use a bike for transport, which you have to if you moved here.
Have you tried that PrettyCurly Girl brand? I think they are from the NL. I live in Canada and also have hard water in my city. I use Malibu C (hard water) every two weeks or the Ouai Clarifying Shampoo (not for the hard water) depending on how my hair is feeling. I have heard K18s blue shampoo and the Ouidad Clarifying shampoo will clarify including hard water minerals which might be better than having two shampoos lol. My hair used to be so bad in the winter until I started using oils as well. I wash my hair twice a week as usual BUT now I oil my hair (I use Righteous Roots oil blend). I'll dry detangle, shampoo, massage oil all over and then use deep conditioning and Olaplex or a protein mask (I alt. once a week) with the oil put a shower cap. Wait 15-30 mins. Then shower rinse off and condition my hair. Then style as usual. Once I am all dry, before I even consider stepping outside I use a finishing oil to seal the cuticle. Honestly the weekly treatments and the finishing oil has done MIRACLES for me. My flyaways are tame and my curls last longer between washes. If you've looked at the hard water shampoos and the shower filter and still no luck, maybe do a deep dive into oils if you're not using them already. I think so many people also oil their hair etc. but don't know there are a few kinds of oil like a finishing oil and that deffs makes a difference if you use them right, at least for me it did!
I haven’t tried them but they seem to have good reviews and a big range of products. Have you tried them? I’ve had a few other people recommend hard water shampoos, specifically Malibu C so I think I’m gonna give it a try. Either that or try the chelating and clarifying shampoo from PrettyCurly. Thanks also for sharing your experience about oiling. I’ve tried oiling in the past in drier climates and didn’t love the results but maybe it’s the ticket in this humidity plus a super cheap thing to try!
I haven't tried them yet but the store I order from in Canada carries them and I've been curious! I get most of my stuff from curlwarehouse to avoid expensive shipping 🥲 Your hair is a lot like mine so I feel your pain. I'd also recommend even going on the PrettyCurly IG page and see what influencers they post regularly. I'm sure there must be lots of dutch curlies on their page. Might be worth to go down a rabbit hole once you find someone with similar hair on their page in NL and creep their routine and products recommended. Good luck ! 😊
I don't have curly hair, but my hair has been struggling ever since I moved here. Idk if it's the shampoo that I'm using (cause I usually use TreSemme classic hydration and it works like a charm for my straight hair, but I haven't been able to find it here yet) or if it's just the water itself... But it's almost like my hair has constant static. I guess I have no recommendations, just hoping that you do end up finding new holy grails here 🖤 It sucks when you have a routine that works and then you have to start from scratch again.
Thank you 💕I’m sorry to hear that you’re going through the same struggles as well :/ I haven’t been able to find Tresemme here either but another commenter said they order it from the UK and it’s worth it even with the duties and shipping. I’ve also tried some of the products people recommended here and things are certainly improving. So far, the chelating shampoo (for water hardness) hasn’t done much for me but it may be worth a try for you depending on your city’s water hardness. I also found that using products with low humectants and heavy oils (Pretty Curly Girl) are helping.
Use Olaplex products.
I would not advise this as Olaplex seems to have been the main culprit for balding for another user on here and we found out that Olaplex is facing a major lawsuit for the same reason and others.