Curl problems

My hair is a mix of 3a & 3b . It's more on the Afro-Latina side than it is on the normal Latina side . I use cantu & a curl activator when I wear my hair curly & it looks fine but the very top layer of my hair gets frizzy & the curls don't form . My hair also lacks volume :(

I'm not sure if it's the way I dry my hair or the way I put the product in . I dry my hair with a 100% cotton tee shirt so my curls do dry to fast and when I put my product in I flip my hair facing the ground and I scrunch the product in.

For the girls with curly hair : what product(s) do you use ? Can you suggest any ? Note: please don't suggest shea moisture , it doesn't work in my hair

Also I'm not sure if this is affecting my curls in any way but I do brush my hair in the shower because my hair gets tangled & knotted over night . I do notice that my curls form slower and my hair drys slower after I brush my hair.

Btw if you know any tips or tricks or good hair styles for curly hair please comment them , I'm dying to try something new 🙂