The Curly Girl Method is a hair care routine that was created by Lorraine Massey where it shows how to swap your usual hair care routine (such as daily shampooing and using heating tools) to a safer and healthier habit using gel and conditioner to maintain your beautiful curls. There are a lot of curly haired women who found this method to be quite useful but you can adjust the method according to your preferences.

What to Avoid in the Curly Girl Method

If you are going to follow the Curly Girl method, it is important that you learn what you should avoid first. You might be surprised to find that there are several hair products that we use daily that are actually harming your curls. Here are a few to take note of.

Heat styling tools

Sulfates such as ammonium laureth sulfate and sodium lauryl sulfate

Alcohol

Shampoo

Combs and brushes

Non-water soluble silicones

Fragrance

So what can you use?

Emollients such as olive, shea butter, and vegetable oils

Humectants

Styling gels with PVP and PVP/VA

Gentle cleansing ingredients

Proteins

Moisturizers

Washing and Styling According to the Curly Girl Method

So how does the Curly Girl Method works? Here are the steps that you should follow:

Cleanse

You need to cleanse your hair and scalp first by massaging with fingertips and conditioner. Make sure that your nails don’t scrape your scalp but rather use your fingertips to gently massage your scalp. This will help stimulate blood flow in this area while the conditioner can help lift any residue of dirt and hair products. If you have wavy hair, you can use regular shampoo once a week but make sure that you condition your hair before and after you shampoo. As for those with curly hair, cowash using shampoo and conditioner every 10 days while coily haired women should wet their hair between cowash days then proceed to the next step.

Condition

Section your hair first before applying conditioner so that you will be able to coat your entire hair evenly. For wavy hair, wash your hair after a few seconds but don’t worry if there is some conditioner left behind. If you have curly hair, you can rinse it thoroughly or leave it on longer as needed. Coily haired individuals should wrap their hair first then apply heat on hair for 15 minutes to boost the moisturizing effect of the conditioner.

Dry and Style

To dry your hair, simply bend forward then blot your hair dry with a clean towel. Cup the curls instead of disturbing or wringing your curls even. Air-dry afterwards. Apply gel by scrunching your hair from the ends toward the scalp. Start from the nape with the last being the top of your hair as you go back to your standing position. You can make your waves curlier by doing pin curls. If you have curly hair already, simply bend over again and fluff from underneath. As for your coily hair, you can style it in any way you want as long as you are not going to use any heating tools. This will protect your hair. 

As you can see, the Curly Girl Method is simple but it can take some time to get used to especially when you tend to shampoo your hair all the time. Although your hair can feel greasy at first, it will go back to its natural state once your hair gets accustomed to your new hair care routine.