Is your curly hair a ball of uncontrollable frizz? Or do you wish you could transform limp and lifeless strands into natural beachy waves without spending hours with a curling iron? The Curly Girl Method could be the answer you’re looking for!
The Curly Girl Method, sometimes written in short form as the ‘CG method’, is a series of hair techniques developed by author Lorraine Massey for hair that is naturally curly and has not been chemically relaxed.
This method is suitable for all curly hair types ranging from the slightest waves to tight Afro hair. Some people who try the method on what they thought was their naturally straight or slightly wavy hair find that their hair develops into beautiful natural curls after a few months of following the protocol.
For those who are willing to be patient with the process, the Curly Girl Method promises natural healthy, shiny and defined curls without artificial heat or chemical treatments.
Ready to set your inner curly girl free? Here’s all you need to know about the Curly Girl Method.
What is the Curly Girl Method? – The Basics
The idea behind the method is that modern shampoos and hair styling products along with heat drying and styling are damaging to hair.
Using these products strips the hair of its natural oils and weighs it down with silicones and other chemicals to make it appear shiny.
This dries out the hair so that it often has a frizzy appearance without using hair products. It also flattens natural curls by dragging them down so that naturally slightly curly hair may appear straight.
So the basics of the CG method are to stop using these harmful shampoos and “hair care” products completely. This includes most commercial hair products, especially if they contain sulphates, silicones, parabens, alcohols, and fragrances.
You should also avoid using heat on your hair such as blow drying and using heated straighteners and curling irons.
The second part of the method is using alternative products to replace your old shampoos and styling products, and learning new routines for washing and drying your hair to encourage the natural curl.
The Curly Girl Method for Beginners
You can start following The Curly Girl Method by following a series of steps:
- Identify your natural hair characteristics and hair type
- Replace your damaging hair care products with more natural alternatives
- Wash your hair one final time with a strong shampoo to strip out the products that have accumulated on each strand
- Start washing your hair with conditioner instead of shampoo (co-washing)
- Use a gentle gel, styling cream, or leave-in conditioner on wet hair to lock in the moisture and define your curls
- Air dry your hair after gently scrunching it and shaping curls
- Don’t brush your hair, instead gently detangle with a wide-tooth comb after co-washing and separate the curls with your fingers when dry
- Give your hair deep conditioning treatments once or twice a week
The exact method recommended for each of these steps depends on your individual hair type. For example, if you have wavy hair you can continue to wash with shampoo once a week, while as little cleansing as possible is recommended for tightly coiled hair.
You can pick up the book to get full details of the method or join one of the several forums and Facebook groups dedicated to the Curly Girl method to ask questions and get tips on hair care methods and products.
How to Work Out Your Curl Type and Hair Porosity
Understanding your hair type and how porous your hair is will help you to choose the most suitable products.
Your hair porosity is a measure of how well it absorbs and holds moisture. Low porosity hair has a tendency to be drier. However, more porous hair can become frizzy easily as moisture is also lost more rapidly.
Damaged hair tends to be more porous as continued exposure to heat and chemical treatment will open the cuticles on the hair shaft. However, even undamaged hair may be porous due to genetics, diet, or lifestyle factors.
High porosity hair tends to feel dry, dull, and frizzy, and breaks easily. While low porosity hair tends to take a long time to dry and doesn’t absorb conditioners, colour treatments, and other products well. Low porosity hair may also appear land and greasy.
You can work out your hair curl type by comparing it to the standard chart developed by hairdresser Andre Walker. This chart grades hair on an alphanumeric scale based on the shape and tightness of the curl.
Type 1 hair is straight, type 2 is wavy, type 3 is curly, and type 4 is kinky or coily, with 4C hair types having the most tightly wound curls.
The Final Wash – How to Clarify Your Hair and Prepare it for the CG Method
The final wash “resets” your hair and prepares it for the Curly Girl method by removing any build up of hair products including silicones and waxes.
For this you’ll need a shampoo containing sulphates to strip the producT build-up from your hair.
A few brands sell “clarifying” shampoos intended for you to deep clean your hair and these products can be a good choice. You can try Neutrogena anti-residue shampoo or Paul Mitchell clarifying shampoo.
If you live in a hard water area, you may have to continue using this shampoo about once a month to remove mineral build-up from your hair.
How to Co-Wash Your Hair
When you’re washing your hair while following the curly girl method, you won’t be using shampoo in most cases.
Instead, you’ll be washing your hair with conditioner. The idea is that the physical process of rubbing the scalp does a sufficient job of cleansing through friction. The conditioner helps to lift dirt and loose skin particles away from the scalp and hair so you can rinse it away, while at the same time rehydrating the hair.
You should choose a conditioner that doesn’t contain silicones. This generally means checking the label for any ingredient ending in “one”.
To co-wash your hair, you use conditioner in just the same way as you would shampoo, rubbing it into your scalp and rinsing it through your ends.
Conditioner won’t lather like shampoo but you’ll be surprised how clean your hair looks and feels after washing it in this way.
Some people loosely following the method prefer to use a gentle shampoo that’s free of sulphates, silicones, and other “banned” ingredients.
Johnson’s Baby Shampoo is a cheap and readily available shampoo that people in the Curly Girl community frequently recommend. There are also many choices of “low-poo” shampoos designed for those following the CG method.
Applying Products to Your Hair While Wet
You should apply any styling products you want to use to your hair while it’s wet, before towel drying.
By applying products to your hair while it’s soaking wet, you seal in as much moisture as possible and avoid frizz.
You can use any cream, mousse or gel as your styling product, as long as it doesn’t include any of the ingredients banned in the curly girl method.
After applying styling products, you can gently scrunch your hair or shape your curls.
If you don’t want to use a styling product, you can still apply a leave-in conditioner while your hair is wet. This helps to lock moisture into your hair and define your curls.
Drying Your Hair – What is “Plopping?”
The Curly Girl method advises that you should avoid towel drying your hair, as the friction and fibres can damage and dry out your hair.
You can gently dry it by squeezing and scrunching your hair with a microfibre towel or use a technique called “plopping”.
With the plopping method, you tip your head upside down over a microfibre towel or t-shirt and wrap the t-shirt or towel around your head to encourage curls to form and absorb moisture. You can leave this on for 5-30 minutes before removing and allowing your hair to air-dry completely.
You should avoid any kind of heat drying or styling. However, if you’re in a hurry and really must blow-dry your hair, you should use a hairdryer with a diffuser on its lowest heat setting.
How Long Does it Take for the Curly Girl Method to Work?
Don’t expect instant results from the first time you co-wash your hair. It will take some time for your hair to regain its natural health and structure and get used to your new hair routine.
If you’re used to styling your hair with heat and silicone products, it’s also perfectly normal for your hair to look and feel worse for the first few weeks. Silicone coats your hair and makes it feel soft and look shiny but this is just an artificial coating.
You might find for the first 3-4 weeks that your hair looks greasy, your curls look messy, and you have more frizz than normal. This is all part of the process.
Be patient and stick with the method through the transition period and you should start seeing some big changes within a few months. At this point you should have a good idea of what your true curls look like and can decide if you want to stick with the method, adjust it, or go back to your usual routine.
Can Anyone Do the Curly Girl Method?
The idea behind the Curly Girl Method is that it makes the hair healthier and improves its natural moisture and shine.
Even if your hair is naturally straight, you should find that your hair becomes more shiny, soft, and manageable after following the method.
The Curly Girl Method won’t magically transform your straight hair into voluptuous curls. But if you have even a slight wave, you’ll find it will accentuate it and enhance the natural shape of your hair.
However, if you’ve chemically treated your hair including colouring it or using a chemical relaxer, you might not see the full results until your chemically-damage hair grows out.
Can I Have a Break From The Curly Girl Method?
The official advice is that you should continue following The Curly Girl Method once you’ve taken the leap.
However, sometimes it’s fun to have straight hair for a change. If you do want to take a break and straighten your hair or use normal shampoo, don’t worry. You won’t be starting from scratch again when you return to the method.
As the health of your hair should have improved, you’ll find that it doesn’t take too long to return to its normal curly state once you get back into your Curly Girl routine.
What Products Do You Need For the Curly Girl Method?
A lot of the products you’ll find being recommended online for The Curly Girl Method are US products and are difficult or expensive to find in the UK.
But there’s no need to spend a fortune on imported hair products. There are also many CG-friendly shampoos, conditioners, and styling products produced by UK manufacturers. You can buy all of these products from high-street retailers like Boots and Superdrug or order online from Amazon.
Recommended shampoos for the final wash/occasional clarifying washes:
- Tresemme Cleanse and Replenish Deep Cleansing Shampoo
- Neutrogena Anti-Residue Shampoo
- Paul Mitchell Clarifying Shampoo
Recommended conditioners for co-washing:
- Garnier Ultimate Blends Conditioners
- Shea Moisture Raw Shea Conditioner
- Noughty Conditioners
- Provoke Touch of Silver Colour Care Conditioner for Blonde Hair
- Organic Shop Conditioners
Recommended “low-poo” sulphate and silicone-free shampoos
- Johnson’s Baby Shampoo
- Noughty Wave Hello Curl Defining Shampoo
- Cantu Natural Hair Cleansing Cream Shampoo
- Imbue Curl Liberating Shampoo
Recommended deep conditioning treatments:
- Garnier Ultimate Blends Silicone-Free Mask
- Shea Moisture Deep Treatment Mask
- Cantu Leave-In Conditioning Mist
Recommended styling products for curly hair:
- Cantu Define & Shine Custard
- V05 Wet Look Styling Gel
- Pantene Defined Curls Mousse
- Noughty Wave Hello Taming Cream
- Umberto Giannini Curl Jelly
Apart from the products suggested here, there are many other shampoos, conditioners, and hair care products that are compatible with the Girly Girl method.
To find out if a product you’re considering is suitable, the best thing to do is look up the list of ingredients on the brand or retailer website and paste it into Curlsbot.
This will tell you if any of the ingredients are those that the Curly Girl method recommends you avoid.
