So you’ve heard about the Curly Girl Method or my Curl Maven Method. You’ve probably spent ages reading articles and watched countless YouTube videos, TikToks and Reels. Maybe you joined a few Facebook groups too, and now you’re feeling overwhelmed and confused with all the conflicting advice. You’re ready to purchase some hair products and start your curly hair journey, but don’t know where to start. Here’s my updated guide on How to Build a Curly Girl Hair Routine, which is suitable for all curl patterns. With the product recommendations, tools + accessories you need to start your curly hair journey, reach your healthy hair goals and get your waves + curls back.
How to Build a Curly Girl Hair Routine
When you build a curly girl hair routine, it doesn’t have to be complicated or expensive. You don’t need multiple products and washing + styling your hair doesn’t have to take up your whole day. The best curly girl hair routine for you, is the one that prioritises the health of your hair and scalp, is easy to understand and simple to follow, otherwise you’ll give up! The thing that will make the biggest difference in your healthy hair journey, are the things you do consistently. And for most people, they need a simple routine that’s easy to follow, in order to be consistent and see results. At a minimum, you need four products. But for the best results, I recommend five. Here’s what you need and how to build a curly girl hair routine.
Step 1. Clarifying Shampoo + Final Wash
The first product you need to start your healthy hair journey is a chelating, clarifying shampoo to detox the hair. It’s like a reset button for your hair, to wipe the slate clean and start again. If you’re just starting your healthy hair journey or following the Curly Girl or Curl Maven Methods, then you need to use a chelating, clarifying shampoo to do a “final wash.” This will get rid of silicones and waxes, and remove the build up of grease, oil, sebum and product from your hair. Then use it once/month to maintain a healthy scalp and remove build up.
If you colour, bleach or highlight your hair, use it on the washday before you get your hair coloured. Read this article to find out why. You want a chelating, clarifying shampoo that contains Disodium/Tetrasodium EDTA or Sodium/Trisodium Citrate and sulfates, but doesn’t contain silicones. My favourite is the Bumble + Bumble Sunday Shampoo, use code CURLMAVEN for 21% off LOOKFANTASTIC. For more recommendations, read this article on why + when you should clarify your hair.
Step 2. Shampoo
What should you use to wash your hair? And how often should you be washing it? I always recommend washing your hair 2-3 times/week using a sulfate-free, silicone-free, low-lathering shampoo. The goal is the health of your hair and scalp, not to see how long you can go without washing your hair – those are two very different things. If you’ve just discovered the Curly Girl Method, it can quickly become confusing and overwhelming, with terms like co-washing, lo-poo and no-poo. And going as long as possible without washing your hair, only using conditioner and avoiding anything that lathers!
But it doesn’t need to be that complicated. The Bounce Curl Gentle Clarifying Shampoo is my favourite for all hair types. It’s not a chelating shampoo though, as it doesn’t contain those harsh ingredients, so it’s gentle enough to use 2-3 times/week. It’s also sulfate-free and colour-safe. Use code CURLMAVEN for 10% off Bounce Curl (USA), Curl Warehouse (Canada), Kiyo Beauty (UK) and Luia (Ireland/EU).
Step 3. Condition
Whether you’re following the Curly Girl Method or my Curl Maven Method, make sure your conditioner doesn’t contain any silicones or waxes. When choosing a conditioner, look for one that has a good balance of protein and moisture. Read this article to find out why that’s important. Avoid anything that contains too many rich emollients and heavy oils and butters. These will weigh down and over-moisturise the hair, which causes excess hair shedding and limp, lifeless curls that feel soft and fluffy. Any of the conditioners from Innersense Organic Beauty are great! Use code CURLMAVEN for 10% off their website (USA), or Curl Warehouse (Canada), Kiyo Beauty (UK) and Luia (Ireland/EU) or 20% off Cult Beauty (worldwide).
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Get the Innersense Pure Inspiration Conditioner if you’ve got baby fine hair that’s easily weighed down. Get the Color Radiance Conditioner if you’ve got coloured, damaged or hair that gets easily over-moisturised and needs a good kick of protein to strengthen the curl. Or get the Hydrating Cream Conditioner if you’ve got coarse, dry or damaged hair that feels brittle and straw-like. If that’s a little too rich and heavy for your hair, get the Clarity Conditioner instead, which is also fragrance free. They’re all really concentrated, so you literally only need about a teaspoon! 4-6 pumps should do it, no more than 8 – the key is applying them to soaking wet hair. The image below shows how much Innersense conditioner I use on my hair, which is just 4 pumps.
Top Tip: use the gentle heat of a Thermal Heat Cap to boost the benefits of your conditioner by opening up the cuticles of the hair shaft, allowing your conditioner to penetrate the hair, nourishing and conditioning your hair from the inside out.
Step 4. Style
Your washday products look after the health of your hair, such as dryness, frizz, protein and moisture. Those include your clarifying shampoo (which you use once/month), the shampoo you use 2-3 times/week and your conditioner/hair mask. But your styling products are about how you want your hair to look. So when choosing styling products for your curly girl hair routine, think about what you want your hair to look like. What do you want from your styling products? Some people want texture and volume, others want definition and hold. Most often, people want a combination of a few different things.
If you want a super simple styling routine, you can use a one-and-done styling product, such as the Bouclème Super Hold Styler – use code CURLMAVEN for 21% off at LOOKFANTASTIC. Or MopTop Curly Hair Custard – use code CURLMAVEN for 10% off, which is only available in the USA or Amazon USA, who ship to Canada. The texture and consistency is thick, creamy and custard-like. Giving shine, hydration, definition, frizz control and hold. But for the best, long-lasting and consistent results, I recommend using two products in your styling routine. One product to enhance and define the curl, such as a serum, lotion, mousse or foam. And something to hold it, such as a custard, jelly or gel. This styling combination gives the best frizz-free definition and long-lasting hold.
Enhance + Define
If you want definition and hold, and consistent results every time, try my LMG Method. Leave in some of your conditioner, then apply a mousse to enhance and define the curl and a gel for long-lasting hold. If you have fine hair or want more volume, switch the mousse for a foam. These are the best foams for wavy + curly hair. If you have dry hair and need more moisture, switch out the mousse for a serum. Here are my application tips for my favourite serum and gel. When layering styling products, always start from the most lightweight to heaviest texture or consistency.
Hold
The final step in the styling routine is using a custard, jelly or gel to seal everything in and hold it all together. If you just want hold, go for a gel. If you want definition and thick, juicy curl clumps and hold, use a jelly or custard. I’ve mentioned the Bouclème Super Hold Styler and MopTop Curly Hair Custard, but this is my favourite mousse + jelly. Custards and jellies tend to be medium to strong hold and you can get light, medium and strong hold gels. They all work best when applied to wet hair.
I recommend diffusing as soon as you can, for as long as you can. This will give you the best shape, definition and volume. To get long-lasting hold, you need to let a hard, crispy, crunchy, wet-looking cast form on your hair as it dries. This is a good thing, you want this! Because the gel is forming a protective cast around the hair to preserve definition and prevent frizz as it dries, which you can see in the images below. Once your hair is fully dry, gently break the cast, or “scrunch out the crunch” to reveal the soft, defined waves + curls underneath. But don’t “SOTC” unless your hair is fully dry, otherwise you’ll cause a lot of frizz.
Top Tip: If you apply too much gel or custard, you’ll get white flakes on your hair. So use the amount you think you need to get the hold you want, and if you get white flakes, use less on your next washday.
Tools + Accessories
There are a few tools and accessories you need in your curly hair routine to detangle your hair, define your curls and protect your hair at night to prevent frizz, dryness and breakage. A scalp massager is optional, but a Denman cushioned paddle brush is essential. Use it to distribute product evenly throughout your hair, detangle without ripping or tearing the hair, and to define the curl. You also need a powerful hair dryer with different speed and heat settings.
The LanaiBLO is my favourite with the Diva Pro XXL Universal Diffuser. For more of the best hair dryer and diffuser recommendations, read this article. These metal root clips are super affordable and great for creating root lift, shape + volume. And finally, you need to protect your hair at night, which you can read all about and watch a video tutorial in this article. This will really help your curls look better with less frizz and more definition in between washdays.
Hopefully building a curly girl hair routine feels a less daunting and more achievable. If you’d like more product recommendations, especially for fine, wavy + curly hair that gets easily weighed down, read this article. If you’re on a budget, want to save money and get the most out of your products, read this article. Then once you’ve got all your products, follow my step by step washday routine for consistent, long-lasting results.
Let me know in the comments if you found this article helpful or have any questions. Check out my FAQ page before browsing my articles and Cheat Sheets. I also do one on one consultations called Curl Clinics, if you’re feeling overwhelmed and confused and just want me to tell you what products, techniques and routine will suit your hair, budget, lifestyle and hair goals. For more information on my Curl Clinics, click here. Or if you’d like to read reviews or book an appointment with me, click here.
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