What is the Curly Girl Method? Will it suit your hair type? Can it repair years of heat, chemical and colour damage? Will you get your waves and curls back by following the Curly Girl Method? Those are the questions we all have when we finally decide to put down the heat styling tools and try to embrace the natural wave and curl pattern in our hair. Embarking on a healthy hair journey to rediscover our curls after years of using heat styling tools to tame them into submission. Or what society told us was beautiful, professional and acceptable.
So in this updated article, I’ll answer all those questions and cover the basics of the Curly Girl Method. What rules you need to follow, what ingredients you need to avoid and why it might not actually be the best method for you. Especially if you’ve got fine hair that gets easily weighed down. And instead, what method might produce better results, that last longer.
What is the Curly Girl Method?
Lorraine Massey is the co-author of Curly Girl: The Handbook, which is where the Curly Girl Method came from. Most people start their curly hair journey following the tips, advice and techniques outlined in this hugely popular book. Many of these techniques come from the rich culture, knowledge, wisdom and understanding of naturally textured, afro and type 4 coily hair care within the Black community. This became known as the Natural Hair Movement, and without it, we wouldn’t have the Curly Girl Method.
The Curly Girl method is a set of rules to follow, techniques to use and ingredients to avoid to enhance and encourage the natural curl pattern in your hair. The reason why people get such great results when they first start following the Curly Girl Method, is because it focuses on moisture. And after years of heat, chemical and colour damage, most people’s hair is dry, brittle and feels like straw. Below are the do’s and don’ts of the Curly Girl Method. Many of which I don’t recommend you follow and I’ll explain why at the end of this article.
Don’t:
- Don’t wash your hair more than once/week, but push it out to 10-14 days if you can.
- Don’t use anything containing sulfates, usually found in shampoo.
- Don’t use anything containing silicones, usually found in conditioners and styling products.
- Don’t use heat, even to diffuse the hair.
- Don’t use a brush or comb on your hair as this pulls out the natural curl pattern. The CG Method recommends using your fingers to detangle. But I recommend using this Denman paddle brush – use code CURLMAVEN for 21% off at LOOKFANTASTIC. But only use it to brush your hair when it’s wet with conditioner and/or when it’s wet with styling products.
- Don’t use towels, even microfibre ones as they rough up the hair cuticle and cause lots of frizz – no matter how gentle you are.
- Don’t use drying alcohols, they dry out the hair (but not all alcohols are drying)
- Don’t colour or highlight your hair, not even to cover up greys. Natural is best for your hair, and it’s the whole ethos behind the Curly Girl Method. Colouring your hair often involves using ingredients that are on the “avoid” list, so it’s not advised. But many people (including me) have coloured and highlighted their hair and still have healthy curls. Read this article to find out how.
Do:
- Co-wash using a conditioner to clean your hair, instead of a shampoo. (this rarely suits any hair type long term + can lead to all sorts of scalp issues, excess hair shedding + loss of curl pattern)
- If you think a co-wash may be too heavy for your hair, use a “low poo” instead which is a low-lathering, sulfate-free shampoo that doesn’t have any of the ingredients listed above in the “Don’t” section.
- Use your fingers or a scalp massager like this one from Bouclème to gently scrub your scalp to lift any build up, oils or residue.
- Use natural emollients such as coconut oil and shea for afro hair, and lighter oils such as jojoba, olive and grapeseed for curly hair. Read this article for more information on using oils to “pre-poo” your hair before washing it.
- Use proteins such as egg and avocado, silk, wheat and soy proteins.
- Use humectants such as honey and glycerin. Read this post for all you need to know about glycerin and humectants.
- Use moisturisers such as aloe vera and flax seed.
- Scrunch products into your hair to encourage curl pattern rather than brushing products through your hair which will pull the curl out. Read this article for more techniques from the Curly Girl Method.
- Use a cotton t-shirt or cotton curl towel, like this one from Bouclème and use code CURLMAVEN for 21% off at LOOKFANTASTIC.
What are Curly Girl Approved Products?
You may have seen or heard of Curly Girl approved products – just know, that isn’t a thing. Lorraine Massey and her co-authors don’t give their stamp of approval to any brands or products. Mostly, because Lorraine Massey has had her own line of products throughout the years. Most recently Curly World and previously Devacurl, which I don’t use or recommend, read this article to find out why. You may see or hear about Curly Girl friendly products, which just means they’ve been formulated without any kind of sulfates or silicones, including water-soluble silicones. But to be 100% curly girl friendly, they also shouldn’t contain any waxes, drying alcohols or polyquats. Which act very similar to a silicones and can also build up on the hair in the same way. And I learned about that personally from Lorraine Massey herself!
Will the Curly Girl Method suit your hair type?
In the Curly Girl Handbook, hair types have different names than what you may have heard or be familiar with. All you need to know is Type 2 is Wavy, Type 3 is Curly and Type 4 is Coily or Afro. But don’t worry about trying to figure out what curl pattern your hair is. Firstly, because it doesn’t really matter, read this article to find out why. And secondly, because your curl pattern can (and will) change due to a variety of reasons that are inside and outside of your control. Including or especially heat, chemical and colour damage. If you have type 4 coily or afro hair, coarse and/or dry hair, or your hair is extremely damaged, then the Curly Girl Method may suit your hair. But once your hair is no longer as dry or as damaged and it becomes more hydrated and healthy, you may find this method no longer works for you.
Following the CG Method
over moisturised hair + hygral fatigue
I started following the Curly Girl Method in May 2017 and although I got great results at first, after a few months the methods and techniques started causing problems. I noticed I was losing a lot more hair on washdays. And I had an itchy, irritated and flaky scalp from trying to prolong my washdays and rely on refreshing. I could feel the build up of product in my hair, especially at my roots. And my hair quickly became so soft and fluffy that it was unable to hold a curl longer than a few hours on washday. Things gradually got worse, and I got hygral fatigue (twice!) which is severely over-moisturised hair that takes months to fix! I’d been following the Curly Girl Method for 7 months when this picture was taken. It took me a few months to realise the Curly Girl Method wasn’t working for me or suitable for my hair type. So I started to “modify” the method and ended up creating my Curl Maven Method which has helped millions of people around the world get their waves + curls back.
Can the Curly Girl Method repair years of heat, chemical and colour damage?
Yes and no, for the same reasons as given above. The Curly Girl Method focuses almost exclusively on moisture. And to repair years of heat, chemical and colour damage you need a balance of moisture (to soften) and protein (to strengthen). As well as cuticle sealers (to smooth) and bond-builders (to repair + rebuild). Read this article for the best range of products for repairing damaged hair that contain all of these elements. Or download this Cheat Sheet for more recommended products, techniques + suggested routines. But there’s some hair damage that no product, method or routine can fully repair and you’ve just got to grow and cut the damage out.
Will you get your waves and curls back by following the Curly Girl Method?
Yes, and you’ll probably get some amazing results at first – but not for long. And that’s from my own experience, millions of readers, followers and thousands of clients in my Curl Clinic consultations. Because although the Curly Girl Method may produce good results at first, it doesn’t work on fine, wavy or curly hair in the long term. So many people give up, feeling discouraged, overwhelmed and confused. Maybe that’s you and how you found yourself clicking on this article. Willing to sacrifice the health of your hair by using heat styling tools again, just to have consistent, predictable, long-lasting results. And your hair was better before anyway… You don’t need to do that, you just need to follow my method instead, the Curl Maven Method. I’ll meet you where you are on your journey and give you the tools, tips + advice you need to get the results you want and reach your healthy hair goals. To get your confidence, waves + curls back.
Let me know in the comments if you found this article helpful or have any questions. If you’d like to start your healthy hair journey to get your waves + curls back, check out my Start Here and FAQ pages 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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