Find Out Everything You Need To Know About The Curly Girl Method
Image Source:Lilli Schaub
By Shilpa Bhim
Welcome to the guide you’ve all been waiting for: the Curly Girl Method 101.
Here, you’ll learn everything you need to know, and more, about taking care of your curls to keep them healthy and as defined as possible.
The Curly Girl Method is more than just a process, it’s a lifestyle, Ginas!
So, get ready to learn the what, the why and the how behind the Curly Girl Method and get set to live your best curly hair life.
What Is The Curly Girl Method?
Created by Lorraine Massey, the Curly Girl Method is about treating your curls (or waves or texture) with love, care and respect.
It encourages healthy hair habits to let your natural curl pattern shine. This means ruling our nasties (aka the things that don’t give your hair the TLC it deserves) like drying shampoos, heat, silicon and brushes.
The term ‘co-washing’ is also attributed to the Curly Girl Method which means you skip the shampoo as it could be drying your locks out and stick to conditioner for a ton of hydration and bounce instead!
Tell Me More!
You got it, Ginas!
The Curly Girl Method consists of three general key steps to keep your hair full of life:
- Cleanse: massage your scalp gently using your fingers and a little bit of conditioner. Rinse out and follow up with a sulphate-free shampoo (aka a “no-poo” shampoo).
- Condition: section your hair and massage conditioner into each section.
- Style: the key here is to avoid the heat! Wrap your wet hair in a microfiber towel or cotton t-shirt to allow some water to soak up. Then twist or scrunch your damp strands into place before leaving to air dry.
While the general method can be used by all hair textures, I’m going to break things down a little further for you.
The Curly Girl Method According To Your Curl Type
To make the most of the Curly Girl Method, you want to tailor it to your curl type. Not sure we that it, we’ve broken all the curl pattern types here for you.
On to the finer details, starting with you wavy Ginas:
Wavy Hair
- Cleanse: If you’re a wavy hair gal, stick to cleansing your locks weekly. To do this, wet your hair, put some conditioner through it, rinse out, then follow up with shampoo.
- Condition: Once you’ve shampooed, pop some conditioner in your hair from the mid-lengths to the ends. Rinse out, but not fully - leaving a little conditioner in your hair will keep it protected and hydrated.
- Style: scrunch or twist your waves into place and leave to air dry. If you’re after a little extra hydration, rub a little bit of oil or a water-based mousse into your palms or hair before styling.
Curly Hair
- Cleanse: You curly girls should be cleansing weekly too - using water and conditioner or a creamy cleansing balm.
- Condition: Run conditioner through your hair and rinse out. Leave some conditioner in if your curls are particularly dry.
- Style: Let your hair dry naturally, nourishing those curls with some leave-in conditioner or an anti-humectant styling cream depending on your type of curl. Once your hair is dry, add a little volume by flipping your hair forward and fluffing.
Coily Hair
- Cleanse: Stick to cleansing only when you really need to (around every two weeks) if you’re rocking gorgeous coils. Start by wetting your hair, then move to deep conditioning at step two.
- Condition: Spread conditioner through your hair, before wrapping your hair in a towel or hair turban. Blast your wrapped up hair with a hairdryer, at a medium heat, for around 5-10 minutes. Be sure to move the hairdryer around all over your hair during this time. Then, rinse your conditioner out.
- Style: You will want to style your hair based on the type of coily hair you have. Avoid using any heat directly on your curls and use a moisturising curl cream or a creamy leave-in hair moisturiser to keep your coils hydrated and happy.
Anything Else I Need To Know?
There is, Ginas! Some additional tips to nailing the Curly Girl Method Include:
Say yes to a no-poo shampoo. This means shampoos that contain sulfates. Sulfates are extremely drying and since curly hair tends to be on the dry side, it’s good practice to avoid ingredients that will further dry your strand out.
No more combs or brushes. Use your fingers instead! Your fingers are less rough on your strands as you can slowly work through any tangles instead of ripping through them - which leads to damage and breakage.
Say bye to heat and basic towels on your hair. While the conditioning step for your coily ladies involves using some heat through a towel, do not, I repeat do not, apply heat directly to your curls! This will undo all the hard work you’ve done in hydrating and nourishing your hair. Similarly, use a microfiber towel on your hair instead of a regular towel. A microfiber towel creates less friction on your strands which can help to limit damage and frizz. Plus it does an excellent job of absorbing water from your hair!
Give your styled curls the TLC they deserve. The Damn Gina signature silk hair accessories are created to nourish, protect and gently caress your hair. So show your curls you care and treat them to a turban, scrunchie, pillowcase or all three (go on, you deserve it!).
Will you be trying out the Curly Girl Method? Share your thoughts with us, and don’t forget to share your sassiest and most fabulous curl moments with us via Instagram!
Shilpa is a freelance beauty, health and travel writer from Melbourne, Australia. When she’s not writing, she’s out and about exploring places around Australia and the world. You can keep up with her adventures over at @skb.ontherun and check out her latest articles here.
