My Curly Girl Method Journey. This is the start of my CGM journey and how it is working for me. This is essentially the first month. The why, the method and how I’m doing so far.
A week before starting the Curly Girl Method.
So I have been straightening my hair for years.
As well as coloring, highlighting, blow drying and well, basically destroying it.
I love my hair straight. I can’t help it.
But I’m tired of that routine. And I want to work with my curly hair.
I love curly hair. But with all the damage I’ve done to it, it comes out looking dry and frizzy and poofy and there is no curl definition.
Now comes, the curly girl method.
The day before starting the curly girl method – to show it with no product, freshly washed and diffused.
Most curl products no matter how expensive, that I have tried, simply tended to weigh my hair down, cause FAR more frizz or leave it dried out and crunchy.
It had to stop.
So I did what any desperate curly girl wanna be would do, and I posted the above picture on my FB page with a cry and plea for help to tame this mess.
As you can imagine I got a lot of advice.
Some wasn’t so great, which included using products I had tried before and weren’t really the best for curly hair.
Or for coarse, thick hair – which I have an abundance of.
The Curly Girl Method
But one piece of advice given by several people, was to research The Curly Girl Method.
This is a method designed by hairstylist Lorraine Massey, founder of the Devachan Salons, in her bestselling book, Curly Girl: The Handbook.
So I went down that rabbit hole and haven’t come up for breath since.
OMG! The YouTube videos alone. Her goal, and mine at this point, is to work with your natural hair texture.
Basically the method eliminates any product containing:
- silicones – These are found in styling products and most conditioners. They prevent water and moisture from getting into your hair, and over time it builds up and weighs down your curly hair.
- sulfates – These are harsh cleansers found in most shampoos that strip the hair of oils, moisture and proteins.
- alcohol – Most curly hair is naturally very dry. I can attest to that. Adding alcohols in your hair products, dries the hair out even more.
- fragrances – Most fragrances are artificial. They are created using many different chemicals to get that scent. They cause buildup, do damage to the hair shaft, and get get into your scalp as well.
- glycerin – This is really only for curly girls who suffer from a lot of frizz. Glycerin can help keep moisture locked into your hair shafts during rainy or colder months, but when it gets warm out, it removes moisture from strands. Glycerin free products usually help a lot with taming frizz.
- heat styling tools – From hair dryers, to curling irons and flat irons, heat tools definitely cause loads of damage to your hair. If you don’t want to air dry, you’ll instead need to use a diffuser on low-medium heat.
- shampoo – loaded with chemicals, impossible to wash all the way out because of how it works, too harsh, causes drying and frizz.
- combs and brushes – They create a ton of frizz and will pull out your curl pattern, taking away any definition you had.
Well then what’s left? Conditioner.
It’s called Co-Pooing and it’s basically using conditioner and water to “wash” your hair. I thought it was crazy at first, but it’s truly not.
This is literally my hair after only one month of following the method.
My hair is somewhere between wavy and curly.
I haven’t figured that out perfectly yet, since I haven’t been doing this long and I’m still in the transition stage.
Years and Years of damage and color. But I was a curly little one and I want those back!
Look’s like I am on my way.
Hardest part for me… not touching my hair. I play with my hair a lot, and love, love when it’s soft and this method definitely makes it soft.
You shouldn’t touch your hair because it messes with the natural curl pattern and can affect the frizz as well.
So I’m adjusting. It’s not hard, but it is a lifestyle change and you have to want it.
I’ll update again in a couple more months.