Everything You Need to Know About the Curly Girl Method From Someone Who Tried It
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Curls can be hard to figure out. Before discovering the Curly Girl Method, I spent years trying to master the art of giving my 2C waves the sort of beautiful bounce that early-aughts hair commercials promised me was possible. My experiments have involved countless hair diffusers, salt sprays, curl creams, and mousses (plus at least a dozen TikTok hacks) to no avail.
But as I recently learned, it doesn’t have to be that complicated. All you’ve got to do, it turns out, is treat your curls the way they want to be treated—an ideology at the root of the Curly Girl Method that finally helped me figure out my curls once and for all.
What is the Curly Girl Method?
The Curly Girl Method (CGM) was created by hairstylist Lorraine Massey, who founded Devachan Salon and eventually became known as the Curl Guru.
Her book, Curly Girl: The Handbook, came out in 2011 and introduced the world to a curl-care motto to live by: Handle your hair as gently as you do your best cashmere sweater. “This method discourages use of products containing ingredients that can be damaging to curly hair, and discourages use of practices that cause structural damage to hair and disrupts natural curl,” says Hana Chong at NYC The Team hair salon by Michelle Hong.
Curly hair spans a diverse range of textures, from loose 2A waves to tight, springy 4C coils. Despite their differences, they’ve all got one thing in common: curls tend to be much drier than straight hair.
Due to its anatomical structure, curly hair has a hard time holding onto hydration. “Because curls are twisting and turning constantly, the cuticle, which is the outer layer of the hair, tends to have a harder time remaining closed, which allows for moisture and nutrients to escape,” says Jocelyn Smith, stylist and senior director of education at Ouidad Salon.
Ready to discover, once and for all, how to get curly hair that actually does what you want it to? Massey’s method is simple but specific, and is all about helping your curls maintain their integrity by avoiding damage to their cuticle. Below are the method’s guiding principles.
Curly Girl Method principles
Skip shampoo.
Because curly hair struggles to retain moisture, you want to do everything you can to avoid stripping it—which involves skipping shampoo. Instead, it calls for co-washing, or using a conditioning shampoo.
“Conditioner washing (co-washing) is washing your hair with a specialty formulated conditioner,” says hairstylist Kristan Serafino. “A co-washing product gently lifts just enough dirt and product buildup without stripping the natural moisture out the hair with harsh detergents.”
These formulas are free of sulfates—the lathering agent that gives shampoo its suds and bubbles—so while you will get enough of a clean from them, you won’t get the usual froth and foam.
Curly girls should trade their regular shampoo for a sulfate-free formula. There are a few different options on the market that fit the bill.
Low-poos: “Low shampoos” are sulfate-free but still contain some gentle detergents that give the scalp a bit of a deeper clean—they fall somewhere between your regular shampoo and a cleansing conditioner. These products are best for those with fine or thin hair, or loose waves, or whose scalps get greasy quickly.
No-poo: Cleansing conditioners or co-washes aren’t like regular shampoo at all. Those with tighter curls and drier textures will benefit the most from these types of formulas, but the Curly Girl Method claims that all types of curls will see results, so it’s worth giving no-poo a try (at least, at first).
Because these products don’t lather, you’ll need to put in a little extra legwork to kick them into gear. Be sure to use your fingertips to massage them into your scalp to help physically loosen any buildup and oil so the active ingredients can whisk them away.
Avoid harsh ingredients.
Sulfates are just one of the stripping ingredients that the Curly Girl Method requires you to stay away from. “There are certain ones you definitely need to make sure you’re avoiding, such as formaldehyde, mineral oil, silica, and parabens,” says Smith.
Formaldehyde: A harsh preservative often found in keratin treatments that can cause excessive dryness, weaken hair strands, and irritate the scalp, which is particularly problematic for curly hair, since it already struggles with moisture retention.
Mineral oil: A petroleum-based ingredient that sits on top of the hair (instead of penetrating it), blocking moisture from entering. For curly hair—which needs hydration—this can lead to dry, brittle curls.
Silica: Silica can coat the hair and weigh down the curls, making them look less voluminous and defined. Over time, a silica buildup can make it harder for natural oils or moisture to penetrate the hair shaft, leading to dryness.
Parabens: Parabens are preservatives that can disrupt the scalp’s natural microbiome and cause irritation. They can exacerbate scalp dryness and sensitivity, which in turn affects the overall health of your hair.
Double down on moisture.
By now you’ve gotten the idea that keeping curly hair moisturized is the single most important thing you can do to keep it healthy and looking its best. With that in mind, you want to stack your routine with a slew of hydrating products from start to finish. After you’ve washed your hair with a conditioning cleanser and nourished with a conditioner, Chong recommends using light oils for extra hydration and styling with moisturizing curl creams and mousses.
Limit the heat.
Heat can take a toll on all hair types, but curly hair is especially vulnerable to damage. That’s why the Curly Girl Method emphasizes minimizing heat styling and encourages embracing your natural curls by air-drying whenever possible. Letting your curls dry naturally helps maintain their health, definition, and bounce. “Never dry,” says Chong. And if heat is absolutely needed, “use a diffuser,” she stresses.
Air-dry gently.
Even without heat in the equation, you still want to air-dry with care to avoid damage. “Our hair is its most fragile when wet, and towels create friction, which creates frizz and potential breakage,” says Smith. Instead, she says, “use a T-shirt or terry cloth towel to encourage curl formation and remove a bit of excess water.”
How to do the Curly Girl Method
The Curly Girl Method starts with a reset wash, using a clarifying shampoo to get your scalp nice and clean before you officially get into your no-poo routine. “This is a clarifying shampoo to remove product buildup and any other residue that could be prohibiting curls from being their best selves,” says Chong.
Additionally, you’ll want to work your clarifying shampoo into your routine every so often to ensure your scalp is squeaky clean so that the rest of your curly hair routine can work its magic.
For my own reset wash, I used dpHue’s Apple Cider Vinegar Scalp Rinse as a preshampoo treatment to help dislodge any buildup on my scalp. Then, when I got in the shower, I used the Ouai Detox Shampoo and did a five-minute deep-conditioning treatment with the Dae Monsoon Moisture Mask.
I let my curls air-dry so I could have a baseline and see my curls pre-CGM. I was…less than impressed. So I straightened them with my Dyson Airstrait, then waited two days for my first “wash.”
dpHue’s Apple Cider Vinegar Scalp Rinse
$37.00, Amazon
Ouai Detox Shampoo
$54.00, Sephora
Dae Monsoon Moisture Mask
$32.00, Amazon
Step 1: Wash
I work out—and get sweaty—nearly every day, so I’ll admit I had my doubts about whether or not a no-poo could really get my stinky scalp as clean as I needed it to be.
Those fears were thankfully quashed the first time I co-washed with Ouidad’s Curl Shaper Double Duty Weightless Cleansing Conditioner, which left me feeling (and smelling) nice and clean. It was a bit strange shampooing without lather, but it gave me an excuse to treat my scalp to a nice mechanical massage. I also learned that it helps if your hair is really wet before you apply the no-poo—I’ve had the best results scrubbing it in while my head was literally under the running water—which also makes the experience feel more like what I’m used to.
Ouidad Curl Shaper Double Duty Weightless Cleansing Conditioner
$36.00, Ouidad
Step 2: Condition
The way you condition your hair in the Curly Girl Method is a very personalized thing—what you use totally depends on what your hair needs.
I’ve found that my cleansing conditioner gives my hair enough moisture without requiring another in-shower product—but after I rinse it off of my scalp, I often put a little on my ends for some extra hydration. While I’m doing this, I comb through my hair with my fingers to make sure there are no tangles.
Then I spritz my hair with a combination of Dae Mirage Mist Leave-In Conditioner and Drunk Elephant Wild Marula Tangle Spray to give it one last shot of moisture before I start to style.
Dae Mirage Mist Leave-In Conditioner
$41.00, Sephora
Drunk Elephant Wild Marula Tangle Spray
$27.00, Amazon
Step 3: Dry
Since I didn’t have a microfiber towel lying around, I borrowed an old Knicks T-shirt from my fiancé (sorry, babe) and used it to wring out my strands. I separated my soaking hair into sections, then wrapped them one by one into the T-shirt and squeezed out all the water—not unlike how I’ve been taught to dry my toy poodle’s hair. It was hard not to go to town rough-drying, the way I usually do, but the T-shirt actually got the job done faster than I’d expected. What’s more, my hair was just as tangle-free as it had been before started the drying process, which literally never happens.
Crown Affair The Hair Towel
$75.00, Sephora
Step 4: Style
You can use a gel, cream, or mousse—or some combination of the three. I opted for IGK’s Class of 93 Whipped Curl Cream because it’s nourishing and delivers nice, defined curls without any crunch. I rubbed it into my palms (it looks more like a creamy frosting than the usually foamy texture you’d get from a mousse but isn’t at all sticky), then flipped my head over and scrunched it into my curls.
IGK Class of '93 Curl Perfecting Whipped Cream
$32.00, Amazon
Finally, I pineapple’d my hair into a high bun and waited three hours for my hair to air-dry so I could see the results. Drumroll please…
Step 5: Repeat
It takes some time to Tetris your perfect, personalized version of the CGM, but the longer you stick to it, the healthier your hair will get and the better your curls will be. I’ve cycled through three washes with the method, mixing things up slightly every time. I’ve realized that my hair needs different things on different days—on one of my washes, for example, I used a deep-conditioning mask; the other day I traded my whipped cream for a slightly thicker one—and am still working to figure it out. One thing I know for sure, though? My hair already looks better with every wash.
Curly Girl Method Mistakes
Rushing the process
The first rule of the Curly Girl Method is that you need to be patient with your curls in both the short and the long term. For starters, “you want your curl to be completely dry before heading out the door, for not only frizz protection but also for extended curl formation throughout the day,” says Smith.
More important than giving yourself enough dry time during the getting-ready process is giving your hair enough time to return to its healthy state. “It will take time for curls to be at their best, so be patient,” says Chong. “Finding the right styling and finishing product can take time, and it will also take time for natural curls to find their way back to their natural, healthy state.”
Fussing with the curls
Though it can be tempting to play with your newly bouncy curls, don’t do it. Touching your curls throughout the day will mess with their integrity—and that’s especially true when they’re still wet. “Don’t brush the curls or fuss with the hair while it’s drying—the key is not to touch it until it’s fully dried,” says Chong. “Apply products, scrunch, and diffuse if needed, then leave the hair be and let it dry naturally without any disruptions.”
Skipping a protein treatment
In addition to needing a lot of moisture to stay healthy, curly hair can also benefit from some structural fortification—which is where protein treatments, such as Olaplex Hair Perfector and K18 Leave-In Molecular Hair Mask, come in. “Use or get consistent restructuring treatments that have protein in them,” says Smith. “Curly hair can lack strength, so these are essential for maintaining and improving the health of curly hair.
Curly Hair FAQS
How often to wash curly hair
Though curly girls should typically wash their hair less frequently than their straight-haired counterparts, there’s no one-size-fits-all advice here—the answer is totally dependent on a few different factors.
“Curly hair tends to be more dry, which is why the common answer is to not wash it as often, because you’re stripping hair of moisture,” says Smith. “But it really depends on your lifestyle and your hormones. Sebum is produced by your hormones, and some people need to wash their hair more often because they’re getting that oil sebum production build up on the scalp. If you’re not removing that appropriately, the sebum production can clog the pores, which can lead to hair-loss issues.”
Your hair’s texture and thickness also play a role in how often it needs a real lather and rinse. “People with finer hair may want to wash more than once a week, depending on how their hair is feeling—these textures tend to get limper and flatter with natural oils,” says Chong. “Thicker, curlier hair, on the other hand, tends to benefit from these natural oils, and can be cleansed less frequently—once a week or even once every week and a half.”
Chong recommends using your sulfate-free cleansing conditioner approximately once every 7 to 10 days, and bringing in a clarifying shampoo anytime you can start to sense any sort of grease, grime, or product buildup on your scalp.
Ultimately, it’s about listening to your hair and what it needs—if it’s feeling gross or looking blah, it’s time for a wash; but if you can stick it out for another day or two, that will always be your best bet. A gentle sulfate-free conditioning cleanser can be used once a week to once every 10 days to cleanse product build-up and other residue gently.
How to style curly hair
All curls are different, and the way you choose to style them is entirely up to you. That said, there are a few stylist-approved rules you may want to keep in mind. In the battle of gel versus mousse versus cream, there’s no clear winner.
“This is where you find room to play—building with a gel, or mousse, or whatever your preference is,” says Chong. “Some prefer more volume and a fluffed-out end style; some prefer more control. The beauty of this is to play around and find what feels most true to yourself.”
Gel products work by creating a “cast” around the curls, which locks them into place for strong definition and hold. This is great for reducing frizz, and works best on thick, coarse textures, as gels may weigh down fine hair. The one drawback is that they can leave your hair a little crunchy, so you’ll want to flip your head over and “scrunch out the crunch” while your curls are drying to soften them up.
With its whipped-cream-like texture, mousse is undoubtedly the most fun curly hair product to play with—and delivers lightweight volume and definition in the process. Because mousses boost volume at the root, they give curls a bouncy, natural finish, and since they aren’t super heavy, they work especially well on medium hair types. Keep in mind that mousses aren’t great at protecting against humidity, so if frizz is a concern, you may want to pair yours with a frizz-reducing hairspray.
Creams are the best option for curly girls who are looking for moisture over definition. They give hair soft, natural-looking waves sans frizz, and are sort of like a tall drink of water for extra-thirsty strands. Cream formulas tend to be rich and heavy, so they may weigh down finer textures.
How to apply curly hair products
Equally as important as the styling products you use is the way you apply them. “At Ouidad, we recommend applying our products to hair that is very wet, sometimes right in the shower to ensure proper hydration is integrated with the product application,” says Smith. “Order matters, too, because the structure of curly hair requires these products to penetrate the hair shaft and build up the hair from the inside out.”
After you’re out of the shower, you’ll want to start with a leave-in conditioner, seal in the moisture with an oil, and then apply any creams, gels, or styling products.
Cream + gel: Moisturize with cream, then use gel for definition and hold
Mousse + gel: Apply mousse for volume, then gel to lock in shape
Cream + mousse: Use cream to hydrate and mousse for lightweight hold and volume
Should you condition curly hair?
The CGM’s conditioner step is sort of a “choose your own adventure” situation. For some, the conditioning cleanser will be all you need to keep your curls well hydrated. Others may want to use a rinse-out product in the shower or opt for a leave-in after they towel off. Really, it’s up to you—just make sure you’re doing something.
“As a baseline product to protect your curls, I always suggest a weightless leave-in spray for those who like to build product,” says Juliana Ohlmeyer, a hairstylist in New York City who’s a fan of Bumble and Bumble Hairdresser’s Invisible Oil for this exact purpose.
Should you brush curly hair?
Absolutely not! “Never brush curly hair—wet, or especially when dry—because this can cause breakage and frizz,” says Chong.
If you need to detangle, stick with your fingers or use a wide-tooth comb while hair is still wet. Additionally, you can opt for a “pre-poo” treatment to help with knots. Before you get into the shower, slick your dry hair with conditioner, and use a wide-tooth comb to work through any tangles.
Originally Appeared on Glamour
