Order now and enjoy free shipping – only until Sunday!
Not sure what the Curly Girl method is yet? We'll explain the basics so you can read if it's something for you and you may want to delve further into it.
The Curly Girl method is a way to make your natural curls look their best by washing and caring for your hair in a special way. It is important that you avoid certain ingredients in hair products. If you apply the Curly Girl routine consistently, you will see your curls becoming more beautiful, defined and less frizzy.
The method is not only suitable for curly hair. For example, do you have very frizzy hair but no curls? Then try this method too, because often underneath that frizzy hair is a beautiful bunch of curls hidden! The condition of straight hair also improves with the gentle treatment of the hair. It becomes healthier, more beautiful and shinier.
The method was developed by British Lorraine Massey in 2001. Before that, similar methods did exist. The Curly Girl method, for example, is very similar to the 'no poo' movement, in which the condition of your hair is improved by no longer washing your hair with regular shampoo. The method (called routine at Curly Girl) you use is completely prescribed, but the products you use for it depend on your type of curl and the further properties of your hair.
Besides a certain routine of how you care for and wash your hair, there are some ingredients you should avoid in your hair products. Because not all store-bought products specifically for curly hair are also Curly Girl proof. So it is a matter of always checking the ingredient lists. Most of the ingredients that are not recommended are ingredients that either cleanse too aggressively, or put a layer around your hair that cannot be removed without aggressive shampooing. Your hair then becomes too heavy due to build-up, making it harder for your hair to curl, if at all. Use care and styling products without the following ingredients:
Most shampoos contain sulphates. Sulphates cleanse your hair well but strip it of all its natural oil. Whereas your curls need oil to stay supple. Your hair dries out. In addition, sulphates damage your hair cuticles. Enough reasons to stop using shampoo to wash your hair and use conditioner instead, according to the Curly Girl method. This is also known as 'co' washing, where co is short for (indeed!) conditioner. Sometimes, though, a very mild Curly Girl-approved shampoo is used. It's best to apply the shampoo to your scalp only then.
Wait! Before you throw out your sulphate-containing shampoo, you need it one more time to perform your final wash. This will rid your hair of all the impurities built up in your hair, such as silicones, for example. After that, your hair is completely clean and you're good to go!
Commonly used sulphates in shampoos are: Sodium lauryl sulfate, Sodium laureth sulfate, Ammonium laureth sulfate, Ammonium lauryl sulfate, Sodium Dodecyl Sulfate.
Alcohol in hair products is best avoided, according to the Curly Girl method. This is because most commonly used alcohols dry out your hair. Since curls usually already lack moisture, this is not good for your curls. To curl, your hair cuticles need to round out nicely. This is only possible if they are elastic enough to bend. Since alcohol makes your hair less elastic, this does not have a good effect on your curls. It also makes your hair more frizzy.
Dehydrating alcohol: Ethanol, SD alcohol, SD alcohol 40, Alcohol denat, Propanol, Propyl alcohol, Isopropyl alcohol.
Non-drying alcohol (oily alcohol): Cetyl alcohol, Lauryl alcohol, Myristyl alcohol, Stearyl alcohol, Cetearyl alcohol, Behenyl alcohol.
Mineral oils are non-natural oils. They are oils derived from petroleum or petroleum. This may seem strange, but mineral oils are very widely used in cosmetic products. Vaseline, for instance, is also made of mineral oil. However, mineral oil is difficult to dissolve in water and the mild method of hair washing (without sulphates) does not wash it out of the hair. So you end up with a build-up that weighs down your curls, making it difficult for your curls to take their beautiful natural shape. In addition, conditioning ingredients can no longer penetrate your hair.
You can often find minerals on the packaging under the names: Paraffinum liquidum, Paraffin, Isoparaffin; Synthetic wax, Microcrystalline wax and hydrogenated microcrystalline wax, Cera microcrystalline, Petrolatum, Ceresin, Ozokerite.
Parabens are not on the banned list for Curly Girls. Parabens are used as preservatives. This helps hair products last longer. Some studies say parabens are endocrine disruptors. There is no real evidence for this, but since they do nothing else good for your hair and curls, it is better to avoid them, according to Curly Girl.
The most common parabens in hair products are: Methylparaben, Ethylparaben, p-Propylparaben, Isobutylparaben, n-Butylparaben, Benzylparaben.
Silicones are used in many regular conditioners and styling products. This is because they make your hair soft because they put a thin layer around it and fill holes in the hair cuticle. This therefore makes your hair feel much smoother. In itself very desirable, of course, but the disadvantages are greater. Many silicones are not washed out of your hair by shampoos without sulphates. So you end up with a build-up in your hair (just like with mineral oils, making your curls heavy and suffocating. Your hair is then sealed by a plastic layer, as it were. Care products can then also no longer do their job because this layer prevents them from reaching your hair.
Silicone-containing ingredients end in: -cone, -xane, -col and -conol. Some silicones are water-soluble and therefore Curly Girl-proof. You can recognise these by the addition 'PEG' or 'copolyol'.
Tip: website to check ingredients according to the Curly Girl method
Starting with the Curly Girl method? Then you first perform a 'final wash'. Use a shampoo that does contain sulphates, so your hair is completely free from any build-up. You can then start with clean hair. You can choose a clarifying shampoo or another shampoo that cleanses your hair of any impurities. Then continue with the regular Curly Girl routine for washing and conditioning.
Wet your hair and wash it with sulphate-free (or Curly Girl friendly shampoo) or else a suitable conditioner. Massage it in well, including on your scalp. You can also use a silicone massage brush for this. Detangle your hair with your fingers. Rinse well with cold water.
Once a week afterwards, apply a deep conditioner to your wet hair, from ends up to the roots. Be especially generous on the curls in your ends, as this is where your curls tend to be driest. Leave for about half an hour under a hair cap (warmth allows your curls to absorb the deep conditioner even better) and rinse with cold water. Then dry your hair.
After co-washing, apply leave-in conditioner in your wet hair. Start by applying it at the top of your hair and work towards your ends by gliding your fingers through your hair. Do not use a comb or brush. Next, 'pinch' your hair from the lengths upwards to promote your curl pattern. This 'pinching' is called scrunching. Is there enough conditioner in your hair? Then you can dry your hair, i.e. without rinsing out the conditioner.
Never dry your hair with a terry towel as they are too rough on your hair cuticles. Dry your hair very gently with a microfibre towel, t-shirt or hydrophilic cloth. Above all, do not rub, as this will damage your hair.
Now put some Curly Girl gel or mousse in your towel-dry hair and scrunch it well while hanging upside down. When your hair is completely dry, but really completely dry, gently scrunch your hair again to break up the hard gel or mousse layer. If all goes well, the hardness will be gone but you will be left with a beautifully defined curl. This is called 'scrunching out the crunch'. The hard layer is then called 'cast' again.
To avoid damaging your hair, preferably do not use brushes or combs at all. However, there are Curly Girl-approved brushes you could look at for when you really can't go without a brush. Of course, it's best not to use heat tools at all, but if you want to blow dry your hair, use a diffuser. Use your fingers to 'comb' and detangle your hair. As already mentioned, don't use terry towels to dry your hair either, but microfibre towels, a hydrophilic towel or a t-shirt. This is because a regular terry towel is too rough and draws too much moisture from your hair.
These are guidelines, eventually of course you can experiment and discover what works well for you. If you are just starting with the method, your hair may need some time in the beginning. It might look greasy at first, for instance, or it might just get more frizzy. But so stick with it for a while! It is best to recheck your curl and hair type from time to time: they may change after you start using the Curly Girl Method.
The above applies to all Curlies, but the products and the exact routine you apply depends on your curl type and hair type. So you will have to determine these first. The main issue here is whether you should use products precisely with or without protein.
All hair types are classified in numbers from 1 to 4. 1 is straight hair. Numbers 2, 3 and 4 indicate your curl type: 2 stands for wavy, 3 for curly and 4 for afro or frizzy hair. You can also have a combination of two curl types. The letters A, B and C indicate how tight your curls are coiled. At A, the density of the curls is the least and at C the highest.
At the moment you start the Curly Girl method, it is sometimes difficult to determine which curl type you have. Only when you apply the Curly Girl method for some time will your curls have a chance to show themselves in their full glory. Then you can redefine which curl type you are and choose your care products in an even more targeted way.
Determining your hair type and adjusting the ingredients of your skincare products accordingly is something on which opinions differ, even among Curly Girls. It is mainly a matter of you looking carefully to see what certain (Curly Girl Proof) products do for your hair.
But it is said that besides your curl type, it is also advisable to determine what the characteristics of your curls are in order to optimise your products and possibly routine. This involves three different aspects. Based on this, you can better assess whether products with or without protein will work better for you.
How high is the density of hair on your head? You can estimate this by looking at whether you can see your scalp between your hairs or not at all, even up close. If, according to a hairdresser, you have thick hair, for example, the density is high. With long hair, you can also make a ponytail in your hair and then measure the circumference of the elastic band. Less than five centimetres is thin, between five and 10 centimetres is normal and at more than 10 centimetres, you have really high hair density.
How thick is one individual hair? Can you see one hair clearly if you hold it up to the light? Then your hair is coarse. Is the hair virtually invisible? Then you have fine hair. If your hair is in between, your hair is average.
Your elasticity and porosity together determine how much protein and/or moisturiser you need in your hair routine. To determine your hair's elasticity, pull one or several hairs from your head. Take the hair between the fingers of your two hands and stretch the hair. If you can stretch the hair very far before it breaks, you have very elastic and strong hair. If you can stretch it a little, then your hair has medium elasticity. If your hair breaks almost immediately when you stretch it, then your hair has little elasticity and is not very strong either. If this is the case then your hair needs protein.
But elasticity is not always a good indicator of whether your hair needs protein. Sometimes elasticity can also vary from one hair to another. If you have low elasticity, your hair lacks moisture. Avoid hair products with protein and use a moisturising hair mask once every 7 to 14 days.
Porosity is often difficult to determine and different ways of testing it sometimes give a different picture. High porosity means your hair is damaged. If your hair has high porosity, it means that your hair dries fairly quickly after washing, within two to four hours (without blow-drying). If it takes four to eight hours, your hair has medium porosity but if it takes longer than eight hours to dry, your hair has low porosity. Low-porosity hair is harder to penetrate for liquids and other products because the hair cuticles are smooth and tight over each other. Your hair will be shiny too! But note that with your hair, products need a bit more time and warmth to absorb the product properly.
Is your hair highly porous? Then your hair easily absorbs too much moisture. With products containing keratin (a commonly used protein in hair products) you repair the places where your hair cuticles do not close properly to prevent this from happening. You also help your cuticles close better by rinsing your hair with cold water or by rinsing your hair with apple cider vinegar.
Of course, it is also true that if you have highlights in your hair, for instance, those hairs have a different structure and are more damaged than your hair without highlights. You can of course take this into account when caring for your hair.
Are you dizzy now? That is not strange, there is a lot of information on the Curly Girl method and what works well for one person may not work for another. Different sources also contradict each other. Also, as mentioned, sometimes it takes some perseverance before you know whether your hair reacts well, because your curls need time to get used to it This can sometimes take weeks or months. So be patient! But the rule is: if the Curly Girl method doesn't help, at least it won't hurt.