Is Your Hair Frizzy or Could it Be Curly?
If you’ve been struggling with frizz your whole life you’ll probably agree that it’s impossible to tame. You can’t calm it down no matter how many products you use. But what if you didn’t have to work against it but with it? I’ll tell you a secret that I wasn’t aware of until a few weeks ago. If your hair tends to be frizzy, it might be a sign that it’s naturally curly. Yes, it’s possible to be completely unaware of what your natural hair looks like. Let me introduce you to a life-changer: The Curly Girl Method.
What is the Curly Girl Method?
The Curly Girl Method (CGM) is a creation of a hairstylist by Lorraine Massey. Lorraine hopes more women fall in love with their curls. CGM is an approach to taking care of your hair that replaces the habits that cause damage and exchanges them with habits that serve your hair.
Who is CGM For?
CGM isn’t just dedicated to curly hair. The general idea is to encourage you to experiment with different products to find a combination that allows your hair to thrive and reach its potential, whether it means tidying up your curls or amping up your waves. If you have naturally straight hair, you won’t magically develop curls but you might find out that you had curly hair all this time. You might have to get there through the trial and error method but don’t get discouraged. You can start from the basics and go from there.
The Basic Steps of the Curly Girl Method Routine
- Reset Wash
The reason your strands might have lost their natural shape is that most shampoos containers sulphates. Sulphates have drying properties and deprive your hair of the moisture it needs. Another harmful ingredient is silicone which is supposed to get rid of frizz. However, if your hair is naturally curly, silicone will only make your hair look messier. To remove the silicone build-up, firstly, wash your hair with a sulphate-filled product.
2. Cleanse & Condition
Next, you need to wash your hair with shampoo and a cleansing conditioner that are both sulphates and silicone-free. While some curl owners swear by just using a conditioner, there’s nothing wrong with using a shampoo. For the best results, look for shampoos that are CGM-approved. Massage your scalp for at least a minute whilst cleansing your hair.
Use a conditioner to fully cover the bottom half of your hair while scrunching it at the same time. Once your hair is fully saturated, you can either detangle it with your fingers or use a wide-tooth comb. Finish with a thorough rinse.
3. Dry
Pat your hair for about 5 minutes using a cotton T-shirt or a microfibre towel to keep it scrunched and to retain the curls.
You should avoid twisting it in a towel because it stretches out the strands and causes them to lose definition. Once you’ve removed the excess water, you can blow dry your hair with a cold setting or let it dry naturally.
4. If it’s you first time, you can skip this step. But going forwards, you should apply gel, preferably CGM-approved, to wet your hair. Scrunch your hair with the gel to encourage the formation of curls.
Are There Any Downsides to CGM?
While some people are lucky enough to experience positive changes after just one wash, for most of us it’s a gradual process. Your hair might need time to get used to your new care routine. A pre-warning though, your hair may look greasier than usual as a result. You might have to try out a few products before you find ‘the one’ but if your hair is already impossible to tame, do you have anything to lose?
Give it a go and if you notice your hair has a different structure after a few washes, keep going.
My advice
