Have you heard of the CG method (CG is short for Curly Girl)? If not, read on!
The basic rules of the curly girl method are simple, but if you want the most important one, here it is:
- Don't use products with sulfates or silicones.
There's more than that, but that's one of the most important things to remember.
There are SOME silicones that are water soluble and are fine to use, but it's easier to just start out by avoiding all silicones, so I won't get into that right now.. Their names in the ingredient lists can get really complicated and weird lol. The most common silicone is "dimethicone". They usually end in "cone". Not always though. So, always check the labels of your hair products for silicones and sulfates! Like I said, they don't always directly say "silicones" or "sulfates". (You can do some reading to find out how to spot those ingredients.)
Silicones basically coat your hair and seal/smooth it; most silicones aren't water soluble, so they can be really difficult to remove, and they can weigh your hair down & cause buildup. Silicones also prevent any more moisture from getting into your hair and are only removed by sulfates, which strip your hair & can be really drying/harsh.
Sulfates are in a lot of shampoos. It's usually what makes them lather. Basically, it's a harsh cycle of coating your hair w/ silicones and then stripping it w/ sulfates.
Sulfates are in a lot of shampoos. It's usually what makes them lather. Basically, it's a harsh cycle of coating your hair w/ silicones and then stripping it w/ sulfates.
So, if you want to start avoiding silicones & sulfates, you'll want to do one last wash w/ a sulfate-ridden shampoo to get rid of any lingering silicones & have a clean, blank slate to begin with. :)
Washing hair
What you're supposed to do when you wash your hair is cleanse your hair using a sulfate-free shampoo (also known as "no-poo", which I honestly think is a stupid name). A lot of people also "co-wash", which is basically just washing your hair with conditioner (it may sound weird at first, but it actually works for most people) or a cleansing conditioner. When you co-wash, you take conditioner and gently massage it into your scalp. Then you just rinse it out. After you do your "no-poo", you use conditioner (remember to avoid silicones) in your hair like you usually do, and rinse that out. If you co-washed, it's not always necessary to use more conditioner unless you want to use a more moisturizing one to get a deeper condition. You can then reapply a small amount of conditioner as a leave-in to moisturize your hair. One of the things that curly hair craves is moisture. Moisture is a major part of keeping healthy curls! Just keep that in mind.
After washing
When you get out of the shower, don't immediately start tousling your hair with a normal terry cloth towel. This causes friction and isn't good for curls! What you want to do is use a t-shirt, paper towels, or a microfiber towel to gently scrunch the excess water out of your hair. After this, apply a (silicone free) gel, mousse, and/or styling cream evenly throughout your hair. Some people put product in before scrunching out excess water.
It's best to just let your hair dry naturally, but if you must blow dry it, use a diffuser on a lower heat setting. Also, don't touch your hair while it's drying; this will cause frizz. Once it's dry, you can gently scrunch your hair to release the "cast" that the gel forms and you'll have nice, soft curls!
Another major thing: Don't brush out your curls. It kills the curl formation that you've been working so hard for! Use a wide-toothed comb instead, and only comb it to detangle while you're in the shower w/ conditioner in your wet hair.
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It's best to just let your hair dry naturally, but if you must blow dry it, use a diffuser on a lower heat setting. Also, don't touch your hair while it's drying; this will cause frizz. Once it's dry, you can gently scrunch your hair to release the "cast" that the gel forms and you'll have nice, soft curls!
Another major thing: Don't brush out your curls. It kills the curl formation that you've been working so hard for! Use a wide-toothed comb instead, and only comb it to detangle while you're in the shower w/ conditioner in your wet hair.
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The great thing about this method is that once your hair gets used to it, it'll look a lot better and healthier. Click here to see my progress (as of 7/15/15)! You also probably won't have to wash your hair as often as you used to. You can tweak the method to work better for you or you can follow it to the T! It may take some time to find the right products; just keep on digging until you find what you love. :)
The person who started the whole curly girl method (also known as the original curly girl!) wrote the curly girl handbook, which I suggest you read if you're interested in this method. Click here to see the handbook. They also have a line of curly hair products called DevaCurl, and they have all sorts of stuff, including "no-poo," gel, conditioner, etc!
The person who started the whole curly girl method (also known as the original curly girl!) wrote the curly girl handbook, which I suggest you read if you're interested in this method. Click here to see the handbook. They also have a line of curly hair products called DevaCurl, and they have all sorts of stuff, including "no-poo," gel, conditioner, etc!
Now go explore & have fun with your hair!
-CK
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