Sometimes it’s hard to tame a storm of curly hair. Fortunately, there are methods to bring out the perfect curl and give shine. One of them is the “curly girl method”.
Curly girl method is simply a certain way of caring for curly hair, considered one of the best. The creator of the method is American hair stylist and curl specialist Lorraine Massey, who first introduced the care in question in 2001 in her book “Curly Girl: The Handbook.” Massey is also the founder of the Deva Curl hair care brand and the originator of a type of dry cut for curly hair. Following the recommendations of the curly girl method helps bring out the beautiful curl and keep challenging curly hair in better condition. What exactly does this method consist of?
Assumptions of curly girl method
The curly girl method is based on gentle care, starting from the very washing. According to the most important premise, you should exclude shampoos that contain strong washing detergents, such as ALS, SLS or SLES. On the packaging, they can hide under the names:
- sodium lauryl sulfate,
- sodium laureth sulfate,
- alkylbenzene sulfonate,
- ammonium laureth sulfate,
- sodium alkyl sulfate,
- sodium cetearyl sulfate,
- tea lauryl sulfate.
We also avoid silicones (substances ending in -cone, -xane and -silicate) and all substances that create a heavy coating around the hair. Following the curly girl method, we give up all cosmetics (shampoos, masks and conditioners) with paraffin and its derivatives, gums (e.g. xanthan gum), waxes (including wax, cera) and mineral oils (paraffinum, petrolatum).
Curly girl method completely excludes the use of shampoos. Light conditioners, masks and lotions with simple compositions are used to wash the hair. We wash curly hair with shampoo only once every 2-3 weeks, in order to clean the curls of cosmetic residues.
Another important consideration is to wash the hair with lukewarm water. After washing, we drain the excess water, preferably using a cotton T-shirt rather than a towel. Then we let the hair dry naturally. If you are in a hurry and need to dry your curls with a hair dryer, do not set it to the highest temperature.
Why does the curly girl method exclude the use of shampoos? Curly hair is delicate and dry, so it needs proper moisturization at all stages of care. Conditioner is gentler than shampoo, does not dry the hair and affects the good condition of the scalp.
Care according to curly girl method step by step
Step 1
Before using the curly girl method, we need to cleanse the hair from aggravating cosmetics. To do this, we wash our hair with a shampoo with a strong detergent.
Step 2
Now it’s time to wash the curls according to the curly girl method. We apply a mild conditioner to wet hair. We can dilute it with water for better distribution. We massage the cosmetic and wash our hair with it as we wash with shampoo.
Step 3
Rinse out the conditioner, squeeze out excess water and apply another conditioner or mask with a richer composition. We knead the cosmetic into the hair and rinse with lukewarm water after several minutes. Drain excess water using a cotton T-shirt.
Step 4
In wet hair, along the entire length, we dent the curl stylist (it can be a ready-made cosmetic or linseed gel). Finally, apply oil. It will keep the hair well moisturized and smooth.
main photo: pixabay.com/Inactive account – ID 5033181
