How to Take Control of Your Curls with the Curly Girl Method

Let’s all agree on the fact that curly is the trickiest hair type to deal with. You can never know the mood with curly hair. Some days it’s like a curled crown to your royal personality, and other days it’s just bush around your homeless existence. Understanding how your curls/waves work is an art; and the artist, well, that’s you. So if you’re a curly head, read on as this blog will unravel the mystery of “how-to-take-control-of-your-curls” for you!

 

The Curly Girl Method (CGM)

Blessed was the day when Lorraine Massey decided to come up with The Curly Girl Method (CGM) which gained worldwide popularity due to its detailed and accurate approach to curly hair care. This method is designed for wavy, curly, and coily hair and pre-defines a set of rules to go with, including co-washing, going sulfate-free, no combing or brushing, scrunching, plopping, and many others. The Curly Girl Method has encouraged countless curly heads around the globe to cut out chemical/heat-styling out of their routine and embrace their natural curl pattern with more definition and luster. 

 

 

 

How To Start With The Curly Girl Method?

If you’re ready to embark on the journey of accentuating your beautiful curly hair, grab your pen and pad as we’re going to go with the basic steps to start with the CGM: 

 

The first rule:

Throw your old shampoos and conditioners right out the window, as they contain harsh chemicals such as sulfates and parabens and the CGM does not allow the use of it. Sulfates are notorious for drying out your hair and since curly hair is already dry enough, there’s absolutely no room for sulfates. Pick instead 100% sulfate-free products for hair wash that are hydrating and rather enhance your curl pattern. 

The second rule:

If you wonder why your hair is frizzy every time you brush it dry, it’s time you should stop brushing it. Wavy/curly hair when brushed dry, creates unmanageable frizz and nothing can tame it! Remember when you threw your shampoo out? Throw your bristle brush with it too. The only way to detangle curly hair is in the shower, when you have lots of conditioner on, with a wooden, wide-tooth comb. 

The third rule:

Scrunching and plopping. Scrunch your hair a lot to bring out the curly hair pattern you have lost under years of heat-styling. Plopping is when you wrap your damp hair with a microfiber towel (or an old cotton tee) for 15-20 minutes for an enhanced hair texture. Both of the techniques have proved to be super helpful in adding more body and bounce to curly hair.

The fourth rule:

Silk and satin are your BFFs from now on. Replace your old hair ties with satin/silk hair scrunchies, use a silk pillowcase to sleep on, have a satin hair bonnet to protect your hair while you sleep. The science behind this rule is that satin/silk reduces friction between hair which reduces hair breakage and frizz. 

The fifth rule:

Be gentle with your curls. Don’t rub it together while towel-drying. Instead, use a microfiber towel and pat the hair to gently absorb excess water. Keep your curls hydrated with leave-in conditioners, Deep Conditioners, and hair creams. Don’t comb it dry, don’t pull it too hard, don’t burn it with excessive heat-styling. Be kind to your hair. 

 

Your Everyday Hair Care Routine

Now that you’re a member of the Curly Girl cult, your daily hair wash and styling routine has gone under a big change:

 

1. Hop into the shower, and wash your hair with GK Hair Moisturizing Shampoo. The sulfate-free, hydrating formula is perfect for your curly hair. 
2. Rinse out and apply GK Hair Moisturizing Conditioner on your strands. 
3. With the conditioner still on, take a wide-tooth comb and start detangling your hair from the ends all the way to the hair roots. 
4. After the hair is tangle-free, scrunch your hair for a few minutes. Make sure the hair is dripping wet while scrunching, as this will help the conditioner nourish your hair. 
5. Rinse out the conditioner and spritz on GK Hair Leave-In Conditioner Spray to the hair lengths. 
6. Take GK Hair Strong Hold Styling Mousse and scrunch the product into your hair. The mousse will keep the curls in place and will prevent frizz. 
7. Plop your hair for 15-20 minutes, and air-dry or diffuse your hair.
8. Once the hair is 100% dry, take a few drops of Argan Oil Serum and scrunch it into the hair to break the cast. And ta-da! You’ve got yourself some real fluffy curls. 

 

What To Avoid In The Curly Girl Method?

Here’s a list of a-big-nos in the Curly Girl Method: 

 

• Do not use sulfate on your hair on a regular basis. A sulfate shampoo in the CGM is only used for clarifying the hair of buildup. 
• Say no to chemicals and/or heat to your hair. Curly hair is fragile and these can damage it further. 
• No hair brushes - only wide-tooth combs while the hair is wet and lubricated with a conditioner.
• Never let your hair stay loose while you sleep. Either tie it in a high-bun or wrap it all in a satin bonnet. 
• Say goodbye to terrycloth towels and use microfiber towels or old cotton t-shirts for hair drying. 

And that’s pretty much everything there is to the Curly Girl Method. For more updates, follow @gkhair on social media or visit www.gkhair.ca.

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