To think the curly hair method is a con?

[Axolotyls]

I have frizzy bird nest hair. I straightened it for years but now I’m finding that I can’t be arsed as it’s so thin it just looks lank and depressing and makes me look old and haggered when it’s straight.

So I leave it to dry naturally - massive Afro

I tried curly hair method - Looked like a hair dresser had started styling it and then got pissed on tequila half way through

its a con isn’t it? Are some people just destined to have shit hair?

If you have a massive Afro, I’m really surprised it looks bad when you straighten it, which makes it smoother and sleeker. Why don’t you put waves in with the straightener to give it more body if you prefer that? Or curl it under at the bottom with the straighteners? It doesn’t have to be stick straight and lank.

And you can’t brush your hair when it’s curly, and there’s nothing better than brushing your hair on an evening to get rid of loose hairs and the environmental of the day out of it.

Just don't use shampoo

I leave my conditioner in

If I use shampoo it goes wispy soft and fly away, if I don't it doesn't. I use one other product and scrunch dry. Don't need to do CG method

I've recently started using MooGoo on my daughter's birds nest -so far so good!

I'm a lazy low standard curly girl.

Wash and condition 2x per week with low/no sulphate and silicone products.

Squeeze out excess water.

Use hands to comb through a squidge of curl activator and a bigger squidge of gel.

Go out with wet hair, sometime in the next 24 hours it will dry.
Damp down and wear half up the next day if necessary.
Damp down and tie up fully the next day if necessary.

Repeat.

I get lots of compliments. When the weather is kind it looks gorgeous for days. When its damp I have a permanent halo of frizz.

But I cant blow dry without a full hours long barrel brush routine to make it go all Kate Middleton or else I look like Hagrid. So its a air dry curly routine for me.

It's very individual to your hair IME. CGM worked well for me initially as my hair was so dry after 30 years of sulfate use. Over time, I needed to clarify my hair. I find a low poo shampoo works best for me - I use Noughty's frizz magic or Lush's tofu. My hair is fine, low porosity and wavy so it doesn't need weighing down with heavy butters etc and gets build up easily. I have to wash it twice a week.

I find gel takes ages to dry, even with a diffuser. I use inecto curl spray from Savers and mousse (john frieda) for hold. Works for me! ⁸

What curl type do you have? There's so much to try and know with curly hair.
Have you ever had a curly cut or went to a curly hair dresser? Nuala moray and the curl clinic on Instagram is amazing.

The CG method didn't suit my hair. Its wavy/curly and different all over, one side isnt as curly and I sleep on that side. In my experience wavy/curly hair needs water to hydrate, I always squeeze and scrunch my conditioner into my hair after combing through, then rinse. It also works to dunk your hair in a bowl and get it sopping wet. Curl cream is often too heavy for me as is leave in conditioner. I love Umberto Gianni products they work well for me, I also like Curlsmith souffle. The Laifen tech dryer has been the only one that dries my hair and doesn't cause frizz or blow the waves out. I'm afraid its all trial and error and a big pain in the arse. It would help if you told us what type of curls you have. Xx

How long did you try curly girl for?? It took me months to find the right combo of different products and mine is now a million times better than it used to be.

I have a loose wave so can’t get heavy stuff:

faith in nature shampoo
hair food papaya for conditioner and leave in conditioner
shock waves mousse (curl creams don’t work for me)
argan oil gel

I think it works amazingly for some people, I am in a facebook group where people show off their results.

I tried it for about a year and it definitely improved my hair for a while, but I started it in the hope it would be a way to help my natural hair look it's best with less effort and I actually found it took much longer than blow-drying & straightening/curling etc. So I gave up.

Very simple after you've covered your bathroom waving your head around in a bowl plopping this and plopping that

I'm wavy rather than curly and found that, while I could get good results eventually
A) it took longer than straightening to get my hair to look decent and
B) they lasted a day because my hair is too fine for refresh days to work

So in the end I gave it up as a bad job and have gone back to straightening it. I think I'd somehow made myself believe it was the easier version of getting half decent hair, but actually it was just as much work, but different.

Then you're lucky! If I did that, I'd look like I'd been electrocuted!

It’s ok for a person not to love their hair if it is a problem to them. I find is funny how it’s people with straight hair who always say “l’d love to have curly hair.” My daughter’s hair is curly and it is generally really hard work if you want it to look proper nice and curly.

I’ve not tried this method but having had curly hair all my life I’ve found it’s trial and error experimenting with curl cremes, serums, mousse etc….. and finding the best combination for your hair - it’s tricky though, my daughter has curly hair and despite my 39yrs experience with curls I find her hair hard to manage at times haha x

Our DD follows it.
Before she went to university, we had several falling outs with her if we came within about 15cm 9f touching her hair. Especially when it was down to her waist.
She's currently sporting a shoulder length bob style and looks stunning

@Axolotyls the curly girl method d#oes seem to take quite some time with individual smoothing of each individual curl. I really liked the idea, though I've never followed the method exactly.

I've used Only Curls products before (received as presents as they're quite pricey!) and I generally use their method, which doesn't take long at all.

https://onlycurls.com/pages/our-curly-method

It takes a lot of experimentation to find out which products work for you. It's really annoying, but I've found this bot can analyse ingredients lists, which makes it easier to narrow down the options.

https://www.curlsbot.com/

I currently use a shampoo bar and a conditioner in the shower, then a creme on wet hair then wrap it up in a hair towel (the Only Curls microfibre towel) for a few minutes, then a mousse and I diffuse dry with my head upside down.

I think you should give it another chance before giving up! Good luck!

CG moisturizes and brings out curls in curly hair.
If your hair isn’t curly it won’t create curls.
Faff free for those of us with curly hair. Shampoo doesn’t matter, use weekly. Wash hair daily with conditioner I like Diva Curl or Moroccan Oil products.
Key for me is a rich thick curl cream again Diva or M.
Don’t comb when dry, never ever brush.

Curly Girl Method didn't work for me either, I looked like a scarecrow mostly. Gave up after about 4 months, smothered it in silicone and straightened the shit out of it again.

Was forced to wear it curly for a year recently, after a request for "grey blending" went horribly wrong and my mid-back length hair was ruined. I had to cut it down to a short bob and wear it curly as I couldn't style it with heat, it was so damaged. I didn't use CGM though, I did it my own way with products that worked instead of religiously adhering to some arbitrary rules! Maybe you should scrap the rules and try some new products? I had to fiddle with products somewhat - I have incredibly high density hair, but it's very fine, so a lot of oil based products and silicones weigh it down too much and it's lank. In particular I avoid seed oils and shea or coconut butters. I aimed for keratin and very light oils, and don't overdo it.

It was fine, I didnt mind it - but as new hair grew back in, it hated the curly products more and more (seems it only liked them when it was over-processed). So now I blow dry it smooth again, it doesn't know if it's arthur or martha.

I know it's ok for people not to love their hair!
I hated mine when I had hair. It was very very fine..That was why I wanted curly hair, or thick hair!
I wasn't criticising OP for not liking her hair.
My point was that somebodies " shit hair" is the envy of other people. That she might think her hair is ' shit" but I now other people will not see what she sees .

I use Garnier honey treasures conditioner, I did use the shampoo but ran out and have been trying the Aldi honey one. My hair where I sleep on it used to be very frizzy but lately I've been using the conditioner separately after I've washed it. I'm lazy and can't be arsed with faffing about, and I did used to just mix shampoo and conditioner together and do it as a oner- yes I know I shouldn't! My frizzy side is much better now in the morning, but to be honest that's about all I do, wash it, condition it, twist it into ringlets and let it get on with it. I don't own a hairdryer. One side is wavy, the other more curly but I'm a compulsive hair twiddler so the wavy side is the side I twiddle with. I've also got two cow- licks, so it's always a surprise when I wake up in the morning!

It takes time for the hair to recover from straightening. The best method it to work out what works for your hair.

I did not find curly girl helpful.

Is your hair fine/medium/thick shall depend on the products it likes.

My hair is highlighted and fine, yet there is lots of it (high density) however it is (low porosity) takes ages to become soaking. Try the different product trial sets and find what works you. I found my hair likes Bumble Bumble, WOW products and Curl Smith and currently trying Opalex. A good wet hair brush and only curls towel are worth the price.

Hair porosity is the hair's ability to absorb and retain moisture, determined by how open or closed its cuticles are. There are three types: low porosity hair has tight cuticles that resist moisture but retain it well; medium porosity hair absorbs and retains moisture easily; and high porosity hair absorbs moisture quickly but loses it just as fast, often due to a damaged cuticle. You can test your hair's porosity by floating a clean strand of hair in a glass of water—if it floats, it's low porosity; if it sinks, it's high porosity.

Density
Hair density is the number of individual hair strands per square inch of scalp and is determined by factors like genetics, age, and health. It is different from hair thickness, which is the diameter of each strand. You can get an estimate of your hair density at home by seeing how visible your scalp is through your hair or by measuring the circumference of a ponytail.

What is hair density?
It measures how closely packed your hair follicles are on your scalp.

It is not the same as hair thickness, which refers to the diameter of a single hair strand.

Density can be high, medium, or low, depending on genetics.

It can be affected by other factors like age, hormonal changes, nutritional deficiencies, and health conditions.

How to estimate your hair density
Scalp visibility test:
Look at your hair in a mirror. If you can easily see your scalp through your hair, you likely have low density.

Ponytail test:
Gather your dry hair into a low ponytail.

Use a soft measuring tape to measure the circumference of the base of the ponytail.

Low density: Less than 2 inches.

Medium density: 2 to 3 inches.

High density: More than 4 inches.

Ask your hairdresser to CUT YOUR HAIR DRY then have it washed and blow dried. If it is long have a shorter cut it makes a difference if the hair is needing a re-fresh. I had long hair then was inspired by SJP curly short hair during SITC. My hair thanked me and grew out beautifully. I do recommend trying one of hair snugs and a hat it does help. It takes time though.

instragram ladies I found helpful.
CurlyCast
CurlyCooper26
Welshiecurlgirl

Olew products are lovely - they have a wide range of products including hair oil and hairspray. I particularly like their gel and refresh spray, and they smell wonderful.
Curly Girl didn't work for me, but there are many Facebook groups sharing tips and experiences.

Why?