Submitting to the curl. What do I need for Curly Girl method?

[MrsKravitzFromAcrossTheStreet]

My hair has been getting curlier for a while now, but lately much more so - particularly since having a lot of medium-length layers in it (it's shoulder length). I have been using Brazilian keratin straightening treatments, straightening products, Babyliss Big Hair etc to smooth it until now but I think I will have to give in and let my hair do what it wants. I wake up with it curly again every morning after washing and straightening it.

I like curls and it does suit me to have wavier hair, but I have a problem with washing and styling...if I have dried my hair smooth and then it goes curly the next day, it looks reasonably nice and shiny, but if I let it dry curly after washing, either by leaving it to dry or scrunching it with the drier, it goes frizzy and awful. I've washed it today and I look like Brian May.

I would like to be able to achieve a smooth, shiny curl to my hair. I have read a bit about the curly girl method and it's a bit complicated with all the ingredients you're supposed to avoid in the products so I thought it would be great if any of you could tell me what I need to get? I am going to town tomorrow so can get from Boots or Tesco, I don't have a huge budget so not too expensive please (especially as I just bought new shampoo and conditioner last week that contain sulphates grr).

Please give me your tips for curly hair products. I understand I will just need a conditioner and no shampoo, and will need an oil or gel-type product? I already have a microfiber turban for drying. My hair is thick and quite dry; I wash it just once a week.

I have no answers but interested as I'm in the same boat!

i gave the no-poo method a try, bought a cleansing conditioner and just washed my hair with that, hair is lovely and soft when i do it, and my curls are more ringlet like.

i only stopped as i had a dye disaster and needed to use purple toning shampoo for a while. i found this on

You need lots of cheap conditioner, maybe a wide toothed comb depending on hair, and some sort of styling product which varies depending on hair. Can start with mousse and experiment.
Method doesn't work for everyone. It made mine curvier but it always looked messy. So I'm back with conventional curly hair approach of twisting and scrunching post shower then diffusing half dry.

I use Alberto Balsam Tea Tree conditioner (£1) a bottle as a shampoo. And Tresemme Naturals Conditioner (says silicon free on the bottle, got a green"flash" on it).

If I feel I need a shampoo I shampoo (Alberto balsam tea tree shampoo), then slick some of the alberto balsam through (very light), rinse and the then do the tresemme. Sounds odd to double condition - but my hair is very fine and prone to drying out/frizz.

Others swear by a Bodyshop RainForest shampoo/conditioner.

Product wise, lots swear by Boots cheapo curl cream - pink tub. You will need more than you think - you actually want your hair to squelch a bit as you squeeze it into wet hair. And leave your hair wetter than you would think before adding the product. When it dries it may feel a bit crunchy - this is normal - it means you have "set" your curls. To get rid of the crunch just very gently scrunch the curls from tip to root and the crunch goes.

Shampoos/conditioners/product may require some tweaking. But at least by starting with cheaper stuff you may be able to work out if the whole concept works for you with a bit less effort/expense in the early stages iyswim. YOu can then fine tune after that.

What I also found was to not rinse the final conditioners too much. Power showers and hard water can actually be very stripping. A major focus of the CG method is keeping as much moisture in the hair as possible so the cuticle lies flat without having to brush/straighten it flat. It may feel odd at first - but try not to over-rinse. Just think of it as a "leave-in" conditioner (rather than a lot of the actual leave-in conditioner sprays which actually seem to dry my hair out!!)

Happy shopping.

Thank you all! Jo I have noted down your recommendations on my shopping list and am pleased that they are not too expensive thanks.

My hair looks a right state this morning

My hair is a bit like that and I've found the thing that makes a big difference is plopping...sounds odd, but if you google it, it's just piling your hair up in a cloth ( like a tshirt) to dry it.

I think I am you OP!

I went over to British Curlies for advice and worked out Im a wavy rather than a true curly but if I either leave it to dry naturally or blow dry I too look like member of Queen!

DO NOT USE MOUSSE !
I used Boots one for curly hair and looked like the Flash dance -minus the legwarmers ,very 80s darling !

Today I used heat spray,argan oil spray and blowdried gently using a paddle brush to smooth down the top. Applied Boots curl cream to the lower 3rd.
Then I flicked/curled the ends and its much more flattering- softly wavy but not triangular.

Check out Chupie on youtube - my hair is shorter but a similar style,Im going to grow it longer.
She does a great thing with clips to stop the triangular Mary,Mungo and Midge hair!

I have wavy/curly hair, tried curly girl but I found I didn't like how my hair felt (didn't feel clean)

I wash my hair in Aussie shampoo, apply tresemme curly mousse then finger dry the top with fingers and dry the remainder with a diffuser. Takes about 10 mins, day 2 I will often squirt with water and scrunch the ends to energise the curl. Hope this helps

Your hair sounds exactly like mine (naturally curly, very very thick and dry).
You don't need any faddy 'method' to make it look nice curly - promise.

First off, if you want to wear your hair curly more often, grow out those layers and leave them out! They are curly hair's worst enemy. Believe me I know.

Shampoo and conditioner - I've tried them all, strightening, curling, moisturising etc. I tend now just to go for one that will moisturise/nourish my hair and a nice conditioner. I only wash once a week due to how curly it is (it doesn't get greasy quickly), but can't think that not using shampoo at all would be a good idea.

Best and most important product I've found is Moroccan Argan oil. I have the basic one (www.moroccanoil.com/united-kingdom/h_uk_en/moroccanoilr-treatment) and one specifically for curly hair (www.moroccanoil.com/united-kingdom/h_uk_en/hydrating-styling-cream) (sometimes I use them both depending on how it is). You apply when wet as a leave in conditioning treatment. I use literally one pump of it per wash and like I say my hair is very thick! So although they are not cheap I've had them over 3 years now and still only half way through.
If I want to style a bit more I use a salt spray (just a little) and scrunch my hair up.

Use a wide toothed comb to take out the knots whilst washing, then leave it alone to dry. Do not brush. Never ever brush.

Hope thats a little helpful :)

I tried curly girl's no poo method for a few months, but my scalp never felt clean.

Now I tend to leave a fair bit of conditioner in, comb it with a wide-toothed comb while very wet, and add a tiny bit of Boots pink curl cream. I leave it to dry naturally if I have time, and touch it as little as possible.

I have thick curly loose afro hair and tried so many products. The best by far that I've found is Avon Quick Touch leave-in conditioner. It's cheap and lasts ages. Apply generously to wet hair and leave to dry. I agree - NEVER brush. Works a treat to hold curls without being greasy or sticky.

BOF your hair is amazing!

Thanks- that is a good hair day for me. Generally, once I've slept on it, it looks like an accident in a Shredded Wheat factory

I have no idea what the curly girl method is. I have a curly bob and can get some great glossy curls with bumble and bumble shampoo and conditioner. And a good haircut. My hair hates argan oil, Moroccan oil and if use cheap shampoo (from a supermarket) my hair just goes really frizzy dry and awful. I don't blow dry my hair but towel dry, comb it and then twist it into curls. One NYE I even did a great 20s style by twisting and twisting and twisting some more. Have fun ladies!

Use 'As I Am: Coconut Co-wash Cleansing Conditioner'...
Don't use normal shampoo. This stuff is amazing and after years of huge frizzy, I now have soft spirals.
Use a t-shirt to blot dry it a little, put serum or curl cream on while quite wet.
Sleep on a satin pillow case.

My daughter has really curly hair that tends to frizz. I find Aussie shampoo and conditioner the best and then Aussie soft curl serum. Steer clear of Frizz-ease, it's expensive crap.

I wash my hair with superdrug's own brand of coconut conditioner and condition with the same. I have a detangling spay I bought from a shop that specialises in afro hair products which has no silicon, parabens or sulphates. My hair is brilliant now.

I've just got my hair back in condition after some serious damage from silicone products. Avoid anything with silicone especially pantene and tresemme.

I alternate between washing and conditioning one day and just rinsing and conditioning the next. I only brush before washing or rinsing and use conditioner all over and hair butter on the ends only. I use body shop rainforest range of hair products and their grapeseed serum. I wash/rinse my hair upside down and wrap in a towel which I leave on until I'm dressed, so about 10 mins. I rub the serum through by combing through the hair with my fingers. Then I leave it to dry naturally.

I fully sympathise with the frizz. When my hair was damaged I was at a loss as to why until my hairdresser told me about silicone. I cut it out and about a year later I'm finally frizz free.

I disagree about the layers. Most curly hair needs some layering to help avoid the triangle shape you get when there's too much bulk at the bottom

Tresseme naturals conditioner and argan oil, then use the plopping method

I see what you mean Taystee , I have mine cut in quite a long bob (or I do if I've had it done recently and not left it months oops!) and she cuts it a little longer at the front and a little shorter in the back and runs the thinning scissors through it to avoid that triangle look. From what I hear the thinning scissors are a bit controversial among hairdressers though! I love love love them.

I think the Body Shop grapeseed serum does have silicones in it? I've been using the rainforest shampoo and conditioner since Naked stopped trading, and like those, but the hair butter dries my hair out more.

Still looking for a cone-free leave-in and/or something to put on dry frizz - i loved Naked's Little Miracle. My hair is very fine and ringlety, and prone to a top layer of frizz, as well as the crystal tips triangle look. Lots of things seem to be either too heavy and crunchy for my fine hair, or don't give enough weight.

Watching this thread with interest, I've been letting my hair grow as I'm on mat leave and like the option of being able to tie it back when I haven't washed it in days but determined to get it sorted whilst I'm off. I did use the rainforest body shop conditioners for a while but it's so expensive for the small bottles and I found I just couldn't get it to go far enough, felt like I was using loads. I do like Umberto Gianni curl jelly though, it's in a pink bottle and it works really well on wet hair, no silicone. Have heard somewhere that putting a little oil in some water in a spritz bottle for the non shampoo/conditioner days works well too. I use lots of coconut oil too, as a deep conditioner.

I have very curly, thick hair and feel like I've tried everything on the market aimed at curly haired people. I realised about five years ago that 99.9% of it is useless!

So, I have my hair highlighted every three months which makes a massive difference to how my hair curls.

If I want to wear it down, I have to wash it and I use a sulphate free shampoo such as Hask's argan oil one, which is by far the best shampoo I have ever used and it's £5 in Primark of all places.

I put loads of conditioner on and untangle my hair with my fingers working in the conditioner as I go. I never towel try my hair by sort of wrap it in the towel and gently squeeze the water out.

I then comb, use V05 mousse which is ace on my hair and then I apply leave in conditioner to my fingers and curl sections. This takes max 2 minutes. Then I leave it to dry.

Never, ever touch your hair unless it's to style it. The oil on our fingers is terrible for curly hair and dries it out and makes it dull.

I have bad hair days like the rest of us but if I follow the steps above it looks brilliant. I even have people stop me on the street sometimes to ask me about it.

I use (both from t k maxx) l'oreal sulphate free professional rich macadamia shampoo and argan Magic moisturising conditioner
To style Phillip Kingsley awapuhi treatment oil and twirl around curl definer