Curly Girl method for a beginner

[Neilsfavouritechilli]

Hi, I have half wavy, half curly hair and have been reading up on the curly girl method. To be honest, there's so much advice and so many steps that I'm finding it a touch overwhelming. Would someone be kind enough to help me put together a basic (and cheap) plan. Should I no poo or low poo? Are there any particular (again cheap) products I can use - ideally ones I can get from boots/superdrug. I have a microfibre towel which is a start. I plan to pop to town in my lunch break so I can get started tonight. Will my hair look shit for a while? Thank you x

You basically just pile all you hair at the top of your head with a scrunchie or a coiled bobble. If you have longer hair you can sort of fold it over too.

www.facebook.com/curlygirlmethod/videos/376780103033542/

Will knickers work - I read about that on another thread.

OK so I was also put off CG for years as it seemed like too much hard work. Finally went for it about two months ago and my hair routine has never been easier, quicker or more effective.

One a week I co-wash with superdrug extracts conditioner (£1.99 and usually on bogof) then when my hair is still sopping wet I smush in lots of LA Looks blue gel (a US product but you can buy a big bottle on amazon for about £8).

I then scrunch the moisture out gently with a sports towel (smooth not microfiber) then leave it for about 20 mins and diffuse.

On a daily basis I wet hair in shower and use more gel to refresh, then as above.

My previous routine involved leave in conditioner or curl cream, mousse, gel, oil and all sorts so this is better, cheaper and quicker.

I am amazed that my hair doesn't need the leave in - I tried the gel only approach only last month after watching something on YouTube and literally can't believe I've changed the habits of 30 years for a better routine.

Start simple, see how you get on and take it from there.

Good luck!

I read somewhere that Superdrug are discontinuing their extracts conditioner.

My hair is too short to pineapple. I tend to wash my hair late afternoon and, unless i go out after tea, leave the cast in, overnight so it doesn't get too badly trashed. If i can't revive it the day after that, I fluff it up and then it usually needs washing again by the time 48 hours is up. (an improvement, as I was often washing it daily, before)

I got caught in heavy rain, a few weeks ago, and grabbed a pair of knickers off the clothes airer to blot my dripping hair dry :o

Pineappling just squishes my hair flat so I accept that I need to more or less wash it daily, but that’s always been the case.

But I really came back to the thread to say a huge OMG OMG about Mell’s tips as posted above. Today I applied my stuff as per Mell’s instructions and my hair is at least twice as curly as usual. Same products, literally applied differently. Amazing.

How do you all keep your hair knot free? I've been tying mine up on top of my head at night, and I only wash it once it twice a week, but it's always very knotty and I can't comb it.

Mine gets knotty when I use shampoo so I never do. I also never comb unless it's wet/damp ,with some conditioner in or it will just go frizzy. I never use a brush it makes too much of a mess. Once combed, I scrunch and leave, and don't try pulling fingers or combs through once dry or you just make it more knotty/messy.

I only comb it when wet after washing and conditioning. I never brush it. But it's always very knotty.

The CG method is the lowest maintenance haircare method I've ever come across. The only pain point is how long my hair takes to dry naturally. On a typical summer's day, it'll take about 6 hours. So on hair-washing day, I'm basically housebound. Because until I scrunch the crunch out, my hair looks positively hideous. 😊

So, this is what I do:

• Wet hair. Scrub really well until your hands hurt.
• Use Garnier Ultimate Blends silicone free conditioner to cowash ONLY if hair is dirty enough to warrant it. If not, skip this step.
• Condition with Garnier UB SF conditioner.
• Comb through.
• Leave for as long as possible.
• Rinse with as cold water as you can stand.
• Squeeze excess water out.
• Apply Boots pink curl creme.
• Comb through
• Plop hair in an old tshirt.
• Leave for at least an hour or better, as long as possible.
• Unwrap hair and let dry completely.
• Scrunch the crunch out when hair is 100% dry. If it's not completely dry, it will frizz.

Maybe once in two months, I use sulphate free shampoo but only if I feel there's build up if product on my hair. My hair is high porosity so tends to not have much build up.

The only products I use are the Garnier conditioner which is £3 and the Boots curl creme which is £2.

My hair has never looked better.

This is what it looks like.

I'm not saying it looks beautiful but it used to be a horrible, fizzy mess before I started CG method.

Hmm I have recently stopped drying my hair

I wash and condition then brush through and leave it to dry. I use Aussie leave in spray conditioner once it's not soaking wet.

Looks nice and curly on day 1 and wavy day 2

Ironfloor your hair is really lovely.

I never got on with Boots curl cream even though my hair has curls reasonably similar to yours.

I thought I was happy with my hair care routine now this thread has me wondering if I should try curly girl again

How did you get on Neils?

@EatYourTeaNow thank you. My curl is unusual in that it's more ringlet-y yet not coily. For as long as I can remember, the curl has always tried to come through, but I just didn't let it. For 2 years, I used to blow dry it every other day. It used to take me about an hour. And the effect would only last a day at best. What a waste of time!

In afraid it wasnt a resounding success. I accidentally scrunched my mousse in so I ended up with really bitty wavy hair. Scrunching was never my friend. It did look clean and shiny and no worse than usual until this morning when my roots looked really greasy and my hair stringy. Should I persevere?

Just to add I co washed, then conditioned. Added leave in conditoner. Plopped then scrunched in mousse. I know I did the last step wrong and should have added mousse then plop.

I found curly girl too complex but I do find choosing a sulfate-free shampoo designed for curly hair usually helps. I like the curl jelly wash by Umberto Giannini which you can buy in boots (usually 3 for 2). Someone will come along and say it’s rubbish but it works well for my hair which is wavy/soft curls but also quite fine

Definitely persevere!

Okay I have three weeks before I start a new job. I have decided to stick it out until then. If it looks shit the day before I'm due to start I'm going back to clarifying shampoo, loreal elvive conditioner and plaiting my damp hair for the even waves.

Good call. It might take you some experimentation with products/routine too. (For example, I tried at least a million leave ins before I figured out I was better off without.)

The biggest change for me is that I don’t get bad hair days any more. It’s not always fabulous, but it’s never terrible - even on a day like today when I got soaked ⛈, it just air dried, I scrunched the crunch again and it was fine - in the old hair days, that would have been a hair catastrophe.

Thank you, I have hope (I am drunk on gin though and dont have to see anyone until monday)

I should add that I love rain on my curls though, makes my hair dead lovely and springy. It's like a proper refresh for me.

Ah, it's the experimenting with products that made me give up on the end ... the amount of money I've spent on various shampoos, conditioners, styling products, trying to get cg right is crazy. I don't think I can go back to that. It'd be great if it was just a case of use this product to co wash and this product to style, but it's not simple at all.

Well I've tried again today with just some rich conditioner and mousse. No scrunching, let's see how it goes. I admit I'll lose faith too if i keep having to try new products. I like simplicity.