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Curls can be hard to figure out. Before discovering the Curly Girl Method, I spent years trying to master the art of giving my 2C waves the sort of beautiful bounce that early-aughts hair commercials promised me was possible. My experiments have involved countless hair diffusers, salt sprays, curl creams, and mousses (plus at least a dozen TikTok hacks) to no avail.
But as I recently learned, it doesn’t have to be that complicated. All you’ve got to do, it turns out, is treat your curls the way they want to be treated—an ideology at the root of the “Curly Girl Method” that finally helped me figure out my curls once and for all.
What is the Curly Girl Method?
The Curly Girl Method (CGM) was created by hairstylist Lorraine Massey, who founded Devachan Salon and eventually became known as “the curl guru.”
Her book, Curly Girl: The Handbook, came out in 2011 and introduced the world to a curl-care motto to live by: Handle your hair as gently as you do your best cashmere sweater. “This method discourages use of products containing ingredients that can be damaging to curly hair, and discourages use of practices that cause structural damage to hair and disrupts natural curl,” says Hana Chong at NYC The Team hair salon by Michelle Hong.
Ready to discover, once and for all, how to get curly hair that actually does what you want it to? Massey’s method is simple, but specific, and is all about helping your curls maintain their integrity by avoiding damage to their cuticle. Below are the method’s guiding principles.
Curly Girl Method principles
Because curly hair struggles to retain moisture, you want to do everything you can to avoid stripping it—which involves skipping shampoo. Instead, it calls for “co-washing,” or using a conditioning shampoo.
“Conditioner washing (“co-washing”) is washing your hair with a specialty formulated conditioner,” says hairstylist Kristan Serafino. “A co-washing product gently lifts just enough dirt and product buildup without stripping the natural moisture out the hair with harsh detergents.”
These formulas are free of sulfates—the lathering agent that gives shampoo its suds and bubbles—so while you will get enough of a clean from them, you won’t get the usual froth and foam.
Curly girls should trade their regular shampoo for a sulfate-free formula. There are a few different options on the market that fit the bill.
- Low-poos: “Low shampoos” are sulfate-free, but still contain some gentle detergents that give the scalp a bit of a deeper clean—they fall somewhere between your regular shampoo and cleansing conditioner. These products are best for those with fine or thin hair, loose waves, or whose scalps get greasy quickly.
- No-poo: “Cleansing conditioners” or “co-washes” aren’t like regular shampoo at all. Those with tighter curls and drier textures will benefit the most from these types of formulas, but the CGM claims that all types of curls will see results, so it’s worth giving no-poo a try (at least, at first).
Because these products don’t lather, you’ll need to put in a little extra legwork to kick them into gear. Be sure to use your fingertips to massage them into your scalp to help physically loosen any buildup and oil so the active ingredients can whisk them away.
Sulfates are just one of the stripping ingredients that the Curly Girl Method requires you to stay away from. “There are certain ones you definitely need to make sure you’re avoiding, such as formaldehyde, mineral oil, silica, and parabens,” says Smith.
- Formaldehyde: A harsh preservative often found in keratin treatments that can cause excessive dryness, weaken hair strands, and irritate the scalp, which is particularly problematic for curly hair that already struggles with moisture retention.
- Mineral Oil: A petroleum-based ingredient that sits on top of the hair (instead of penetrating it), blocking moisture from entering. For curly hair—which needs hydration—this can lead to dry, brittle curls.
- Silica: Silica can coat the hair and weigh down the curls, making them look less voluminous and defined. Over time, a silica buildup can make it harder for natural oils or moisture to penetrate the hair shaft, leading to dryness.
- Parabens: Parabens are preservatives that can disrupt the scalp’s natural microbiome and cause irritation. They can exacerbate scalp dryness and sensitivity, which in turn affects the overall health of your hair.
By now, you’ve gotten the idea that keeping curly hair moisturized is the single most important thing you can do to keep it healthy and looking its best. With that in mind, you want to stack your routine with a slew of hydrating products from start to finish. After it’s been washed with a conditioning cleanser and nourished with a conditioner, Hong recommends using light oils for extra hydration and styling with moisturizing curl creams and mousses.
Heat can take a toll on all hair types, but curly hair is especially vulnerable to damage. That’s why the Curly Girl Method emphasizes minimizing heat styling and encourages embracing your natural curls by air-drying whenever possible. Letting your curls dry naturally helps maintain their health, definition, and bounce. “Never dry,” says Hong. And if heat is absolutely needed, “use a diffuser,” she adds.
Even without heat in the equation, you still want to air-dry with care to avoid damage. “Our hair is its most fragile when wet, and towels create friction, which creates frizz and potential breakage,” says Smith. Instead, “Use a t-shirt or terry cloth towel to encourage curl formation and remove a bit of excess water.
How to do the curly girl method
The Curly Girl Method starts with a reset wash, which involves using a clarifying shampoo to get your scalp nice and clean before you officially get into your no-poo routine. “This is a clarifying shampoo to remove product buildup and any other residue that could be prohibiting curls from being their best selves,” says Hong.
Additionally, you’ll want to work your clarifying shampoo into your routine every so often to ensure your scalp is squeaky clean so that the rest of your curly hair routine can work its magic.
For my own reset wash, I used dpHue’s Apple Cider Vinegar Scalp Rinse as a pre-shampoo treatment to help dislodge any buildup on my scalp. Then, when I got in the shower, I used the Ouai Detox Shampoo and did a 5-minute deep conditioning treatment with the Dae Monsoon Moisture Mask.
I let my curls air-dry so I could have a baseline and see my curls pre-CGM and was…less than impressed. So I straightened them with my Dyson Airstrait, then waited two days for my first “wash.”
Step 1: Wash
I work out—and get sweaty—nearly every day, so I’ll admit I had my doubts about whether or not a no-poo could really get my stinky scalp as clean as I needed it to be.
Those fears were thankfully quashed the first time I co-washed with Ouidad’s Curl Shaper Double Duty Weightless Cleansing Conditioner, which left me feeling (and smelling) nice and clean. It was a bit strange shampooing without lather, but it gave me an excuse to treat my scalp to a nice mechanical massage. I also learned that it helps if your hair is really wet before you apply the no-poo—I’ve had the best results scrubbing it in while my head was literally under the running water—which also makes the experience feel more like what I’m used to.
Step 2: Condition
The way you condition your hair in the CGM is a very personalized thing—what you use totally depends on what your hair needs.
I’ve found that my cleansing conditioner gives my hair enough moisture without requiring another in-shower product—but after I rinse it off of my scalp, I often put a little on my ends for some extra hydration. While I’m doing this, I comb through my hair with my fingers to make sure there are no tangles.
Then, I spritz my hair with a combination of Dae Mirage Mist Leave-In Conditioner and Drunk Elephant Wild Marula Tangle Spray to give it one last shot of moisture before I start to style.
Step 3: Dry
Since I didn’t have a microfiber towel lying around, I borrowed an old Knicks T-shirt from my fiancé (sorry babe) and used it to wring out my strands. I separated my soaking hair into sections, then wrapped them one by one into the t-shirt and squeezed out all the water—not unlike how I’ve been taught to dry my toy poodle’s hair. It was hard not to go to town rough drying, the way I usually do, but the t-shirt actually got the job done faster than I would have expected. What’s more, my hair was just as tangle free as it had been before started the drying process, which literally never happens.
Step 4: Style
You can use a gel, cream, or mousse—or some combination of the three. I opted for IGK’s Class of 93 Whipped Curl Cream because it’s nourishing and delivers nice, defined curls without any crunch. I rubbed it into my palms (it looks more like a creamy frosting than the usually foamy texture you’d get from a mousse, but isn’t at all sticky), then flipped my head over and scrunched it into my curls.
Finally, I pineapple-d my hair into a high bun and waited three hours for my hair to air-dry so I could see the results. Drumroll please…
Step 5: Repeat
It takes some time to Tetris your perfect, personalized version of the CGM, but the longer you stick to it, the healthier your hair will get and the better your curls will be. I’ve cycled through three washes with the method, mixing things up slightly every time. I’ve realized that my hair needs different things on different days—on one of my washes, for example, I used a deep conditioning mask; the other day, I traded my whipped cream for a slightly thicker one—and am still working to figure it out. One thing I know for sure, though? My hair already looks better with every wash.
Curly Girl Method Mistakes
Rushing the process
The first rule of the CGM is that you need to be patient with your curls both in the short and long term. For starters, “You want your curl to be completely dry before heading out the door, for not only frizz protection but also extended curl formation throughout the day,” says Smith.
