Embarking on the Curly Girl Method!

A few years ago I had heard about the Curly Girl Method [I’ll explain it further down] and joined a Facebook group, but it seemed a bit overwhelming. I had tried before, the products, DevaCurl, from the creator of this method. They were alright. Once I finished the liter bottles I moved on to something else. I was a brand hopper. I always bought / used salon brands, because I have thick, crazy curls.

I’m fairly regular in getting my hair trimmed every 5-6 weeks.  It’s been about 6 1/2 years since I have had my hair colored or highlighted.  I have a lot of hair, making it pricey, so it’s something I just decided to quit doing.

Fast forward to maybe a month ago, my friend and Scentsy mentor / Amy posted a photo on Instgram that she and her oldest daughter had a day shopping for some CG [Curly Girl] products. It caught my attention.  I asked her a few questions, she too was like me overwhelmed at first – we even talked about this summer.   Over the long Thanksgiving weekend, I grabbed the book on the method, rejoined the group; read all the files, watched a ton of YouTube tutorial videos, figured out what kind of porosity my hair is, the curl type and all that.  I was ready to embark. Last weekend I got all the items; it’s really not much, but you have to make sure you have items on their list [it’s 18 pages printed] its not super selective, but there are things your products must not contain to use for this method.

What is the Curly Girl Method?

Simply put: No shampooing your hair, its harmful to your scalp. You rinse away the oils [that leave you feeling greasy] and repeat.

Step one – final wash with shampoo

Step two – cowash  with a conditioner [for your hair type] you apply the conditioner to your scalp and scrub, with the pads of your fingers, not your nails; ideal for 5 minutes, but 2-3 is fine; and rinse.   In the beginning co-wash will likely be done every day, as the process goes on, you will find you won’t need to every day.

Step three – from crown to tip apply a handful [yes, a big ole glob!] of  conditioner raking through your hair to get knots out. Smoothing it on top, raking through the mid and bottom where the knots are.  I wrap my hair up in a loose bun and finish the shower.

Step four – remove from bun and stand under the shower, usually the water is turned a bit cooler letting the water rinse your hair; squish and condish is what the method is called; do not wring your hair.

Step five – after the water is turned off with my head flipped upside down I scrunch my hair getting excess water off.

If it’s still a bit wet I might squish my curls with a tshirt or microfiber towel; a regular towel  will not touch the curls again!  I add some gel, then go about my day. If I need to, I’ll diffuse a bit on low.

I tried this on Sunday – even though I hadn’t done a final wash to just see how long the process would take, not much longer. Today is day two and I’m feeling like my hair looks a little greasy, but transition is going to kinda suck!

Here are a few before pictures.

 

The first photo lifeless curls that look incredibly stringy and fried. The second photo one giant poof of frizz, and the third photo,  it looks alright you can see some curl definition, and frizz starting [this was an air conditioned room!]

These are a few pictures of day 1 of the Curly Girl method.

I am completely floored. My hair is feeling healthy – in the evening it felt horrible, like straw. I told my mom that I have never loved my curls more, and this is just the beginning. The little amount of frizz in the evening photo is likely because I was touching a lot. My own damn pet peeve, but I was so shocked by it!  It might take a few conditioners  / gels / mouses to figure out which work best with my hair, which styling products I actually need.

The group on FB that I first found overwhelming has becoming much the opposite, they are instead the most helpful. And my friend Amy, she sent me a message Friday night of what works in her daughters hair – it appears we might have the same hair type!  It’s nice to have someone who can relate and sympathize at the same time. Who I can reach out to if need be.  Curly hair is hard, it’s going to take some work, but damn… these before and after photos in the group are inspiring.

Hell, even my own photos give me a lot of hope. If this is just well, now technically day 2, can you imagine what it’ll look like in 3 or 6 months when I’ve found my groove with it? Or a year!?  No more jokes about my Christina Aguilara Lady Marmalade-esque / Lion King hair… bring on the curls!

Next up, I’m going to treat myself to a DevaCurl cut! The closest one is in Mt. Pleasant, it’s about an hour away, but I’m excited to have it cut by someone who KNOWS both curls, and the Curly Girl method!