For anyone who is looking to give the Curly Girl Method a shot but doesn’t know where to start, this one is for you!
This method will likely make your hair care routine easier once you get the hang of it, but in the beginning, it may feel like a bit of an undertaking.
(If you want to read about my experience with the Curly Girl Method, you can do that here!)
I would advise implementing steps 1, 2, and 3 from the start, but beyond that, don’t be afraid to ease into things as you adjust.
Before we dive in, you might want to check out the basics of the Curly Girl Method in the Curly Girl 101 post, so you have some background before we get started.
Okay, you ready? Let’s get to it!
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1) Get rid of old products
Go through all of your hair products and get rid of any products that have sulfates, silicones, drying alcohols, parabens, or mineral oils in them.
BUT! Keep one sulfate shampoo for now. You’ll need it for step 3!
You can use Is It CG? to check your products, but odds are, most of them will have to go.
Also, get rid of any heated hair care tools. This includes curling irons, straighteners, or anything similar.
If you use a blow dryer, you may want to hang on to it to diffuse your hair. (More on this in step 10.) Just know you don’t want to use the high heat setting anymore.
You also won’t need any brushes or fine tooth combs, so if you have any of those lying around, you can either put them away or trash them.
For more on why you want to get rid of these products, check out the Curly Girl 101 post.
2) Make sure you have Curly Girl Approved products to start with
Now it’s time to select your new products!
You’ll likely try new things over time, but for now, I’d suggest going with tried and true inexpensive curly curl cult favorites while your hair starts to get healthy.
If you’re looking to start with just the essentials, consider purchasing a co-wash conditioner, a rinse out conditioner, and a gel.
You may also want to purchase a sulfate free shampoo, a deep conditioner, a leave-in conditioner, a curl cream, a blow dryer and diffuser, a wide tooth comb, and a microfiber towel, but I would say those things aren’t completely necessary to get started.
For a breakdown of what these items do and some inexpensive starter products, check out this post on selecting your first curly girl products!
Some examples are linked throughout this post so you have an idea, but they are by no means the only options!
And again, you can also use Is it CG? to check any product to see if it’s curly girl approved.
3) Final Sulfate Wash
Now we can really get started!
Before you use your new curly girl products, give your hair one final wash with that sulfate shampoo you saved from step one.
This step is really important because it gets rid of any silicone that may have built up from your previous product use, and you definitely want to get that crap out of your hair before you start the Curly Girl Method.
When you’re finished with this wash, toss that sulfate shampoo!
Side note: If you found you didn’t have any sulfate shampoo laying around, there no need to purchase a bottle for one use. You can use dish detergent for this step.
4) Co-washing
Now it’s time for your first co-wash!
Massage a lightweight conditioner into your scalp, then rinse.
You don’t need much conditioner. Just enough to get into your scalp and break up any dirt.
It’s also important to note that you’ll likely have a transition period where your hair will be a little more greasy/oily than usual. This is because your scalp has likely been overproducing natural oil to compensate for the oil that’s been stripped away by sulfates on a regular basis.
It’ll take your scalp a few weeks to recognize the change in your routine and calm down.
It’s also worth mentioning that if you’ve been very reliant on shampoo, you may prefer to ease into predominately co-washing by using a sulfate-free shampoo.
You can start with alternating between the two every other wash, then cut the shampoo back to every third wash, then every fourth
Applying Sulfate-Free Shampoo/Co-wash
When you shampoo or co-wash, you don’t want coat your hair. Instead, squirt some of the product on your fingers and massage it into the scalp.
This breaks up any dirt or build up. The drippings that run down your hair as you wash and rinse are enough to clean your hair.
5) Rinse out
Now it’s time to grab your rinse out conditioner and condition your hair! You’ll likely need a fair amount of conditioner in the beginning, but you’ll need less as your hair gets healthier.
For more conditioner options, check out this post with 25 Curly Girl Conditioners!
Applying conditioner
Start with a palm full, then coat your hair in the conditioner, avoiding the scalp. (Adjust the amount as needed).
The Curly Girl Handbook says it should be like icing a cake. Your hair should be completely saturated in conditioner, so it feels a little like sea weed.
When you reach this point, gently run your fingers through your hair and detangle. Pay special attention to the nape of your neck—that tends to get the worst tangles.
Then begin to work your fingers through your hair, detangling as you go. This is the only time you should be detangling or running anything through your hair.
Use your fingers or a wide tooth comb to work out any tangles. Work gently, from the bottom of your hair, up to scalp until your hair is tangle-free.
Then, when your hair is completely detangled, tip your head to the side or upside down, cup your curls in your hands, and scrunch them up to your scalp. You should hear the conditioner squishing.
This helps your hair absorb the moisture and encourages your natural curl pattern.
Leave the condition in your hair for the duration of shower, then rinse it out at the end. Make sure your scalp is conditioner free!
To really reduce frizz, you can end your shower by giving your hair a quick blast of cold water.
6) Remove excess moisture
After your shower, use a microfiber towel or t-shirt (not a regular towel!) to remove any excess water.
Cup your curls in the t-shirt/microfiber towel and scrunch once or twice, just like you did when you squished the conditioner into your hair.
You don’t want to take out too much water, you just want to keep your hair from dripping.
One or two squeezes should do the trick.
7) Styling products
Leave in conditioner
It’s a good idea to add some leave in conditioner to your hair before you add any more products–especially in the beginning when your hair is dryer.
You can use your rinse out conditioner as your leave in, or you can use a specific leave in/moisturizing conditioner.
Applying Leave-in
You’ll have to play with the amount—it’ll depend on the length of your hair and how damaged it is.
Start by splitting your hair into two sections and using a quarter-sized amount for each half. You can make alterations from there, based on what your hair needs.
Apply with your hair upside down or tipped to the side.
Alternatively, you can skip this step and simply stop short of rinsing out all of the
Creams/Mousse/Other (optional)
The drier and damaged your hair is, the more you may want to try a curl cream or other moisturizing product, and the more of the product you may need to use.
You’ll likely find as your hair gets healthier, you’ll either be able to use less of the product or do away with it altogether.
Applying Creams/Mousse/Other Products
If you want to use a cream or some other styling product, I suggest splitting your hair in half, and (again) starting with a quarter size amount on each side.
Rub the product over your hands, then scrunch the product into your hair to encourage the curl pattern.
You can apply with your hair upside down or tipped to the side.
If you find it seems that scrunching is leaving uneven product distribution, try first coating your hair in product using praying hands, then scrunch.
Gel
For hard hold, two inexpensive options are Aussie Instant Freeze and Tresemme Mega Sculpting Gel. For medium hold gel, try Biotera Styling Gel.
For more gel options, check out this post with 25 Curly Girl approved gels!
Applying Gel
Like with the cream and leave in, I suggest splitting your hair in half, and starting with a golf ball size amount on each side.
Rub the product over your hands, then scrunch to encourage the curl pattern. You can apply with your hair upside down or tipped to the side.
And again, if you find it seems that scrunching isn’t enough, try first coating your hair using praying hands, then scrunch.
Once you worked the gel in your hair, straighten your head and tip it backward so you’re looking at the ceiling. Shake your hair out gently so your hair falls naturally.
You may want to put a little more gel in your hands and gently run it over the top of your hair for added hold. (You can add this step later if your find you have some surface frizz).
Let your hair air-dry or dry with a diffuser. Do your best not to touch it while it dries.
When your hair is 100% dry, you should have a gel cast around your curls.
Tip your hair to the side or upside down again, and scrunch your hair until the gel cast is gone, and you’re left with soft, frizz-free curls. (AKA “scrunch out the crunch.”)
Deep Conditioner
It’s usually a good idea to deep condition your hair once a week (or more in the beginning).
However, this is also a step you can add once you get used to everything else.
8) Hair Care
Because part of the curly curl method is avoiding heat, you definitely don’t want to be using a straightener, curling iron, or blow dryer.
Air drying is best for this method, but if that just isn’t practical, use a blow dryer ***with a diffuser*** on low.
Avoid towels. They take too much moisture out of your hair.
If you find your hair is dripping wet after you get out of the shower, use an old t-shirt or a microfiber towel to get rid of any excess water.
Avoid thin elastics. They can cause breakage. Instead, use cloth or satin scrunchies or coil ties.
Swap your regular pillowcase for a satin one. Traditional pillowcases take a little too much moisture out of your hair, and if your hair is on your pillowcase for 6-8 hours a night, that’s a lot of time to let your hair dry out.
All of this may take some time in the beginning, but the longer you do it, the healthier your hair will get, and the less time/product you’ll need.
Enjoy your fabulous curls!
Looking for more guidance on your curly hair journey?
For beginners
If you’re new to curly hair care and looking for some help, you should check out the No-Stress Guide to Curly Hair Care!
After spending two years learning and caring for my curly hair, I wanted to create my own, in-depth guide to help fellow curlies create incredible curls in the easiest way possible.
It took me a while, but I eventually found an approach that helped me create a curly hair routine that fits into my life in the simplest way possible. And now I want to help you do the same!
For more intermediate/advanced guidance
If you’ve been on your curly hair journey for a while but still have some struggles, check out Curly Hair Problems!
After spending hours scouring the internet looking for solutions to my own curly hair problems, I found myself wishing for an easier, more comprehensive guide to the most common problems.
So that’s what I created!
Curly Hair Problems offers you 78 total solutions to the five most common curly hair care problems, including frizz, curl clumps, limp curls, product issues, and scalp issues.
Sound off: What’s your favorite part of the curly girl method? What’s your biggest struggle? Tell me about it in the comments!
Using a microfiber towel is a good idea no matter what your hair style. I bought a package of them from Costco that I use all over the house and would enthusiastically recommend except that Costco now sells them in packages of 324!! They’re good but not THAT good.
I am just getting started and have found that I really do not like using gel. I like the softness that I get from using just a leave-in conditioner. Do I have to use gel?
Ultimately, it’s entirely your call! If you get good frizz control with just a leave in, and you’re happy with how your hair looks and handles, then you’re good to go! However, gel is typically seen the staple styling product of the curly girl method because of it’s staying power. If you’re using gel like it’s meant to be used, (letting it dry with a gel cast, then breaking up the cast when it’s 100% dry) your curls should be soft, long-lasting, and frizz-free. But if you’re not getting those results, you got to use the products that work for you! 😀
Can you use the curly girl method and still straighten your hair from time to time?
Technically, heat is a big no on the Curly Girl Method, but how strict you want to be about things is entirely your call. Your hair will still be in better shape if you only straighten from time to time than if you did so on a regular basis. However, I have seen some heatless straitening tools and techniques floating around the internet. I haven’t tried any of them, so I can’t speak to how well they work, but if you wanted to get straight hair without the heat, you might want to do some research and give one of those a shot.
My whole family has straight Asian hair except for me, I have curly hair. I never liked it because it never looked very good if I left it natural but it turns out I have just been treating it wrong for my whole life! I have straightened the heck outta my hair in the past but I’m so done now! No one in my family knows how to take care of curly hair and I’ve been taking care of my hair as if it were naturally straight cause I didn’t know there was any other way to do it. LOL. So I’m going to try this method. Just to clarify, this means no more shampoo after the final wash, correct?
It means no more *sulfate* shampoo. If you want to skip shampoo completely and co-wash, you can or you can swap your regular shampoo with a sulfate free one. If you’d like to try a sulfate free shampoo, here’s a list of 25 options! 🙂 Good luck!
Thank you, for this information and tutorial! I tried it for the first time today. Until the Rinse Out, everything went well. Am I supposed to rinse the conditioner out completely and then add leave-in, or should I leave some rinse out-conditioner in and also add leave-in?
Because keeping conditioner in and adding leave-in felt too heavy for my hair. I left maybe half of my rinse out, which I felt uncertain of whether it was too much. But maybe it’s supposed to be that way for my hair to suck in moisture? Especially for the first time? Is it perhaps individual?
Kind regards,
Chanel
Hey, Chanel! Yes, ultimately, this is an individual choice. I’m a big believer in listening to your hair, so if keeping in some of the conditioner and leave-in was too heavy, try one or the other and see how that goes. Personally, I rinse out completely, then add a leave-in, but this is more because I had a hard time keeping the conditioner off my scalp when I was leaving some of the rinse out in my hair, which has led to build up. It may take some trial and error, but the main goal is to have hair that’s hydrated without feeling uncomfortable. I hope this helps!
Is there a trick to sleeping with it so it lasts for a few days? I am thinking this would work for me if I do the method at night. I am afraid if I sleep on the curls they will not look good after. What is your experience with this?
I’ve got a post all about this! You can find it here! You can also find my next day refresh routine here. At this point, I get 3-4 days out of one wash. I hope this helps!
Do you have a post or tips for second and third day after washing my hair? I just started doing curly girl, and I love the results for the first day, but overnight, my curls flatten. I usually wash twice a week with deva-curl low-poo and conditioner, and use gel and Aussie leave-in conditioner.
I’ve got two posts that may help! Here’s one about how to sleep with curly hair, and here’s a post with my refresh routine. I hope this helps!
On the days when you do use the deep conditioner, where does that fall in the shower routine? Like does it replace one of the other conditioners, or what order? Thank you! 🙂
Early on when my hair was drier, I deep conditioned for an extended period of time after my shower in addition to my regular routine. Now that my hair’s healthier, I usually deep condition in the shower in place of regular conditioning–I wash and apply the conditioner first thing, then leave it in for the length of my shower. I hope this helps some! I also have a whole post on deep conditioning if you want to read more!
My curly hair is very very short like a pixie cut and unmanageable. I can’t even put it up or use any of the recommendations for sleeping. What should I do?. Almost everything mentioned is geared to long hair. Will this work my hair?
If you’re asking if the curly girl method will work on your hair, it should work for anyone with curly hair! At least in the sense that it should make your hair healthier, more hydrated, more reliable, and easier to control.
I don’t have experience with hair as short as yours, but as far as sleeping goes, I would say if your hair is too short to put up at night, then you just don’t worry about that–though, you still might want to sleep on a satin pillowcase or wrap your hair with a satin scarf, to minimize friction, breakage and moisture loss. Sleeping with curls pulled up absolutely helps with this, but a big reason why it’s recommended as a part of the curly girl method is that it preserves the curls overnight and keeps them from getting flattened, so you don’t have to wash or seriously wet your hair every day.
Typically, the longer your hair is, the longer it takes to air dry or diffuse, so the longer you can go between washes and preserve your curls, the easier your life is. But if your hair is that short, it probably won’t take that long to dry (either if you air dry or use a diffuser). So if you’re okay with wetting a styling your hair every day (even if you don’t wash it), you can sleep with your hair as it is and still follow the curly girl method. You may also find that eventually you can refresh your hair and bring your flattened curls back with some water in a spray bottle and conditioner or just conditioner. But again, I have no experience with hair as short as yours, so that’s something you’d have to play around with.
I hope this is some help! If you decide to give this a shot, you’ll have to come back and let us know what works for you!
I am just getting started with this method. My hair is very damaged due to bleach and straightening for years and years. I have type 2b waves. My hair dries and still looks stringy what am I doing wrong? I condition in shower use leave in, and am using aussie miracle curls(I had it on hand) and herbal essences gel or not your mother’s kinky curly gel. Again I already had it on hand. Dont get me wrong my hair is so soft but ju ssd’s t as appears stringy.
I don’t have very much experience with this, and we have different hair types, so I can’t say for sure, but from what I’ve come across, this is either a sign that your hair isn’t getting enough moisture or you’re products might not be right for your hair (or a combination of both). The more hydrated your hair is, the more your curls and waves will clump together. Since your hair is damaged, you may need more moisture than you’re getting right now. This may mean deep conditioning and/or using your heavier rinse out conditioner as a leave in instead of a designated leave in (if you’re not doing this already). Additionally, you may need some kind of curl cream or added moisturizer. You’ll likely be able to cut back on these over time as your hair gets healthier.
You could also need a harder hold gel then the once you’re using. (A popular inexpensive one is the Eco Styler Olive Oil gel.) I know for me, when I use a gel that doesn’t have enough hold, my curls don’t clump together as well and they look more stringy and separated.
Again, my experience here is minimal, so I don’t know how much help this will be, but I hope it at least gets you in the right direction! You’ll have to come back and let us know if something works out! 🙂
Hi Meghan,
I think I’m a little confused about when I am supposed to co-wash and when to just refresh. I started my CG journey today washing with using the sulfate shampoo for my final wash and then actually used a protein treatment today because my hair was feeling awful. I finished with a little argon oil from Giovanni and then 80% air dried and 20% diffused on the lowest setting.
Now what? 🤷🏻♀️
Honestly, it’s going to depend on your hair. I found that in the beginning, I couldn’t get good results from refreshing. This could be because my hair was dried out and needed daily conditioning or it could have been because the refresh routines I tried really didn’t work for me. It was probably a combination of both. So I would do this hair routine every day. It wasn’t until much later that I started refreshing, (which I talk all about here.) The biggest thing I’ve learned after following the curly girl method for two years is how important it is to listen to your hair. The only real “rules” are to avoid sulfates, silicones, drying alcohols, and heat. Beyond that, everything else is just a guideline that many others have had success with, but it may or may not work for you. Personally, I think once you reach that point, it’s less about what you’re “supposed” to do and more about what your hair responds best to. I hope this helps some!
How often do you recommend washing/styling your hair? If it’s not everyday how do you keep your curls looking good in between washes?
It’s honestly going to depend on you and your hair. Ideally, the goal is to go days without wetting your hair in the shower, but I had to work up to that. So in the beginning, when my hair was drier, I would wet my hair in the shower and just condition it, then style. But eventually, I was able to find a refresh routine that worked for me, which you can read about here!
Hi Meghan, I just finished reading everything about CG including the comments. I have bought & used every product that is suppose to make hair look thicker…to no avail! My hair is very thin & stringy & as I get older (77 OMG) it’s really horrible!
Of course I always wanted long hair but unfortunately could only keep it just below my ears. I finally have a beauty salon appt. next week & resigned myself to get a short cut, at least u won’t be able to see- thru the strings! I use leave in conditioner after washing, than a curl cream, than a spritz of shine. My hair cannot handle even that many products. I read that u don’t have experience with short hair, but PLEESE
HELP!!!! I need advice & anything u can suggest besides wearing a bag over my head!!!!!!!!!
Hey Mary Ellen, Unfortunately, I don’t think I’m going to be much help in this area. Like you said, I don’t have much experience with short hair, and on top of that, my hair has always been pretty thick. You may benefit from layers to help your hair look thicker, but I’m not in a good position to say anything definitively. I think my best advice would be to talk with your stylist when you go to the appointment. Ask if layers are a good option or if there’s any style or styling technique they can suggest for you. They’ll likely be able to guide you to the most effective option for your hair.
I’m sorry I can’t be more help, but I wish you the best of luck! <3
Hi Megan! I think I’ve finally decided to take the leap with the curly girl method. However, I have been using curly-girl approved products (sulfate and paraben free, etc) for 3 years, including shampoos, conditioners, and styling products. Do I still need to do a final wash? Or should I go straight into co washing?
I think it’s your call! The point of the final wash is to get rid of any remaining silicone and product build up so you know you’re starting the curly girl method with a clean slate. I think if it were me, I’d probably go ahead and do the final wash just to make sure my hair was good and clean, but if you’re sure you haven’t been using and products with silicone in them, you can probably dive right in if you’d like to!