The Curly Girl Method: 8 Things I’ve Learned After Two Years

This month marks two years since I started the Curly Girl Method.

Back in July, I wrote about the eight things I learned after following the Curly Girl Method for a year.

Now that I’m two years in, I thought it would be fitting to give you guys an updated version with everything I learned now that I’m two years in.

Without further ado, here are eight more things I’ve learned after following the Curly Girl Method for two years.

Side note: This page does contain affiliate links, which means if you purchase something using the product links on this page, I may get a small commission. This comes at no extra cost to you and helps keep this site running. Thank you!

Curly Girl Method Refreshing Rocks

If you’ve read my first refresh routine, you know I struggled to find one that works with my hair.

But now that I have, it’s completely changed the game for me. I no longer have to spend a chunk of every day with wet hair.

And with a little bit of planning, I can also avoid leaving the house with wet hair.

Finding the right refresh routine also helped reinforce the idea that what works for most people may not work for you.

Personally, refreshing with water makes my hair immediately frizzy.

It took me so long to find a refresh routine that worked for me because up until this past year, I modeled all of my attempts around damping my hair.

This was all the curly girl refresh routines I’d come across that were built around this step.

Once I started paying closer attention, I realized it was the water that seemed to be causing me the problem. After that, I was able to build a water-free refresh routine that’s worked really well for me.

You can check out my updated refresh routine here! (It’s even simpler than the first!)

Scalp care is really important

In my first year, I spent most of my time focusing on my hair and not enough on my scalp.

It led to a dry flaky scalp that was both uncomfortable and visually unappealing. Luckily, I solved that problem towards the end of my first year (you can read about that here).

In the year since, I’ve really come to appreciate how a little bit of regular scalp care makes a difference.

Once I got my scalp under control, I was able to maintain it with some regular care.

I made it a habit to massage a little bit of melted coconut and olive oils on my scalp the night before each wash day. Then when I wash, I use this Cantu Scalp Soothing shampoo.

These are two small steps, but if I’ve forgotten I can feel the dryness and notice some flakes.

It’s amazing how inexpensive my hair care has become

If you’ve been following this blog for a while, you know I’m all about budget-friendly hair products. As a result, all of the products I used my first year on the Curly Girl Method were very affordable.

However, I still had to go through that trial and error period of finding products that worked for me. So while the products were cheaper than some of the pricey products I was using pre-Curly Girl, my overall hair bill was probably about the same.

But now that I’ve settled on my regular (inexpensive) products, my hair care bill has reduced considerably.

(For more on my regular products, check out my Wash Day post.)

Figuring out my refresh routine took the cost down even more. It means I only need to wash and apply products every 3 days, so my products last three times longer.

Plus, now that my hair is healthier, I need less product each use than I did my first year. This once again extends the life of each purchase.

I’m not big on math, so I haven’t crunched the numbers, but I’ve noticed my credit card bills are a lot smaller than they used to be. And I’m buying new products a lot less.

It’s amazing how little time I spend on my hair

This is another side effect of a successful refresh routine.

Now that I only wash my hair every 3 days, most of my showers have gotten a lot shorter.

And since the primary component of my refresh routine is simply adding some conditioner, I can now go from just out of the shower to out the door (with dry, reliably presentable hair) in under fifteen minutes if I have to.

This especially blows my mind when I think of my life pre-curly girl. I can’t tell you how many days I got up extra early just so I had time to tame my hair!

It really doesn’t have to be perfect

The only downside to refreshing is it never looks quite as good second and third day as it does on day one.

There’s usually a little extra frizz, and sometimes there’s a loss of root volume, but honestly? It’s okay.

When I first started the Curly Girl Method and discovered frizz-free curls were possible, I wanted that every single day.

If I ended up with frizz (usually either because I tried a new product or because I got impatient and scrunched out the crunch too early) I would be really disappointed.

But now I’ve accepted that (like everything else in life) perfection is impossible to obtain, and striving for it just takes way too much time.

At the end of the day, my frizzier second/third-day hair is still healthier, more reliable, more defined, and less frizzy than my pre-curly girl hair. And the time I save makes the trade-offs worth it.

You will never stop listening to your hair

Even two years in, I still find myself making small adjustments to my routine.

If it’s been a while since I’ve got my hair cut, I’ve noticed an extra protein treatment can help me bridge the gap.

When my hair was looking a little weighed down, I tried switching to a lighter weight conditioner to my leave-in.

Even though I’ve found the routines and products that work well for me, it doesn’t mean I should stop paying attention to any subtle changes and make modifications accordingly.

You really don’t have to be super strict about the Curly Girl Method “rules”

In my one year post, I talked about discovering there are two variations of the Curly Girl Method: the more strict and complicated internet version and the more simplified book version.

I’ve always gravitated towards the more simplified book version, and now that I’m two years in and see such positive results in the mirror every day, I’m more convinced than ever.

The only hard and fast “rules” that I follow are avoiding sulfates, silicones, drying alcohols, and heat.

If you want to be strict about the Curly Girl Method you absolutely can be, but you don’t have to.

If you want to check out the Curly Girl Handbook for yourself, you can do that here.

Spreading the Curly Girl Method love will never get old

I’ve been following and talking about the Curly Girl Method for two years now and blogging about it for one.

And honestly, I don’t think I will ever get tired of spreading the joy of this method.

I’ve spent most of my life feeling like my hair was one aspect of my appearance that I had very little control over. Thanks to the Curly Girl Method, this isn’t true for me anymore.

I started blogging about my Curly Girl experience because I wanted to help others find the same control over their curls as I did.

Naturally, not everything that worked for me will work for you. But if you landed here, I hope you find or have found something that helps you in some way.

I truly love sharing what I’ve learned, and I’m really grateful to you for reading–whether this is the first post of mine you’re seeing, you’ve been with me for the last year, or you’ve popped in at any point in between.

You can always leave questions and share your own experiences in the comments! ❤️

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: How long have you been following the curly girl method? What have you learned so far? Tell us about your tips and tricks in the comments! Be sure to tell us a little about your hair type too!