Curly Girl Method Archives

Does Wavy Hair Need A Leave In Conditioner? A Cream?

August 19, 2022 by Emily Evert 2 Comments

Does The Curly Girl Method Require A Leave-In Conditioner On Wavy Hair?

On my various curly girl method routine blog posts, I often get asked why I haven’t included a leave-in conditioner. Many people believe that the curly girl method requires a leave-in conditioner.

The Curly Girl Method does not require a leave-in conditioner for wavy-haired people.

The curly girl handbook encourages other curl types to leave some of their rinse-out conditioners in their hair (rather than using a store-bought leave-in conditioner) but it tells people with wavy hair to fully rinse the conditioner out.

Why I Don’t Use a Leave-In Conditioner On My Wavy Hair

I very rarely use leave-in conditioners. For me, this isn’t because the curly girl method handbook says I don’t need to, as I don’t strictly follow the curly girl method.

My decision to skip over a leave-in conditioner came from experimenting with leave-in conditioners. Some leave-in conditioners leave my hair feeling greasy or weighed down. Others don’t leave my hair feeling bad or looking bad, but I just don’t see any obvious benefit from them, either.

Early on, I used a leave-in conditioner but when I’d skip using it, I either saw no difference or an improvement. The improvement would be a better cast, by the way. That’s why I quit using leave-in conditioners.

Why You May Want To Use A Leave-In Conditioner On Wavy Hair

Curly Girl Method Basics

August 12, 2022 by Emily Evert Leave a Comment

What you need to start the curly girl method

A clarifying shampoo to use for your reset wash. This should have a sulfate cleanser, but should not include silicones.
A sulfate-free shampoo (aka low-poo) or a cowash.
A silicone-free conditioner.
A silicone-free gel.

If you want an easy way to check if a product you’re considering purchasing meets the curly girl method standards, you can try sites like IsItCG, CurlsBot or CurlScan.

The basic steps of the curly girl method

Lazy Curly Girl Method Routine For Wavy Hair

August 5, 2022 by Emily Evert 1 Comment

What is the easiest wavy hair routine?
Do you have any advice for how to do the curly girl method if you don’t have much time to do your hair?
What can I do with my hair on days where I am really busy?
I am a mom of two under two and I can’t spend an hour on my hair on wash day. Do you have tips for how to do this in as little time as possible?
I have a chronic illness. Do you have a routine that I might be able to do on a low spoons day?

These are all samples of a type of question I’ve received that in my mind, ultimately boil down to “How can I embrace my wavy hair with less effort or less time?”

Let me add the disclaimer that I am not saying that opting for a lower maintenance or less time-consuming routine means you are being lazy. I used that in the title because it’s a way that people commonly describe easier hair routines, and I thought it would help people find this post. There are endless reasons why you may choose to go for a routine that is simpler or faster, ad there is no shame in any of those reasons in my opinion. Nobody should feel obligated to spend a lot of time on their hair in my opinion!

Anyway, back to the topic of so-called lazy wavy hair routines. I didn’t feel great about my answer to people who were asking me for quicker or easier hair routines until recently.

Over the last several weeks, I’ve been trying to find a routine that took less of my time, but gave me results I was comfortable with. I’ve found a routine that I’m shockingly happy with. I started out trying to find a routine that might be “acceptable” for people who needed or wanted an easier route, but I expected to have to sacrifice the tightness of my wavy curls quite a bit.

In the past I had tried to compare air drying and diffusing, and my air drying results were never satisfying to me. I’ve always felt like I pretty much have to diffuse my hair to near-dry to get results I was happy with. That isn’t the case, though!

Simplified Curly Girl Method Routine For Wavy Hair

How To Do The Curly Girl Method When You Shower At Night

June 15, 2022 by Emily Evert 3 Comments

I’ve had people ask me if they have to shower in the morning if they want to follow the curly girl method or otherwise embrace their natural waves or curls. Nope! You can shower at night. It does take some additional planning, though.

I have always preferred to shower at night (I am not a fan of waking up earlier to shower and do my hair!) so I can share how I make it work! Well, this is what I do on ‘regular’ wash days anyway. Sometimes when I’m doing blog posts for this blog I will do my hair differently for the sake of a blog post.