Curly Girl Method Archives - Page 3 of 18

Air Dry VS Diffuse Wavy Hair – Best Way To Dry Wavy Hair

August 23, 2020 by Emily Evert 16 Comments

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Air Dry VS Diffuse Wavy Hair

Both of these photos were with no product like gel or mousse. Each way was done just two days apart, my hair was not cut in between. I don’t consider either of these good results, my hair doesn’t do well without gel or mousse. Still, my hair has more volume and a tighter curl pattern when I diffuse.

**Update, November 2020. I wanted to update this post to try to give some comparison of air drying or diffusing with mousse. See the graphic below. I used the same products as I had used before, but to try out air drying with a fan to speed it up. I also did a lot of microplopping to try to encourage volume and waves despite air drying. This broke my clumps up into smaller pieces than I would usually have.

As a result, I don’t think the clump size shown in the photos below are ‘fair’ comparison. Still, this gives you an idea of the volume difference an the difference in the tightness of my waves. Diffusing helps a lot with volume, and it helps a lot with keeping my waves tighter. Air drying lets my waves loosen up quite a bit before they dry.

Air drying is on the left, diffusing is the photo on the right. In both I used NYM curl talk shampoo and conditioner, and suave captivating curls mousse.

Is Air Drying Or Diffusing Better For Wavy Hair?

Diffusing wavy hair may help your hair to dry in a tighter hair pattern, and with more volume, but will likely introduce some frizz. If you want tighter waves, diffusing is best. If you prefer elongated waves or are worried about damage, air drying is best.

So – should you air drying or diffuse? It totally depends on what your hair goals and hair concerns are! Keep reading to learn more details about the pros and cons of air drying or diffusing wavy hair.

Is Your Hair Straight Or Wavy? Signs Of Naturally Wavy Hair

August 22, 2020 by Emily Evert 61 Comments

Wavy Hair Before And After Curly Girl Method

This is my wavy hair before and after the curly girl method. Before starting the curly girl method on the left in both photos, and 2 years into the curly girl method on the right in both photos.

The curly girl method isn’t magic or anything. In my experience, it certainly has helped to make my hair healthier. It feels softer, stronger, and looks shinier than it used to. My hair became wavier.

All of these photos were after starting the curly girl method. From the very beginning on the left, working up to the current day on the right.

I realized my hair was wavy when I was 26. How can you live 26 years without realizing your hair texture? Well, I was brushing my hair as soon as I got out of the shower, and letting it air dry. I also kept my hair very long from the time I was in my late teens.

As a preteen and teenager, I straightened my hair daily. I remember people asking me “why do you straighten your hair when it’s already straight?” and my answer was “it makes it less poofy!” or “it makes it sleeker.” I never really understood why using a flat iron on my hair made it sleeker, or less poofy.

Now I realize that the poof was brushed-out waves, and straightening my hair removed that remaining bit of wave, which is why it became sleeker once fully straight. This was a sign that my hair was actually wavy.

What If My Wavy Hair Really Likes Silicones?

April 25, 2024 by Emily Evert Leave a Comment

When people with wavy hair first start embracing their waves, it’s often because they’ve stumbled across the curly girl method online. They were taught that they needed to throw out any hair products that contain silicones, and start using a gentler shampoo, among other changes.

For some people, maybe even many, it works fine! I was able to find curly girl approved products that worked well for me with very little problem. However, not everyone is so lucky. Some of them eventually come to ask me or others the following question…

“What If My Hair Just Seems To Really Like Silicones?”

Others would give you a different answer, but I personally say – then use them! Are they curly girl method approved? No, they aren’t. However, if they work well for you then that’s what should matter in my opinion.

For some, they might appreciate learning that the curly girl handbook does not list any research or cite any sources. It is not a method or theory that is based in any science. Or at least, if there is any related science, they did not bother to explain it or cite it…which would be really strange.

What Do Silicones Do For My Wavy Hair?

Silicones create a very thin coat or film over your hair strands. This helps smooth the exterior which is wonderful for damaged or higher porosity hair which may be rough or uneven on the outside due to cuticle damage. This also smooths the hair and reduces the appearance of frizz. When hair is smoothed in this way, it makes hair feel better, align better, and can reduce tangling.

Silicones got popular in haircare for a reason – they help hair look good and act more manageable, especially if your hair is damaged or higher porosity. There are natural ingredients that do the same thing. You might think of these as curly girlmethod silicone alternatives. When I say that they ‘do the same thing’ I mean they coat the exterior of the hair to make it less frizzy and more manageable. However, the natural alternatives are ingredients like plant oils which tend to be heavy. Heavy ingredients often weigh-down wavy hair, while silicones are often designed to be lightweight. This can result in silicones being a really effective ingredient for damaged wavy hair.

What’s The Difference Detween Water-Soluable Silicones and Non-Water Soluble Silicones?

Even those who follow the curly girl method and dislike some silicones, may admit that they don’t see all silicones as equally ‘bad’. Some see water-soluable silicones as just fine, and they only dislike non-water soluble silicones. What does that mean?

The main reason why the curly girl method suggests avoiding silicones is because they claim that you need a really strong shampoo to remove the buildup from silicones. However, some silicones are water soluble, meaning they will dissolve in water without any cleanser being needed at all! These silicones can be used and can be removed from the hair without the use of strong shampoos.

So, some say that water-soluable silicones are safe to use while abiding by the curly girl method. As a result, if you’d like to stick with part of the curly girl method but feel your hair needs some silicones, you might choose to use water-soluable ones but continue to avoid non-water soluble ones. The science-y hair blog has an article sharing which silicones are water soluble.

Special-Case Non-Water Soluble Silicones

Also, some silicones are not water soluble, but behave in really specific ways that lead some to see them as ‘better’ silicones. A popular example would be Amodimethicone. This silicone is not water soluble but it does not attach to or coat all of your hair. Instead, it specifically attaches to damaged portions of your hair. So if you have sections of your hair cuticle that are damaged and that has left a ‘hole’ in your hair’s surface, and you use a product with Amodimethicone, the Amodimethicone will specifically stick to that gap in your hair, creating a smooth surface. However, it will not bind to the healthy or undamaged portion fo your hair, so buildup should not occur.

What if I Get Build up From Using Hair Products With Silicone Ingredients?

You can remove build-up by using a clarifying shampoo. Even when avoiding silicones, most people will find that they get some buildup over time. As a result, I suggest that everyone use a clarifying shampoo periodically. If you find that using silicones seems to require you to use clarifying shampoos too frequently and that is harsh on your hair…then you may have to choose which is more important to you. However, others will find that they can use clarifying shampoos pretty frequently without it drying out their hair. It may depend on how naturally moisturized your hair stays.

Under $20 Simple Wavy Girl Method Starter Routine From Walmart

November 28, 2020 by Emily Evert 20 Comments

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I’ve received a couple of emails asking me to share a starter routine. I considered sharing my own wavy girl method routine, and probably still will eventually. However, I know that this blog has been getting a lot of people who are brand new to the curly girl method and/or brand new to embracing their naturally wavy hair.

The method I currently use is not how I would recommend most others start out because it’s customized to my exact hair type. If you are more interested in my specific routine, you can see my drugstore CGM wavy hair routine in that blog post by clicking the link.

I thought I’d share an affordable, super simple starter routine that is more likely to work for most people than my specific routine is. I did use this routine n myself to show you guys that it does work for me. Here is my results from the routine that I share in this post:

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