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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.

my wavy hair really likes silicones

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.

Naturally wavy hair 2a

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.

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.

Basic steps of the curly girl method. The CGM really isn't inherently complex, some people just enjoy elaborate routes! If you want to keep it simple, you can.

The basic steps of the curly girl method

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How To Make The Curly Girl Method Transition Phase Easier

June 3, 2022 by Emily Evert 1 Comment

I recently did a blog post about the curly girl method transition phase where I explained what it was, and answered some other related questions. A common question that I didn’t answer in that post is basically ‘how can I survive the transition phase?”. I thought that question was big enough to warrant its own post.

How to make the curly girl method transition easier

 How To Make The Curly Girl Transition Phase More Tolerable

1. Wash your hair when you need to!

This is the biggest one, in my opinion. What makes the transition phase so challenging for many people is they decide they absolutely can’t wash their hair more than once every three days or four days or whatever timeframe. I do believe that it’s good to work on getting your hair used to being washed less frequently because daily shampooing can be drying. I don’t believe that the only way to “train” your hair to produce less oils is to go from daily washing to once-a-week washing.

Prior to trying the curly girl method I had been a daily washer, so I started by just moving to every other day at first. That was tolerable, 3+ days would not have been tolerable for me. I would have been insecure about how my hair looked, and felt. It wasn’t worth it to me!

Plus, if I just really messed up a wash day? I’d sometimes get right back in the shower and rewash just an hour after I washed the first time. I wasn’t willing to hate my hair the entire time between wash days, and one “extra” shampoo experience isn’t going to leave your hair super dry or otherwise cause major problems. If you’re itching to wash your hair – just wash it, you’ll be happier and your hair will be okay.

2. Set realistic goals.

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How To Follow The Curly Girl Method On A Budget

April 20, 2022 by Emily Evert 3 Comments

There are affiliate links in this post.

Tips, tricks and product recommendations for following the curly girl method on a budget. I used to follow it for about $10 a month!

It’s possible to spend a ton of money while doing the curly girl method. There are some curly girl method-approved products that are quite pricey, and some people like to try lots of new hair care products on a regular basis. For some people, it really adds up.

Often, wavy or curly YouTubers or influencers are sharing new products with readers all the time. It can give some followers the impression that following the curly girl method requires buying a lot of expensive products on a regular basis. In my view, it’s okay to spend a lot on your hair if that’s what you enjoy.

However, I know other people don’t want to spend much on their hair (or feel they shouldn’t or can’t due to their income or budget). For those of you who are wondering if you can do the curly girl method on a budget, yes you absolutely can. In this post I’m going to share tips and tricks for following the curly girl method while sticking to a budget.

Curly girl method on wavy hair on a budget

Be A Minimalist

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Wavy hair care blog owner

About Me

My name is Emily, I have been blogging since 2009. I found the curly girl method in 2018, which helped me to discover my naturally wavy hair. Since then, I’ve continued to wear my hair wavy, reading and watching tons about wavy hair. This blog is where I share what I’ve learned, in hopes of helping others. More about me and my backstory can be found on my about page.

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