A wavy hair blog sharing tips and tricks for embracing naturally wavy hair.
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.
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.
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.
There are affiliate links in this post.
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.
There are affiliate links in this post. All opinions are my own.
Something I really appreciate about Gen Z is how many of them are more conscious consumers than those of us who are older. I personally am not great about choosing vegan or cruelty-free products on a regular basis. I have so much respect for people who do make it a priority, though!
I had someone email me asking about a vegan and cruelty-free routine for wavy hair so I thought, sure! I went through the products I had to come up with products I enjoy that could be used together in a routine. This is a simple one, just three products!
Noughty Wave Hello Shampoo
Noughty Wave Hello Conditioner
Cake The Curl Whip Mousse.
Why these products? Well, because they are vegan and cruelty-free, and they work well for me! The shampoo feels cleaning yet slightly moisturizing, and the conditioner is moisturizing without being too heavy for my fine but dense wavy hair. The conditioner also has good slip so I can detangle my hair without too much trouble.
The curl whip mousse is one of my all-time favorite stylers. It is really lightweight and offers great volume and good hold. IT doesn’t offer long-lasting hold so my hair will fall flatter than usual by day 2, but it’s super lightweight in my hair. It almost leaves my hair feeling product-free! So, I’m able to add more of this mousse to my hair on day 2 to regain some curl and definition.
What else will you need? In your monthly routine, you’ll likely need a clarifying shampoo to use about once a month, and a deep conditioner and/or protein treatment to use once a month to once a week (depending on your hairs needs). If you’re unsure of your hair type, my how to determine your wavy hair type can help you get an idea of your hair type and my post on wavy hair & protein may help you estimate how much protein you’ll need to use.
There is no protein in these three products so even if your hair only needs a tiny bit of protein, you’ll likely need to do a protein treatment periodically if you do this routine longterm. However, this routine is great for your regular wash days! Scroll down to see other products that you can try for your clarifying and mask needs on ‘special’ wash days.
My results from using this routine.