The Curly Girl Method (for Wavy Hair!)

No blow dryer. No curling iron. Pretty cool, right?

I used to have cute hair every day. This was after washing, conditioning, product-ing, blow-drying, and flat-ironing it into submission several times a week. These were times in which I also wore stilettos and slept in on the weekends and drank my coffee uninterrupted.

Then I had children. Cute hair became an impossible dream. (So did the stilettos and the luxurious coffee drinking.)

As it turns out, without all those appliances, my hair is a giant frizz ball that's neither straight, wavy OR curly...just messy. And big. And a giant pain in the ass.

After four years of mom-hood (and a lot of bad hair days) and three decades of fighting against my hair's natural state, I decided to take control. I stumbled onto the Curly Girl Method by admiring a fellow blogger's photo on Instagram and started obsessively Googling "curly girl hair." Created by Lorraine Massey, this technique for dealing with naturally curly and wavy hair has a serious cult following. I decided to give it a try. Because there was quite a learning curve and I knew from my research that an adjustment period was often necessary, I held off on writing about it until I had real results to report.

I've experimented, made giant steps forward, made even more giant steps back, taken a bazillion self-portraits of the back of my head, been complimented by strangers, and once or twice had to take an emergency shower before I could leave the house. I've tried dozens of products, annoyed my long-suffering husband, and trolled through countless internet chat rooms devoted just to curly hair.


I've been waiting six weeks to write this post and I'm very excited to finally share the results of my latest beauty experiment with you. The fact that I've stuck with a hair "method" this long is a miracle in and of itself...but the results have been pretty awesome, too! So awesome, in fact, that people have been commenting on how nice my hair looks. Which never, ever happens.

At long last, I present...my adapted Curly Girl Method for Wavy Hair!

The Basics

- No sulfates
- No silicones (basically any ingredient with "cone" at the end)
- Shampoo as infrequently as possible, using only non-sulfate shampoo
- Lots of conditioner
- No terry cloth towels (I switched to a microfiber hair towel, but J's T-shirts work just as well and he has a bazillion of them)

If you're tempted to try the Curly Girl method, I highly encourage you to:

a) Try a LOT of variations on the system until you find what works for you and your hair
and
b) Stick with it! You'll thank me at the end. I promise.

Below is what's working for me based on my specific hair type and the culmination of TONS of trial and error...

Before you start: 

1) Establish your hair type. I have wavy hair that takes a curl easily, but ONLY from the tops of my ears down. The hair on the very top of my head is straight. Which meant the traditional Curly Girl techniques of once-a-week shampoos and conditioner washing, as well as using conditioner and product on my scalp, turned out to be hide-hair-under-hat-worthy disasters.

2) Get a hair cut. Even if it's only a trim. I've got long hair, but freshening the layers and getting rid of dead ends went a long way toward perfecting my end result.

3) Experiment with products. My full list appears below; read online reviews and talk to your local beauty supply store to get suggestions. Everyone's hair has different needs, and finding products that are a good fit makes all the difference.

4) UPDATED: Wash your hair one last time with a sulfate shampoo to get rid of any residue and build up from your old routine. I used Neutrogena Shampoo Anti-Residue Formula because that's what I had in the house, but anything that won't add extra build-up should work fine.

The Routine

In the shower: Three days a week (or so) I scalp-wash only. First I get my whole head wet, then gently massage my scalp with my fingertips to loosen dirt and oil. Then, using a teaspoon or so of sulfate-free shampoo mixed with a lot of water, I wash just the top part of my scalp (along my part  and back towards the crown.) I rinse with hot water, then apply a fistful of conditioner to the ends of my hair (everything below my ears.) I leave the conditioner in while I wash my body and shave my legs, then comb it through and wash it out using first warm rinse, then a cool one (Curly Girl devotees swear by this. I'm not sure why but I'm doing it anyway...)

Out of the shower: I wrap my head turban-style in a microfiber towel or one of J's t-shirts. I try to rub as little as possible. The towel absorbs the water while I get dressed and do my makeup. Then I comb through once with a wide tooth comb, and apply product (again, only from my ears down.) I make sure the part is where I want it and do a little light scrunching, then leave it alone while it air dries.

On off days: If it's a no-shampoo day but I've worked out or have kid-related messes to scrub off, I shower and rinse my hair with water only, then apply conditioner and repeat steps as above. 

Once a week: Full shampoo. Though to be honest, unless we've been to the beach or the pool, I've been doing this less and less. My results are just so much better when I scalp-wash only...

This may sound labor-intensive, but it's actually super easy and fast. It's shaved so much time off my morning routine, and getting ready for meetings or nights out has never been easier. I'm definitely a believer in the Curly Girl Method for my wavy hair...so glad I stuck with it.

The Products

Shampoo & Conditioner: I've got two current favorites; one pair is high end and the other is by my heroes at Trader Joe's. Both are sulfate and paraben free and I get great results. The Alterna shampoo is foamier (which is key if you're missing your sulfates, which are foaming agents.) The Trader Joe's has the added benefit of protecting me from the neverending lice issue that plagues E's preschool (shudder.)

Trader Joe's Tea Tree Tingle Shampoo and Conditioner
I love this stuff. It smells great (very invigorating, so probably not the best choice for a relaxing nighttime shower) and leaves my hair light and soft. Note: I've included the Amazon link here for those poor souls without access to Trader Joe's, but it's $3.99 a bottle at TJs so buy it there if you can!

ALTERNA BAMBOO Smooth Anti-Frizz Shampoo and Conditioner
I use these less frequently but love the smooth results. This formula is richer so it's my go-to choice for full shampoo days and also when my hair needs a little extra TLC from sun, salt water, etc. For this one, definitely DO buy it on Amazon, it's almost ten dollars cheaper there than it is from beauty supply stores.

Styling Products: I need a little (OK, a lot) of help getting my waves to be wavy (I think they call this definition) and also with de-frizzing. Ditching silicones was hard for this reason, but I found some good products that do the job without weighing down my hair with all that silicone build-up:

Bouncy Creme
I've loved this stuff forever: it's cheap and it WORKS to give my hair soft, defined waves without looking goopy or frizzy. I was so excited when I read the ingredients and found out it was Curly Girl approved and silicone free! I usually add a drop or two of...
Beautiful Curls Shining Curl Oil
...which is great for smoothing fuzzy strays and helps combat dryness on the ends of my hair. J is making fun of me for using this product, which I found at Whole Foods, because it has neem oil as a major ingredient. Neem oil being the same thing he's using to de-bug our garden without using pesticides. Leading to several unfunny jokes about not washing my hair causing bug problems that require the use of organic pesticide.
Note: The Curly Girl method DOES NOT CAUSE BUG PROBLEMS. 

L'Oreal Paris Studio Line Out of Bed Texturizer
J likes this stuff so much he's starting using it instead of his usual Bumble & Bumble products. It's cheap, silicone-free and it works: great hold and definition, though it creates more of a beach-wave result (with a matte effect) than the Bouncy Creme does. I especially like this product on days when I work out or go to yoga, because it's great for using when I've skipped shampoo entirely (the extra oil in my hair balances out the matte texture.)

Moroccan Oil Curl Control Cream
This one comes with a disclaimer: it contains a small amount of light silicone (dimethicone) which is technically against the Curly Girl rules. I haven't found it to be problematic, though I do try to use it right before a full shampoo day to minimize buildup. It smells amazing and creates great, full waves. Plus it makes me feel better about having to give up my beloved Morrocan Hair Oil for this experiment, which turned out to be full of silicones. Sigh.

UPDATED: For when the ends get a little dry (usually on off days) I dab a little MOP Glisten High Shine Pomade on my fingers and rub them over the ends. Another product (my all-time miracle cream which I use for everything and could NOT live without) that works for this purpose is Egyptian Magic Cream. (I still owe you a post about how much I love this stuff! Soon...)



Last but not least, there's the Microfiber Hair Towel I've been using, which is by no means a necessity if your husband, like mine, hoards T-shirts dating back to the early 80s. Once I committed to the method, though, I treated myself to this waffle-weave hair towel and I love using it--it wraps into a neat, firm turban and holds my hair in place while I do the rest of my morning routine.

So...that's it. Hope this answers everyone's questions about my recent hair transformation. If you've got curly or wavy hair, I urge you to give the Curly Girl method a try. It's seriously life-changing once you figure out an adaptation that works for your hair.


Have you experimented with the Curly Girl method before? If so, please comment below and tell me what methods and products work for you...I'm always looking to try new things!


Disclosure: I have no affiliation with The Curly Girl Method or any of the products listed here. This beauty experiment was all my own, as are the opinions. The Amazon links, as always, are affiliate links.