Back at the beginning of the year, I decided to try out the No Poo Method to take care of my hair in a healthier way. I struggled a bit, trying different wash methods, and ultimately decided to put a pin in it.
A few months passed when I was simply avoiding sulfates and silicones (with the exception of the amodimethicone in the Overtone conditioner I used at the time). I didnāt really ever love how my hair looked, and eventually in April 2018 I cut it short.
When my friend cut my hair, she noted through the process how much curl my hair naturally had. I started experimenting with letting my hair just do its thing, without using any heat tools to tame it. Ultimately, in May 2018, I officially decided to jump into the Curly Girl Method. In the beginning, it wasā¦frustratingā¦
My hair was pretty unpredictable at first, sometimes too flat, sometimes too big, always frizzy. But I kept at it, and eventually started seeing some good results.
(I also dyed my hair with henna, Iām planning on doing a post about that later!)
Iāve been following the Curly Girl Method for over three months now, and Iām very happy watching my hair look better and better!
Hereās my current routine:
Washing.Ā I typically wash my hair every 2-3 days (Iāll see how that changes with the weather). I now wash my hair in the morning, instead of at night when I shower. It seemed silly at first, but it made a huge difference in how my hair looks! I use a handheld shower head and wash while bent over my tub. My go-to shampoo is still the Trader Joeās Tea Tree Tingle shampoo. I massage this into my scalp, then rinse.
Conditioning. I use the Trader Joeās Tea Tree Tingle conditioner and generously āsquishā it into my hair, focusing on the length. Once my hair feels saturated with conditioner, I use my fingers to gently detangle. I get a lot of shed hair caught up in my fingers during this process! After Iāve thoroughly detangled, I gently rinse.
Deep Conditioning. Once a week, Iāll switch out the Trader Joeās conditioner for a deep conditioner. My go-to deep conditioners are the DevaCurl Heaven in Hair deep conditioner and the Camille Rose Coconut Water Penetrating Hair Treatment. The extra boost of moisture really helps to revive my curls and keep them shiny.
Plopping. After Iāve rinsed out my conditioner, I grab my microfiber turban towel and āplopā my hair in it. I leave it in the towel for a few minutes while I get dressed.
Styling Products. I take my hair out of the towel and grab a curl cream. My go-to creams lately have been the Briogeo Curl Charisma curl creme and the Curl Junkie Coffee Coco-Lite cream. I pour a generous dollop into my hand, rub my hands together, and apply the cream to my hair upside-down. I use a method called āpraying handsā to smooth the cream over my hair before scrunching it up into my hair to start forming some nice curls. Then I grab my gel. My go-to gels of late are the Curly Hair Solutions gel and the Curl Junkie Curl Queen gel. I do the same process with the gel as with the cream. I then gently place my hair so the part is where I want it.
Diffusing/Drying. Most days I opt to briefly diffuse my hair. Besides making my hair less soaking-wet, diffusing helps give definition to curls. I work one section at a time, holding the diffuser up to my head on the Cool setting, and holding it there for about a minute or two before moving to the next section. Then I let my hair air dry, and āscrunch out the crunchā, aka break the hard cast left my the gel so that my hair is soft and bouncy.
Refreshing. On the days I donāt wash my hair, I ārefreshā my curls by spritzing them with either plain water, a water-conditioner mixture, or a store-bought refresher spray. Iām still experimenting with this process!
Have you ever tried the Curly Girl Method?
Ā Hair Update ā The Curly GirlĀ Method Back at the beginning of the year, I decided to try out the No Poo Methodā¦