How to Follow the Curly Girl Method for Curly Hair

Do you suffer from dry, damaged, frizzy, uncontrollable hair? Do you spend an excessive amount of time blow drying and styling your hair? Does the weather tend to dictate your hair style and your mood? Say good-bye to the frizz and split ends and hello to soft, healthy curls! As Lorraine Massey says, "Blow-dry straight, you're happy for a day; stay curly, you're happy for life."

Steps

1. Understand what the curly girl method or going CG is. "Say no to shampoo, unplug the dryer, and find your inner curl!" (LM) The curly girl method is based off a book. It involves not using a brush, to avoid frizz and breakage, and shampoo, to retain natural oils. Many curlies decide to be modified CG and toe outside of the guidelines (e.g. using light silicones, straightening hair with a flat iron, clarifying with a sulfate free shampoo etc.) because it works for them.
2. Clarify with a sulfate shampoo before beginning. This will cleanse your hair of any silicones- ingredients in some hair products that are not water soluble (see Warnings).
3. Have your hair trimmed. This will get rid of any damage or split ends.
4. 
   Stop using a brush. It damages your hair whether it is wet or dry. It causes frizz and makes dry hair tangle. Use a wide-toothed comb instead, or even better, use your fingers. If it is difficult to detangle your hair this way, add more conditioner to your hair or trim unruly ends.
5. 

   sham+poo=phony+baloney
   Stop shampooing your hair. Most shampoos contain harsh, drying sulfates that are extremely damaging for curly hair (ammonium laureth sulfate, ammonium lauryl sulfate, sodium laureth sulfate, sodium lauryl sulfate, etc.). They make curly hair frizzy and uncooperative. Using conditioner in place of shampoo will cleanse the hair just as effectively without stripping it of moisture. Gentle shampoos that contain mild cleansers (i.e. cocamidopropyl betaine or coco betaine) can be used occasionally.
   • "You'd never dream of washing a good sweater with detergent. Yet most shampoos contain harsh detergents (sodium lauryl sulfate or laureth sulfate) that one finds in dish washing liquid. They're great for pots and pans because they cut grease so effectively. Your hair on the other hand, needs to retain some natural oils, which protect your hair and scalp. Stripping them away deprives the hair of necessary moisture and amino acids and makes it look dry and dull." (LM)
6. Give your hair time to adjust. It takes 2-4 weeks for your hair to adjust to the no shampoo. It may even look worse at first. Hair is a long-term project and it may take a couple weeks for it to regain its health after being stripped of moisture for years by shampoo.
7. Wash your scalp with conditioner. Begin your routine by wetting your hair in the shower. Distribute conditioner on your entire scalp and massage your scalp with the tips of your fingers (not your fingernails). This will cleanse the scalp of any dirt and get rid of dandruff. Thoroughly rinse your scalp.
   • "The curly-haired can leave their hair hydrated with natural oils and clean their scalps quite well by rinsing only with hair conditioner once a week or less. Rubbing the scalp firmly with fingers is enough to loosen dirt."(LM)
8. Distribute conditioner throughout all of your hair and untangle gently. Use your hands or a wide-toothed comb. Start by untangling bottom sections of your hair and then gradually move upwards. Let the conditioner sit in your hair for five minutes or so for extra moisture. You also may want to part your hair at this point with a comb. Part your hair to the side to prevent "triangle-shaped" hair.
9. Do the final rinse of your hair with cool or cold water. This will decrease frizz and add shine. Leave some conditioner in your hair, especially in dry sections like the ends. It is fine to run your fingers through your hair gently, but do not comb your hair after this point.
10. Apply products to your hair. Do it while it is soaking wet if you have curlier hair, but wait five minutes or so if you have medium to wavy curly hair. Put product in your hands and rub them together. Smooth or rake product into your hair by sections. Begin with a leave-in cream or conditioner to decrease frizz and follow that with a gel for hold and definition. Finger shape the curls by scrunching them or twisting individual curls around a finger.
11. Gently scrunch your hair with a t-shirt, paper towels, or a micro-fiber towel to remove excess moisture. A generic terry-cloth towel will make your hair frizzy. Then wait ten minutes so the hair can permanently assume its current shape.
12. Decrease the drying time of your hair by "plopping". Spread an old t-shirt or micro-fiber towel onto a flat surface (such as the toilet with seat down). Bend over at the waist and position your hair in the middle of the cloth. With your head touching the cloth, drape the back section of cloth over your head. Twist the sides until they form "sausage rolls" and clip or tie them at the base of your neck. After 15-30 minutes remove the cloth. If your hair is frizzy after plopping lightly graze the hair with gel.
13. 

    A hair dryer with a finger diffuser
    Dry your hair. Air drying is the easiest and gentlest way to dry your hair. If you must blow-dry your hair use a bowl diffuser with fingers to avoid frizz and enhance clumping--curls sticking together instead of going every which way. Place a section of hair in the bowl and press the bowl to your head. Then turn on the "warm" setting of your blow dryer. Press the cool shot if your head gets too hot. Only dry your hair partially (about 70% dry) and air-dry the rest of the way. Do not touch your hair while it is drying or it will mess up and frizz.
14. Find an experienced hairstylist. Ask he/she in advance if they are experienced in cutting curly hair and what products they are going to use on your hair. Unplanned haircuts can be disastrous for curly hair. If their products contain silicones insist on bringing your own. If your hairstylist uses a razor to thin out your hair it will make your ends ratty and prone to split ends. Remember, it takes a skilled hairdresser to successfully cut layers or other haircuts in curly hair.
15. Have your hair trimmed every four to six months. A 1/2-inch or 1/4-inch trim is usually enough to get rid of split ends. Long, rounded layers are more suited to curly hair- short layers stick up and look funny. Curly hair usually consists of a combination of textures, with the crown being the curliest part. For this reason it's hard to tell what dry curly hair looks like when wet- consider having your hair cut dry. Also, take into account that curly hair is much shorter when dry than wet. You may lose only two inches while wet, but four or five while dry!
16. 
    Consult the book. Curly Girl - The Handbook A Celebration of Curls: How to cut them, care for them, love them, and set them free by Lorraine Massey with Deborah Chiel has hair care recipes, tips and tricks, and is an amazing resource! Check your local library or consider ordering it online.
17. Show off your glamorous, beautiful curls! "Free your hair and the rest will follow." (LM)

[edit] Tips

• Different products work better for different types of curly hair. You will want to check out naturallycurly.com for products that work for your hair type. Some high quality lines of products for curly hair are Jessicurl and Devacurl (created in part by Lorraine Massey). Curly hair has different needs during different seasons. In the summer use more liquid-like products so as to not suffocate the hair. It's also helpful to leave less conditioner and leave in cream in your hair to prevent frizzing and increase definition. It's sort of the opposite in winter. You should use heavier, creamier products and more conditioner or leave-in to combat dry, wintry air.
• 

  So many products, so little time!
  A good moisturizing conditioner is essential. Some suggestions are Jessicurl Too Shea, Devacurl One Condition, Activate Hydrating Conditioner, and Kenra Moisturizing Conditioner. You can use a cheaper, silicone-free conditioner , like Suave Naturals or Vo5, to scrub your scalp. Some good leave-in creams are L'Oreal Out of Bed Weightless Texturizer, Jessicurl Confident Curls Styling Solution, Boots Essentials Curling Cream, Joico Joiwhip Moose, and Curly Hair Solutions Curl Keeper. Some good gels are the Herbal Essences Gels, LA Looks gels, Biosilk Rock Hard Gelee, and Devacurl Angell or Arcangell.
• 
  Gels may make your hair crunchy. When your hair is completely dry flip it over and gently scrunch your hair. This will leave you with soft, non-crunchy curls. Some people prefer the extra hold of a crunchy gel, as long as the texture can be scrunched out.
• After swimming in chlorinated water use a non-sulfate shampoo (Activate Hydrating Shampoo, Devacurl No-Poo) or add some lemon juice to your conditioner. These should only be used at most once a week, because they are still a little drying.
• Try adding honey to your hair with your conditioner. It cleanses the hair and adds moisture and shine. Rinse it out like it is normal conditioner. You can leave some honey in your hair, but make sure it's not more than a drop or two- your hair will end up sticky and coated.
• If you're having a bad time with your hair don't give up on your curls. Try cleansing with a non-sulfate shampoo to remove buildup, changing products, or how you use your current products. If you're still discouraged with your hair trying using gel to slick it back into a fancy up do or braid before you reach for the straightening iron. Adding cute accessories can also help.
• It can be hard to shower in the morning and style hair before work or school. Try showering the night before and then plopping (explained in step eleven above) while you sleep. When you wake up your hair should be dry- just spray a little spray gel, refreshing spray, or water on your curls, scrunch and you're good to go.
• Be patient and experiment with hair products and changes to your routine. Your hair may never be perfectly frizz-free all the time, but it can get close. Visit the sources and citations for more suggestions and hints.

[edit] Warnings

• 

  Excepting Suave naturals, all the products in this picture have silicones in them.
  If at all possible avoid silicones- ingredients that generally end in -cone, -conol, or -xane and are found in hair products. Short term, silicones will make hair look sleeker and less frizzy, but in the long run they will coat the hair shaft and seal out moisture causing hair to become straw like, less defined, and frizzy. Also avoid waxes in hair products. The only way to remove either of these is to use a harsh, drying sulfate shampoo. Most of the highly commercialized lines of hair products (Pantene, Garnier Fructis, Aussie, Tressame, Sunsilk) contain silicones. However if a silicone has "PEG" in front of it, it is water-soluble and will not build up.
  • Silicones that are not soluble in water and build up on the hair: Amodimethicone, Cetearyl methicone, Cetyl Dimethicone, Cyclomethicone, Cyclopentasiloxane, Dimethicone, Dimethiconol, Stearyl Dimethicone, and Trimethylsilylamodimethicone.
  • Silicones that are slightly soluble in water and will build up on most types of curly hair: Amodimethicone (and) Trideceth-12 (and) Cetrimonium Chloride, Behenoxy Dimethicone, and Stearoxy Dimethicone.
  • Silicones that are soluble in water and safe to use (they are not listed with PEG in front of them): Dimethicone Copolyol, Hydrolyzed Wheat Protein Hydroxypropyl Polysiloxane, and Lauryl methicone copolyol.
• Most people will compliment you on your lovely curls. However, some people will never appreciate your curly hair. Don't let this affect you. No matter how hard you have tried to fight it with straightening irons and hairspray, you have curly hair. Enjoy it!

[edit] Things You'll Need

• Curly hair
• Hair gel
• Leave-in cream
• Wide-toothed comb
• Old t-shirt or paper towels
• Blow dryer and diffuser (optional)
• Curly Girl by Lorraine Massey (optional)

Source from: http://www.wikihow.com/Follow-the-Curly-Girl-Method-for-Curly-Hair