The Curly Girl Method is… a journey. We’ve all been there. You decide to embark on this path to restore and embrace your natural curls but soon enough you’re down a deep well of reddit threads, YouTube videos and Naturally Curly posts and you’re so overwhelmed with information that you want to cry. If you don’t know what the Curly Girl Method is, then go check out my starter post here. But, if you know what it is, just don’t quite know which Curly Girl Method Products to use, then this is the post for you. I’m not saying that all of these products are GREAT, but at least you’ll know what, and what not, to look for.
What are Curly Girl Method Products?
For a product to be ‘Curly Girl Method Approved’ there are a couple of quotas that it has to reach. Firstly, no silicones, secondly, no sulfates, thirdly, no parabens, and, it has to wash your hair without stripping it entirely. Trying to figure out if your existing products, or something you want to buy, falls into these categories can seem daunting, but I recommend using Curlsbot. All you have to do it copy and paste the ingredients list over, and it’ll tell you whether it’s a Curly Girl Method Approved Product (UK, US, Worldwide, baby).
A Little Note on Porosity
When it comes to buying and using Curly Girl Method products, knowing your hair’s porosity is pretty important. I skipped it whilst I was in that completely-overwhelmed-by-info stage, but it will help you out in the long run. All you need is a cup of water and a strand of your hair. Put the hair in and leave it for a few moments, if it sinks you have high porosity hair (your hair soaks in moisture very well) if it floats, you have low porosity hair (your hair does not soak in moisture well). Your hair’s porosity will determine how and what products you wash your hair with. I have low porosity hair, which means my hair struggles to soak in moisture and a lot of product sits on the top of my hair, this means I use…
… A Clarifying Shampoo
Clarifying shampoos are really important when you first start your CGM journey, and when you have product build up but my fellow low porosity babes will use it more than most to help open our cuticles and let moisture seep into our strands.
Detox Dynamo – Noughty Haircare
I’m a big fan of this shampoo. It cleans my (very thick) hair well, without stripping it of all of it’s oils. You also get a lot of bang for your buck, as well as it being nearly 100% natural. Have a gander at it here.
Curl Cleanser – Bouclème
Not a clarifying shampoo, but if I want a little double ‘poo action (some days just be like that) or just to give my hair a bit of a cleanse (but not too much) this is my go to. It’s v e r y gentle, it doesn’t lather, it smells like a spa, and it’s sustainable!
As I Am Coconut CoWash
This cowash gets a heading all to itself because it’s just that good. I know now that I’m suppose to clarify more than cowash, but every site states that this is THE Curly Girl Method Product, the be all and end all, the holy grail, so I had to buy it. Let me tell you, IT IS WORTH THE HYPE. It has a slightly thinner consistency than conditioner but don’t be fooled, it will wash your hair better than a regular shampoo. It’s in this huuuge tub so it lasts for ages (mine lasted five months). I now do one clarify, one cowash, and my hair has never been so happy
Curly Girl Method Conditioners
Wave Hello – Noughty Haircare
I think I would have really liked this conditioner if my hair wasn’t so thick. It doesn’t weigh your hair down, it smells like the sea (big vibe for me) and yet, because I had to use so much of it to coat my hair, it just couldn’t last. It tried, but it was bested.
Hydra Source Conditioner – Biolage
On the journey to find a good conditioner, every site recommended the Generic Value Product’s Conditioning Balm from Sally’s. It’s not available in the UK (gr8) but the Biolage Conditioner is the UK version and it is the shit. It’s so thick!! And rich!! And conditioning!! It literally leaves all hair (including mine) baby soft and helps those curls to form i.e. the aim of this whole bloody game. Ugh, I love it. Side note: This has unlocked a memory of my hair being washed after swimming lessons, I wonder if my mother knew about this beauty from the beginning.
Curl & Shine Style Milk – Shea Moisture
Look, I’m in deep with TikTok, and everyone’s trying out a variation of the CGM, and they’re all using leave-in conditioner… so… I bought one. Here’s the thing, my hair doesn’t like having anything on it once I have stepped out of the shower. This just sat on my hair and was not a vibe, but I’ve been mixing it with the Biolage for a deep conditioning mask situation and I’m really enjoying it. Just adding that little bit of extra moisture to my hair, the coconut smell is not over-whelming, and it is specifically for thick hair. It is a little difficult to get it out of the tiny dispenser and would be better in a tub so I’d take or leave this one.
Should I Be Using Gel for My Wavy Hair?
Gel is, again, a huge part of the Curly Girl Method. You’re supposed to scrunch it into wet hair, leave to dry and then ‘scrunch out the crunch’ to keep your curls, or waves, intact for longer. As stated earlier, my hair doesn’t like having anything on it post-shower so I no longer use this step. I do have two gels I’ve tried out though.
Twist & Lock Gel – Cantu
This is a classic case of not doing your research before buying a product and just going for cheapest first. I do not do twists because I do not have thicker, tight curls / Afro hair and try not to appropriate a culture that white people capitalise off daily. This gel might be amazing when styling your hair into twists, using it to define loose waves though? Big no.
Curl Defining Gel – Bouclème
Now, this IS a gel that is right for my hair type. It’s very light and doesn’t leave much of a residue. If I’m looking to define some curls (once dry) then I’ll reach for this. It is very slippery, so apply it little by little, otherwise most of it will end up all over the bath.
That’s it! (‘It’ lol). Hopefully you found something in here that is a little bit helpful to your Curly Hair journey. If there are any Curly Girl Method approved products that you loveeee and think that I should try then please let me know! Feel free to drop a comment here or head over to @rosenburgerblog on insta and slide right on into my DMs.
– E x