How to Follow the Curly Girl Method for Curly Hair (2024)

Co-authored byBianca Coxand Luke Smith, MFA

Last Updated: July 10, 2023Fact Checked

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1. The CGM is a product regimen and washing schedule for curly hair. It was originally conceived by hair stylist Lorraine Massey (and adapted from many hair care methods used by Black stylists) to help struggling people with curly hair achieve their best ‘do, and to keep their curls healthy, full, and glamorous.^[1] Since then, it’s been adopted, practiced, and customized by many people who want healthier curly hair.

   • The CGM cuts damaging hair products in favor of curl-friendly products. Products that include gentler ingredients like oils, butters, and minerals are used instead.^[2]
   • The CGM utilizes special hair care and styling methods. The products you use are only half of the method. The other half involves particular guidelines for detangling, drying, and styling.
   • The CGM also stresses the importance of avoiding heating tools, like heated curlers, blow dryers, or even hot water, all of which can dry out your hair and interfere with your curls.

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   Reset your hair with a clarifying shampoo. Moving forward, you’ll ditch your sulfate-based shampoo, but go ahead and wash your scalp one last time with a clarifying shampoo—probably whichever shampoo is in your shower right now. This will scrub out any lingering oils, dirt, and styling products clinging to your hair and give you a fresh canvas to work with.^[3]

   • After you’ve done that last wash with that sulfate-based shampoo, toss it! You had a good run together, but you won’t be needing it on your Curly Girl journey.
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   Wash your scalp with a cleansing conditioner or sulfate-free shampoo. Begin your routine by wetting your hair in the shower. Then squeeze out a dollop of your Curly Girl cleanser of choice and work it into your scalp with your fingertips. Then, thoroughly rinse it out of your hair with cool water.^[4]

   • We’ll link you to some of our favorite products, but there’s a whole world of possibilities. Check your products with a database like CurlScan to see if they’re Curly Girl-approved.
   • Recommended brands:
     • Shea Moisture
     • PATTERN Beauty
     • Kinky Curly
     • Curl Junkie
     • Cantu
     • Not Your Mother’s Curl Talk
   • Note that some products, while not necessarily silicone or sulfate-free, are still made with curly hair in mind, and have ingredients that will treat your hair right, regardless.
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   Distribute conditioner throughout all of your hair. This is the cornerstone of the Curly Girl method: condition! Squeeze out a generous dollop of silicone-free conditioner, then squeeze out a little more. Now, look down at the floor so that your hair hangs in front of your face, and work the conditioner into your hair by squishing and scrunching it upward into your hair.^[5] Keep applying conditioner until your hair is slick and slippery, then let it rest for 5 minutes.

   • This upward squishing motion encourages your hair to form coils, kickstarting the curling process in the shower.
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   Detangle with your fingers or a wide-toothed comb. While your hair is still slick with conditioner, start detangling at the ends and work upward to gently undo any clumps or knots in your hair.^[6] It may take a while, but the time and effort will be worth it!

   • It’s important to detangle in the shower with conditioner in your hair. Detangling while your hair is dry will only break up your coils and encourage frizz.
   • Avoid traditional hair brushes, which tend to undo your natural curl pattern. That said, wet brushes or curl-styling brushes are fair game, so long as you use them while your hair is still wet.
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   Rinse your hair with cold water. Cold water seals the hair’s cuticles and locks in moisture, which in turn decreases frizz and adds shine. Leave some conditioner in your hair, or reapply a small amount before stepping out of the shower, especially in dry sections like the ends. A small amount of leftover conditioner will give your next styling products a boost, or even act as a final moisturizing step if you choose to do without styling products.^[7].

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   Apply styling products to your hair. Curly hair dries out much more easily than straight hair, so it’s best to add curl-friendly, moisturizing products after you shower, but while your hair is still wet. We recommend using either a curly hair gel, or even just more conditioner. Put a generous dollop of product in your hands and rub them together to emulsify. Then, smooth or rake the product upwards into your hair.^[8]

   • Use moisturizing hair products, such as lotion-like creams and alcohol-free gels.^[9] Look for products that are specifically designed for your curl type (e.g., wavy, tightly curled, or kinky).
   • Many people begin with a leave-in cream or conditioner to decrease frizz, then follow with a gel or mousse for hold and definition.
   • After the leave-in conditioner but before the gel or curl cream is applied, it’s also common to apply a light oil on the hair. This is known as the LOC method (“leave-in, oil, cream”), and doesn't have to be used in this specific order.
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   Remove excess moisture with a microfiber towel. Scrunch your hair with a microfiber towel or spare T-shirt to wick away excess moisture. Just as you did in the shower, use upward-squishing motions to encourage coils. Don’t use a standard terrycloth towel—that’ll only sap the moisture from your hair and undo all your hard work.^[10]

   • At this point, you might finger-shape your curls by wrapping strands of hair around your pointer finger and keeping it there for 5-10 seconds, to encourage coils.
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   Dry your hair with a diffuser or by plopping. Here’s where so many people go wrong: they introduce heat, which dries and frizzes out your hair. Instead, dry your curls by plopping (doing up your hair in a microfiber wrap). Alternatively (or additionally), blow dry your hair with a diffuser attachment on a cold-air setting.^[11]

   • To plop, lay a T-shirt or microfiber towel onto a low, flat surface. Then, turn your head upside-down and lower your hair onto the towel. Gather the corners of the towel, and tie them around the base of your neck to create a headwrap. Wear the wrap as long as you can, or until your hair is dry.
   • To cold-diffuse, blow dry your hair with a diffuser attachment, with the blow dryer on a cold setting. Turn your head upside down and dangle your hair over the attachment, and bring the diffuser upward into sections of your hair until it’s dry.

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   Condition every 2-3 days. Be generous with your conditioner, and use it as a co-wash for your daily hair treatment (though you’ll probably want to only go through the motions every couple days, to save time). This is your go-to way to cleanse, detangle, and moisturize your hair while doing the Curly Girl Method. Conditioner is hugely important for curlies, since it adds and locks in moisture needed to maintain curls.^[12]

   • Use your additional styling products any time you condition, or just as you see fit. Some days, just conditioner co-wash will do. Other days, your hair may be a bit dry or frizzed-out, and you may decide you want an extra boost.
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   Shampoo once a week. Many people opt to co-wash, which is washing your hair with a conditioner only (sometimes with a specially formulated cleaning conditioner), but many do still shampoo every so often. Go ahead and clean your scalp with a sulfate-free shampoo if your head is feeling overly greasy or itchy.^[13]

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   Give your hair time to adjust, and tweak your routine as needed. It takes 2 to 6 weeks for your hair to adjust to the Curly Girl method, and it may even look a little worse at first as it learns to embrace the added oils and moisture.^[14] Curly hair is a long-term project, so keep at it while your hair recovers from years of harmful shampoos and other damaging products. If a certain shampoo/conditioner combo doesn’t give you the results you want after a few weeks, try different products—everyone’s hair is different, and reacts differently to product.

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