For these with curly hair, it’s no secret that caring in your strands will be troublesome. Textures that adjust from Z-pattern coils to S-pattern ringlets require a deep quantity of consideration, as they’re usually delicate and liable to tangles. As somebody who has a mix of kind 3C and 4A curls, I’ve been on a lengthy hair care journey to search out the very best strategies—and the proper mixture of merchandise—with sufficient energy to nourish and outline my curls. It’s been a twisty path, to say the least—pun absolutely supposed.
One efficient technique I’ve discovered is the curly lady technique (CGM), acknowledged broadly throughout the neighborhood of parents with textured spirals as a real haircare game-changer. And since we’re not within the enterprise of gatekeeping at ELLE.com, we’ve offered an intensive information to the curly lady technique and the best merchandise to make your curly desires come true.
We’ve additionally consulted celeb hairdresser, educator, and founding father of Vernon Francois Haircare, Vernon François, and inventive director of Balmain Hair Couture, Ilham Mestour. Under, each consultants share their ideas on the curly lady technique, whereas bestowing ideas and methods to steer you thru your quest for flawless curls.
What’s the curly lady technique?
In 2011, the founding father of DevaChan Hair Salon and DevaCurl products, Lorriane Massey, revealed Curly Girl: The Handbook. This manifesto impressed these with curls to embrace their pure texture by implementing the “curly lady technique” or CGM—a five-step course of that helps you obtain your greatest curls over time. “The tactic is concentrated on avoiding substances that may be harsh on curly hair, corresponding to sulfates and silicones, and as an alternative utilizing light, nourishing merchandise that may assist improve curls,” says Mestour. “CGM additionally encourages folks to keep away from damaging styling practices like warmth styling and brushing,” Mestour provides.
What are the 5 steps of the curly lady technique?
Reset
Step one of the curly lady technique calls for an entire reset, or in different phrases, a deep cleanse utilizing a clarifying shampoo of your alternative. Clarifying shampoos assist to interrupt down residue from merchandise like leave-in conditioners and gels that always wedge their means into the nooks and crannies of your scalp. Nevertheless, this step comes with a caveat. “Clarifying shampoos usually include robust surfactants that may strip the hair of pure oils and trigger dryness, so they’re sometimes not really helpful for frequent use,” says Mestour. “They’re greatest used often, maybe as soon as a month, to take away build-up and refresh the hair.” That stated, it’s pointless to reset every time you wash your hair, solely when there’s a substantial quantity of build-up.
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Cleanse
As for the second step, sulfates at the moment are fully off-limits. Sulfates—mineral salts that strip impurities from hair and are sometimes present in clarifying shampoos—could cause hair strands to turn into dry and brittle. So to replenish your hair with hydration, it’s important to make use of a sulfate-free shampoo or a co-wash formulated particularly for light cleaning. “A co-wash or cleaning conditioner is a mild, non-foaming method designed to cleanse the hair with out stripping it of its pure oils,” says Mestour. “Co-washes sometimes include delicate surfactants or cleaning brokers, together with conditioning substances that assist detangle and soften the hair.”
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Situation
Conditioner is a curly lady’s greatest good friend, and I say this from expertise. Now, with this step of the method, you will need to be sure to distribute the conditioner evenly. “You’ll know you’ve utilized sufficient conditioner when all of the hair is evenly coated with product,” says François. One other integral side of this step is detangling your hair whereas it’s slathered in conditioner.
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Fashion
In her ebook, Lorriane Massey recommends making use of gel to soaking moist curls. The appliance course of entails raking the gel by means of your curls utilizing your fingers and scrunching the ends, as this method helps to outline curls. “Whenever you scrunch your hair, you’re utilizing your arms to assemble small sections of hair and squeeze them upwards in direction of your scalp,” says Mestour. “This helps to encourage your curls to kind into their pure form and definition.” Scrunching additionally helps to squeeze out extra water, which might result in frizzy strands.
Dry
The ultimate step is drying your hair. Though the simplest factor to do may be to wrap a shower towel round your head, each curl specialist will let you know to keep away from this in any respect prices. As an alternative, use a t-shirt to softly scrunch your hair, eradicating moisture, then let it air dry. If you happen to really can’t resist utilizing a towel, go for a microfiber towel, which is a non-abrasive different that forestalls frizziness and harm.
Does the curly lady technique truly work?
Though the curly lady technique has been extremely praised by the curly hair neighborhood, we have to acknowledge that each head of hair has its distinctive wants and would possibly react otherwise to CGM. If you happen to do some digging, you’ll discover a mixture of testimonies throughout the web, that includes some who say that CGM saved their hair, whereas others declare that it both didn’t assist in any respect or ruined their curls (inflicting much less definition, scalp irritation, and even hair loss). Nevertheless, it’s vital to think about that these detrimental testimonies could possibly be due to the merchandise used through the course of, not the method itself. So, when attempting out CGM, spend money on protected and efficient merchandise which have been completely examined and reviewed.
What do you have to keep away from whereas utilizing the curly lady technique?
In case your objective is to see outcomes, it’s time to kiss your scorching instruments goodbye. This implies taking a break from flat irons, curling wands, blow dryers, and some other form of device that emits warmth, as publicity to excessive temperatures can in the end trigger dryness, breakage, and curl manipulation. The one exception right here is utilizing a diffuser on low warmth to dry your hair.
As for substances to keep away from, the curly lady technique claims that it is best to keep away from sulfates, silicones, and alcohol. Sulfates are mineral salts that assist to strip oil and grime from hair, however they’re seen because the enemy of curly hair because of their capability to trigger extreme dryness. Silicones are supposed to coat hair strands with their rubber-like substance, however the challenge right here is that they’ll contribute to product build-up over time. Alcohol are sometimes the supply of scalp irritation and hair dryness, i.e. a curly lady’s worst nightmare.
Nevertheless, François factors out that there’s some room for debate right here. “Labeling substances nearly as good or unhealthy simplifies a posh space, when there are totally different sorts of alcohols, totally different sorts of silicones, and the general mix of substances in any given method is essential.”
What’s the best means to make use of conditioner whereas doing the curly lady technique?
The largest mistake that somebody with curly hair could make is immediately rinsing out conditioner after making use of it. Conditioner is a moisturizing agent that replenishes your hair with hydration and gives an ingredient-rich protecting coating, so it is best to take time to let it soak into your hair strands. And most significantly, it is best to use conditioner through the detangling course of. “When your hair is moist and saturated with conditioner, it turns into extra pliable and simpler to comb by means of, which will help to scale back the chance of hair breakage and harm,” says Mestour. “Make sure to pay further consideration to the ends of your hair, which are usually extra liable to dryness and harm,” she provides.
It’s additionally vital to notice that your hair strands are at their most fragile state whereas moist. François has a trick for detangling: “My go-to is gently detangling hair by hand when it’s dry, earlier than shampooing and conditioning—nice care ought to all the time be taken when detangling hair to keep away from extreme pulling and breakage.” François additionally shares that the easiest way to detangle your hair whereas it’s slathered in conditioner is “by sectioning it first to achieve all areas of your head extra simply,” says François. “Begin from the ends and work your means up in direction of the scalp, utilizing downward strokes.”
So, how have you learnt in case you’ve utilized sufficient conditioner?
Effectively, the quick reply is that the quantity of conditioner varies per individual, however Mestour recommends a normal precept to observe: “Work the conditioner by means of your hair till you are feeling that every curl is well-coated, and with observe, you’ll develop a way of how a lot conditioner your hair must feel and appear its greatest.”
If you happen to go a bit overboard whereas making use of conditioner, it’s okay, however keep in mind that including greater than obligatory isn’t useful. “Oversaturating the hair with extra conditioner received’t add any further profit as a result of hair can solely soak up a lot,” says François.
Why is using gel vital in the case of styling?
“Gels present maintain and definition to your hair, serving to to maintain your curls in place and forestall frizz,” says Mestour. She notes that a whole spectrum of gels exists, starting from gentle to strong-hold formulation, so your gel of alternative ought to coincide together with your hair texture and styling wants. Regardless of what the curly lady technique would possibly endorse, it isn’t an absolute should. “It’s your private alternative as to how vital gel is for you, relying on the look you’re hoping to realize,” says François.
Can you employ a leave-in conditioner as a part of the curly lady technique?
Completely! Though the official curly lady technique doesn’t require using leave-in conditioners, some folks like to make use of them as a step earlier than gels, myself included. The curly lady technique is solely a information, and it is inspired to personalize the tactic to your hair care wants.
After I visited Candace Witherspoon Salon in Manhattan to obtain a much-needed curly lower, my stylist confirmed me her model of attaining outlined curls, which concerned evenly coating my hair strands with a leave-in conditioner earlier than including gel to nourish my curls. “A high quality leave-in conditioner is vital as a result of it helps to create a superb basis to work from earlier than the styling course of,” says François.
Attributable to their useful properties, leave-in conditioners are sometimes thought of a stable place to begin within the styling course of. “Many leave-in conditioners include substances corresponding to nutritional vitamins, antioxidants, and proteins that may assist to guard your hair from harm,” says Mestour. She additionally mentions that leave-in conditioners are important for these with tighter textures which can be liable to dryness and frizz.
What further methods are you able to outline your curls through the styling course of apart from scrunching?
Styling is commonly probably the most intricate a part of the curly lady technique as a result of it requires a sure degree of approach. “I bounce curls in an upward path utilizing a flat palm with fingers gently curving in to encourage the pure form of curls, coils, kinks, spirals, or waves,” says François. “It helps if the hair is finger coiled with a bit light-weight serum on freshly washed and conditioned hair that’s about eighty % dry beforehand.”
One other observe I like implementing into my haircare routine is the “rake and shake” technique. This tactic isn’t included in CGM, however I’ve discovered it a worthwhile different to scrunching. After sectioning my hair and making use of my leave-in conditioner and gel, I give attention to every part and rake my fingers by means of from my roots to my ends. After I attain the underside of every part, I’ll evenly maintain my ends and shake my wrist backwards and forwards to assist kind the pure form of my curls.
What are the advantages of air-drying versus diffusing?
Every drying technique has its advantages, so it really is dependent upon what final result you are attempting to realize and the way a lot time you’ve got. François makes use of the air-drying approach on his shoppers to realize bounce and minimal frizz. “Finger coil or two-strand twist it first, then gently scrunch it each once in a while whereas it’s drying to get a curl that’s unmatched,” he explains.
If you happen to don’t have a lot time to spare or just don’t have the endurance for air drying, then utilizing a diffuser on low warmth can speed up the drying course of. Mestour explains that different advantages of utilizing a diffuser embrace enhancing curl definition and quantity. “Utilizing a diffuser lifts your curls and encourages them to dry with extra physique,” she notes.
As for my routine, I like to combine air-drying and diffusing, which François additionally suggests as an alternative choice to utilizing one technique versus the opposite. “Attempt leaving hair to air dry, then ending it off with a diffuser, or begin with a diffuser till hair is eighty or ninety % dry, then go away it’s,” François provides.
How do you have to type your hair at night time to guard your curls?
When the day is completed and your head is about to hit the pillow, how do you have to protect the masterpiece you created? One choice is the “pineapple technique,” which you are able to do after your hair is totally dry. “Collect your hair loosely on the prime of your head—as in case you had been going to make a ponytail, however do not pull it during—and safe it with a scrunchie or comfortable hair tie,” says Mestour. After perfecting the pineapple, you possibly can wrap your hair with a silk scarf or bonnet for cover.
If you happen to’d relatively not have your hair in a pineapple, there are many different methods to protect your hair in a single day. “Loosely braid or twist hair to assist maintain it tangle-free,“ François recommends, particularly for these with longer hair. Those that aren’t a fan of carrying a bonnet or silk scarf, as they’re usually notorious for slipping off in the midst of the night time, then strive a silk pillowcase. “An alternative choice to carrying a silk cap is to spend money on a silk pillowcase to reduce friction and pulling as you progress throughout sleep,” says François.
If you happen to get up the following morning and resolve that your hair wants a little bit of a touch-up, Mestour suggests rejuvenating your curls with a couple of easy methods: “Refresh your curls by spritzing them with water or a leave-in conditioner, then scrunch them gently to revive their form.”
General, what do you have to remember when starting the curly lady technique?
“The Curly Woman Methodology will be an efficient strategy to caring for curly hair, however it could take some experimentation and adjustment to search out the suitable merchandise and methods in your hair kind and texture,” says Mestour. Consider CGM as a science experiment, and proceed to check totally different mixtures of substances and methods till you discover the proper match in your curls. Discovering the very best strategy in your curls will be daunting, and generally discouraging, but it surely’s vital to have endurance with your self as a result of, as François says, “attending to know your personal head of hair will be enjoyable.”
Meet the Specialists
Vernon François is a celeb hairdresser and founding father of VERNON FRANÇOIS Haircare. He’s additionally a world marketing consultant, educator, and celeb hairdresser for Redken. François’ shoppers embrace Lupita Nyong’o and Serena Williams.
Ilham Mestour is the inventive director of Balmain Hair Couture.
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