My Curly Hair Journey So Far. . .

For the last six months I’ve been using a modified version of Curly Girl Method. It’s a method of hair care designed to help us curly/wavey haired people. Now I’ve posted on social media a few times but I haven’t gone into any real depth, so I thought after six months I would do a post all about it.

A bit of background about my hair, growing up, it was definitely a love/hate relationship. It was frizzy with a few curls and waves, the only time it went actually curly, was when I went to bed with it damp and then my mum would tell me to go and brush it out in the morning and it would be a big frizzy mess again. I only really started liking my hair once I started dying it all the colours of the rainbow.

So, back in November, I had gone down a YouTube hole (you know, when you just keep clicking on random YouTube videos), when I clicked on one all about the Curly Girl Method. I had never heard of it before but the thing that got me was the before photos. In the video, the lady’s hair looked exactly like mine, same frizz, with a few waves and curls, and that got me thinking that maybe this might work for me, so I decide to do some research.

Now at first, I assumed that it involved a ton of really expensive products and styling tools. I quickly found that you need a lot of products (ranging from budget to really expensive), a few styling tools and lots and lots of patience. Now I quickly found that a lot the products that are designed for ‘curly’ hair don’t actually do anything for curly hair. There are curly girl method approved products that range from £2-3 up to £20-£30 so there is something for everyone’s budget. Also not everything I use is Curly Girl approved but that’s what works for me. For some, using just Curly Girl approved products works for them, and for others (myself included) using both Curly Girl approved products and those that technically aren’t, works for them and there is nothing wrong with either method.

Now when I started my curly haired journey I just co-washed my hair (washing your hair with just conditioner) with the occasional use of a clarifying shampoo, as this was the recommended method for curly hair. However after six or so weeks of this my scalp was in really bad condition. I’ve got sensitive skin, and my scalp is prone to batches of eczema and this made it even worse. So I decided to start shampooing my hair everytime and within a few weeks my scalp was much better. I also use shampoos that have no silicones or sulphates in as they aren’t very good for my hair type, which is fine but lots of it.

Back in February I decided to cut alot of my hair off. I found that while the method was working, alot of my hair was too damaged from repeated re-dying. I decided that my hair needed a fresh start and it’s helped my hair alot.

So six months in, my routine is as follows:

I shampoo and conditioner my hair, when I wash out the conditioner, my hair is flipped upside down.

Next I use my leave-in conditioner (my hair is still upside down) and then put a mixture of gel and mousse in my hair.

After this I Plop my hair (plopping is a form drying your hair, sort of hard to explain, so probably best to look on YouTube) into a microfibre towel. Microfibre towels are amazing, normal towels are rougher and cause more frizz. If you don’t have a microfibre towel, a cotton t-shirt also works, and if you’re a parent, muslin cloth (they’re normally 100% cotton) also work, trust me on this.

Then I use my hair dryer on a low setting . This can take a while, as I’ve got alot of hair.

Finally, I scrunch out any bits of hair that are still crunchy from the gel and then I’m good to go.

Since starting six months ago, I won’t lie it’s not been easy. I’ve had plenty of bad wash days, where the curls have fallen flat or become a frizzy mess, but for all those bad days my scalp is in the best condition it’s been in in years. Also normally by now my hair is full of split ends, and don’t get me wrong I’ve got split ends, but it’s nowhere nearly as bad as it’s been in the past. In actual fact my hair is in the best condition it’s been in years.

But the biggest thing that’s changed for me is how much I like my hair. I used look in the mirror and shrug and sigh, and now I look in the mirror and I like what I see. It’s definitely given me more confidence and I feel more like me. I know it seems strange but it’s true, a good hair day can make all the difference.

Jo xx