The Curly Girl Method Revisited- 28 day review

As a part of those New Years Resolutions, one of mine was to take better care of my hair. This is one resolution I have every intention of keeping. I have fallen victim over the years as many other curly girls of hating my curls and relaxing and straightening to make it 'easier'. But when you learn better you do better. My hair was dry and damaged. My hair seemed its healthiest when I committed to the Curly Girl Method. I decide to reach over to my bookshelf and blow the dust off my copy of Lorraine Massey’s Curly Girl: The Handbook. I have had the book for some time and have read it a couple of times but it was time for me to go back to basics with caring for my hair. My goal this year is long healthy hair in 2013. Part of my growth plan includes increasing my water intake internally and re adapting some of the basic principle of curly hair care I found in this book. Over the next 28 days I will style my hair using the Curly Girl Method and evaluate my results Here are the basic steps of the Curly Girl Method as outline in Massy's book.
 

Step 1. Clarify with a shampoo before beginning in order to remove and silicones and build up from your hair . This will cleanse your hair of any silicones and other ingredients in hair products that are not water soluble

Step 2. Start with freshly trimmed hair to eliminate split and damaged ends. Because my hair is Color treated I watch for this regularly and just trimmed my ends a few weeks ago around the middle of January.

Step 3. Once your hair is trimmed and clean, saturate your hair with a hydrating conditioner free of silicones. Finger detangle your hair gently while your hair is wet. (wide-toothed shower comb is optional). In an effort to eliminate breakage and shedding for this duration of this challenge I have decided to eliminate combs and brushes from my hair’s diet. It is best to untangle hair while wet to prevent damage and frizz. I find with finger combing/ raking my hair I am able to clump my curls together and get great results

Some great inexpensive options are V05, Aussie Moist, Herbal Essence Hello Hydration, and Tresseme Naturals just to name a few

Step 4. After your initial WASH, revert to a No Poo method Sulfates in shampoo’s are extremely drying and as a result, damaging to our curls, leading to frizz and breakage. I only use a shampoo (sulfate-free/ no poo) in my hair once a month at the most. Other than that I use my conditioner to cleanse/ co-wash my hair. This keeps it nicely hydrated. Was your scalp with conditioner.

While in the shower with wet hair massage silicone free conditioners onto the scalp and the hair rake conditioner through to keep hair detangled. Scrunching and lathering hair leads to tangle=headaches and breakage. Once you distribute conditioner evenly through hair, section and detangle the hair and rinse with cool or cold water to decrease frizz and shine. Make sure to rinse conditioner completely from scalp to prevent buildup. Some people co-wash everyday. No more than 2-3 times a week works best for me. You can leave a little on the hair specifically the ends to continue to aid in keeping hair detangled while styling. Rake and scrunch hair while rinsing.

Distribute conditioner throughout all of your hair and untangle gently. Use your hands or a wide-toothed comb. Start by untanglingbottom 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. It's recommended that you part your hair to the side to prevent "triangle-shaped" hair.

Apply products to your hair and style as desired. Follow directions some products suggest being applied while hair is wet, while other suggest applying to damp hair. Section hair off and rake products into your hair section by section. I start with a leave-in conditioner or silicone free conditioner to eliminate the frizz factor then apply a product that aids in definition. Gels and mousse’s are optional depending on what kind of hold you prefer. Once my product is apply I seal the moisture with an oil or butter. Curls can be defined and shaped by scrunching them with your palms or finger curling them

While drying gently scrunch your hair with a t-shirt or microfiber towel to remove water and prevent frizz. Other drying options that help with volume are plopping and diffusing. During my growth challenge I am limiting heat, so diffusing will be done very sparingly.

You can also us clips at the roots to lift and add volume as well as the ends to weigh the hair down and eliminate shrinkage.