The Curly Girl (CG) Method was popularised by Lorraine Massey and quickly became a favourite of curlies worldwide. This is because it recognises that curly hair differs from straight hair and should, therefore, be treated accordingly.
Oil travels freely down the shaft of straight hair, and, without regular washing, oil buildup can leave the hair looking limp and greasy. On the other hand, the twists and turns in curly hair make it difficult for sebum (natural oil produced by the scalp) to travel down the hair shaft, making it difficult to retain moisture and leaving it feeling and looking dry and frizzy.
1. No Shampoo: (no-poo)
How:
When you first embark on the regimen, you should wash your hair with a regular shampoo to remove all dirt and product buildup. This will be the last time you use regular shampoo.
Why:
Curly Girls don't use shampoos because they contains sulfates. Sulfates are strong detergents that strip hair of their natural oils while cleansing. Because it is hard for curly hair to quickly replenish these oils, it is better to use milder cleaning agents. If you do chose to use a shampoo, it should be sulfate-free and used only occasionally.
2. Conditioner to Wash Hair: (co-washing)
How:
To cowash, wet hair and apply conditioner liberally to scalp and roots. Using your fingers, massage your scalp to dislodge dirt then gently work the conditioner up the hair strand before rinsing.
Why:
Most conditioners have silicones (cones) in them which coat the hair shaft to prevent frizz and enhance shine. Thumbs up cones! BUT. If you are co-washing regularly PLUS leaving conditioner in your hair, eventually you will get a cone build-up. If you use shampoos with sulfates, no problem; the sulfates remove the silicones. If you don't, then the real trouble begins. A buildup of cones will eventually make it difficult for moisture to penetrate the hair cuticle and, in the long run, leave hair dull and dry.
3. Leave-in conditioner
How:
This can be the cowash conditioner or a different one. If you chose to use the same one, don't rinse hair fully; leave about 30% of the conditioner in your hair. If you use a different one, rinse completely then apply leave-in conditioner liberally to wet hair, raking through with fingers to encourage clumping. Once this is done, hair shouldn't be touched again until it is dry, as this will cause frizz.
Why:
Leaving conditioner in the hair keeps hair conditioned while also encouraging hair curls to clump together.
4. Using gel or mousse (optional)
How:
Apply gel or mousse over the conditioner remaining in your hair. Once it is dry, scrunch to get rid of the crunchiness, known as the gel cast.
Why:
Using gel or mousse sets the curls, producing curls that are more defined and last longer. Using conditioner alone or curl definition leaves you with softer curls that don't generally last longer than a day.
5. No handling dry hair
How:
Always wet hair before manipulating ie combing, styling etc. If possible, apply conditioner too before handling hair.
Why:
Curly hair is fragile by nature because each curling point represents a weak spot in the strand. It is even more vulnerable when dry because it is less elastic and therefore easier for parts to snap off. Handling curly hair when it is damp or has conditioner in it is much gentler on the hair, with the conditioner providing further slip.
6. No combing (or at the most, use a wide tooth comb)
How:
When detangling or styling, use fingers or a wide tooth comb.
Why:
Curly hair has a natural tendency to clump together because, simply put, it finds strength in numbers. This quality is the reason why it is also more prone to tangling. Using a comb breaks up the clumps, making it look frizzy and undefined and a comb is more likely to snag on tangles and break the hair; you can feel out tangles and knots better with your fingers and separate or ease them out.
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