reddit.com/r/curlyhair
r/curlyhair’s Ultimate Guide
to the Curly Girl Method (CG)
Last edit Aug 2024
Introduction
We created this document as a more flexible, beautiful, and usable alternative to Reddit’s wiki system. It works better on mobile: we can actually embed images and link directly to sections using bookmarks! We hope you enjoy it as much as we’ve enjoyed making it.
Please, don’t be intimidated by the length! If you’re just getting started: you want this diagram. As you become more comfortable with caring for your curls and want to learn more about them, the rest of the wiki will be here for you. 🙂💜
All of this information was collected over several years of moderating the active and helpful /r/curlyhair community. Citations, video links, and credit to contributors is given where possible. Many scientific sources of information have also been added.
This guidebook is meant to be a reference, something you sit down to answer a specific question (“What even is porosity?”), not something you sit down and read through all in one sitting. Unless you’re into that. 😛
It is also a work in progress, so if you see something you’d like to contribute please feel free to message the moderators!
Please do keep in mind: YMMV (your mileage may vary). As you gain more experience working with your curly hair, you may want to swap out some techniques and/or products. While CG works for many people, it does not work for everyone and modified CG (or no CG) is also a valid approach!
Table of Contents
Why try the beginner routine? 10
CLEANSE: Clarifying Shampoo 10
2. CONDITION: Rinse-out Conditioner 12
Scrunch Out the Crunch (SOTC) 14
Product/Ingredient Checker/Search Apps 15
International (non-USA) Holy Grail List 15
Adjusting for YOUR Hair Characteristics 16
How to Read an Ingredient Label 17
Best Candidates for Sulfates 20
Best Candidates for Silicones 20
Best Candidates for Dry Brushing 21
Best Candidates for Co-wash 23
Best Candidates for Low-poo 24
Best Candidates for More Frequent Clarifying 25
Curl Cream/Curl Enhancer/Custard 27
How do I find a good diffuser and/or blow-dryer? 32
Signs that your hair may benefit from a protein treatment: 37
Signs that you overdid protein and should focus on other forms of conditioning: 38
Identifying Protein in Products (1) 38
Accounting for Porosity and Texture 39
Components of the Hair Shaft 41
What makes curly hair curly? 42
How can I make my hair grow faster? 44
Why is my hair texture different from what it was before? Will it revert? 44
What causes abnormal/premature/increased hair loss? 45
Individual Hair Characteristics 45
Recommendations Based on Density 47
Recommendations Based on Texture 49
I feel like I’m BOTH low and high porosity, which is it? 53
I feel like I’m NEITHER low or high porosity, what am I? 54
Why does it seem to depend on which area of my head I am looking at? 54
Recommendations Based on Porosity 54
Wet Styling VS Damp Styling 56
Leave-in, Oil, Cream (LOC, 1) 57
Top 10 Most FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions) 62
2. Why are some parts curlier than others? 63
3. What do I do if I have short hair? 64
4. What if I want to use heat to curl or straighten my hair? 64
5. My hair is heat and bleach damaged. Do I really have to cut it all off? 64
6. Why does it feel like my products don’t work anymore? 65
7. Where can I find cruelty-free/fragrance-free/protein-free products? 65
8. How do I find a curly salon? 65
9. What hairstyle would look best on me? 65
10. Is it possible to achieve <insert style here> naturally for my hair? 65
Relative Humidity Breakpoints 67
Humidity Resistant Ingredients 69
Transitioning from Damaged Hair 72
CG Method
The Curly Girl Method (CG) is a gentle, moisturizing hair care method designed to bring out the best in your curly hair. It is named this from the founder, and is appropriate for all genders. This section gives a detailed overview of each step of the CG.
You do not need to follow the CG to participate in this subreddit or to benefit from this guide! Many of the techniques here will apply even if you modify your routine.
If you just want a straightforward, quick, and inexpensive starter routine, check out the Beginner Routine!
Overview of the Basics
Almost all curly hair can benefit from some parts of CG. This method was curated by Lorraine Massey and published in her book Curly Girl: The Handbook in 2011. The basic approach is simple: cleanse, condition, and style. The author recommends removing from curly routines:
- Sulfates (sodium/ammonium lauryl sulfate, sodium/ammonium laureth sulfate, etc.)
- Silicones (dimethicone and its derivatives)
- Non-soluble ingredients (mineral oil, waxes, etc.)
- Drying alcohols (isopropyl, ethanol, benzyl, alcohol denat., etc.)
- Brushes/combs
- Terry cloth towels
- Heat styling
Since publishing, there have been many modifications to this basic routine to better help all curl types thrive.
We’ll go through this in more detail below, but here’s the method in a nutshell:
- Cleanse - conditioner-only wash (co-wash) OR low lather/sulfate-free shampoo (low-poo), clarifying shampoo (as needed)
- Condition - rinse-out conditioner, detangle while wet
- Style - scrunch in gel (mousse/curl cream) - air dry (diffuse) - break the cast (SOTC)
Make sure your products are CG-approved if you co-wash or use low-poo! The fastest way to check ingredients is to google them, then paste them into one of these helpful apps: Curlsbot, IsItCG.
How Often to Wash
Long story short: it's up to you! Anywhere from every day to once a week or even less frequent are common. Commonly we use the term “wash” to describe the entire cycle: cleanse, condition, and style.
How often you wash will depend on your hair characteristics, lifestyle, schedule, preferences, etc. It's probably easiest to start off by sticking to your usual washing schedule, but only co-wash/condition on those days instead of shampooing. You may find that you need to condition more or less, but it's a good starting point.
It’s common to wash only once or twice a week, and "refresh" between washes as needed. Many find that their hair benefits from getting conditioner every time it gets wet. More information about refreshing can be found here.
There's a LOT of trial and error involved. That is why we suggest the beginner routine as a starting point and then troubleshoot/tailor your routine from there.
Beginner Routine
Be prepared to throw everything you know about haircare out the window! The CG really shakes things up. Even if it sounds crazy, give it a try!
Why try the beginner routine?
It’s a quick, ultra minimal, and an inexpensive way to get started with CG!
This tried-and-true set of products and steps will help you build a foundation that you can modify as you get to know your hair. It will not work for everyone, but it is a great way to get started.
Try it for a month and then come back with more specific questions.
Wash Day
Infographic
Last update August 2024
Need a mobile friendly version? You can view it here.
Prefer the old version? You can view it here.
Detailed Version
CLEANSE: Clarifying Shampoo
Before starting CG, you must wash any product build-up out of your hair with a clarifying shampoo that contains sulfates, but no silicones. This is the most important 1st step. Do not skip this!
- An inexpensive and widely available option is VO5 Shampoo. It is not CG approved, but that's what we want for this first wash. Shampoo one time with this clarifying shampoo, and then set it aside for now.
You will use the clarifying shampoo infrequently (once when starting CG, and then as needed) to remove the water-insoluble ingredients from your hair. You will use a different, gentler product to wash your hair regularly.
- It might take more than one CG-approved wash and some trial & error to see a difference. Give it at least two weeks before posting a follow-up.
Shampooing your hair with a clarifying shampoo that contains sulfates but does NOT contain silicones will remove any buildup that was deposited by your previous routine. The first wash when starting a CG routine will skip co-wash. Every other time, start with co-wash.
Do not use this product every time you wash your hair (once every few weeks or months is typical). Strong surfactants (like sulfates) can be very drying for curly hair especially.
1. CLEANSE: Co-wash
Co-wash stands for “Conditioner-only washing.” Yes: You will only use conditioner to wash your hair, since the conditioner takes the place of shampoo! Same rules apply: no silicones or drying alcohols.
Not everyone can co-wash: particularly low porosity, low density, fine and/or loose curls. This also applies to people with previous scalp conditions that can be made worse by co-washing. You can read more about scalp conditions in our mini guide here. You can read more about alternative ways to cleanse here.
Application
- Emulsify some conditioner in your hands: smoosh your hands together and rub the palms against one another so that conditioner gets all over your palms.
- Insert your fingers into the hair, starting at your forehead, and begin to scrub your scalp in small circles with your fingertips ONLY, no nails!
- Move your fingers backwards over the scalp, gently rubbing and scrubbing. You might need more conditioner at this point, so pour out a little more and emulsify again.
- This time, insert your fingers into the hair starting at your temples. Repeat the gentle scrubbing, moving your hands up and back towards your crown.
- Now repeat again, this time starting at your neck, and moving up the scalp.
- By the time you're done, your entire scalp should have been thoroughly scrubbed.
- Now is the time to thoroughly rinse - but don't just dunk your head! While rinsing, continue to rub and scrub your scalp to get all the conditioner, dirt, and oils off your scalp and out of your hair.
Visual
Full length video with audio.
Important time stamps:
- 3:25 Applying conditioner to the hair
- 4:10 Optional scalp scrubber
- 4:28 Using fingers to scrub the scalp
- 4:40 Rinse thoroughly
2. CONDITION: Rinse-out Conditioner
Application
You will probably need more than you expect! You want your mids and ends to feel like slimy seaweed (depicted below). Add more water and/or conditioner to get this texture, raking, smoothing and scrunching as you apply. Every curl needs to be covered in conditioner.
Didn’t I just use conditioner when I co-washed, and isn’t that the same thing? Not quite! It is the same product, but used with different applications/techniques to give different effects. The main focus of co-washing is to get dirt and oils out of your hair by focusing on the scalp, thoroughly scrubbing and rinsing.
Conditioning focuses on the lengths of your hair, imparting lasting conditioning to your hair. Also, if you are going to leave any conditioner in, you can't do that if you only co-wash, since it's critical to completely wash out the co-wash.
Some inexpensive and widely available conditioners include: VO5, Suave Essentials (Ocean Breeze/Tropical Coconut), Garnier Fructis Pure Clean, Not Your Mother’s (any Naturals Line or Curl Talk), and Sally’s GVP Conditioning Balm.
Detangle
Once you achieve the slimy seaweed feeling, gently begin with fingers to detangle, starting at the ends and working up to the roots. You can also use a wide-toothed comb, a "wet brush," tangle teezer, or a denman brush (pictured in order below) to help remove stubborn tangles. You will only be using a brush on wet hair with some form of conditioner added, never dry hair, moving forward.
Rinse
Rinse out most but not all of the conditioner. Figuring out how much to leave-in is a personal preference, so you will have to experiment.
3. STYLE: Gel
Application
You are going to style with a gel that does NOT contain silicones or drying alcohols.
In your wet hands, take an adequate amount of gel to coat all of your hair strands and rub your hands together to emulsify the product. Scrunch it into your wet hair thoroughly. If you have lots of hair, it may be helpful to do this in sections. The way your hair is settling now will be the way it dries, so take care to shape the curls in a way that makes you happy.
Some inexpensive and widely available gels include: Eco Styler, Aussie Instant Freeze, LA Looks Extreme Sport, and Not Your Mother’s Curl Talk (Hard Hold or Sculpting).
Air Dry
While your hair air dries, take care to not touch it! Manipulating your hair after adding stylers but before becoming 100% dry will disrupt the formation of your gel cast and lead to frizz.
Scrunch Out the Crunch (SOTC)
When your hair is 100% dry, you are now ready to gently scrunch out the crunchy gel cast. This is known as scrunch out the crunch. This will add volume/softness to your curls while maintaining the shape/definition.
Visual
Full length 2min video with audio.
Freshly styled and dried hair (left) VS scrunched out crunchy gel cast (right),
courtesy of /u/queeninthenorthsansa.
Suggested Adjustments
- Using a light oil or serum to SOTC can help tame flyaways.
- Scrunching isn’t the only way to remove the cast. Always on dry hair, you could try praying hands or clapping out the crunch as well.
- Not all gels work with all hair. You can always try a different one.
- Mousse or a custard with hold are also options
- Gel shouldn't flake. This could be an incompatibility between your leave-in and gel, a case of too much gel being applied, or your hair being too dry when applied.
Product Recommendations
If you can’t find the products suggested in the beginner guide, there are alternatives to be found on the holy grail lists below. There are also various places within the wiki where suggestions are made for certain hair characteristics. Be on the lookout for them as you browse!
Tips on a Budget
- /r/haircareexchange can be used to try out or sell products that didn't work
- Consider sample sizes to try out new products at a lower price point
- Donate to your local women's shelter unused product
- Trade with friends/family
Product/Ingredient Checker/Search Apps
If you have ever needed to verify if ingredients are CG or find categories of products that include or exclude certain ingredients, the following websites would be helpful:
USA Holy Grail List
We present to you: /r/curlyhair’s Holy Grail List!
Note: This is not an exhaustive list. Organized across the bottom (desktop) / top (mobile) are different categories of products with various information to help guide your decisions.
Remember: No two curls are alike. Think of this list as a launching pad for your curly journey that will need to be edited along the way.
International (non-USA) Holy Grail List
/r/curlyhair’s International Holy Grail List
We are always looking to represent more countries! See the first page in this list for instructions on how to submit products.
Modifications to CG
Let’s face it: no two curly heads are alike. Something that works well for one person, may not work well for another. Sometimes during certain seasons of the year or periods of time in your life, something works. Then at other times it doesn’t.
We all have such different internal and external circumstances, which are constantly changing. It is important to experiment if something you’re doing just isn’t working for you. These are guidelines afterall, NOT rules.
We mentioned before that almost all curly hair can benefit from some parts of CG. The following are modifications that you may find useful in your curly hair journey. This is a good place to start if you want to troubleshoot the method.
Basics
Adjusting for YOUR Hair Characteristics
If you aren’t familiar with any of the following terms in this diagram, see their respective sections in the wiki: cleanse, style, porosity, fine/coarse (texture), density, how to pick light products.
Need a mobile friendly version? You can view it here.
Summary
The hair characteristics in row A share properties with one another. Therefore, the more hair characteristics you identify with in row A, the more likely the products and advice will be applicable to you in that same row. Same goes for row B.
If your hair characteristics are a mixture of row A AND row B, the more you will have to experiment to find your unique middle ground.
How to Read an Ingredient Label
It is important to remember that most of us here are not cosmetic chemists. A product is not simply a sum of its parts. It’s a formulation. As such, there are various interactions between ingredients that products contain which can change how they function.
Top 5 Ingredients
When reading an ingredient label you want to look at the top five ingredients. Remember: the list only tells you if there is more or less of one ingredient compared to another. Two products could have the exact same ingredients but be very different, since one could be say 80% water and the other 20%. As long as water was the most abundant ingredient, it would still be listed as the first ingredient.
Why It Matters
This comes in handy especially for loose curls, and low porosity/fine curls. Some ingredients are inherently heavier and created for tighter, higher porosity, coarser curls. Sometimes people will say that a haircare brand is bad because it didn’t work for them, but the reality is that they didn’t pick products based on their hair characteristics.
This doesn’t mean you have to avoid every product with butters and oils in it. In fact, it can be difficult to do that because they can be helpful for curly hair in general. Look for shea butter or fewer lighter oils lower on the list of ingredients, or castor oil that has been hydrogenated.
Light Ingredients
- Serum, mousse, and hairspray tend to be lighter options
- Water is commonly the first ingredient
- Oils or butters are small in number and listed near the bottom of the list (if at all)
- No waxes or petroleum/mineral oil
- Fatty alcohols present (also known as good alcohols or non-drying alcohols)
- Amino acids
- Marshmallow root
- Slippery elm
- Aloe vera, glycerin, or panthenol* (read our section on climate and humectant usage here)
- Extracts, milks, or hydrosols
Examples
Light Product
TreLuxe ReFlex Curl Styling Serum
Water, Aloe Barbadensis (Aloe Vera) Leaf Juice, Propylene Glycol, Lactobacillus/Tomato Fruit Ferment Extract, Oryza Sativa (Rice) Extract, Keratin Amino Acids, Acyl Coenzyme A Desaturase, Cetrimonium Chloride, Hydroxyethyl Cellulose, Cocos Nucifera (Coconut) Water, Vitis Vinifera (Grape) Seed Extract, Polyquaternium-10, Juniperus Communis (Juniper Berry) Fruit Extract, Polysorbate-20, Salvia Officinalis (Sage) Leaf Extract, Fragrance, Phenoxyethanol, Sorbic Acid, Caprylyl Glycol
Taking a look at the ingredient label we can see:
- Product is marketed as a serum which implies a thinner consistency.
- First ingredient is water.
- There are no oils, butters or waxes present.
- Aloe vera and amino acids are present.
- Numerous extracts are present.
This is a product that will lightly nourish and support curls without adding weight. It is better suited to low porosity, fine and loose curls.
In-between Product
Aveda Be Curly Advanced Curl Enhancer Cream
Water\Aqua\Eau, Cetearyl Alcohol, Cetyl Alcohol, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Glycerin, Hydrolyzed Vegetable Protein, Hydrolyzed Pea Protein, Garcinia Indica (Kokum) Seed Butter, Glycine Soja (Soybean) Oil, Behentrimonium Chloride, Polyquaternium-11, Caprylyl Glycol, Citric Acid, Hydroxypropyl Starch Phosphate, Fragrance (Parfum), Linalool, Limonene, Geraniol, Citronellol, Amyl Cinnamal, Tocopherol, Phenoxyethanol, Potassium Sorbate, Sodium Benzoate
Taking a look at the ingredient label we can see:
- First ingredient is water.
- The first ~5 ingredients are fatty alcohols, a humectant, and proteins.
- Does contain 1 oil and 1 butter that are comparatively lightweight.
This is a product that is neither particularly light nor particularly heavy. It will be more conditioning than the serum listed above, and less conditioning than the smoothie listed below. It would be best suited to medium porosity and medium texture curls. Low porosity, fine, loose curls may find it to be too heavy and high porosity, coarse, tight curls may find it to be too light. There is experimentation to be done here if you fall into either of those categories.
Heavy Product
Shea Moisture Coconut and Hibiscus Curl Enhancing Smoothie
Deionized Water, Butyrospermum Parkii (Shea Butter), Cocos Nucifera (Coconut ) Oil, Macadamia Ternifolia Seed Oil, Magnifera Indica (Mango) Seed Butter, Persea Gratissima (Avocado) Oil, Vegetable Glycerin, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Extract, Silk Protein, Ammonium Salt, Melia Azadiratcha (Neem) Seed Oil, Daucus Carota Sativa (Carrot) Seed Oil, Sorbitol Esters, Panthenol (Pro-Vitamin B-5), Caprylyl Glycol, Essential Oil Blend, Lonicera Caprifolium (Honeysuckle) Flower Extract, Lonicera Japonica (Japanese Honeysuckle) Flower Extract, Tocopherol (Vitamin E), Hibiscus Flower Extract
Taking a look at the ingredient label we can see:
- Product is marketed as a smoothie which implies a thicker consistency.
- First ingredient is water, but it is followed by a total of 6 oils and 2 butters. Many of these are high on the ingredient list.
- Also contains protein and humectants to nourish curls, but comes with more weight from the butters and oils.
This is a product that will deeply nourish and support curls while adding weight. It is better suited to high porosity, coarse and tight curls.
Sulfates and Silicones
Some hair THRIVES on sulfates and silicones. You heard us, we said it. If you have given the CG time, if you’ve read the various links contained in this wiki, if you feel like you’ve tried it all but you still preferred your hair when you used sulfate and silicones...by all means, go back!
Read more about why deciding on a shampoo can be so difficult here.
Read more on silicone myths here.
Best Candidates for Sulfates
Low porosity hair, fine hair, low density hair, grease prone hair, those that prefer a deeper clean, and those with certain scalp conditions.
Read more about sulfates and how they compare to other surfactants here (concentration and formulation matter when it comes to drying effects!).
Read more about surfactants that can remove build-up here (it’s not just sulfates and silicones!).
Best Candidates for Silicones
High porosity hair, damaged (chemically/heat treated) hair, coarse hair, those dealing with humidity, those dealing with tangles, those looking for heat protection, and those looking for sealing properties.
Read more about silicone solubility here (some are actually water soluble!).
Read more about categories of silicones and how they behave here (we promise you they aren’t evil!).
Dry Brushing
If you have spent any amount of time in curly hair circles, the one thing that seems almost unanimous: do not brush dry hair! This can also be flexible though as long as you remain gentle with your hair and periodically check in on its health. You can also use an oil on dry hair while brushing to decrease combing forces.
Best Candidates for Dry Brushing
Loose curls, those wanting an ultra-soft look to their hair, and those who want to remove shed hair before showering.
Remember: Some people prefer to not use any brushes, choosing instead to use their fingers only to detangle. Some people prefer a wide-tooth comb. Some people prefer to brush style their wet curls with a denman brush or a bounce curl brush. All of these various methods have their place in haircare.
Cleanse: Cleansers
If you have a known scalp condition be sure to read this mini guide on scalp conditions here before considering co-washing.
Cleansing exists on a spectrum. As you move from no-poo, to co-wash, to low-poo, to clarifying, to chelating shampoo: cleansing power increases due to the effectiveness of surfactants and conditioning decreases. Due to the nature of curly hair - how it tends to be more damaged, more dry, more frizzy - an emphasis is placed on conditioning. This is why co-washing is commonly recommended.
The reality of curly hair is that each day your curls may look and feel different. They may also need different levels of care. You can use the following flowchart to help determine how much cleansing you may need on any particular day:
Need a mobile friendly version? You can view it here.
No-poo
We won’t spend much time on this because we haven’t seen many people in the curly hair community embrace this method. No-poo means no shampoo. This includes no conditioner and no stylers. Water is the main ingredient used along with various natural items such as baking soda (which is not recommended by us) and vinegar (which has situational use) coupled with manual cleaning. If you are interested in learning more, there is a subreddit for that here.
Co-wash
For ease of access to a beginner, up until this point, we have used rinse-out conditioner as co-wash. However, as CG has become more mainstream, there are products on the market that are now formulated specifically as co-wash.
The texture and ingredients are similar to rinse-out conditioners. They tend to be thick, opaque, and they do not lather. They can also be more cleansing than using a rinse-out conditioner, but remain just as conditioning. If you find that using rinse-out conditioner as co-wash isn’t quite getting the job done, consider a marketed co-wash.
Fan favorite marketed co-washes include: Cantu Complete Conditioning Co-wash, As I Am Coconut Co-wash, Curlsmith Curl Quenching Conditioning Wash, and Aveda Be Curly Advanced Co-wash.
Best Candidates for Co-wash
Medium - high porosity hair, damaged hair (chemically/heat treated), coarse hair, and tight curls.
Low-poo
Sometimes you just need more cleansing power than co-wash can provide. This is where low-poo comes in, also known as low lather/sulfate free shampoo. Compared to co-wash, they are: thinner/more liquidy, less opaque, and they do lather somewhat. They are more cleansing than co-wash, but also less conditioning than co-wash. They have gentle surfactants that give them qualities that place them in-between co-wash and clarifying shampoo.
If you’re seeing the signs below while following a co-wash only routine…
- Limp, weighed down hair that feels product-y/like a film is covering it
- Hair that feels mushy when wet and struggles to hold a curl
- Oily roots despite recently washing
- Irritated scalp
…co-wash may not be for you! Consider trying a low-poo.
Fan favorite low-poos include: Shea Moisture Coconut and Hibiscus Curl and Shine Shampoo, Not Your Mother’s Naturals Curl Definition Shampoo, Camille Rose Sweet Ginger Cleansing Rinse, and Jessicurl Gentle Lather Shampoo.
Best Candidates for Low-poo
Medium - low porosity hair, fine hair, low density hair, grease prone hair, loose curls and those with certain scalp conditions.
Clarifying
If you have read the beginner routine, we have touched on clarifying shampoo already. This is typically a sulfate containing shampoo that is used to remove any residual build up on the hair and scalp. It is one of the most effective cleansers. While being great at cleansing, it can also be too harsh for the lengths of the hair.
Compared to low-poo, they are: thinner/more liquidy, typically clear and maybe even bubbly, and they lather the most.
Clarifying Tips
- 1st wash when converting to a CG routine
- No more than once a week for maintenance, more likely once a month at most
- Useful for reversing the effects of protein overuse, product incompatibility, or general build-up
- Consider following a clarifying shampoo with a deep conditioning treatment
- Any time your hair isn’t reacting like it normally should: try clarifying first!
Fan favorite marketed clarifying shampoos include: VO5, Suave Daily Clarifying, Malibu C Un-Do-Goo, and Bounce Curl Gentle Clarifying.
Best Candidates for More Frequent Clarifying
Low porosity hair, fine hair, low density hair, grease prone hair, and those with certain scalp conditions.
Chelating
Chelating shampoo looks and feels exactly like clarifying shampoo. Coupled with strong surfactants, added chelators are able to bind to and remove excess minerals that hard water has deposited on the hair. If you know that you live in an area with hard water, it should be a staple in your hair care kit. It follows the same tips given above for clarifying shampoo.
More information about managing hard water can be found here.
Fan favorite chelating shampoos include: Kinky Curly Come Clean, Sally’s Ion Hard Water, Malibu C Hard Water Wellness and Ouidad Water Works Clarifying (sulfate/drying alcohol).
Style: Stylers
There are countless products that you can use to style your curly hair, and your routine is likely to be different from your friends and maybe even someone else in your family. Keep in mind: sometimes it’s not the products that make the most difference, but the methods/techniques. Our mini guide expanding on techniques can be found here.
Stylers are used to accomplish specific goals with the hair and as such they are applied in a specific order. Typically this is a conditioning styler, followed by a hold styler. Finishing stylers are an optional last product. There are variations to this, and those will be outlined for you moving forward. As you read the individual sections below, you will also see that there is some overlap. It is best to choose stylers with the appropriate conditioning level and hold level for your hair characteristics.
- Conditioning Styler
- Used to impart lasting conditioning to the hair
- Includes: leave-in, curl enhancers, curl cream
- Hold Styler
- Used to impart hold and lasting style
- Includes: foam/mousse, curl custard, gel
- Finishing Styler
- Used to seal in conditioning and hold
- Includes: hairspray, oil/serum
Leave-in
If you are following the beginner routine, this step is included for you. We recommend for your first few washes on CG to not completely rinse out your conditioner which will make it behave as a leave-in. If you find that you can’t get the right ratio, or you would rather follow the manufacturer’s instructions, leave-in conditioners do exist. These are great for adding long lasting conditioning to your hair, but they provide no hold.
Fan favorite leave-ins include: Kinky Curly Knot Today, Curls Blueberry Bliss Reparative, Camille Rose Curl Love Moisture Milk, Giovanni Direct Weightless Moisture, Mixed Chicks (silicone), and Innersense Sweet Spirit.
Curl Cream/Curl Enhancer/Custard
There is a lot of overlap within these stylers, but minor differences do exist.
Curl creams tend to be moderately conditioning and may provide light hold.
Fan favorite curl creams include: Cantu Curl Activating, Shea Moisture Coconut and Hibiscus Curl Enhancing Smoothie, Miss Jessie’s Multicultural Curls (silicone/drying alcohol), Bed Head Tigi Curls Rock Amplifier (silicone/drying alcohol), and Innersense Quiet Calm Curl Control.
Curl enhancers tend to be moderately conditioning and may contain added ingredients to promote a tighter curl (like magnesium sulfate or in some cases proteins/humectants).
Fan favorite curl enhancers include: AG Re:Coil Curl Activator (drying alcohol).
Custards tend to be moderately conditioning and offer hold comparable to gel. They are typically considered “one and done” stylers.
Fan favorite custards include: Kinky Curly Curling Custard, Uncle Funky’s Daughter Curly Magic, Camille Rose Curl Maker, and Curlsmith Curl Defining Styling Souffle.
Mousse/Foam
Mousse or foam is a lightweight alternative to gel. It still provides hold (usually not quite as much), but it’s formulated to be less heavy on the hair. This can be a good substitute for gel if you are low porosity, fine, and low density, or if you simply don’t like the product-y feeling that gel can have. Foam can also be used at your roots to encourage volume without weighing hair down.
Fan favorite mousses/foams include: Cake The Curl Whip, Not Your Mother’s Curl Talk Activating, The Doux Mousse Def Texture Foam, Curlsmith Bouncy Strength Volume Foam, and Innersense I Create Lift.
Gel
We recommend ALL curly hair starts with this styler for the following reasons:
- Hold/Lasting style ⭐⭐⭐
- Definition ⭐⭐⭐
- Reduces frizz ⭐⭐⭐
Remember to SOTC to reveal long lasting, smooth, defined curls! 😍
Fan favorite gels include: LA Looks Extreme Sport, Aussie Instant Freeze, Eco Styler, Not Your Mother’s Curl Talk, Jessicurl Spiralicious, Ouidad Advanced Climate Control, Curlsmith In-Shower Style Fixer, and Innersense I Create Hold.
There are MANY ways to apply gel other than scrunching. You can read our mini guide about those here.
Oil
Oils provide shine, lubrication and pliability to the hair. They generally seal, but some are capable of penetrating.
Accounting for Porosity
Oils are best suited for high porosity hair, but that doesn’t mean low/medium porosity hair can’t benefit from them. You have to be careful with how much and what type(s) you use.
- High porosity hair can generally tolerate the most oil and may need both penetrating and sealing oils. Generally though, sealing is the more important process in this case. Since the cuticle is raised or missing, oils help to reduce moisture loss and excess moisture gain.
- Medium porosity hair could consider minimal penetrating or sealing oils.
- Low porosity hair generally doesn’t require any penetrating or sealing oils. You might find that your hair likes them though. For this porosity, consider very minimal application or time-extensive application (deep conditioning with oil).
Accounting for Texture
- Fine hair can be weighed down by heavy oils or a heavy application. Coarse hair tolerates this better.
- Loose curls can be weighed down by oils. Tight curls tend to be more agreeable with heavy oils.
A light application can be anywhere from a few drops to a couple of pea-sized drops. Be sure to start off small: not only will it go a long way, but it will require washing to remove. You can always add more later.
Oils to Consider
Penetrating: avocado (light), babbasu (light), coconut, olive, palm kern, sunflower (light)
Sealing: (jamaican black) castor, grapeseed (light), jojoba (light), rice bran, shea butter
You can read more about oils here.
Hairspray
Much like gel, curly hairspray has come a long way in a relatively short amount of time. It’s even lighter than mousses, foams and oils, so you won’t have to worry so much about adding any weight when using it. It’s a great way to add additional hold and prolong your style while simultaneously protecting from the effects of humidity.
Fan favorite hairsprays include: Rizos Curls Volumizing, Curlsmith Flawless Finish (sulfate), Bounce Curl, and Innersense I Create Finish (drying alcohol).
Style: Drying
Standard Plopping
Plopping is an optional technique that does not use heat. It is used to gently remove excess water and product from the hair while maintaining definition. It’s typically done for 15-20 minutes. You will be using a microfiber towel (not terrycloth) or an old cotton t-shirt.
YES: Microfiber NO: Terrycloth
As with anything else in the curly world, there is no single correct way to plop your hair. The following are some helpful tips and short video links to various techniques to try on multiple different curls:
WavyHairCareBlog - Short vs long sleeve t-shirt
Manes by Mell - Microfiber towel, root clipping, and micro-plopping
Soleil Davis - 2:24 Tshirt variation
Jordan Faith - micro-plop
Should I Plop My Hair?
Plopping has some great benefits. It can:
- Reduces total dry time
- Keeps you from touching your curls while they begin drying
- Sets curls - enhancing looser curls using an accordion method and reduces frizz
- Avoid the effects of humidity (sometimes)
- Can create extra lift at the root
However, if it doesn't work for you, you're not alone! Sometimes hair doesn’t benefit from plopping. It is especially hit-or-miss for short hair. If you have known scalp conditions, plopping is not recommended.
Reverse Plopping
Credit /u/toothlesspolecat for this technique with visuals.
- The reverse plop starts from a standing position, with your wet hair just hanging normally down your back. Lay the bottom hem of an oversized long sleeve t-shirt across your shoulders, at the base of your neck. Take the corners of the hem (points A and B) and wrap them tightly to the top of your forehead, tucking one corner under the other at point C so that it's secure.
- Halfway down the body of the shirt (point D), fold the neck hem upwards to the middle of your head, making sure to envelope your hair. Fold it again, so that point D is now at point C on your forehead, with the sleeves dangling at the moment.
- Pull the sleeves forward and tie them in a square knot on top of point D in order to hold everything in place. Tuck the tails into the folds at the sides. Depending on the length of your sleeves and how secure your wrap is, you may find it easier to first cross the sleeves behind your head before bringing them forward to knot them. Try to keep the folding loose, but the knotting tight.
Micro-Plopping
If you find that standard/reverse plopping doesn’t work for you, consider micro-plopping. This mini technique can remove excess water from your ends without changing any of the curl structure further up the length of the hair.
Full length 30 second video.
Diffusing
For our low porosity friends with dense, tightly curled hair, dry time can take 12+ HOURS. To speed up this process, and limit the amount of time hair remains wet, try diffusing! Diffusing is also great for volume (sometimes at the cost of definition). This can cut down significantly on how long a wash day takes.
As with anything else in the curly world, there is no single correct way to diffuse your hair. The following are some helpful tips and short video links to various techniques to try on multiple different curls:
Jewellianna Palencia - 4:30 Hover, 5:17 Stretch/Tension
Manes by Mell - Hover and cup, with heat
Melissa Frusco - 5 Tips for Diffusing Curls
Sophie Marie - Hover and pixie, without heat
The Curl Story - Hammock and Pick
Diffusing Tips
- Use temperature wisely! Yes, hot air will speed things along; however, it can cause heat damage and frizz from uneven drying. Likewise, in the other extreme, using only cold air can be slower and even cause frizz from needing to diffuse for so long. An optional blast of hot air at the start can help to set curls, followed by cool or warm air for the rest of the process.
- Some people like to diffuse for 5-10 minutes before air drying the rest of the way to give it a little head start. Give it a try and see if it works for you!
How do I find a good diffuser and/or blow-dryer?
- The diffusers that say "universal sizing" are never universally sized.
- When looking for a blow dryer and diffuser it's very important to be 100% certain the diffuser will fit on the blow dryer. You can spend some time looking into the fit, asking around, and measuring the diameter of the barrel. However the best way to be absolutely certain is to purchase them as a set, or you can buy the diffuser first and take it to a store where they have display models. If you ask nicely they will usually let you try the diffuser on the floor models so you can feel how fast and how hot the air is coming through the diffuser.
- Make sure the blow dryer has a cool setting, and you may also want a cool shot button. Depending on how much time you have/your hair/how strictly CG you decide to go, you may choose to use low heat and temper it to make it a bit cooler using the cool shot button.
- Look for a blow dryer that has a click button and not a slide if you think you may blow dry upside down. It's more trouble to fiddle with the slide kind when you can't see. Furthermore, if you want to try different diffuser methods like pixie diffusing, you'll be turning it on and off upside down and blind. It’s as complicated as it sounds.
- You will also want to look at the weight and volume of the blow dryer. Figure in any limited mobilities you have and how long you might be diffusing based on your hair characteristics.
Drying for Volume
- Dry upside down with a diffuser (on low/medium heat, low speed).
- Clip your roots, either with flat metal clips or lift with a claw/butterfly clip, and let air dry or diffuse
- Fluff your roots once dry. Try using a pick or just gently inserting your fingers at the scalp and vibrating your hands in place.
- Add mousse or foam near your scalp to give more volume.
Full length 20 second video detailing root clipping, dry texture spray/hair spray at roots, and fluffing roots with fingers/pick.
Night Routine
You’ve put all this hard work into wash day. You look fabulous by the end of the night. How in the world does one maintain this until morning?! For a second day, a third day, a fourth day, etc.? 2nd (3rd/4th/etc.) day hair refers to wearing your hair naturally without washing again.
One of the most important parts of having great 2nd day hair is having a solid night time routine. If you are the kind of person to move around a lot while sleeping, listen up. Here are some options for night time protection.
Note: These techniques tend to work best with hard hold gels, but play around and see what works for you! We are also working with hair that is already dry.
- Pillowcase (silk or satin)
- Scarf (silk or satin)
- Bonnet (silk or satin, curls can be left loose or placed into a pineapple/medusa clipped)
- Buff/Gaiter/Tube (curls can be left loose or placed into a pineapple)
- Pineapple: A soft (satin) scrunchie, ribbon elastic hair tie, or spiral hair tie/Invisibobble works best to decrease breakage and avoid the dreaded crease.
- Medusa clipping: Especially helpful if your hair is too short to pineapple, or you get a headache from too much tension with other methods.
- Loosely braid your hair
Refresh: Day 2 and Beyond
It's morning. We made it. We’re looking a little (lot 👀) flyaway in some (many 👀) spots. Let’s fix this!
As with anything else in the curly world, there is no single correct way to refresh your hair. You might have to try these out on days where you can throw it up into a bun (or a braid) if it doesn't work out. The following tips are organized from wet refreshing to dry refreshing.
Re-Do
- Completely re-wet your hair
- Scrunch in palmful of water OR
- Rinse briefly under a shower head
- Add more conditioner (optional S2C)
- Add more gel
- Allow time to air dry or speed it up with plopping/diffusing
Spray Bottle
- Fill a spray bottle or continuous mister bottle with water
- Optional squirt of your leave-in conditioner
- This has to be a conditioner that will mix well with water
- This is not shelf stable - do not store for any length of time
- Wet your curls to their desired dampness to reactivate the products that are already in your hair
- Optional addition of more gel
- Scrunch your curls and smooth the frizz back into their curl tendrils
- Allow time to air dry or speed it up with plopping/diffusing
Visual
Full length 30 second video featuring an up-do.
Wet Hands
- Wet your hands with water
- Optional (diluted) leave-in/curl cream/gel
- Smooth over your curls with praying hands to minimize frizz
- Allow time to air dry or speed it up with diffusing
Visual (14:41)
Curl-by-Curl
You can do this for as few or as many curls as you like!
- Find a limp or frizzy curl and section it out from the rest of your hair
- Moisten your fingers with water
- Optional tiny drop of styler
- Smooth the water and the product along the curl, folding the frizz back into the curl clump
- Finger coil, finger roll, brush style, or scrunch the curl clump
- Air dry
Visual (7:24)
Steam
- Purchase a hair steamer (or hang out in the shower!)
- Stand in front of it allowing your curls to take up the water passively
- Smooth frizz with your favorite dry styler
Visual (1:55)
Refresh Sprays
- There are various refreshing sprays on the market.
- “Curl refreshing/reviving spray/mist, refresher, curl reactivator,” etc.
- Follow manufacturer’s instructions for application
Dry Refresh
- Take a small amount of oil/serum/foam/water based gel/curl cream
- Emulsify between hands
- Smooth over any frizzy areas using praying hands, scrunching, twisting, or curl by curl
Visual (4:44)
Embrace the Frizz!
Afterall, frizz is great volume! Gently insert your fingers at your scalp and shake out your roots. Flip your hair side to side, shake out your length, use a pick for volume, or change your part.
Optional Treatments
Pre-Poo
This stands for pre-shampoo, and it is a method that is best suited for tight, high porosity, tangle prone curls, including curls that have been in a protective style for any significant length of time. This protects the hair from being overly-stripped when shampooing, and helps detangle the hair.
You can use your favorite penetrating oil/oil blend or deep conditioner. It is typically applied to the scalp and dry hair minutes to hours before shampooing (caution if using deep conditioner overnight). You can also use heat to create a hot oil treatment (do not burn yourself).
Visual
Full length 40 second video.
Deep Conditioner
It is exactly what it sounds like: a more nourishing conditioner (masque) that is applied to your hair for an extended period of time (minutes up to an hour) to penetrate deeply and impart lasting conditioning.
If co-wash, rinse-out conditioner, leave-in conditioner, and curl cream isn’t enough for you, there is always deep conditioner. This is entirely optional if you are low porosity and fine: you might not see much change with adding deep conditioner to your routine. (Try doing it after monthly clarifying shampoo!) If you are high porosity, live in a dry climate, or expose your hair to a lot of chemical/heat treatments, this could be a great addition to your weekly routine.
It can contain protein if you desire. Most products that are marketed as a deep conditioner have additional ingredients that rely on that longer set time, but you can use your rinse out conditioner if you desire.
This is typically applied after shampoo, in place of rinse-out conditioner, and rinsed thoroughly. Low porosity hair might find it helpful to add heat (like a Hot Head) to get really good penetration.
Fan favorite deep conditioners include: Not Your Mother’s Matcha Green Tea & Apple Blossom Ultimate Nutrition Butter, Mielle Organics Babassu Oil & Mint, and Shea Moisture Manuka Honey & Mafura Oil Intensive Hydration
Protein Treatment (1)
ALL hair can benefit from protein usage. The trick is understanding how much, how often, and what type(s). These are largely dictated by your unique combination of porosity and texture.
Note: Even though the following recommendations are generalized, you may have hair that is happy with throwing out the “rule” book. In that case, keep doing what makes your hair happy! 🙂
Signs that your hair may benefit from a protein treatment:
- Fine hair
- High porosity hair
- Experiencing curl drop
- Experiencing wet frizz
- Hair feeling overly soft when dry, or limp and stringy
- Hair feeling mushy or gummy when wet
- Lacking elasticity, hair does not “bounce back” when stretched
- Experiencing more breakage than usual
- Dull hair that lacks shine
- Frequent heat styling, exposure to the pool and sun, and/or doing bleach/coloring treatments
- You’ve tried deep deep conditioning and your hair still isn’t recovering
Signs that you overdid protein and should focus on other forms of conditioning:
- Stiff, brittle, rough feeling hair
- Hair feels like straw and is dry
- Tangle prone hair
- Experiencing curl drop, may be overly soft
The good news: Overdoing protein is reversible.
First, make sure you are thoroughly rinsing out protein treatments. Second:
- Clarify your hair
- Follow-up with a protein free deep conditioning treatment
- Limit the amount of protein containing products you apply to your hair moving forward
Identifying Protein in Products (1)
A lot of protein-containing products will be labeled with the following buzzwords: “repairing, restorative, strengthening, fortifying,” etc. They will also be marketed towards dry, damaged hair.
Digging deeper and looking at the ingredient label, you want to see:
- Hydrolyzed <name> protein
- Keratin, soy, oat, milk, rice, silk, quinoa, wheat, collagen, etc.
- Amino acids - the building blocks of proteins
- Silk amino acids: alanine, glycine and serine
- Wheat amino acids: cysteine, glutamic acid
- Oat Protein and derivatives: glutamic acid, aspartic acid, proline, alanine
- Soy protein and derivatives: phenylalanine, tyrosine, leucine
- Keratin amino acids: cysteine, serine, glutamic acid
- Yeast extract
- Botanical extracts
- Hydrolyzed seeds
Accounting for Porosity and Texture
The following are product types that can contain specific types of proteins and the frequency in which you should use them based on your porosity and texture.
ANY combination of medium/high porosity AND fine/medium texture:
- Product: shampoo OR rinse-out conditioner OR leave-in conditioner
- Schedule: once weekly protein treatment (optional)
- Types: amino acids, peptides, hydrolyzed silk/keratin/collagen
Low porosity AND fine/medium texture:
- Product/Schedule: rinse-out conditioner OR leave-in conditioner OR once weekly protein treatment
- Types: amino acids, peptides, hydrolyzed silk/keratin/collagen
High porosity AND coarse texture:
- Product/Schedule: once weekly OR every 2-3 weeks protein treatment
- Types: amino acids, peptides, hydrolyzed silk/keratin/collagen
Low porosity AND coarse texture:
- Product: rinse-out conditioner OR protein treatment sparingly
- Schedule: every month or every other month
- Types: amino acids, peptides, hydrolyzed silk/keratin/collagen
High porosity, fine/medium texture ONLY:
- Additional types: gelatin or hydrolyzed wheat, oat, quinoa, corn, soy, lupine and other plant or vegetable proteins
Fan favorite protein treatments include: ApHogee Two-Step (silicone), Curl Junkie Repair Me! Reconstructive, and Briogeo Don’t Despair, Repair!
Bond Builder
These go a step further than protein treatments and target the disulfide bonds that are broken through heat and chemical styling. They are especially useful for high porosity, heat/chemical damaged hair.
Fan favorites include: Olaplex and K18 (drying alcohols).
Science! (1, 2, 3)
What is hair?
Hair starts at the hair bulb. This tissue is living and receives nourishment from blood vessels near the scalp to continuously produce hair cells which will become the hair shaft. This is why scalp health is important for hair growth as is diet.
The sebaceous gland produces sebum which coats the hair shaft providing lubrication and improving manageability. In curly hair, the spiral shape makes it more difficult for this sebum to coat root to tip. This contributes to the dryness commonly reported in curly hair.
The visible part that is conditioned and styled daily is the hair shaft. It is no longer living which is why it is vitally important to protect its structural integrity. It is not able to be repaired and it can not be healed.
Components of the Hair Shaft
In coarser hair, the innermost layer of the hair shaft is the medulla. Together with the cortex, they provide strength and elasticity to the hair shaft.
Surrounding the medulla is the cortex which makes up the bulk of the hair shaft by weight. Not only does it contain melanin which gives hair its color, but it houses keratin proteins that have been produced in the hair bulb. These are folded and packaged inside the cortex and further stabilized by disulfide bonds.
The cortex is protected by the cuticle. This layer accounts for a lot of the visible hair characteristics that are measurable such as: shine, porosity, and manageability to name a few. If the cuticle becomes damaged, the cortex will be exposed. This leads to mechanical failure of the hair shaft which is seen as loss of shine, split ends, and hair breakage.
What makes curly hair curly?
Curly hair is hereditary, meaning it runs in families and is passed down through generations.
It starts at the follicle: where the hair leaves the scalp and becomes visible to the eye. The opening is round in people with straight hair and becomes progressively more oval or elliptical shaped with curlier hair. The hair fibers emerge at an angle which helps to create the spiral shapes seen with curly hair.
It continues within the cortex. Various disulfide, hydrogen, and salt bonds work together to support the spiral shape, with the quantity of disulfide bonds increasing as curliness increases.
Disulfide bonds are stronger and typically can only be broken when using chemical treatments or high heat, whereas hydrogen bonds are weaker and only require water to break. Salt bonds are also weaker and are typically broken with pH imbalances. Bond building treatments like Olaplex and K18 target these in order to strengthen hair.
This is why wetting your hair will always revert it to its natural curl pattern (resetting hydrogen bonds). This is why chemicals are required to make naturally curly hair permanently straight (breaking disulfide bonds). This is also why curls can be lost over time in individuals who consistently heat style, bleach or otherwise damage their hair.
How does hair grow?
Hair growth is regulated by the vascular and endocrine systems and influenced by your age and diet. We shed approximately 100 hairs a day and we grow approximately 15cm (~6in) a year.
The hair growth cycle can be divided into three stages:
- Anagen - This is an active growth phase. The follicle is continuously producing hair cells in order to create the hair shaft. This will eventually break the surface of the skin during the metanagen phase. This whole process can continue for several years.
- Catagen - This is a transitional stage that typically lasts for a few weeks. The hair bulb will shrink and form a club hair.
- Telogen - This is a resting phase. The hair follicle has become dormant and the hair shaft is no longer growing. Approximately 10% of your hair is currently in this stage which can last for up to one year. After this time, the hair will be shed.
New hair cells will begin to multiply at the base of the emptied hair follicle to form a new hair shaft, and the cycle starts anew. However, if the hair follicle dies, it will never produce another hair fiber.
Frequently Asked Questions
How can I make my hair grow faster?
The short answer: you can't really.
- Eat a well balanced diet
- Focus on scalp health, massage scalp for blood flow
- Consult with a medical professional to treat underlying health conditions
- Get adequate sleep
- Reduce stress
- Develop a good hair routine that promotes healthy habits
- Regularly trim split ends
But what about rosemary oil? Claims are purely anecdotal. Read more on this here.
Why is my hair texture different from what it was before? Will it revert?
It’s impossible for us to predict what your texture will be like NOW with a better routine, let alone years into the future.
Remember: the entire hair life cycle is complete within 2-8 years. Let’s say your individual baseline for the hair life cycle is 5 years. A hair that starts growing today will be gone within 5 years, along with all of the other hairs that have come before it.
We’ve already learned that your vascular and endocrine systems are responsible for texture changes to the hair. Changes in these systems can cause a change in texture. These include:
- Aging - puberty, pregnancy, menopause, and graying especially
- PCOS, adrenal tumors, cushing’s disease
- Side effect of chemotherapy treatment
- Hormone replacement therapy (HRT)
- Hormonal birth control
- Thyroid disease
This is not an exhaustive list either. Think back: 5 years ago did any of these things happen to you? Your hair texture may have been affected as a result of these changes.
What causes abnormal/premature/increased hair loss?
There is a wide variety of causes of hair loss and therefore a wide variety of presentations and treatment options. It is important to speak to your medical doctor, dermatologist or trichologist for an accurate diagnosis if you suspect you have increased hair loss. Causes of abnormal/premature/increased hair loss include:
- Family history (hereditary) with aging
- The most common cause!
- Hormonal changes
- Pregnancy, childbirth, menopause, etc.
- Scarring of the scalp
- Excessive hair styling, harsh hair treatments, etc.
- Medical conditions
- Autoimmune diseases, ringworm or trichotillomania, etc.
- A very stressful/traumatic event
- Including events that are emotionally stressful (grieving loss) or physically stressful (an illness)
- Side effect of various medications
- An ingredient allergy
Individual Hair Characteristics
Density
Hair density refers to how many individual hairs grow per square inch of your scalp. We discourage users from saying hair is “thick” or “thin” because coarse hair (thick) can be low density (thin) and fine hair (thin) can be high density (thick). See how confusing that was?!
Why It Matters
Density is important for styling your hair: specifically the methods/techniques you use, but also the weight of your products. It can also affect how a haircut will look on you. It is generally the most dense in your crown area.
It’s important to remember that hair density has a genetic component. Density generally decreases as you age and varies among ethnicities. Low density hair may not be due to any sort of underlying medical condition. There isn’t a “too high or too low” density or a “bad” density. They are just hair characteristic cards that you were dealt and now have to work with.
Identifying Your Density
The golden standard for measuring hair density is with a phototrichogram. Since we all don’t work in a laboratory with access to this kind of equipment, we have to use at home methods to determine our density. We will be evaluating dry hair, in its natural state, hanging loosely.
Characteristics
Low Density
Your scalp is clearly visible without parting your hair
Ponytail circumference is less than 2 inches (impacted by texture)
Medium Density
Your scalp is visible only if you part your hair slightly
Ponytail circumference is 2-3 inches (impacted by texture)
High Density
Your scalp is very difficult to see even when you part your hair
Ponytail circumference will be at least 4 inches (impacted by texture)
Recommendations Based on Density
Once you know your hair density, you can adjust your hair routine accordingly.
Remember this chart: Your texture and your porosity can play a part in these recommendations. If you are loosely curly, low porosity, fine, low density - these characteristics all agree with one another (same with tightly curly, high porosity, coarse, high density). But if you happen to be a mix of conflicting hair characteristics, you will have to experiment more to find your middle ground.
Note: Even though the following recommendations are generalized, you may have hair that is happy with throwing out the “rule” book. In that case, keep doing what makes your hair happy! 🙂
Low Density
- Lightweight products
- This includes rinse-out conditioner, leave-in conditioner (consider sprays or omit altogether), and no frequent applications of heavy deep conditioner
- Don’t be afraid to dilute your products
- Volumizing products
- Texture sprays, hairsprays, foams, dry shampoo, etc.
- Regular, deeper cleansing in the form of:
- Clarifying shampoo to remove product build-up,
- Chelating shampoo to remove hard water build-up,
- Or low lather shampoo for “daily” use.
- Damp, upright, and brush styling with diffusing
- Always SOTC
- Blunt haircuts
- If you do opt for layers, be sure that your is coarse enough to support it
Full length video DOs and DON’Ts, with time stamps: pre-poo and shampoo - deep condition - rinsing/upright styling - damp styling - lightweight stylers - upright brush styling - diffusing
High Density
- Heavier styling products may be required to add weight to the hair
- Be mindful of your porosity and texture
- Modified haircuts to remove bulk/blunt ends
- Layers
- Undercuts
- Thinning shears
Texture
This is also known as your individual strand thickness, which refers to the diameter/width of a single piece of hair. Texture can also refer to “wavy, curly, coily” hair vs straight hair. Since everyone on /r/curlyhair is welcome to use the word “curl,” when we talk about texture here we are referring to the individual strand thickness (unless otherwise specified).
Why It Matters
Texture may be the second most important hair characteristic to know about yourself. Along with porosity and density, THIS is how you pick products. THIS is how you decide on methods.
Fine hair responds well to different things (and has different struggles) than coarse hair, so it is important to treat them separately.
Identifying Your Texture
There are two straightforward ways to do this.
By Feel
- Take ONE individual strand of hair
- Grip it between the finger pads of your thumb and forefinger
- Roll those two fingers back and forth against one another with the hair strand between them
What do you feel?
Fine hair is not noticeable at all, or very slightly noticeable.
Medium hair is (slightly) noticeable.
Coarse hair feels “solid” and is very noticeable.
Comparing to Sewing Thread
- Take ONE single piece of sewing thread
- Lay ONE individual hair next to it
- Compare the two
Fine hair will be thinner than the sewing thread.
Medium hair will basically be the same thickness as sewing thread.
Coarse hair will be thicker than the sewing thread.
Recommendations Based on Texture
Once you know your hair texture, you can adjust your hair routine accordingly. If you are someone that has variable textures, it may be beneficial to try different techniques in those corresponding areas.
Remember this chart: Your porosity and your density can play a part in these recommendations. If you are loosely curly, low porosity, fine, low density - these characteristics all agree with one another (same with tightly curly, high porosity, coarse, high density). But if you happen to be a mix of conflicting hair characteristics, you will have to experiment more to find your middle ground.
Note: Even though the following recommendations are generalized, you may have hair that is happy with throwing out the “rule” book. In that case, keep doing what makes your hair happy! 🙂
Fine Texture
- Lightweight products
- This includes rinse-out conditioner, leave-in conditioner (consider sprays or omit altogether), and no frequent applications of heavy deep conditioner
- Don’t be afraid to dilute your products
- Do limit the number of stylers you use
- Lightweight oils (less than a drop) emulsified in your hands
- Can also be used sparingly as a pre-shampoo treatment using penetrating oils and followed by moderate cleansing or even a mild double shampoo
- Volumizing products
- Texture sprays, hairsprays, foams, dry shampoo, mousse instead of gel, etc.
- Hydrolyzed proteins
- Regular, deeper cleansing in the form of:
- Clarifying shampoo to remove product build-up,
- Chelating shampoo to remove hard water build-up,
- Or low lather shampoo for “daily” use.
- Damp styling to avoid the weight of water pulling out your curl pattern
- Diffusing to avoid the effects of gravity over a long dry period
- Strong hold gel to support curl structure and promote style longevity
- Blunt haircuts
- If you do opt for layers, be sure that your have enough density to support it
- Consider graduated haircuts, pixie, bangs, or even a wolf cut
- Consider long layers with face framing
Coarse Texture
- Regular, deeper conditioning
- Always use conditioner after shampoo
- Consider exclusively co-washing and/or using deep conditioner
- Consider hot oil treatments
- Curl cream over leave-in
- Don’t be afraid to layer products (like oils for sealing as a final step)
- Refreshing can be your friend, allowing you to better condition your hair between washes as the week goes on
- Haircuts with soft layers, avoid blunt haircuts
Porosity (1,2)
Porosity is your hair’s ability to both absorb and retain moisture and this is dependent on the intactness of its cuticle. A simplified and relatable way to visualize this, is to think of your cuticle as shingles on a roof.
Low porosity hair would be a newly installed roof. All the “shingles” are laying flat and protecting the “house” from water underneath. There are very few breaks in the shingles.
Medium porosity hair is a roof that was installed 10 years ago. It’s still in decent shape, it’s functional. But it has seen some things, so a few of the “shingles” are cracked/lifted/displaced from damage over time.
High porosity hair is a roof that needs to be replaced. It’s been 30 years, it’s at the maximum of its life span. A lot of “water” is getting in through all the broken “shingles” and a lot of “heat” is getting out. It is no longer doing a good job at protecting the “house,” and will eventually fail.
As porosity increases, the number and severity of these cracked/lifted/displaced shingles increases. This creates holes in the cuticle which allow for increased exchange of water (or small enough molecules like amino acids) to travel to the inside layers of the hair fiber.
These broken shingles can be patched temporarily by emollients found in conditioners: things such as hydrolyzed proteins, silicones, and film formers, but they can not be reversed.
Why It Matters
Porosity may be the single most important hair characteristic to know about yourself. Along with texture and density, THIS is how you pick products. THIS is how you decide on methods.
Low porosity hair responds well to different things (and has different struggles) than high porosity hair, so it is important to treat them separately.
Low porosity hair has an intact cuticle, which on paper sounds great. But when you pair that with heavy conditioning agents (a lot of the original curly products contained these), all of that is going to sit on top of the intact cuticle and cause build-up.
Medium porosity hair is typically easy to work with. If you have limited issues with maintaining conditioning or preventing build-up, you won the porosity lottery! A lot of products should work well for you.
High porosity hair has a very damaged cuticle with many breaks in it. If you use products that are not conditioning enough, the hair will feel dry and rough. It is also more susceptible to further damage due to swelling and eventually failure of the hair fiber.
Identifying Your Porosity
An easy place to start: we have a user generated porosity quiz. (Credit /u/sudosussudio.)
Note: The float test is flawed, and we do not recommend placing your hair in a glass of water to try to determine your porosity because:
- Fine hair will float due to the surface tension of water regardless of porosity.
- Hair and water have a similar specific gravity which makes dry hair buoyant by default.
- Hair is hardly ever “clean” enough to test in this way.
- Weight of product or buildup can alter how the hair interacts with the surface tension of the water.
- The product can contain water repelling substances (like oil) which would force the hair to float,
- Or conversely, the product can contain wetting agents which encourage water uptake and therefore sinking.
There are too many variables at play to be able to reliably determine your porosity using the float test.
Characteristics
One of the best ways to measure porosity is using gas sorption. This is expensive and definitely not a DIY project. The good news is: For you at home, there are various, measurable characteristics that you can see and feel in real life that will set low and high porosity hair apart. YOU are the best judge of your porosity, so let’s get measuring! 🙂
Low Porosity
- Also referred to as non-porous scientifically
- Little to no heat styling, chemical treatments, hair dye, highlights/bleach, sun/pool exposure
- Resistant to chemical treatments such as relaxers, permanent hair dye, or perms - requires extra processing time
- Water beads up on the hair instead of wetting it initially, takes seconds/minutes to get wet - takes many hours or even days to dry
- Products accumulate more easily (heavy products leave hair greasy/limp) - experiences build-up quickly
- Tends to not appreciably improve when deep conditioned
- Smooth strands
- Shiny hair
High Porosity
- Also referred to as highly porous scientifically
- Moderate/frequent heat styling, chemical treatments, hair dye, highlights/bleach, sun/pool exposure
- Tends to lose dye coloring more quickly
- Gets wet immediately with water and dries within minutes or a few hours
- Tolerates and even enjoys heavy products (seems to fully “soak them in”) - appreciable change seen with deep conditioning
- Can often have a dull appearance and dry feeling
- Individual strands feel rough or bumpy
- Tangles easily
Genetics also play a role in porosity. Some hair is naturally prone to becoming high porosity despite never (or rarely) being exposed to bleach, chemicals, frequent sun, high heat styling, etc.
Frequently Asked Questions
I feel like I’m BOTH low and high porosity, which is it?
This could be a factor of your texture at play, and maybe even your density. Let’s take fine, high density, and high porosity hair as an example. This is hair that would be susceptible to build-up due to being fine and would take longer to thoroughly wet/dry due to being high density. These are both counter what is suggestive of high porosity hair alone.
I feel like I’m NEITHER low or high porosity, what am I?
It’s possible that you are just good ole medium porosity.
Your hair feels mostly smooth. Your hair may be shiny, but not in a way that calls attention to itself. It takes color as expected, and it keeps color as expected. You’ve been in the pool a couple of times this year and you heat treat (with heat protectant, of course!) twice a year at family gatherings. When you use a reasonable amount of conditioner, it looks good. It might go through a period of feeling dryer than usual, but with hair conditioner and gentle care it springs right back up to normal.
Why does it seem to depend on which area of my head I am looking at?
Remember how hair grows. Your ends have the potential to be 8 years old while the roots aren’t even a year old. Those ends have seen your bleach job 5 years ago and that phase of straightening for 2 years during college whereas your roots haven’t. Your porosity is rarely fixed along the entire length of a hair strand.
Exposure is the same reason why the canopy hairs tend to be higher porosity than the hairs that they cover. They are more frequently exposed to the environment (think UV/sun/wind). They are the first layer to get blasted by the full force of your shower head. They tend to be the layer that you play with the most, pin back behind your air, or pull up away from your face.
Recommendations Based on Porosity
Once you know your hair porosity, you can adjust your hair routine accordingly. If you are someone that has variable porosities, it may be beneficial to try different techniques in those corresponding areas.
Remember this chart: Your individual strand thickness and your density can play a part in these recommendations. If you are loosely curly, low porosity, fine, low density - these characteristics all agree with one another (same with tightly curly, high porosity, coarse, high density). But if you happen to be a mix of conflicting hair characteristics, you will have to experiment more to find your middle ground.
Note: Even though the following recommendations are generalized, you may have hair that is happy with throwing out the “rule” book. In that case, keep doing what makes your hair happy! 🙂
Low Porosity (1)
A lot of this comes down to dose and application. Low porosity hair still needs conditioning as it can still benefit from oils or protein. You just have to be a little more selective about ingredients/overall formulation heaviness and how you apply/how much.
- Lightweight leave-in conditioner on soaking wet hair
- Do not be afraid to add more water during styling
- Do not be afraid to dilute your stylers
- Film forming humectants. These include:
- Flaxseed gel, aloe vera gel, hydroxyethylcellulose, marshmallow root, slippery elm, panthenol, xanthan gum, and seaweed/Irish moss extract (among others)
- Hydrolyzed proteins
- More so if you are fine, less so if you are coarse
- Lightweight oils (less than a drop) emulsified in your hands
- Can also be used sparingly as a pre-shampoo treatment using penetrating oils and followed by moderate cleansing or even a mild double shampoo
- Limit conditioners that contain cationic compounds
- Heat with hair treatments (Hot Heads with deep conditioning, as an example)
- Regular, deeper cleansing in the form of:
- Clarifying shampoo to remove product build-up,
- Chelating shampoo to remove hard water build-up,
- Or low lather shampoo for “daily” use.
High Porosity
- Heavier/richer stylers with oils (castor/olive/coconut) and butters (shea/cocoa/cupuaca) that can seal
- Be careful how heavy you go if you have fine hair
- Regular, deeper conditioning
- Always use conditioner after shampoo
- Consider exclusively co-washing and/or using deep conditioner
- Curl cream over leave-in
- Don’t be afraid to layer products (like oils for sealing as a final step)
- Refreshing can be your friend, allowing you to better condition your hair between washes as the week goes on and threatens to dry your hair out
- Silicones may be of more benefit to you
- Olaplex/K18 treatments can help to patch up damage
Methods
Wet Styling VS Damp Styling
Experiment with how much water your hair contains when adding stylers. For the best curl clumping, dripping wet hair is recommended. However, some products suggest a different application.
Some hair characteristics (like low density) or some hair desires (like more volume) work better with damp styling.
Upside Down Styling
If your body allows it, bend forward at the neck or waist and let your curls settle over your face. Apply your products like normal with a combination of raking and praying hands for your leave-in and scrunching for your gel. Make sure to lift any hair that may be stuck to your scalp up and away from it. From here you can plop (optional), and after 15 minutes or so you can diffuse (optional).
Doing all of the styling upside down (or even diffusing upside down) can create great volume at the root. This is especially helpful for loose/fine curls that tend to fall as the day progresses.
Visual
Full length 4 minute video with audio.
Leave-in, Oil, Cream (LOC, 1)
This method was coined by the Alikay Naturals founder and CEO Rochelle Graham. Tight curls (especially high porosity ones) can benefit most from the LOC method: Liquid (or Leave-in conditioner) → Oil → Cream. This is a way of applying products in a specific order to impart last conditioning.
- First layer: water
- Or a water-based leave-in such as Mielle Organics Pomegranate and Honey Leave-In
- Second layer: an oil picked with your porosity in mind
- Higher porosity? Try castor or olive
- Lower porosity? Try argan or jojoba
- Third layer: butter-based cream
- Try Mielle Organics Pomegranate and Honey Twisting Souffle
A popular alternative is switching up the order: LCO. This can be better for tight curls that are low porosity/fine OR loose curls that are high porosity.
Smasters
This method is designed to reverse any frizz that has started to become apparent as your hair has started drying. You follow your routine as normal, up to ~50% dry. Then you add gel, mousse or cream to your hands and plenty of water. Apply this mixture to your curl clumps using glazing/praying hands techniques.
Visual
Full length 30 second video with audio.
Techniques
The following are ways to apply products to your hair. Unless otherwise stated, these are mainly used for applying stylers (leave-in, cream, gel, mousse, oil, etc.).
Scrunching
This is your most basic styler application.
- Dispense enough product in your hand to cover the amount of hair you are styling.
- Cup your curls in both hands and scrunch upwards toward your head, trying to distribute the product evenly without breaking up your curls.
Helpful hint: If your hair is frizzy when you leave the shower, it won't get any better after it dries! Take this time to really shape the curls the way you want them to lay when dry.
Visual
Squish to Condish (S2C)
S2C uses LOTS of water and adequate conditioner to achieve a slimy seaweed texture. This is the foundation for great curl clumps! It is commonly performed in the shower with your rinse-out conditioner, and can be done bending forward with your hair cascading over your face. You scoop handfuls of water into your hair and squish/squeeze it with your hands until it makes a 'squelching' sound. If you don’t hear this noise, you need more conditioner and maybe even more water.
Visual
Full length video with audio.
Important time stamps:
Roping
With a styler already emulsified in your hands, grab a section of your hair like you would a rope, and squeeze from the roots down the lengths.
Visual
Glazing/Praying Hands
Apply a styler to your hands and rub them together to fully coat your palms. For glazing, lightly run your hands over your hair from the roots to the ends, transferring product from your hands to your hair as you go.
For praying hands, you will place your hands on either side of a section of hair (near the root) and gently bring your palms together. Keeping your hands together in this “praying” gesture, move them down the hair shaft to the ends.
This smooths the product along the hair, encouraging clumping and reducing frizz. This technique can elongate the curls for some, especially if the hands are clamped together tightly. If you have curls that are easily straightened out, be careful with how much pressure you apply.
Visual
Full length video.
Important time stamps:
Accordion
- While styling wet hair with stylers applied, cup the bottom of a curl in the palm of your hand.
- Spiral it around and up in the natural way that it wants to go until your hand touches your scalp.
- Hold for a few seconds and then release.
Rake/Shingle
This is a great method for tight curls to ensure that an adequate amount of styler is coating every strand. It’s pretty straightforward and probably best explained visually.
Visual
Rake & Shake
This is Ouidad’s signature way of styling:
- Apply leave-in (curl cream/curl enhancer/foam) evenly to the hair
- Beginning underneath, section the hair
- Use your fingers to rake your desired styler (gel/mousse) through this section from root to tip while detangling and smoothing
- As your fingers reach the ends, shake at the wrist to encourage curl formation
Visual
Full length video with audio.
Important time stamps:
Finger Coiling
Finger coiling helps define each curl individually. Apply your styler to your hair evenly by whatever technique you prefer. Take a small, curl-sized piece of hair and smooth it out. Tighter curls should generally take smaller chunks, and looser curls can take larger chunks. Twirl the curl around your finger, keeping it long, and once it is twisted, keep twirling so that it wraps itself around your finger, getting closer to your scalp. Drop the curl and repeat with a new section.
Visual
Full length 1 minute video with audio.
Finger Rolling
Finger rolling is another way to help define each curl individually. It works best for loose curls. Apply your product to your hair evenly by whatever technique you prefer. Take a small, curl-sized piece of hair and smooth it out. Starting at the end, roll your index fingers around one another along with your hair, and up towards your scalp. Remove one finger and twirl the remaining one to gently release the curl.
Visual
Full length video with audio. (Also includes a variation on finger rolling.)
Important time stamps:
- 6:32 Prepping hair for the technique
- 7:37 Visual of the technique
- 8:22 Variation: 1 finger vs 2 fingers vs 3 fingers while rolling
- 9:15 Variation: Pinning finger rolled curl
Brush Styling
There are SO many variations on brush styling that it might be impossible to compile them all in one place. This technique is helpful if you want more uniform curls and if you want uber defined curls.
You will want to start with freshly washed hair that has had leave-in or a curl cream applied by your chosen technique. Using the Denman brush (one of the many variations), a Bounce Curl brush, a Tangle Teezer, a Wet Brush, or simply a wide tooth comb (or a popular brush dupe!), you are going to morph your curls into smooth curly ribbons with some fancy wrist work.
After you have brush styled your entire head, you are going to apply gel/mousse with glazing/praying hands (optional scrunching) being mindful to not to disturb the clumps that you have created.
This technique is a “practice makes perfect” situation.
Visuals
The following (listed alphabetically by poster) are numerous video links to various techniques to try on multiple different curls. This is by no means an exhaustive list:
- Bethany Robertson - Denman brush from above, flip up
- Bounce Curl - tight curls, shorter hair
- Brittcurls - Wet brush - arc motion away from the face, shake clump at the root
- Gena Marie - Tangle teezer - faster brush styling with larger sections for volume - lift at the root, hand on the back of the brush for tension - follow with a wide tooth comb to separate
- GlamFam - Rat tail comb on tight curls using wrapping foam to make comb coils
- Jayme Jo - Denman brush, rolling the ends
- Manes by Mell - Denman brush, hand on the back of the brush for tension
- Swavy Curly Courtney - Wet brush - upside down (!) - following with a wide tooth comb
- The Fit Curls - Denman brush using the handle for curl formation
- Yaliana Enid - Tangle teezer - multiple techniques (!)
Bowl Method
- Fill a bowl with water. Start with freshly washed, and still wet, hair.
- Bend forward, flip your hair over your face, and apply leave-in or curl cream to your hair.
- Detangle with a brush from your roots to your ends.
- Dunk all of your hair into the bowl of water, lift up out the water, and scrunch your hair being mindful that the water stays inside the bowl.
- Repeat as needed (try 4 times if you’re new).
- Glaze your hold product (mousse or gel) and scrunch out any excess water. Micro-plop ends if desired.
Visual
Full length 1 minute video with audio.
Common Concerns
Top 10 Most FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions)
1. What is my curl type?
Celebrity hair stylist Andre Walker created the Hair Chart in the 1990s to determine the "type" of one's curl. We recommend not worrying about what type you are because:
- It doesn't help you decide what products or techniques to use. You need to determine your porosity and individual strand thickness.
- It changes. With a better (or worse routine), naturally over time (aging), hormonal changes, medication changes, etc.
Visual Representation of Change in Curl
The left image is fluffy, maybe a bit of curl. But the next picture is only a few months later, following CG techniques and using only CG-approved products. The curl has tightened!
- Most people have a mix of curl types on their head, or don't neatly fit into a single category. THIS IS NORMAL. 🙂 It can also appear a little different depending on techniques used.
Porosity is far more important than curl type. This will affect your routine more than any other detail about your hair.
- An easy place to start: we have a user generated porosity quiz. (Credit /u/sudosussudio.)
- More reading on porosity.
2. Why are some parts curlier than others?
- Curl patterns can vary. This is very common!
- Make sure you're getting enough product everywhere! Sometimes people think the underside of their hair is straight, but when they are careful about adding leave-in conditioner and gel down there it becomes just as curly as the rest.
- You could have a damaged canopy (outermost layer of your hair). Possible solutions include a deep conditioning treatment with protein and/or flipping your part.
- You can try pin curls or finger curling/rolling: where you use your fingers to curl a piece, and then pin it up or coat it in gel to get it to stay. Brush styling is also an option.
3. What do I do if I have short hair?
- The product recommendations are the same! Hair is hair regardless of length.
- Less than 2 inches: Gel can be harder to use on very short hair. Try using a very small amount to help with definition. Oils, creams or custards may be more beneficial.
- Less than 4 inches: Your hair pattern might not be very noticeable at this length. If you’re a loose curly it won't curl for a while. Give it time!
- Plopping doesn’t work as well for short hair. Consider gently patting your hair with a microfiber towel or an old t-shirt, or micro-plopping.
- More frequent refreshing may be needed after sleeping. Try using water only for this, and sleep on a satin/silk pillowcase.
Despite the name, “The Curly Girl Method,” it’s not a gendered practice. All genders are welcome to try the methods contained within this wiki. 🙂
4. What if I want to use heat to curl or straighten my hair?
Different styles are fun! 🙂 But they can also be damaging. 🙁 The health of your hair will be impacted, but it’s impossible for us to say how badly.
Read our mini guide on minimizing damage here.
5. My hair is heat and bleach damaged. Do I really have to cut it all off?
I won’t sugar coat this: you might have to cut off the damage and start healthy.
If you’ve read the section on the science behind hair, you know that the hair that you see isn’t living. It is unable to repair itself. There are various treatments you can do to support “recovering” hair. If you’ve tried them, especially bond builders, and it’s been over a significant length of time with no improvement, a haircut is what is best for your hair.
6. Why does it feel like my products don’t work anymore?
You can read more about this phenomenon here.
7. Where can I find cruelty-free/fragrance-free/protein-free products?
- Cruelty free products are marked as such in the Holy Grail list
- Use Curlscan to search for product categories that include or exclude certain ingredients
- /r/wavyhair and /r/curlyhair have threads detailing fragrance free suggestions
8. How do I find a curly salon?
- Limited search engines based on geographical location:
- You can always try your local Reddit or Yelp page for the city that you live in. Just search for “curly hair stylist.” Then call and ask for more details.
- Don’t be afraid to ask friends, family, or (politely) a stranger at the supermarket with gorgeous hair where they get it done. If it feels natural, be sure to pay them a compliment too!
9. What hairstyle would look best on me?
Check out /r/HairStyle or /r/HairStyleAdvice!
10. Is it possible to achieve <insert style here> naturally for my hair?
It depends! This is a difficult question to answer. Why? Achieving a particular style naturally highly depends on your personal curl type. If you ask this question in r/curlyhair, we’ll need (at minimum) a photo of your hair AND an example of your “goal hair.”
The tricky part is if you haven’t started CG yet, your hair is probably not at its full potential, and it’s impossible to tell what your natural curl looks like. And in a lot of cases, the goal hair photo is highly styled (using heat, lots of products, etc.), meaning their look also isn’t natural and possibly not realistic to expect at all.
We typically don’t recommend finding your curl type, but this is probably the one situation where it can be helpful. Try searching on google by hair type rather than searching “curly hair styles.” Try to find a photo that is not of an actor or model.
There are lots of great styles for all curl types. We highly recommend learning to love and care for your hair as it currently is.
Do I have curly hair?
“My hair is always so frizzy! I can’t go out when it rains; I just turn into a giant poof ball. I have these little C shapes to my hair when it’s wet, but when it dries it’s just fluffy. I keep brushing it, but it only gets worse. There’s always so much volume! I just use whatever shampoo I can find, I hardly ever use conditioner, and I like to play around with hair colors at home.”
“I can’t ever seem to manage it, or make it look like my friends who have silky, straight hair. I don’t even know what kind of hair my mom has. She heat styles it every day and has had it dyed my entire life. I saw old photos of my grandmother though and she had pretty spirals. Could I have curly hair?”
YES! These are all actually curly hair that is being treated as though it’s straight:
Give our beginner routine a try and see if you can make your curls thrive!
Hard Water
Has your hair been increasingly frizzy, stiff/inflexible, brittle/breakage prone, tangle prone, and dull? You could be dealing with hard water.
Hard water contains excess minerals such as calcium and magnesium that bind to hair in the same way that conditioner does: the positively charged mineral ions are attracted to the negatively charged surface of the hair shaft. The amount of minerals that can bind to the hair shaft increases as the damage of the hair shaft and the pH increases.
Filters you can attach to your shower head do not have the ability to soften water (except The ShowerStick). An in-home water softening system is required, utilizing a resin chamber that is frequently recharged with salt. They CAN remove minerals like chlorine though.
A chelating shampoo is designed to remove hard water deposits on the hair.
The following are chelators to look for in the ingredient list:
- Disodium/Tetrasodium EDTA
- Must be at concentrations 0.5% to 1% - otherwise it’s a preservative only
- Pentasodium Pentetate
- Sodium Gluconate
- Sodium Phytate/Phytic Acid
- Can be less effective than others listed
The following are known chelating shampoos (not an exhaustive list):
- Kinky Curly Come Clean
- Sally’s Ion Hard Water
- Malibu C Hard Water Wellness
- Ouidad Water Works Clarifying (sulfate/drying alcohol)
You can read more about the science behind hard water and find DIY rinses here.
Climate Tips (1,2,3)
Relative Humidity
Relative humidity is a measure of the amount of water vapor in the atmosphere at a given temperature. It is listed as a percentage. When it is raining, this is 100%. When it is bone dry, it would be much lower (but never 0%). It is listed in any weather app.
In a high humidity environment, water vapor will enter the hair. We’ve seen this when we go to places like Florida in the summer: the hair acquires a rough/coarse/frizzy texture due to the swelling of the hair fiber.
In a low humidity environment, water vapor will exit the hair. You can see this when you go to places like Arizona in the winter: the hair becomes dry, unruly, frizzy and flyaway.
Relative Humidity Breakpoints
40% to 50% is considered “comfortable.”
- 29%: hair holds ~6% water
- Your skin and hair would feel very dry
- 40%: hair holds ~8% water
- 50%: hair holds ~10% water
- 65%: hair holds ~13% water
- The air starts to feel “wet” and hair starts to become frizzy or limp
- 70%: hair holds ~14% water
- Skin and hair are absorbing water from the environment in large amounts
Dew Point
Dew point is the temperature at which water vapor in the air will begin to condense into a liquid. In other words, in order to reach 100% humidity (and rain), the air temperature has to be lowered to this temperature. THIS value is actually more important than humidity. It is listed in any weather app.
Dew Point Breakpoints
50°F to 60°F is considered “comfortable.”
- < 50°F is dry
- 60°F-65°F is muggy
- 65°F-70°F is humid
- If your hair looks best in higher humidity, this is probably your “comfortable” range
- > 70°F is oppressive (think rainforest)
Styling for the Weather
When you are looking for a hair care product that has ingredients that are good for low/high relative humidity/dew points, you want to check the first 5 ingredients. These make up the bulk of the product by weight. You can use an ingredient checker to verify.
Humectants
Humectants work best in average dew points (40°F-60°F) and tend to perform poorly alone in higher or lower dew points. When applied to the hair, they work by attracting water molecules to themselves.
Common examples include: glycerin, honey, hydrolyzed collagen/silk/keratin, propylene or butylene glycol, hyaluronic acid, sorbitol, fructose, and agave nectar.
Film Forming Humectants
Film forming humectants can be used in low dew points (<35°F) when regular humectants may be problematic. These are humectants that are capable of forming a flexible barrier over your hair fibers.
Common examples include: flaxseed, okra, aloe vera, hydroxyethylcellulose, pectin, xanthan or guar gum, marshmallow root, slippery elm, carrageenan (irish sea moss/seaweed extract), nettle leaf tea/extract, and panthenol.
Emollients
Emollients are great for low dew points (<35°F), also average dew points (40°F-60°F), and can be helpful in high dew points (>60°F). They are typically hydrophobic oils that act as anti-humectants to seal the hair. When you experience build-up, it is likely due to the over accumulation of emollients from your products.
Common examples include: silicones, emulsifying/bees-wax, argan (grapeseed, sunflower, coconut, jojoba, avocado, olive) oil, mango (cocoa, shea) butter, cetyl esters, c12-15 alkyl benzoate, and cetyl (cetearyl, stearyl) alcohols.
Humidity Resistant Ingredients
Humidity resistant ingredients are great for high dew points (>60°F).These can work even more effectively than emollients, and therefore may require periodic clarifying shampoo to remove.
Common examples include: polyquaternium- (4, 10, 11, 69), polyamide-1, PVA/VP Copolymer, VP/DMAPA Acrylates Copolymer, and polyacrylate-2 crosspolymer
Swimming Tips
Swimming can be a fun way to pass the summer 🙂, but it can really do a number on curly hair! 🙁 The main concerns with swimming are removing chlorine and fighting the associated dryness.
- Use a silicone swim cap.
- Get your hair wet before you get in the pool, so that it will absorb regular water rather than chlorinated water.
- If you swim frequently: consider washing with shampoo on days that you swim, but co-washing on days that you don’t swim.
- Try Malibu C Swimmers Wellness Shampoo. This chelating shampoo is designed to remove pool elements such as chlorine and copper gently, but effectively.
- If you do increase shampoo frequency, consider deep conditioning once a week (or as often as you desire) with oils like argan, jojoba, or your favorite hair oils.
Note: Don't apply conditioner or oil to your hair before going in the water. It can interfere with the pool chemistry making it more difficult to maintain without providing much benefit to you. It can also cause your silicone swim cap to slip off your hair!
You can learn more about chlorine and even find a DIY home recipe for chlorine removal using citric acid here.
Scalp Conditions
The following information is NOT medical advice and should NOT be used as a substitute for information given to you by your medical doctor, dermatologist, or trichologist.
The first step to avoid scalp conditions is to keep the scalp healthy:
- Cleanse regularly (once a week at minimum)
- Massage your scalp to increase blood flow
- Use a silicone scalp scrubber when washing
- Consider investing in a water filter/softener
- Consider not oiling your scalp - use serums containing humectants like glycerin or hyaluronic acid instead
- Avoid leaving your hair wet for long periods of time to maintain low pH (this includes limiting your plopping time to no more than 30 minutes)
Should a scalp condition arise, it is important to know the root cause. Let’s take dandruff as an example. According to the Mayo Clinic dandruff can be caused by:
- Dry skin
- Irritated/oily skin
- Overabundance of a yeastlike fungus (malassezia)
- Contact dermatitis (sensitivity to product ingredient)
- Secondary to other skin conditions (eczema, psoriasis, seborrheic dermatitis, etc.)
This is the problem with treating a symptom and not knowing the root cause.
If your dandruff is caused by dry skin, adding more moisture to the scalp could help. Conversely, if your dandruff is caused by oily skin, adding more moisture would likely exacerbate the situation. If your dandruff is secondary to an underlying skin condition, adding or removing moisture has no impact.
To treat your dandruff, you might even need a special medicated shampoo, topical antifungals or corticosteroids. This is why it is critically important to speak to a medical professional before self-diagnosing or beginning treatment.
Kids’ Curls
Keep It Simple
- Cleanser + conditioner
- Gentle all use products or specifically formulated for kids
- Do not use heavy, oil and butter filled products on fine kids’ hair
- Aim for washing 1-3 times per week
- Remember to be flexible! Kids can be messy and not stick to the script…
- Ignore styling tips
Limit Brushing
- Only brush hair when wet with conditioner applied
- Should feel like slimy seaweed
- Consider using a cushioned paddle brush
- Gripping the hair firmly, but gently, start detangling the ends
- Move up towards the roots in small sections, ensuring that you can pass the brush comfortably through any section that has already been detangled before moving on to another section
Other Kids’ Tips
- Curly hair can be a little wilder than straight hair: that's ok! Embrace a little frizz. 💜
- Use a microfiber towel for drying the hair.
- Sleep on a satin pillowcase to help avoid tangles in the morning.
- Protective styles like braiding are your friend!
Transitioning from Damaged Hair
Possibly the most difficult part of embracing one's natural texture is the transition from relaxed/chemically straightened hair. Below are some steps and tips to consider to move towards healthy hair.
Although this guide is directed towards chemically damaged hair (i.e. from relaxers), most of the advice is also true for recovering from heavily bleached hair and heat damaged hair as well.
Quit Chemicals and Heat
The first big step is to stop using relaxers and any chemical straighteners altogether.
Re-straightening your hair with chemicals can very quickly undo your progress to natural hair.
Refrain from using hot tools such as curling/flat irons,and never use them on wet hair. Hair that has been damaged from frequent chemical straightening is already weakened. Without any heat protection:
- Temperatures above 140F can damage hair.
- Temperatures above 350F will damage hair.
- Hair melts at 430F.
You can read more about the science behind heat damage here.
Occasionally, you may find the need to apply heat to your hair. Use heat protectants to minimize damage in these scenarios. Most heat protectants have silicones, and you’ll likely need to use your clarifying shampoo after using them.
Quick Tips
- Use protein treatments, deep conditioners, and or bond builders every week or two to counteract the damage and drying effects of chemical straightening.
- Be gentle with your hair.
- Try the CG beginner routine.
- Finger comb or use a wide-tooth comb to detangle. Hair brushes and regular combs can put undue stress on already brittle hair and cause more breakage.
- Consider a trim or a haircut.
The Big Chop
The term "big chop" comes from the Black women's natural hair movement. It's the act of chopping off your chemically treated or damaged hair so you can let your hair begin to grow naturally.
Black/mixed women are often pressured into pressing, flat ironing, hot combing and chemically relaxing their natural hair. You can either wait for your hair to grow out while wearing a protective style or just cut all of it off. Hence, big chop.
It's not just a haircut. It can be really emotional and stressful because black women are often portrayed more negatively than other women (misogynoir).
A black woman embracing her natural hair is NOT just about looking good and feeling confident. In addition to embracing self-love and body positivity, it's a fundamentally radical act that implicitly (and often explicitly) rejects Euro-centric beauty norms and centuries of targeted harm.
Sometimes, people use "big chop" thinking it's another "/r/curlyhair" term. The wording of these posts makes it sound like it's just the cutting of a substantial length of hair, which is different. It reaches far beyond that.
Read more about the history here.
Suggested replacement term: Consider using "reset cut" instead.
Coping with the Transition
Transitioning to natural hair involves a phase when your roots are healthy and curly while the ends are straight.
For folks who can’t do a reset haircut or a big chop, heatless styling methods can give your roots and ends a similar curl pattern, and protective hairstyles can help keep your hair manageable while waiting for it to grow out.
Some examples of heatless styling methods and protective hairstyles:
- braid outs
- twist outs
- bantu knots
- curling using flexi rods
More styles to choose from!
I know it is easier said than done, but practice patience. Hair takes time to grow, but it does grow!
DIY Haircuts
Quick Tips
- Use scissors meant for cutting hair
- Make sure they are sharp!
- Curls shrink
- You can always cut more, but you can’t undo a cut!
- Wet and dry cuts exist
- Choose something that works best with your hair characteristics/goals
- If you have high density, undercuts could be a good option for reducing bulk
- Consider asking for help with the back or using mirrors
Visual
The following (listed alphabetically by poster) are numerous video links to various techniques to try on multiple different curls. This is by no means an exhaustive list:
- Camille - Dry and wet cut
- Curl Maven - Waterfall wolf cut (wet), rounded shape with volume for long hair
- Curls by Shirlz - Rezo cut (wet)
- Lana Summer - Unicorn cut (wet) with layers/fringe/bangs (dry)
- Manes by Mell - Pigtails cut (wet)
- Manes by Mell - Trimming your hair at home (tips from a hairstylist)
- Marisa’s Curls - Diva cut (dry) and curl by curl
- MissCharmsie - Diva cut (dry)
- Sydney Lynn - Tips from a cosmetologist (dry)
Wearing Hair Up for Work
If you have to wear your hair up for work (e.g. food service, lab work, military, etc.), try these tips to help maintain your curls:
- If possible, switch your method for putting your hair up daily to avoid breakage in consistent places (e.g. braids vs pony, two braids instead of one, height of your bun/pony, etc.)
- Fortify your hair with protein/moisture treatments.
- Wear your hair in looser styles or completely down when not at work.
- Braid your hair, use headbands, or put your hair up in a pineapple, bun, clip, twist, or wrap and just leave it up during work.
Working Out
If you exercise regularly, try these tips to help maintain your curls:
- Rinse with water only and scrub your scalp.
- Washing daily with CG products is okay.
- Add extra conditioner to your ends.
- Try a steam refresh.
- Try dry shampoo.
- Curl creams might work better than gel for conditioning.
- Braid your hair, use headbands, or put your hair up in a pineapple, bun, clip, twist, or wrap and just leave it up during your workout.
Coloring/Dyeing
- Bleach WILL damage your hair. It immediately makes hair more porous - up to 30%! No way around it. It’s still fun though!!
- This may change what your hair prefers in terms of techniques and products.
- Add protein treatments before AND after color-treating hair to give it strength.
- Lots of extra deep conditioning is important too.
- For tips on HOW to bleach your hair at home, check out this detailed post.
More Information
Content Creators
There are a number of content creators that are recurrently mentioned on r/curly hair that have been instrumental in a number of our hair journeys. Feel free to check them out and see if they have useful information for you (listed alphabetically, not an exhaustive list):
- Curl Maven - Gabriella Strano - (Blog) (Facebook) (Instagram) (YouTube)
- Gena Marie - (Blog) (Facebook) (Instagram) (TikTok) (YouTube)
- Hi F3licia - (Blog) (Facebook) (Instagram) (YouTube)
- Lab Muffin Beauty - Dr. Michelle Wong - (Blog) (Facebook) (Instagram) (TikTok) (YouTube)
- Manes by Mell - Melissa Guido - (Blog) (Facebook) (Instagram) (TikTok) (YouTube)
- Mz Bianca Renee - (Instagram) (TikTok) (YouTube)
- Science-y Hair Blog - Wendy S - (Blog)
- Sophie Marie - (Instagram) (TikTok) (YouTube)
- Swavy Curly Courtney - (Blog) (Facebook) (Instagram) (YouTube)
- Welshie Curl Girl - Shoshana Stokes - (Facebook) (Instagram) (TikTok)
Additional Subreddits
Sometimes r/curlyhair isn’t the place for the question you are asking. Maybe you aren’t getting the tailored advice you are really looking for, or maybe you are looking for another community with other like-minded individuals to call home. The following is a list of related subreddits with direct links and brief descriptions that you might find more valuable for your specific question/circumstances (listed alphabetically, not exhaustive):
- Best of Reddit
- r/ListOfSubreddits
- r/askablackperson - Black folks answering questions. Opinions may vary. We are not a monolith.
- r/AskReddit - The place to ask and answer thought-provoking questions.
- r/AskDocs - Having a medical issue? Ask a doctor or medical professional on Reddit!
- r/Balding - For men and women to discuss hair loss and hair restoration and ask the important question: am I balding??
- r/Barber
- r/beards - Here to celebrate and show off our glorious beads, in which we dedicate ourselves to the discipline and fine art of engineering.
- r/beauty - A place for beauty-related discussions, questions, and advice.
- r/BlackHair - For Black Hair Admiration and Care. For anyone and everyone! All hair types, all techniques, all levels of processing no matter the gender.
- r/blackladies - A Safe Space for Black Women
- r/cleanbeauty
- r/curlygirl - Dedicated to the Curly Girl Method of caring for wavy, curly, or coily hair. We don’t care about gender, race, age, anything. We are here only to discuss our hair.
- r/CurlyHairCare - Wavy, Coily, Kinky Hair - All Welcome!
- r/CurlyHairUK - For people with curly hair based in the UK.
- r/CutYourOwnHair - Don’t worry, it grows back.
- r/DIYBeauty - Science-based DIY formulation help for beauty products.
- r/Dreadlocks - Share your stories, progress or ask for some advice!
- r/FancyFollicles - Hairway to Heaven
- r/femalehairadvice - We are a community focused on hair advice for women, non-binary, trans, and gender non-conforming individuals.
- r/FemaleHairLoss - For women who have experienced hair loss for any reason to come together, discuss hair loss, share their experiences, and seek support.
- r/FierceFlow - For men with long(er) hair to share tips, progress pictures, anecdotes, or anything else.
- r/finehair - Place for people with fine hair to ask to ask advice and share hair care tips.
- r/FreeCompliments - We won’t let you leave without a smile!
- r/ftm - Support-based discussion place focused on trans men, trans-masc individuals, and other people assigned female at birth who are trans.
- r/Hair - This community is all about hair and beauty.
- r/Haircare - Advice, Support and Tips.
- r/HaircareScience - Aims to provide resources for achieving better hair quality through scientific research in trichology, physiology, chemistry, and biology.
- r/HairDye - Community devoted to hair dye and dyed hair. Any posts of your dyed hair, or questions relating to dying your hair are welcomed; Anything from Brown to Rainbow.
- r/HairStyleAdvice - We give advice on your hair for men, women and all other configurations of being.
- r/hairtype - Ask what your hairtype is, all hairtypes are welcome and anybody can answer the question. Post pictures of your hair when wet/damp, preferably after washing and conditioning it.
- r/locs - A place for loc’d people of African Descent to share their stories, advice and pics.
- r/longhair - To share and discuss long hair.
- r/malehairadvice
- r/malegrooming - A Man’s Guide to Looking Good
- r/MtF - A Safe Haven for Trans Feminine People
- r/Naturalhair - All about going natural, hair porn, and other stuff too!
- r/NonBinary - A culture of varied awesomeness.
- r/NoPoo - A place to discuss natural haircare and alternatives to shampoo.
- r/relationship_advice - Need help with your relationship? Whether it’s romance, friendship, family, co-workers, or basic human interaction: we’re here to help!
- r/selfie - Photograph of Yourself, Taken by Yourself
- r/Trans - This is a safe space for transgender people to discuss their lives and issues that surround them, find affirmation, and discover community.
- r/tressless - Most popular community for males and females coping with hair loss. Feel free to discuss remedies, research, technologies, hair transplants, hair systems, living with hair loss, cosmetic concealments, whether to “take the plunge” and shave your head, and how your treatment progress or shaved head or hairstyle looks.
- r/Wavyhair - For all with naturally wavy hair to ask for, share, and receive tips, tricks, techniques, suggestions, and guidance.