Curly girl method....anyone else tried it?

I could have written your post myself, except for the curly girl part. It's SO MUCH FUN to have the curls I always wanted as a young person!

Off to google curly girl...

Is this the washing hair in conditioner thing? I'm so envious of people who can do that, because conditioner brings me out in a rash. For 30 I was blaming everything else - shampoo, water, diet, return of childhood eczema but just on my scalp (yeah, I know). Then I ran out of conditioner and the rash went away. Bingo.

It looks so pretty on you. Love your curls!

Nice curls, candleangie!

I first discovered the Curly Girls book at the library years ago and am so thankful! I wash my hair once a week (I like the waves/curls better when I sleep on it wet and let it dry overnight). If I need to, throughout the week I spritz my hair with a bit of water and comb through it with my fingers to bring the curl back. For a while I was co-washing (heard about it here, of course), but SIL gave me some really nice shampoo and conditioner for curly hair for my birthday. Plus the weather's been hot and sweaty lately. I do leave in some of the conditioner, though.

Because of them, I get my hair dry cut in layers. My wonderful SIL works at a salon about two hours north of us. I get a haircut once or twice a year. I show up with freshly washed (air-dried) hair. She spritzes it with a little water and starts cutting. She cuts layers and then uses her thinning shears (I have very thick hair), usually needing to go through my hair twice to get it thinned down. There's always enough hair on the floor to make a wig for someone else by the time she's done.  

SIL tried straightening my hair once. It was a hot and humid day (for Colorado, that is- maybe 30% humidity), and once we left her nicely air conditioned salon, my hair started getting a little frizzy (not as much as it usually would, though).  I figured if she couldn't get my hair to stay straight with all of her potions and tools, there was no way I would be able to either, so I never even bothered trying. I wasn't used to how it looked straight anyway, so no loss to me.

Welcome to the party I've been dancing at since birth.


The basic rules for curls are easy but different products work for different people so you have to try several and see what works best for you. Basic rules are : never brush or comb hair when dry, always apply product when hair is really wet, form your curl families, then don't touch hair too much after styling.

Another curly girl checking in. I've been curly since puberty. Tried to straighten my hair in my teens and wrecked it. Have been treating it kindly for a long time now. I use some of the Jessicurl range - the Cleansing Cream (it lathers a bit) and Too Shea conditioner. I use Tigi Catwalk Curlesque Curls Rock and a styling gel that's Australian. I pineapple my hair at night and I can get nearly a week out of a wash. I only need to get my hair cut twice a year now. The guy who does my hair is a trained DevaCurl artist, and only cuts dry. My hair is so much healthier doing it this way. I hope others try it too.

I second the suggestion for naturallycurly.com. I've been curly since birth.

I don't go there any more, but when I was making the switch from relaxed hair to letting my curls go full on about 6 years ago, it was a HUGE help!

Lauren, your hair is just gorgeous. You have no idea how envious I am of your perfect curls. 

My hair went curly in puberty, too, and so did my oldest son's. It's been 30 years and I'd have no idea what to do if it goes back once I'm through menopause.

Another curly/ wavy girl here. Had curls as a kid, spent my teens trying to fit in and get it straight. Then I cut it and kept it super short for the next 40 years. It was only after I retired, that I let it grow longer discovered there was curl found the book, the website and a wavy FB site. The rest is history. I love my curls. Only co-wash, use lots of different products and am having fun with my hair!