'Air-drying always left my hair frizzy. But then I tried the Curly Girl Method.'

From the viral bowl method to the term co-washing, there is a growing number of tips and tricks being shared online about all things wavy and curly hair. And we love it. 

I'm someone who has naturally pretty wavy hair. I used to have tight curls and ringlets as a kid and in my teens, but having my hair longer seems to have put a bit of weight on the curl pattern, leading it to become more wavy. Or at least that's what my hairdresser told me about my very thick hair!

When it comes to managing my waves, I've tried so many products but nothing seems to have made a magical difference. And after seeing some seriously luscious and bouncy curls flooding my social media feeds, I was feeling pretty jealous compared to my frizzy hair. Ugh. 

Then I saw lots of people raving about the Curly Girl Method. And my ears pricked up. 

Watch: tried and tested the 10-pump foundation method. Post continues below.

What is the Curly Girl Method?

Here's the basic gist. The Curly Girl Method (CGM) originated from a book by Lorraine Massey, Curly Girl: The Handbook and is a hair care method that switches your damaging habits like using certain products and heat styling for a healthier regimen using specific products that are curl-friendly. 

The first step is identifying your hair type. If you're unsure, here's a quick guide explained here. 

Next, lots of curl experts say you should use shampoos and conditioners that don't have any 'nasties' in them. From their perspective, this includes things such as silicones, parabens, sulfates, alcohol, etc. Although, there is interestingly some debate online among curl experts that the products you use don't have to be completely free of all these things (as those products are often hard to find and very expensive). Rather, do the best you can with what you can find.

At its most beginner level, CGM is basically about cutting any products or routines that are drying or harsh to curls. That also means using fewer heat tools (which I definitely need to pull back on...), and also not towel-drying your hair. Instead, lots of curly gals like to use a microfibre towel and also sleep with a silk pillowcase. 

The basic Curly Girl Method steps. 

Cleanse: Wash your hair with a shampoo that doesn't have silicones, parabens or sulfates. 

Condition: Use a conditioner that is also free of 'nasties' and run it from the mid-lengths down to the ends. Then use a wide-tooth comb to distribute through the hair. Wash out the product but not completely – the aim is to have 70 per cent of the conditioner washed out but still have some residual product left. 

Style: Find a good curl cream and gel for curly hair. Add some of the curl cream in your hair, and distribute with a wide-tooth comb. Then put your chin to your chest, flip your hair over your head and rake your fingers through the back of your hair downwards. This apparently helps reset the curl pattern. After this is done, flip your hair back over as normal.

Add plenty of gel to the mid-to-end lengths of your hair and then gently cup the ends and scrunch upwards. This technique is called 'plopping'. To get rid of the excess water in the hair, continue to scrunch upwards with a microfibre towel as well for a good five to 10 minutes. Then let your hair air dry. Once your hair is 100 per cent dry, gently scrunch your hair with your hands to get rid of the crunchy gel coating.

Phew. Now that's a lot of work. Let's get into it.

The Curl Girl Method tried and tested. 

Okay so for the past week, I've washed my hair twice and done the CGM both times. The products used I mostly already had in my cupboard. 

The products I used. Image: Supplied.

I wasn't particularly keen to spend too much money on products for a method I didn't yet know if it would work for my hair, so the only new product I bought for this tried and tested was the Marc Daniels Treatment Go Curly Gel.

The shampoo I used was from the MONDAY range, the Daily Naturals Moisture Mask as my conditioner and the NAK Hair Curls Crème. Another curl cream that deserves a major shout-out: Ugly Swan's Hairvenly. I've been using this one for some time now and it's so so SO good. For anyone in need of a quality curl cream - I recommend big time.

To give you an idea of what my hair typically looks like, there are some waves and curls. But often there is very little definition to the curl, a decent amount of frizz and scraggly ends despite having regular haircuts. 

It's not terrible. I've just always wondered if the curls could be better. 

BEFORE: My hair usually. Not terrible, just the curls could be better. Image: Supplied.

First and foremost, I hopped in the shower and shampooed my hair twice. I don't know if this is a necessary step for everybody to shampoo their hair twice. I just happen to have a sh*t load of hair and my hair feels 10 times cleaner if I do a dual wash. 

Then I conditioned my hair with the mask. Getting out of the shower with still a bit of the residual product in my hair felt odd – it was very slimy. But I just went with it. 

Next, I re-watched a dozen CGM videos and re-read a bunch of how-to articles before getting started with the styling.

I started by adding a good dollop of curl cream in my hands and rubbed it on my hair - mid-lengths down. I distributed the cream with a good ol' wide-tooth comb, did the chin-to-my-chest move and flicked my hair over my head, raking through my hair with my fingers. 

And yes, my hair was sopping wet as I did this, and apparently, that's what it's supposed to be like. 

I flicked my hair back over to its normal position and added some curl gel to my hands. Now it was time to get started on plopping.

'Plopping' my hair with my hands, and then with a microfibre towel. Image: Supplied.

I plopped away for a good 10 minutes while listening to a podcast and wondering if what I was doing was right. I guess it felt right – first cupping and scrunching the ends of my hair up to the roots with my hands, and then with a microfibre towel (I used a Turbie Twist).

It was a little messy, with lots of squishing noises given how wet and juicy my hair was with all the product. 

But as the minutes went on and my arms got tired, I noticed that my hair was starting to show a good curl pattern all around. And I got seriously excited.

Now it was time to air dry. This was the point I was most apprehensive about. Usually, I wash my hair at night and go to bed with damp hair, as I find air drying during the day leaves my hair frizzy. I know this method is likely very, very, silly – and going to bed with damp hair isn't wise. 

But air drying this time around was actually pretty good. There was still a little bit of frizz, but not as much as usual, I'm guessing it's due to the styling products used and maybe not using a regular towel. After an hour or two, my hair was fully dry and looking pretty darn curly. Yay!

The results.

AFTER: Pretty impressed. Image: Supplied.

Overall, I was pretty impressed with the end result.

There was still a bit of frizz around the crown of my head, but I found that the curls themselves were far more defined and tighter which I personally like.

I am sure there are ways I could have followed the CGM stricter, or if I use it longer over time, the results may be even better. But considering it's only been two washes and two goes over the past week doing this method, I'm certainly not complaining. 

After air drying, the ends of my hair were a bit crunchy. And that's to be expected as part of the CGM. The experts say once your hair is fully dry, to scrunch and plop the hair again and this gets rid of the crunchiness but doesn't impact the curl's hold. So I did that, and it worked fabulously. No longer did my hair feel crunchy.

I do think my hair before trying CGM looked shinier for some reason, so I would be keen to reintroduce a hair oil I was using in the ends originally to see if this adds more shine or impacts the curl. But like anyone with curly/wavy hair will say, it takes a lot of effort and management. 

Would I continue using the CGM? Yeah why not! Yes, it takes a lot of effort, and there's a world of TikTok curl trends out there, but if there's a method out there that makes my wavy hair a bit more manageable and nicer looking, I'm all for it.

Have you tried the Curly Girl Method before? How about the bowl method? What are your thoughts? Share with us in the comment section below! (All curl advice is welcome!!).

Feature Image: Supplied. 

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