Frizz, dry lengths, or curls that just won't show their natural shape? Many people with curly or wavy hair are familiar with these challenges. This is precisely where the Curly Hair Method comes in.
Through a targeted combination of moisture, suitable ingredients, and special styling techniques, it helps to style your curls healthier, more defined, and longer-lasting. In this blog post, I will show you the Curly Hair Routine step by step and also share personal tips from my colleague Rawan's many years of curly hair experience.
What Is the Curly Hair Method?
The Curly Hair Method, also known as the Curly Girl Method, has become known primarily on social media as a special care routine for curly and wavy hair. It includes specific hair care products and styling steps to enhance curls and define them beautifully.
The special thing about this method is that for some hair types, the curls become more pronounced. Frizz, dryness, and unruly hair become a thing of the past, and you can wonderfully celebrate and love your natural curls.
Who Is the Method Suitable For?
Although it is often called the Curly Girl Method, it is absolutely not only for women but can also be used by men.
The method works best for natural curls or waves, but can also be adapted to various hair types like coily hair. If your hair often looks wavy when wet, the Curly Hair Method can be ideal for you to bring out waves and curls more prominently.
More Than Just Hair: Why It's Worth Wearing your Natural Curls
The Curly Hair Method is far more than just a hair care routine. For many people, it means consciously embracing their natural curls for the first time and breaking away from Western beauty ideals.
For a long time, straight hair was considered the standard in many cultures – curls were straightened, hidden, or tied into strict hairstyles. Rawan, our New Brands Development Manager, also knows this journey: For years, she had her hair permanently straightened before deciding to wear her natural curls openly.
"It takes courage because you are going against the beauty ideal that many of us grew up with," she says. At the same time, she sees how positively the perception has changed in recent years and how much more visibility curly hair gets today.
"It's not just hair – it's part of your identity," she explains, hitting the core essence of the Curly Hair Method – to celebrate and show precisely this part of one's identity.
Therefore, the Curly Hair Method is not about having perfect curls. Rather, it's about getting to know your own hair structure, caring for it healthily, and wearing it with pride. Every curl is different – and that's what makes it so special.
Rawan also wears her curls with great pride today and is happy about her healthy hair – because hair straightening had also damaged her hair significantly in the long run. One of her personal "aha!" moments was when she went swimming without any worries and without subsequent styling, and could then simply let her hair air dry: "That was a kind of freedom for me. That you feel good just the way you are."
How Does the Curly Hair Method Work?
Even if the steps of the Curly Hair Method initially seem extensive and time-consuming – it's worth it! With a little practice, you will find the routine that suits you and your hair. Of course, the routine can be slightly modified – after all, every hair type and hair structure is slightly different, so the routine doesn't work equally well for everyone.
Step 1: Thoroughly Cleanse Hair (Final Wash)
For the Curly Hair Method reset, you should first wash your hair and scalp with a silicone-free but sulfate-containing shampoo. This removes all waxes, mineral oils, and silicones from previous products that have built up on your hair.
So, you do the Final Wash as the first step when you want to bring out your curly hair, and whenever you have accidentally used non-curl-friendly products. This step is your curl reset and forms the basis of the Curly Hair Method, but is otherwise skipped in the daily routine.
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Step 2: Use Sulfate-free Shampoo or Co-wash
For curly hair, it's best to use no shampoo or only specific, sulfate-free shampoo that doesn't strip moisture from your hair. Otherwise, during a so-called co-wash, you simply massage conditioner into your scalp and then rinse it thoroughly.
Rawan now only washes her hair once or twice a week. Sulfate-free shampoos remain part of her routine, but she also emphasizes that regular deep cleansing of the scalp is just as important. Buildup from styling products should be removed at longer intervals to keep hair and scalp healthy.
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Step 3: Moisturizing Care with Conditioner
Apply your conditioner generously to your lengths so that the strands are completely covered. It is perfectly normal to need a lot of conditioner here – a lot of product is indeed necessary to provide your beautiful curls with plenty of moisture.
Now you can run your fingers or a wide-tooth comb through your curls and gently detangle them. If you still notice any knots, you can use an extra portion of conditioner to loosen them more gently.
Important: Never try to detangle your hair when it's dry, as this will only cause frizz and make it look unruly.
Then rinse the conditioner thoroughly – ideally with cold water, to prevent flakes and give your hair a great shine. Gently squeeze the excess water from your hair and wrap it in a soft microfiber towel or an old T-shirt.
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Step 4: Apply Styling Products
Apply a leave-in conditioner or a curl cream to your hair to provide even more moisture and activate your curls. Gently scrunch your hair from bottom to top to add definition. Tilt your head to the side or go upside down – this adds more volume.
Depending on your preference, you can also use an additional mousse to define your curls and at the same time provide more volume and hold.
With special gels, you ensure that your curls stay in shape and make your hairstyle last longer. At the same time, you prevent frizz – for a beautiful, shiny curly mane! For this, take a hazelnut to walnut-sized amount (depending on hair length) in your hands and distribute the texture by kneading and scrunching from bottom to top into your curls.
With the Plopping Method, your hair can absorb the product even better. To do this, tie a microfiber towel or an old T-shirt around your head, upside down. You can then tie the loose ends at the front of your forehead. Leave your hair in it for 10 to 20 minutes so that the care can work well.
Coiling is also a special curl method that is used to precisely define curls. For this, you twist each strand individually around your fingers to form the curls. With special curl brushes, you can additionally shape your hair and comb out individual unevenness. Also an absolute game changer for Rawan – even if the method is very time-consuming, it is very worthwhile for better defining the curls.
By the way: You don't necessarily need all products. Just try out what works for you. Rawan also found her individual product setup: "Before, I used leave-in, gel, and often mousse. Meanwhile, in summer, I often manage with just one styling product."
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Step 6: Gently Dry Curls
Depending on your hair structure and curl type, you can simply let your hair air dry. Alternatively, you can blow-dry your hair with a diffuser attachment on a low temperature. To do this, you press your hair with the attachment from bottom to top, giving it additional volume while preserving your curl structure.
Step 7: Scrunch Out the Cast
Once your hair is completely dry, you can scrunch out the so-called gel cast. This is the firm film that the gel forms around the curls during drying. It protects the curls from frizz and helps them retain their shape.
Now gently scrunch your hair from the ends towards the roots until the cast releases. Your curls will then feel soft and natural again, but will remain defined and maintain their hold. For extra shine and less frizz, you can distribute one or two drops of hair oil or serum in your palms before scrunching.
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Ultimately, your individual curl routine can look different – just like Rawan's. In the past, she adhered much more strictly to the "rules," but today she has found her personal routine and adapts it as she pleases.
Which Ingredients Are Suitable?
Which ingredients are best for your curls depends not only on your curl type but also on the porosity of your hair – meaning how well the hair structure can absorb and retain moisture. "Porosity is at least as important as curl type. It determines which products and ingredients suit your hair," explains Rawan.
Hair with low porosity usually benefits from light, moisturizing formulations with ingredients such as aloe vera, glycerin, or panthenol, while rich oils and butters can weigh the hair down more quickly.
Medium porosity hair is usually uncomplicated and responds well to a balanced combination of moisture, proteins, and nourishing lipids.
Highly porous hair, on the other hand, loses moisture more quickly and often benefits from richer ingredients such as shea butter, argan oil, or ceramides, as well as occasional protein treatments that can strengthen the hair structure.
Since every hair is different, it is worth trying out various products and adapting the care to the individual needs of your curls.
Porosity Test
You can roughly estimate how porous your hair is with a simple porosity test:
Place a clean, dry strand of hair in a glass of water and observe what happens.
If the hair stays on the surface, it indicates low porosity. If it floats in the middle, it suggests medium porosity.
If it sinks quickly to the bottom, it indicates high porosity.
However, the water test only provides a rough orientation – it is often more telling to pay attention to how quickly your hair dries after washing, how well it absorbs moisture, and how long it can retain it.
Which Ingredients Should be Avoided?
Within the Curly Hair Method, it is often recommended to avoid sulfates, non-water-soluble silicones, and drying alcohols.
Sulfates can cleanse hair intensely, thereby stripping it of moisture, while non-water-soluble silicones can build up on the hair over time and prevent nourishing ingredients from penetrating.
Alcohols, in particular, can further dry out already dry or damaged curly hair. However, the Curly Hair Method is not a rigid set of rules: which ingredients your curls tolerate well is individual and can be discovered through experimentation.
This also applies to Rawan: She still strictly avoids sulfates – she only occasionally cleanses her hair with a deep cleansing shampoo to free the scalp from buildup. Silicones, however, she uses occasionally in summer, especially on vacation, to protect her hair from drying out.
Curly Hair Routine for Refreshing
Not only on wash day can your curls look defined – they can also be easily refreshed between washes. This "refresh" reactivates the curls without repeating the entire routine. The best method depends on your curl type, porosity, and the styling products used.
Tips for Refreshing
- Lightly dampen hair with water or a water-leave-in mix.
- Apply a refresh spray or leave-in conditioner to the lengths.
- Knead in a small amount of gel if the curls need more hold.
- Gently scrunch curls and then air dry or use a diffuser.
- Reshape individual strands with your fingers (finger coiling) if they have lost their definition.
Rawan always refreshes her curls between wash days with a little water first. Only if the curls need more definition or hold does she additionally use a small amount of cream or gel.
Rawan's Tips for Long-Lasting Curls
- Sleep on satin or silk: Satin or silk pillowcases and a bonnet reduce frizz
- Pineapple hairstyle: Loosely tie hair on top of the head to help curls maintain their shape
- Refresh with water: Always apply styling products to slightly damp hair – use a spray bottle with a very fine nozzle for this
- Use cream or gel as needed: Cream for more definition, gel for more hold
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Common Mistakes with the Curly Hair Method
- Using too little moisture or unsuitable care products – dare to use a lot of product and pay attention to the recommended ingredients!
- Applying styling products to hair that is too dry – we will stop doing that immediately and ideally care for the hair when it is wet.
- Constantly touching your hair while it's drying – this can quickly lead to frizz.
- Testing too many new products at once and thus not recognizing what works well. Approach this slowly, as with skincare, and try one product at a time.
- Not taking into account the needs of your hair's porosity or hair structure. Adapt your care to it – this is the only way to achieve the best results. Curls are very individual – what works for someone else does not mean it will look the same for you.
- Giving up too quickly – curls often need a few weeks to get used to the new care routine. Patience is everything!
How Long Does it Take for the Curly Hair Method to Work?
How quickly you see results depends on your previous hair care, the condition of your hair, and your curl structure. "It takes time and a lot of trial and error to truly understand your own hair," explains Rawan.
While some people notice more defined curls and less frizz after the first application, others may need several weeks or even a few months for their hair structure to visibly improve. If the hair has previously been frequently straightened, dyed, or damaged by heat, the transition may take longer.
For most, a clear change can be seen after about 4 to 8 weeks, provided the Curly Hair Method is followed consistently. With each hair wash, you also learn more about which products and techniques best support your curls – because the perfect Curly Hair routine is always individual.
I really hope that this blog post encourages you to start your curl journey and that the tips have helped you. Please feel free to contact me if you have any further questions or comments.
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