18 months of Curly Girl Method • Mid Century Mom

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It’s been way too long since I did a hair post! I know people out there are curious about staring the Curly Girl Method. It remains the most popular topic visited on my blog even with my lack of content.

So I just wanted to let you guys know I haven’t abandoned the Curly Girl Method. I am right at 18 months in actually!

What does that entail? Well…I’m not 100% by the book. (Yes there’s actually a book.)

I highlight my hair every few months and I use heat to diffuse and on a rare occasion will bust out my curling iron. But I’m pretty much on board with the method.

To me, that means:

I don’t brush my hair– only comb it in the shower with this lifesaver
I avoid frizz by using a t shirt or microfiber towel to dry my hair
I use less shampoo and sometimes go a while without it to avoid stripping hair of oils
I “squish to condish” or really focus on squeezing conditioner into my hair and deep conditioning once a month
I use a variety of methods but usually praying hands application then scrunching to evenly distribute products and encourage curls
and the most important (in my opinion) I use only Curly Girl Friendly products avoiding alcohols, silicones and sulfates

Sometimes when I get lazy and don’t put forth much effort in styling my hair (hello coronavirus lock down) I still feel good knowing that I’m doing the best thing for my hair by at lest sticking with the right products.

My go-to line up right now is:

Not Your Mothers Tahitian Gardenia conditioner and every 4 or 5 washes I use the shampoo as well
Cantu Curl Activator or just a touch more conditioner if I’m out. This goes on immediately after I turn the shower off on soaking hair.
Next in scrunch in one of these two mouses – Herbal Essences Totally Twisted or Not Your Mothers Curl Talk
Gel time! Gel gives you a firm cast and if you let your hair dry fully in this hard cast you can the break through that to get to soft formed curls. Scrunch out the crunch (SOTC) is still my favorite thing I learned from curly girl.I alternate between Aussie Instant Freeze and Harry’s (yes mens!) because I really like both.
To scrunch out the crunch I use this oil or sometimes a little but of Pillow Soft Curls

It may sound like a lot but you could go simpler. You don’t have to use both gel and mouse. You don’t have to put on a curl activator. You don’t have to use an oil to scrunch out the crunch.

You don’t HAVE to do anything. The beauty of this process has been just to learn what my hair likes and the best products and applications for me.

I have tried raking in product and it left my hair stringy. I don’t like curl creams for the most part. I’ve tried many gels that never did create a good cast. If I blow dry upside down the back of my head is wonky.

I learned this and still have plenty of learning to do…but I encourage anyone who is curious to just jump right in!