CG ROUTINE Here’s an outline of the full Curly Girl Method routine. Don’t panic, you do not have to follow this to a T. Some of these steps are optional and some of them are not done at every wash. The very basics of it are: CLEANSE - CONDITION - STYLE - DRY. Beginners, please see Unit 3: For Beginners before starting this routine. --The Full Routine STEP 1: Cleanse There are two ways to cleanse: One, co-washing, short for “conditioner-only washing”, means skipping shampoo and relying solely on conditioner, whether you're a daily or a weekly washer. Scrub this conditioner into your scalp using the pads of your fingers (not the nails) for at least 3-5 minutes until your fingertips feel a bit sore. It is important that you rinse out all the co-wash. If the conditioner stays on your scalp, it will cause buildup and oiliness. Two, you can use a silicone-free, sulfate-free shampoo that does not lather or hardly does. It is only applied to the scalp, not the hair. Be sure to rinse out completely after. It is recommended you only do this weekly or once every two weeks to clarify your hair of build up and product. Many don’t do this step at all. STEP 2: Condition Apply a generous amount of silicone-free and sulfate-free conditioner to your hair. Make sure to add water while you are doing this as your hair needs both water and conditioner to hydrate your hair. Use this time to detangle your hair as well. To properly apply, scrunch your hair from the bottom and use pulsing motions with your hands to press and squish the conditioner into your hair. You should hear that squishy wet sound when you do this. The scrunching will also help with your curl formation. Rinse out gently, don't use your shower on full blast as the pressure will also disrupt your curl pattern. And also, do not rinse out all the conditioner. Your curly hair is naturally dry and will drink that product in to stay hydrated. Leave in just enough that leaves you a bit uncomfortable. STEP 3: Deep Condition (once or twice a week) Once or twice a week, you may deep condition your hair in lieu of Step 2. Apply deep conditioner to wet cleansed hair, then cover with a plastic shower cap. Make sure all of your hair has been coated in deep conditioner. Then apply heat to open your hair cuticles and let your curls soak up the moisture. You can apply heat in any of the three ways: use a hairdryer. put a microwavable heat cap over the shower cap, so you can be hands-free while you are deep conditioning. soak a towel in hot water, let it cool down a bit until it won’t burn you, squeeze out excess moisture, wrap around shower cap-covered hair. Make sure to do this step for a minimum of 15 minutes up to an hour. STEP 4: Style Styling products you put in your hair that help in forming curls, retaining moisture, maintaining hold, and reducing frizz. These include: gel, mousse, leave-in conditioner, styling creams, and curl enhancers. It is recommended to have a helping agent (creams, leave-in conditioner, enhancers) before putting gel or mousse to maintain moisture. The gel/mousse will seal the moisture into your hair. Leave-in or cream/enhancer and gels should be applied when your hair is still soaking wet, before your hair is squeezed or dried. For mousse, your hair should be damp, not dripping wet. STEP 5: Dry Do not ever use a terry cloth towel and do not rub your hair to dry it. You may use a cotton tshirt or a microfiber towel to squeeze or scrunch your hair to remove excess moisture and product. You may choose to airdry your hair or use a diffuser. Try out what works for you as different women have different results for each. It's important to NOT TOUCH YOUR HAIR AT ALL WITH YOUR HANDS during this stage. Your hands can cause a lot of frizz. STEP 6: Scrunch out the crunch (SOTC) If you are not using styling products, you can skip this step. When you use gel or mousse, your hair tends to form a hard cast as it dries, which is that crunchy hard look (remember what guys’ hairstyles looked like in the 1990s and 2000s? Yeah, that.) Only when your hair is 100% dry, scrunch your hair from the bottom to break that crunch. This will break that crunchy wet look while maintaining hold and definition on your curls. You can use a few drops of natural oils like coconut oil, argan oil or jojoba oil to rub on your hands before you scrunch. They will also give your hair shine. And that’s the CG routine! It may sound like a lot, but you’ll get the hang of it, and your hair will get easier as you go longer with the method. If you would like to see how it’s done, please see our photo album Tutorials.
