Let's talk The Curly Girl Method - My curly hair journey pt.1

 Hey lovelies, welcome back!

If you follow me on Instagram, then you'll have seen that four months ago I embarked on a hair journey and adopted the curly girl method in an attempt to sort out the mess that I called my hair. And so, I thought I would share with you the fruits of my labour so far and bring you along on this journey with me. 

I've always identified as having thick wavy hair, thank you Hides genes, but about a year ago it seemed to lose any definition and just grow in volume. To combat this, I'd always wear it up or straighten it creating more problems.

Desperate for a solution I started trawling the internet and found a lot of people who'd been struggling with the same problem, and the one thing they all had in common was that they didn't realise they had curly hair and therefore weren't following the correct haircare routine. Intrigued, I decided to give it a go myself, I mean what harm could it do? My hair was already a giant puffle...

The Curly Girl Method, originating from Lorraine Massey's book Curly Girl: The Handbook , is a hair care routine that trades in damaging habits, such as over-washing, the use of sulphates and silicones and use of heat styling, in favour of a healthy hair care regime designed to enrich and support the development of natural curls.   

I started by switching to a sulphate and silicone free shampoo and conditioner that was specifically designed for curly hair and cut down the number of washes a week to two, so every 3-4 days. I also only brushed my hair in the shower instead of daily as this brushes out the curls and creates frizz. 

My hair care routine ~ 

• Wash every 3-4 days using Creighton's The Curl Company shampoo and conditioner.
• Brush hair with the conditioner in, leaving and rinsing out at the end. 
• Using a towel to pat the ends soaking up excess water, brush hair out while still wet, apply some hair oil and leave to air dry (DO NOT PUT HAIR UP IN A TOWEL AS THIS CAUES EXCESS FRIZZ!)
• Once hair is almost dry, spritz with the Creighton's The Curl Company Styling Spray and smooth down any frizz forming at the roots. 
• Finish by scrunching to boost curl formation and leave to completely air dry.

Month 1 ~

The first month was interesting. Leaving more days in-between washing took some getting used too but the curls were starting to form which kept me motivated and resist the urge to wash it early. The hardest part was not brushing daily, and I found myself tying it up in an attempt to combat the icky bed-head feeling. However, my hair still looked dry and the issues of frizz remained...

Month 2 ~

The second month started out smoothly but turned into a struggle. When the salons re-opened, I got a much needed haircut and the curls were not happy! It took them a couple of weeks to get used to the shorter length and find themselves again. Wash day brings out the best results and the frizz has started to abate once I figured out the best way to use the styling spray... 

Month 3 ~

Happy hair day = happy Kelly. As you can see from my face, month three was the best yet. The curls blossomed and I'd become used to not brushing daily. Wash day still produces the best results and the frizz had pretty much disappeared leaving my hair looking and feeling so much healthier... 

Month 4 ~

I see a pattern emerging here with having good and bad months as frizz returned in month four. Wash day continues to be the best hair day but the curls seem to be going limp and losing their definition on days 2 and 3. With lockdown restrictions easing I've been washing it every 3 days instead of alternating between 3-4 and I have been using a wide toothed comb which could be to blame... 

Reflection time ~

Compare the before and after and you can see a massive improvement! Even on "bad hair days" it has shape that I can work with as opposed to the previous poufy mess that either had to be straightened or tied up. It seems I was just like everyone else, oblivious to the fact that I had curly hair and depriving it of what it needed.

Each month brings about new results and offers new opportunities to learn so let's see what month 5 has in store...