CG Method Rules essential for following the method: 1. No sulfates 2. No water insoluble silicones (the ones that can only be removed with sulfates) 3. No waxes 4. No drying alcohols 5. No mineral oil 6. No heat styling (like blow outs and straightening or curling irons) 7. No hair brushes As a general rule, ingredients with “sulfate” or “sulfonate” or “sulfosuccinate” are sulfates to Tan newt 2 On48...12...~ aL 4.-faa. SOT OV A.Whys and hows of the CG method: Lesson no. 1: NEVER, repeat, NEVER brush/ comb your dry hair. Also, never brush your hair at all. No brushes EVER. A big no-no for curly girls! It can mess with the curl pattern and lead to breakage. Lesson no. 2: Curly hair is drier than straight hair because of its construction hence requires more moisture and is prone to breakage and frizz. Frizz is curly hair crying for moisture from the air. Using sulfate shampoos strip your scalp and hair of its natural oils (sebum) essentially removing the protective barrier which is keeping the moisture locked in. This leads to scalp overproducing oils (greasy scalp) and moisture deprived hair (frizz). Using drying alcohols also causes water loss which leads to dryness and frizz.Lesson no. 3: The sulfates used in most shampoos (i.e. sodium lauryl sulfate and/ or sodium laureth sulfate) are chemicals/ detergents used in for example, liquid hand soap and dishwashing liquid. YUUP. The stuff that you use to clean your grimey dishes is also what you've been using on your hair which is actually damaging the hair and stripping it of its natural moisture! No one’s hair can be THAT dirty unless you fall into a vat of motor oil or something ...then you might want to use a sulfate shampoo... The Basic Curly Girl (CG) Method A. You CANNOT use conditioners with silicones in them or you will need a sulfate shampoo to get the silicones off. (No silicones!) Lesson no. 4: Silicones are the chemicals they put in conditioners that coat the length ofLesson no. 4: Silicones are the chemicals they put in conditioners that coat the length of hair without providing any moisture. A band aid, not the cure for dry/ frizzy curly hair. Plus because they are not water soluble, washing with just water or even conditioner won't get them off. Only a sulfate shampoo will. It’s a vicious cycle that only leads to dry hair and frizz. Waxes and mineral oil/ petroleum similarly coat the hair and cannot be washed out by cowashing. B. First, wash your scalp and hair one LAST time with a silicone-free sulfate shampoo to get the silicones from your last conditioner/ styling product out and strip your hair of any bad ingredients one FINAL time i.e. "final wash". You can use Johnson's baby shampoo/ diluted dish soap/ hand soap/ body wash (as long as they’re silicone free). From then onwards, instead of shampoo, you will co-washonwards, instead of shampoo, you will co-wash (conditioner wash) i.e. simply cleanse your scalp by massaging it with CG approved conditioner for 3- 5 minutes. (Bonus: This will also fix your dry scalp issues, if you have ’em) C. Condition the length of hair (not the scalp) with the same or a more moisturizing conditioner. Then, finger comb your hair. THIS is where you detangle and only on hair that's fully coated with conditioner. Rinse fully or partially (optional) and whatever is left on the hair can be considered your “leave in conditioner”. D. (Optional) Apply a silicone-free gel/ mousse/ curl cream evenly through length of hair. E. (Optional) Plop with a cotton t-shirt or a microfiber cloth to dry excess moisture. Dofully coated with conditioner. Rinse fully or partially (optional) and whatever is left on the hair can be considered your “leave in conditioner”. D. (Optional) Apply a silicone-free gel/ mousse/ curl cream evenly through length of hair. E. (Optional) Plop with a cotton t-shirt or a microfiber cloth to dry excess moisture. Do NOT use a regular terry towel, they suck up the water from curly hair too fast and cause friction and tugging = frizz. F. To dry you can either air dry OR use a hair dryer ONLY with a diffuser attachment and ONLY on cool or low fan and low heat. To minimize frizz, dry one section at a time and turn off dryer when moving from section to section (pixie curl method of hair drying:G. After 110% dry, if the styling product/ gel has made your hair stiff/ crunchy, you scrunch out the crunch (SOTC) to reveal beautiful soft, defined curls/ waves. G. Protect at night: Use a satin/ sateen/ silk pillow case with hair in a pineapple or satin bonnet or buff to sleep on/ in to protect your curls overnight. (Note: Plain cotton pillow cases generate too much friction which disturbs the curls and pulls moisture from them leaving you with, you guessed it, frizz.) Note: Once you've started, you can play around with the amounts and ways to apply conditioner and styling products to see what your hair likes best. Consider each wash day a science experiment and change one thing at a time be it technique or product while keeping everything else constant, observe how your hair likes it, and slowly build up the perfecthair likes it, and slowly build up the perfect routine suitable for YOUR hair. REMEMBER: This method is not just about products but also about the techniques for your hair! Respect the CG rules and the method will reward you with happy, curls! Lesson no. 5: ‘Letting go' is a very important part of the process: Let go of perfection Let go of issues with frizz Let go of expectations And allow your true hair and self to emerge. For some of us CG has been an emotional journey due to old memories of bullying resurfacing or even now seeing adultsLet go of perfection Let go of issues with frizz Let go of expectations And allow your true hair and self to emerge. For some of us CG has been an emotional journey due to old memories of bullying resurfacing or even now seeing adults sniggering at our curls. But your curly hair is beautiful and so are you. Your true self deserves this chance! Please don't give up!