Rules I Break from the Curly Girl Method + How to Recover from Damage

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What rules within the Curly Girl Method do I disagree with, and which ones do I follow? Today I’m sharing my thoughts on using shampoo, silicones, dry brushing, diffusing with heat, and more. I’m also sharing how I recover from damage using Curlsmith’s Bond Curl and their Strength Recipe.

What is the Curly Girl Method (CGM)

The curly girl method was originally created by Lorraine Massey back in 2002, and her book “Curly Girl: The Handbook” was republished in 2010. The handbook provides various “dos” and “don’ts” if you have curly hair, and is focused on helping you restore your natural hair texture.

A lot has changed in 12 years, and we’ve come to learn a lot about the importance of scalp health, routines that are not restrictive, and how to safely use heat tools, brushes, and other potentially damaging tools that are forbidden in the CGM. Many people prefer to take some of the principles from the original curly girl method and incorporate them into their routine. Let’s discuss some of the rules that I don’t prefer to follow and why.

CGM Rules I Break and WHY

The following “rules” are not the full list from the handbook, rather are ones that I have a differing opinion on and think there can be exceptions.

1. No shampoo aka “no-poo” and no lather. Sulfate shampoos strip the hair of its natural sebum. Sulfate-free cleansers and conditioners keep the cuticle closed, preventing tangling and matting. Washing with conditioner is also recommended.
   • I agree that harsh sulfates are drying, however, I love a good lather from a sulfate-free shampoo. There are so many great sulfate-free shampoos that still foam and are gentle with a lower pH. Those with very oily hair, dandruff, or seborrheic dermatitis need to remove oil.
   • No-poo method would only work for extremely water-soluble routines. Most of our curly hair products contain film-formers, polyquats, oils, butters, etc. that’s don’t easily just rinse out with water.
2. Conditioner, conditioner, and more conditioner. Use daily conditioning treatments to repair damage. Splash water over the hair to partially rinse, leaving some conditioner on your hair.
   • I am a huge fan of conditioning and agree that it’s a big factor in restoring damage. However, protein is also needed to restore damage, which is something never referenced in the book.
   • How much conditioner you need or how much you leave in your hair depends on your hair type and how much oil you produce. Some people experience moisture overload and wonder why the hair is greasy when following the CGM.
3. No brushes and combs because they break up curls and cause frizz. ONLY finger comb when wet with conditioner.
   • It’s true that brushes cause mechanical damage on the hair, aka cuticle chipping, which is why I advise against using brushes to detangle very fragile hair.
   • However, I am a huge fan of dry detangling WITH OIL using my fingers to reduce breakage because the hair is stronger when dry. The hair is weakest when wet, and wet detangling with conditioner can “mask” the breakage so you’re aware of it happening. I find that I’m more cautious detangling when dry. Tighter curl patterns may not be able to dry detangle with oil so wet detangling with conditioner is best.
   • Brush styling can be done safely once your hair is healthier. For me, brush styling with lots of slip from products actually helps to reduce frizz when I’m styling.
4. Apply products to soaking wet hair, leave some conditioner in, then scrunch in gel.
   • Yes, you need water in your hair when styling for clumps and to reduce frizz.
   • Soaking wet styling is not best for everyone. It can reduce volume, is messy, and takes forever for it to dry, diffusing or not. Leaving your hair soaked for a prolonged period of time is damaging to the cuticle and scalp.
5. No heat tools, except for hovering your diffuser on cold or low heat.
   • I totally agree that heat tools like straighteners, curling irons, and high heat blowouts are damaging and should be avoided especially if your hair is damaged.
   • However, you can safely use a diffuser with heat if you use the right technique if you keep your curls protected by hovering, not holding it in one spot for too long, and using the low heat and airflow settings.
   • Air-dried hair doesn’t last as long for me and leaves me with more frizz. Studies have also shown that the damage from diffusing is significantly less than the cortex damage that occurs when hair stays wet for a prolonged period of time while air drying. More on that here.
6. Avoid ingredients such as silicones, waxes, “styling creams”, alcohol, parabens, phthalates.
   • If you’re only using a co-wash, I agree that you should avoid silicones and waxes.
   • If you’re using sulfate-free lathering cleansers or sulfate shampoos, silicones can actually be removed. Silicones have been shown to be able to be removed by most sulfate-free cleansers. IF that shampoo does not also contain silicone. Cocamidopropyl betaine is a very common mild detergent and can remove silicone. Curlsmith’s Detox Shampoo contains Sodium methyl cocoyl taurate and Cocamidopropyl betaine, both of which can remove silicones without stripping.
   • The “no styling creams” point in the CGM is very odd to me. Styling creams are necessary for most people for moisture and to help form curls.
   • I’m all for using gels without alcohols, but I don’t mind some alcohols in a water-based hairspray or mousse when combined with moisturizing ingredients. It’s important to consider the ENTIRE ingredients list and not throw out a product because of one ingredient.
7. Curls should be trimmed dry, one by one.
   • I agree that a dry cut is great for creating shape and evening your hair out if you have multiple curl patterns that hang at different lengths.
   • Curly cuts are expensive, not accessible to all, and may look uneven when it grows out or if you straighten it. I have never had a dry cut because I don’t have a curly specialist in my small town. I’d like to try it one day, but I don’t think there is anything wrong with a regular wet cut IF you find a stylist who at least understands curly hair. More on that here.

How to Recover from Damage & Maintain Healthy Curls

If you also break many of these “rules” in the CGM such as using brushes and heat in your diffuser, you can still maintain healthy curls with bond repair treatments and strengthening products such as the Curlsmith Strength Recipe.

The Curlsmith Bond Curl Rehab Salve contains protein and bond repair ingredients that repair all types of damage including mechanical, heat, and chemical damage. It targets all 3 types of bonds that make up the hair structure including:

• Disulfide bonds, which are damaged by bleach and chemical treatments.
• Salt bonds, which are damaged by sudden pH imbalance.
• Hydrogen bonds, which are damaged by excessive moisture and heat.

Other bonding treatments only target one or two types of hair bonds, so it’s great that Bond Curl targets them all and is also moisturizing.

How to Use Bond Curl:

1. Apply it to damp hair in sections to evenly coat the hair from root to tip. Let it sit for 15-30 minutes.
2. Shampoo using a mild cleanser.
3. Deep condition to restore softness and moisture. Rinse.
4. Style as usual. For low to medium porosities, avoid using protein ingredients in your styling products, or just incorporate protein in one of your stylers to maintain proper protein/moisture balance.

After using Bond Curl, my curls spring up more and my curl pattern appears tighter. I can feel more strength in my hair and appears shiny and healthy.

Have you tried Bond Curl yet? The rest of the Strength Recipe is also great, especially if you have damaged hair and high porosity hair.

Do I Still Recommend the CGM?

I do think that the curly girl method has a lot of great baseline rules, techniques, and practices for recovering your hair from damage. If you’re someone who wants to start wearing your hair curly and you have severe damage, these very gentle practices are ideal for recovering your hair. However, I don’t necessarily think that it’s something that everyone should follow perfectly all the time. You can definitely have more fun with your hair and experiment with more products and techniques.

I greatly appreciate what Lorraine Massey developed and it’s the baseline of so many product lines today. I’m completely on board with the goal of the curly girl method, which is to embrace your natural hair texture, how it grows out of your head, and better take care of your curls.

It’s okay to adjust things for your own hair type. I hope that you do with my videos and content. I don’t necessarily want you to follow my techniques word-for-word. I try and share with you why I’m doing the things that I’m doing with my hair, that way you can figure out if it’s best for your hair type or not.

There are a lot more advances now with curly hair products and a lot of great curly hair products out on the market that help you recover from that damage like Curlsmith’s Strength Recipe.

What are your Curlfessions, and are there rules within the curly girl method that you don’t follow? Let me know in the comments and let’s discuss!

Products Mentioned:

• Curlsmith Bond Curl Rehab Salve
• Curlsmith Bonding Oil
• Curlsmith Strength Recipe Products
• Curlsmith Shine Shampoo
• Curlsmith Double Cream Deep Quencher Mask
• Curlsmith Detox Shampoo
• Briogeo Vegan Boar Bristle Hair Brush
• HairRepear The Ultimate Hair Towel,
• Curly Girl: The Handbook by Lorraine Massey