Should You Stop Using the Curly Girl Method?

How do you know if the curly girl method is still working for you? Find out if you should change up your routine using this guide!

The Curly Girl Method was first coined by Lorraine Massey in her book “Curly Girl: the Handbook” to describe the strict and specific set of rules that were made especially for curly hair care. These guidelines were created to help women embrace their natural curls by defining those gorgeous ringlets and keeping them as healthy as possible.

A lot of people rave about the results that the curly girl method has given them. This method was designed to keep the damage on the hair as minimal as possible and saturate it with moisture to make sure the curls are defined, uniform and look amazing in its natural state.

However, because of the very specific rules of this method, it might not necessarily work as well for everyone. If you’ve tried the curly girl method and are finding yourself dissatisfied with the results or if it’s making your hair do some weird things, it might be time to start reconsidering carrying on with your routine.

Here are a few signs that you should stop using the curly girl method:

Your Hair Is Overloaded with Moisture

The curly girl method is very much a moisture-heavy hair care routine. That’s because curly hair is naturally a dry texture and requires – it feels like – almost an excessive amount of moisture to stay hydrated and shiny. However, something that you might not know is that hair can also be overloaded with moisture.

Just like anything in your body, your hair requires a balance of nutrition to be healthy. Too much of one thing can be just as bad as depriving it of nutrition. Too much moisture can cause hair to be way too soft and weak where it will just start breaking off. Your curl pattern could drop and not form properly, hair will start to look stringy and greasy, your hair will have no volume, you’ll get split ends, and your hair will feel like an awful gummy texture.

If you are experiencing all of these symptoms, there’s a good chance that your hair is overloaded with moisture due to the curly girl method. Those with less coarse and finer hair can experience this because this hair type requires less moisture than those with super curly coarse hair. This means that you need to incorporate more protein in your routine and less moisture. It might be time to change up some things in your curly girl method to suit your needs more.

For more information on Protein vs Moisture balance in your hair, check out this article (note: please hyperlink published Protein vs Moisture: Which Does Your Hair Need? Here).

Your Scalp Is Irritated

The curly girl method sometimes requires people to wash hair with a co-wash. This is to reduce the frizz, avoid shampoos from stripping moisture from the hair, and allowing even more moisture to penetrate the strands. Co-washing just means that instead of using a shampoo, you are using still a conditioning treatment to cleanse the hair.

This isn’t the best thing if your scalp and roots are prone to buildup. This could be because you use styling products that cause more buildup or this could just be because your scalp is naturally oily and produces sebum buildup much faster. When your scalp and roots are not deeply cleansed regularly, that buildup can cause some major irritation. You can experience itchiness, dandruff, dry skin, excessive oil, and even hair loss.

If you’re experiencing scalp problems, it might be time to switch out that curly girl method approved co-wash for something a little stronger. You still don’t want to strip your hair of moisture, but you’ll want something that can thoroughly cleanse all of the buildup out of your hair.

For occasional intense, deep cleansing, you can use something like the Mayraki Purifying, Anti-Dandruff & Volumizing Amino Acid Shampoo. It purifies the scalp completely without any harsh sulfates and leaves no trace of dirt and buildup while still nourishing the scalp and strands with essential amino acids. For something even gentler for regular cleansing, you can use the Mayraki Ultra-repairing & Weightless Moisture Shampoo for moisture, volume, and hair repairing properties.

There Is Too Much Buildup

The curly girl method requires a lot of moisture in just your normal hair care routine and that doesn’t even include the styling products that’s also recommended that you use such as creams, oils, mousse, leave-ins, and more. Too much moisture and too many styling products can cause a lot of buildup in the roots and scalp, which can lead to irritation.

If you feel like there is too much buildup in your hair, lessen the styling products that you’re using and make sure that you deep cleanse your hair regularly.

You Want More Freedom to Experiment

The curly girl method is very strict with its rules. This is all to keep your hair in tip-top shape so your curls can form nicely and you can wear your hair in its natural state proudly. However, there isn’t much room to experiment when you’re on the curly girl method.

The curly girl method requires you to use zero heat on your hair, no coloring or bleaching, and no other treatments that could potentially mess with your natural texture. This keeps your hair super healthy, sure. But it’s not for everyone.

For a lot of people, hair is a part of fashion and self-expression. Experimenting is super fun and liberating! If you want more freedom to experiment with different things for your hair, go ahead and break the rules of the curly girl method. Just make sure to keep your hair nourished by getting hair repairing and nourishing treatments like the Mayraki Silky Smooth Proactive Hair Repairing Treatment.

It’s Too High Maintenance for You

It’s no secret that taking care of curly hair is not easy. The curly girl method is definitely for those with a lot of patience (and money!). If you find that you hate having to go through all of that and spending a ton of money on numerous products, just find a routine that works for you and your lifestyle. You don’t have to follow the curly girl method to have healthy, beautiful hair. Find the absolutely essential products that you need to keep your hair healthy and you can stop having 500 steps and products in your hair care routine.

It’s Not Working for Your Hair Type

A lot of people use the curly girl method from those with super curly hair to those with loose waves. Not everyone with a bit of a curl in their hair will suit the curly girl method. Typically, the curly girl method will suit those with a drier, curlier hair type than those with looser waves or an oily scalp.

Check out this guide we’ve created just for our wavy people. If you have looser curls, waves, fine hair, more porous hair, or just have a naturally oilier scalp, this might work better for you than the curly girl method.

It Doesn’t Give You the Results You Want

Plain and simple, if a hair care method isn’t giving you the results that you want after a while of using it, change it up! Hair comes in all different shapes and sizes and no one routine is going to work for each and every hair type. Switch out products and try new things once in a while to find a hair care routine that works for you.