Category: Hair Care

What is CG method? And now that I’m 6 months in, what rules am I breaking?

CG Method stands for “Curly Girl Method”, and I have to say, right off the bat, that I hate that. Women are definitely not the only people with curly or wavy hair that can benefit from this method of haircare. But I digress. This method was made popular by Lorraine Massey, founder of the “DevaCurl” haircare line, and fellow curly herself. In a nutshell, you are to avoid certain ingredients in your hair products:

• Silicone

• Sulfates

• Parabens

• Petrolatums

• Waxes

You are also encouraged to refrain from doing things that damage the hair such as:

• Brushing

• Dying or other chemical treatments

• Heat styling (includes straightening, blow drying, and using curling irons)

I am approximately in my 6th month of using this method, and overall I LOVE it, but I have relaxed on some of the rules… so I’m not following it nearly as closely as I was when I first started.

You can see in the picture above that my hair has transformed in a huge way. I honestly never even thought it was possible for my hair to look like this. I really thought that I just had “frizzy, unruly hair”. And I hear a lot of people say the same of their pre-cg days. And I would say that in addition to the ingredients to avoid… the actual methods to applying the products to my hair is what made the biggest difference in what it looks like. You see, my whole life, I cared for my hair as if I had straight hair. I never recognized that different hair types may require different care. And that is the biggest revelation that I’ve had. It really was a revelation, I actually got emotional about it when it hit me. I couldn’t believe that I had expected my hair to do look good when I was basically doing everything that goes against my hair. I wished that I had found this method as a teenager rather than a 36 yr old. I could have saved myself so much self loathing if I had.

One thing that I have noticed holds people back from starting this method is the time involved. I am not going to lie, doing your hair with this method IS a time consuming process. BUT, think of it like meal prepping… instead of spending 1.5-2 hrs on cooking per day, you spend 2-2.5 maybe 2x per week instead. Because it boils down to wash day… that is the time consuming day. I wash approx twice a week, and every other day my efforts are to preserve what I did on wash day rather than starting over each day. To me, the way I feel about my hair now, completely makes the effort I expend on wash day worth it. I actually feel like my hair is a gift now, and I am grateful for it. I never felt like that before. It was a burden. A curse.

So how do I preserve my hair? I use silk scrunches and I put my hair up in a ponytail on TOP of my head. This is actually called “pineappling or a pineapple” in the curly community. I also sleep on a silk pillowcase. And occasionally, I will use a silk bonnet if I really want to be extra. On day two, I can typically just take my hair out of the pineapple and walk out the door. No styling needed. On day three, I sometimes have to add some water to refresh my hair. I have had SOME success with a water misting bottle, but I find re-wetting in the shower, adding a bit more gel, and diffusing dry to be the most effective way for me to refresh. It makes it look like day one hair when I do that. Then by day 4, I am usually ready to wash my hair again.

So what are the methods to applying the products? How is it different.

Well for me, I always do product application in the shower, unless I am refreshing without the full rewet.

So let’s walk through each step I do, start to finish in the shower:

  1. Detangling. I will use a conditioner prior to shampooing , one with a lot of “slip”… and gently work the tangles our of my hair.
  2. Shampoo or Co-wash. As a wavy, I opt for the former more often than not. And I will also use a scalp massager with this step.
  3. Conditioner. I will flip my hair forward, and with “praying hands” I will glide the product over my hair, then scrunch it upward. This is called, “squish to condish” in the curly community. I will often shave my legs while the conditioner is applied.
  4. Leave-in conditioner. I sometimes skip this step. I generally assess how my hair feels each wash day, if it’s dry, I’ll do this, if not, I’ll skip it. I use the same application method as above, and I will let the water hit my hair for a second before I scrunch it.
  5. Curl Créme or Custard. I like using one or the other, and honestly, sometimes both. I’m a bit of a product junkie. And I also like to experiment with different combinations of products. That being said, it’s definitely possible to add too much product… so if you’re just starting out, less is more. Application method is tricky as I now have a few different ways I like to apply products, but to not be confusing, I’ll just start with the way I learned. My hair, soaking wet. Praying hands like above. For creams, I use less product, maybe the size of a quarter on three sections… left, center, and right. For custards, a bit more… maybe double that? You will honestly have to play around to find what’s best for your hair. If your hair is very frizzy and lacking definition, then maybe try more. If your hair falls flat and has very little volume, try less. I will skip the scrunching until I finish the next step.
  6. Gel. I personally love a hard hold gel. I like the crunch… to me, crunch equals hold and lasting power. Don’t worry though, I don’t leave the crunch in. But more on that later. I apply the gel in the same manner as above. And I will also use a denman brush at this point to work the products through my hair evenly. I do this gently though. Then, I scrunch and pulse my hands once I reach my scalp. I don’t scrunch aggressively, but I do scrunch firmly.
  7. Plop. This is what it’s called to use a T-shirt as your hair towel. I actually have a towel that is made of cotton, which I find easier to use than an actual t-shirt. But a regular t-shirt works just fine. Just grab the biggest one you have access to. And tie it with all your hair on top of your head. Leave it like this for about 20 minutes.
  8. Diffuse or air dry. The latter is NOT and option for me as my hair takes 5-6 hrs to air dry. Also, when I air dry, I have no volume and super loose waves. So I diffuse. This is another area that I break the rules. I have a hair dryer that has three heat settings, and I will alternate between low and medium the entire time. Using low the whole time takes way too long to dry. Even alternating it takes 30-40 minutes to dry. That’s about as much as I am willing to spend. More than that and I simply won’t do it.

So there is my washday routine, basically. I don’t think you have to spend a fortune to get started as there are many affordable brands available these days that have “CG Friendly” ingredients.

AFFORDABLE BRANDS:

  • Not Your Mother’s (curl Talk line and naturals line)
  • Giovanni Haircare (eco-chic line)
  • Cantu (not all products, check ingredients)
  • Garnier (Curl treats line… some have beeswax though)
  • Texture ID
  • Biotera (Gel only)
  • Aussie Instant Freeze Gel
  • MID-RANGE PRICED BRANDS:
      • Jessi Curl
      Kinky Curly
      Shea Moisture
      Mop Top
      Pacifica (pineapple curls line)
      As I Am

    LUXURY BRANDS:

    • DevaCurl
    • Briogeo
    • Bounce Curl
    • Innersense
    • Boucléme
    • Rizos Curls
    • Mahogany Naturals

    These lists are certainly not exhaustive, there are plenty of more cg friendly products out there and new ones all the time, as brands are listening to what we as consumers want these days.

    There really is so much to talk about when it comes to this method. But I think I’ve already reached the maximum amount of writing that you all are willing to sit and read. Maybe I’ve even gone way over.

    If you are interested in starting this method, go for it! I really think you will come to love it as much as I do. Or at very least, learn what you are able to do to improve your hair, and how you feel about your hair. Document the process. Read and watch others who are using this method. And finally, don’t expect perfection. Remember that some days will always be better than others. Learn to go with the flow, and your frustrations will be low.

    Oh, and one more thing. I do get asked often if this method can make straight hair curly. And no, I don’t think it can. However, you may have a natural wave that you never realized you did, and it will make that more apparent. But this isn’t really about changing your hair, it’s more about embracing what you have naturally. If you have straight hair, the products that are formulated for wavy and curly hair will likely be too heavy for your hair. Your hair will probably appear weighed down, and maybe even greasy. But, you can still avoid silicone, parabens, petroleum, alcohol, and waxes. There’s nothing wrong with wanting healthier products for your hair, no matter what texture you have.

    If you made it through this whole post, I thank you! Let me know if you have been doing this method or if you have been thinking about it.