Many curly girls are opting to follow the Curly Girl Method to get the most out of their natural curls. However, this method does come with some stringent rules on management of curls. This includes understanding and abiding by an approved product list. Here’s how to know if a product is curly girl approved.
Sulfates:
When your shampoo has a rich, foamy lather it’s safe to assume it has sulfates. This is the detergent that creates bubbles, but isn’t necessary to get curls clean. While the Curly Girl method calls for users to completely avoid using shampoo, some opt to continue using a sulfate free cleanser.
Silicones, Waxes, Non-Natural Oils:
When selecting a curl care product, make sure to avoid any products that have silicones, waxes, non-natural oils, or non soluble ingredients. This means you want to avoid things like mineral oil, petroleum, bees or candilla wax, or anything ending in -one, -conol, or -xane, which are silicones.
Alcohols:
Whenever possible it’s best to skip drying alcohols in your shampoos, conditioners, and styling products. You want to really avoid these particularly in products that will sit in your curls for long periods of time, as this ingredient can really cause your strands to dry out.
Proteins:
Approach proteins with caution. While some curlies really need protein to maintain curl health, others can be overwhelmed by the amount of protein in a product. Pay attention to your curl type, and how your strands react to protein use to avoid developing hygral fatigue. If curls are becoming stiff, difficult to manage, dry, or frizzy, it might be because of too much protein.
Research:
Before leaving the house to go shopping, do your research! Look up curly girl method approved products, and make yourself a shopping list. Additionally, write down a cheat sheet of ingredients to avoid before heading to the store, which will make shopping that much easier.
Which curly girl method approved products are your favorite? Let us know!