Curly Girl Method – 6 Months update

So you may know if you follow my Instagram, that I have been following the Curly girl method for the past six months. I have stuck with it and had a go at lots of the suggestions that people have given on the various group pages devoted to it.

So if you want to see how I’ve got on, what I love and hate about it and what my next steps are. Have a read of my curly girl method 6 months update.

PLUS don’t miss the beautiful set of FREE curls prints to download at the bottom of this post. 

Curly girl basics.

Just in case you’re new to it. The basics are on the product labels you need to be looking out for and avoiding anything with Sulphates, silicone or drying alcohol’s.

You should also have a look at the Curly Girl Handbook.

Washing

My washing routine has pretty much stayed the same since my 3 month review. I switch between using the Shea Moisture Curl and Shine Shampoo and Shea Moisture coconut and hibiscus Curl and Shine Conditioner together and just the Garnier Ulitmate Blends Conditioner as co-wash and conditioner.

Conditioning

I am still trying to keep up using a hair mask each week and this normally coincides with my wash day as I can go a week without the need to wash my hair now. My mask of choice is the Garnier Ultimate blends Silicone free mask

Styling

I still use the Morrisons Styling Gel and Cantu Define and Shine Custard in combination. Applying to soaking wet hair in the shower. I use the custard first and then the gel. However the last couple of washes I haven’t used any styling products as I wanted to give my hair a break and it had started to feel really producty. It’s not as defined but I like the mermaid waves I have, just as much.

On days when I haven’t styled my hair with products and I have some frizz to tame. I like to use Pure Organic Argan Oil by Skin Revivals for extra shine and softness. Just a few drops rubbed between the palms of my hands and smoothed over is all I need to keep it at bay.

25ml dropper bottle – £11.00 from beautynaturals.com

Three to six months

I had hoped to get a good hair cut. Unfortunately my hair dresser refused to cut my curly hair as it was, and insisted on either straightening it or brushing all the curls out. I refused the straightening as I didn’t want the heat damage. So she brushed it out and then gave it a trim.

I was so upset at the state I had to walk out of the hairdressers. Needless to say I’m not going back and I’m on the hunt for someone to do a curl by curl cut. Or I’ll take matters into my own hands and cut my curly layers myself.

I have decided to embrace my grey and grow it out. I did try a curly girl safe dye. Which is the Naturtint from Holland and Barrett. £6.99. But I found it grew out too quickly. So I’m stopping fighting it from now on.

Naturtint Root Retouch Crème – Dark Brown | Holland & Barrett
I’ve also been looking at other products to care for my hair and scalp. I’ve been trying Palmers Natural Fusions Ceramide Monoi Hair Food 175ml. £7.99.

A little goes a long way and you have to build up the usage of it, to avoid your hair going too greasy. But I love to use it as a treat for my scalp. To massage it in the night before I wash my hair. It’s smells amazing and It’s a big bottle so I know I’ll get plenty of use out of it.

This is the only product from the Palmer’s range that is curly girl approved. As I ran the ingredients through curls bot to check before I used it.

If you haven’t come across curls bot yet, it’s well worth having a look. A simple copy and paste website for the list of ingredients on your products and it’ll tell you if it has alcohols, silicone, sulphates or wax in it.

One of my favourite new finds has to be my wide toothed pick comb. £2.49 As I have been loving the curls but not how flat the top of my head was looking. This helps me just to fluff the top and get a better shape. Hopefully when I have a good cut this will improve on it’s own.

Finally I still haven’t manged to get a good refresh, so I’ve been prolonging my curls life by wearing a silk headscarf over my curls at night. But I have just been recommended a silk bonnet. I know I’ll look daft but I just don’t have the time to be wetting and styling my hair every morning.

Curly girl method final thoughts

I like the health of my hair and it’s been in the best condition it’s been in for a long time. But I don’t have the time to dedicate a whole hour in the mornings to styling it. I’m learning to the love the natural randomness of my wavy/curly combo hair. Not getting caught up in the very similar perfect curls that everyone seems to have in these Facebook groups. So for the next six months, it’s probably more care and less style.

If you liked my Curly girl method three month review.

You’ll love

The Curl Company Review

Only Curls Review

Curly girl approved Palmers products and alternatives

Free Prints!

Grab your exclusive free curls prints here. Download the zip file and choose from four different prints. They are in PDF and Jpeg file format. Make sure you extract them before trying to print, if you want them to be in the correct a4 dimensions.