The Curly Girl Method approved hair products: everything you need to know
Within the Curly Girl movement, hair products that contain silicones and sulfates are avoided. That has multiple reasons. Silicones are almost like plastic: they’re used as a sealant against water and air. It prevents moisture from penetrating the hair, so the product ends up sitting on the surface. That’s how silicones give your hair the illusion of shine, but actually create the opposite. With time they will dry your hair out, and make it limp, lifeless and dull. Sulfates are very efficient cleansers, that remove sebum and product residues from your hair. Many people love the foaming effect of sulfates because it gives them a clean feeling. But most sulfates also strip your hair of its natural oils, what makes it dry and brittle. So by avoiding these two ingredients in your hair products, your hair will become stronger and regain its natural curl and shine. As replacements, we look for ingredients that are mild and moisturizing for curls. This way we minimize dryness and foster better moisture retention. Within the Curly Girl Method there are more ingredients that you want to avoid in your hair products, and others that you do want to use. Read all about it in our blogs about the CGM hair products!
Within the Curly Girl movement, hair products are used that do not contain silicones and sulfates. But why exactly? There are several reasons. Silicones are not good for your hair because they put a kind of plastic layer around it, preventing your hair from getting any air. This layer also prevents good hair products from penetrating your hair, leaving them on the surface and thus not caring for your hair properly. This dries out your hair and makes it frizzy.
Then we have sulfates. These are cleaners that remove sebum and product residue from your hair. The foaming effect of sulfates gives many people a nice clean feeling. But most sulfates clean too thoroughly, which means they also remove the natural fats from your scalp and hair. This leaves your hair dry and dull. So by avoiding these two ingredients in hair products from now on, your hair will be stronger and regain its natural curl and shine. Instead, mild cleansers are used, such as conditioner – also called co-washing.
