I tried the curly girl method, here's what I learned

Devised by Lorraine Massey, co-founder of DevaCurl and author of Curly Girl: The Handbook, the Curly Girl Method (CGM) is meant to act as a lifeline for people who have no idea what to do with their thick, textured, or unruly hair.

It's a simple guide to caring for curls, coils, and waves so that they can look their very best.

Having parted ways with Devacurl in 2015, Lorraine is now the owner and founder of Curly World and continues to share her hard-earned curly haired knowledge.

For professional advice from a curl specialist, you can pick up The Curly Girl Handbook here or visit any number of curly har studios in Ireland such as The Curly Look, in Phibsborough.

For my completely unprofessional (but tried and tested) advice, read on...

Step 1: Find your curl type

While Lorraine does not endorse the classification of hair types, it was not an original part of her methodology, many people have used this method to better understand their hair.

Before I started my curly journey, I found it helpful to get to know the details of my gruaig - I'm talking density, porosity, width, and condition.

The types of products you use and the methods you rely on will come down to whether you're a wavy 2B, a curly 3A, a coily 4C, or anything in between.

You can take this quiz on NaturallyCurly.com to find out your hair type - click here.

Step 2: Find your fellow curlies

There are so many curly communities online, whether it's a Curly Girl Method group on Facebook or Curly-Influencers on Instagram - although it should be noted that none are endorsed by Lorraine.

There is a treasure trove of tips and tricks online, especially from the Black haircare community, so be sure to do your research and find some accounts to keep you company on your journey.

When I figured out my curl type (shout out to the 3B gals), I searched the hashtag #3Bcurls on Instagram and found a bunch of amazing women to follow. From there, I began to follow a select few accounts including Curl Maven, Curly n Fab, Curly Girl Approved, and My Mane Curls.

Step 3: Try, try, and try again

Patience is key with the curly girl method. If your hair is heat-damaged or has lost its natural curl pattern due to years of flat ironing then, I'm sorry to tell you, you're probably going to have some awkward growing pains.

My advice? Go cold turkey. In the beginning, even one blow dry would knock my curls out of shape for weeks so, if you can, wave goodbye to heat styling for a while.

Next, get ready to spend a lot of time and money on finding the right routine for you. I watched Curly n Fab (aka Lisa Moscatelli) go through her routine on YouTube, ordered the same products, followed it step by step, and figured out what worked and didn't work for me.

Did this leave me with full bottles of products I'll never use? Yes, absolutely. But it also set me on the path to getting my routine down. After a lot of trial and error, and figuring out how much protein and moisture my hair needs, I can buy products without too much hesitation.

Be sure to check out some Facebook groups before you throw away any products as the curly girl community is great for doing regular product swaps and recommendations.

Step 4: Follow the rules... a bit

The basic do's and don'ts of the curly girl method are as follows:

• Avoid products with silicones, sulfates, alcohol, and artificial fragrance.
• Don't use combs or brushes.
• Step away from the heat styling tools.
• Don't use a towel to dry your hair
• Use protein-rich products
• Use moisturising ingredients

1. Cleanse your hair about once a week with conditioner or a low-poo or no-poo product (a type of hair cleanser), as shampoo is too harsh and drying on curly hair.
2. Be sure to use your fingers (not nails!) to cleanse your scalp thoroughly.
3. Condition your hair well and use your fingers to comb out the knots.
4. Rinse the conditioner slowly by cupping the hair towards your scalp
5. Don't worry if there's a little conditioner leftover - curly hair is thirsty hair.
6. Using an old t-shirt or micro-fibre towel or even some kitchen paper, gently dry your hair without disturbing the curl pattern.
7. Style your hair using a water-based gel and allow it to dry completely before you 'scrunch out the crunch' to remove the gel cast.

Ultimately, the curly girl method encourages users to keep things simple and allow the natural hair pattern to thrive without interference of heat, tools, or drying ingredients.

In saying that, like anything, there are so many more steps styling techniques, products, and methods available that may help your hair as your hair journey progresses - it's about finding what works for you.

Personally, I found that gel just wouldn't work with my hair the way I wanted it too, and I never found the patience or time to finger-comb through my many tangles.

However, I did find that avoiding sulfates, focusing on moisturing and protein-rich products, and drying my hair with an old t-shirt did wonders for my curls.

For anyone wondering, my own curly girl(ish) routine is as follows:

1. Soak hair thoroughly with water.
2. Scrub scalp well with a sulfate-free clarifying shampoo.
3. Condition with a sulfate-free conditioner. Allow it to sit in the hair for a few minutes to really soak in.
4. Gently comb through tangles (from end to root) with a Denman paddle brush in order to distribute the conditioner thoroughly, concentrating on the ends.
5. Slowly rinse out the conditioner while squishing the hair to the scalp, keeping the hair soaking wet.
6. Rake leave-in conditioner through wet hair from root to tip with your fingers or use your paddle brush. Try to comb out and up rather than down to give your hair volume.
7. Using a spray bottle filled with water, keep the hair damp and encourage the curls by coiling them around your finger to give them shape.
8. To style, apply a small dollop of styling cream using prayer hands (hair placed between your hands).
9. Next, flip your head down to encourage volume and use a micro-fibre towel or old t-shirt to scrunch the hair towards the scalp to get rid of the heavy wetness.
10. Finally, apply a light layer of oil and allow the hair to air dry or lightly blow dry with a diffuser.

Extras

1. Every few weeks, if my hair needs some extra definition, I do a hair mask - get the recipe for a homemade avocado mask here.
2. Before a wash day, I massage oil into my scalp and through my hair to promote hair growth. Seerat Saini has some great Ayurvedic massage tips.

Step 5: Learn the lingo

Squish to condish, gel cast, scrunch out the crunch, prayer hands, roping, raking, plopping, pineapple... have I completely lost you?

There are so many ways to care for curly hair, but I have found that watching girls on YouTube and Instagram demonstrating their methods is the handiest way to pick up terms and tips.

Here are just a couple of terms to get you going:

Casting

While your hair is wet, apply a curly-approved gel - this will leave your hair with a crispy gel cast. Then, allow it to dry fully - either naturally or by using a diffuser - before you gently 'scrunch out the crunch' with your hands.

Clumping

This is when you coax your curls into sticking together to get fuller, bouncier, more structured curls.

Rake & Shake

Rake the product through wet hair with your fingers, working from root to tip. Then, gripping the end of your hair, you shake it so that the curls fall back into their natural pattern.

Prayer Hands

First, apply the product to your hands. Next, put your hair between your palms, placing them together as if you were praying. Glide your prayer hands down your hair so that the product is applied gently, without breaking up the curl.

Pineapple

Turn your hair upside down and use an Invisibobble, satin scrunchie or banana clip to loop your hair into a loose bun at the top of your head, keeping your curls safe while you sleep.

Squish to Condish

When you're in the shower rinsing conditioner out of your hair, step away from the water from time to time and push your hair from the ends towards your scalp, squishing it as you go so that the conditioner gets a second round.

Step 6: Don't give up

It will be worth it in the end, I swear! There will be split ends, sweat, and tears but if you remain patient and get through the growing pains, your hair will reward you.

At the same time, don't be kicking yourself if you succumb to the odd blow dry; this journey is a marathon, not a sprint.

Feel free to break the rules a little (sorry, Lorraine) and learn along the way.

Sínann joined Lottie Ryan on The Jennifer Zamparelli show to discuss the CGM - listen here.