My lazy version of the curly girl method.
I wasn’t actually supposed to blog about this until my 8th month or so on the #curlygirlmethod (CGM), when my hair has finished transitioning, but I have male students who had been asking me what I did to transform my hair. Emphasis on MALE because they can’t be members of the Curly Girls Philippines FB group.
To be honest, I thought that it had always been obvious that I have always had kulot katutubo hair. I mean my dad had an effortless afro in the 70s and 80s, for crying out loud. (Though my hair didn’t start curling stubbornly until I hit puberty.) 
I actually grew up hating my dark skin color and my super stubborn hair. From 2001 to 2009, I constantly had my hair straightened. I’ve been free of that insecurity for 10 years now (I embraced everything about being a katutubo, from my skin down to my hair in 2009), but it was only last month that I learned how to really care for my locks via CGM. This change was actually triggered by the fact that I’ve become so sick of ironing and blow-drying my hair. (I mean, seriously guys, do you know how long it takes for curly hair to dry???)
So anyway, I had always thought that it was obvious that I am a curly girl, but when MY OWN DAD ASKED ME if I had my hair permed, I was aghast. Like…Hallo, dad, did you forget you used to sport an afro? So I tried to look for comparison photos of my pre-CGM hair and a month after CGM. I was shocked by the difference! No wonder people keep asking me if I had my hair permed.
All this time…Did you guys think that my hair was just wild (magulo) and not really curly? Hahahaha!
Anyway, enough about me. I’m here to help the guys out there who want to start the method but couldn’t belong to any curly girl community. It’s really all about switching to products with no sulfates, parabens, or silicones. BUT before you get into the routine, you have to get started with…
The final wash.
First, you need to strip your hair of all the existing silicone and other harmful product buildup. These are the products I used.
You only do this ONCE, just to get you started on the CGM. The only time you have to do final wash again is if you mistakenly put non-CG friendly products on your hair. Dimethicone is a common ninja culprit.
Oh, and do note that I run all kinds of products through the Curlsbot checker first, to find out if it’s CG approved.
Surprisingly, once I had gone through the final wash and then started the CGM journey, my hair started drying faster after a bath. It used to take A WHOLE FRIGGIN’ DAY. Now it just takes about 3-4 hours haha.
Washing.
Most members of the Curly Girl group don’t recommend washing everyday, but gosh. This is the Philippines, it’s summer, and my scalp perspires before my hair can even dry. Plus, I do cardio every morning. I just have to wash my hair daily. So what I did is rotate products. The stuff you see here are kinda expensive so I’m just waiting to get my hands on some CG-friendly Suave or VO5 conditioners. I ordered all of these from Lazada.
Just to break the photo down for you:
- Saturdays: Shampoo with Zenutrients Gugo variant + HumanHeartNature Hair Revival Coco Mask
- Sundays/Work from home days: Leave hair be (no washing)
- Alternating field work days:
- Zenutrients Tea Tree variant for washing, HumanHeartNature for Squish to Condish* (S2C)
- Shea Moisture Coconut & Hibiscus cleansing conditioner for washing, Zenutrients Tea Tree for S2C.
- On days I feel lazy (and this is most of the time haha), I just S2C with whatever I feel like using.
*S2C = basically working conditioner into your hair and then squishing it while rinsing. I usually spread conditioner into my hair by using a wide-toothed comb before I go S2C. That’s the only time I ever use a comb, never when I’m out of the shower.
As for drying the hair…
We avoid towel drying the hair because that causes so much friction and frizz. This makes it difficult for your curl patterns to form. So we use either a cotton shirt or a micro-fiber towel to just squish some excess water out of your hair.
Styling.
On days when I don’t have to leave the condo, I just use a leave-in conditioner. Heck, there will even be times, when I’m being extra lazy that I just don’t completely rinse out the conditioner during shower.
It’s a different story for when I need people to take me seriously. While my hair is wet, I use a pea-sized amount of Cantu curl activator cream, wait a few minutes, then seal that off with Bench Fix gel. Here’s the most important part that many gel-haters don’t know about: YOU SCRUNCH OUT THE CRUNCH (SOTC) when your hair has completely dried out. Before CGM, I thought you just sort of leave that hard cast on your hair, which was why I stayed away from gel for so long. Apparently, I did not know how to use gel.
Pictured here is the purple variant, extra hold, but I find that I like the green variant better because it’s easier to SOTC with it and my hair comes out softer.
I usually let it air dry because I’m too lazy to use a blow dryer. Heck, the reason I started CGM in the first place was because I was so tired of using a straightening iron on my bangs (only for them strands to get back to being curly once I perspire, augh). But when I really really need to have dry hair, the diffuser is my friend. Avoid applying direct heat to the hair if you don’t want it to go brittle in the future.
As for dyes…
So far this is the only brand locally available that has CG-friendly variants. Just remember to deep condition after coloring.
These are the basics. I’m still learning more, as there are certain important details that also matter when it comes to choosing the right CG-friendly products. One of them is hair porosity. I don’t even know what mine is. Other issues that can arise are protein overload and over-washing.
I’ll probably update again when I’ve been on the method for months. My hair is still kinda frizzy during the transition phase.
Here’s a photo of my first week on CGM. I didn’t even have to iron my bangs. It held on its own when I clipped it for a few hours then released it.
29 Comments
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Jean Claire Dy
January 16, 2020 at 6:13 amwhat’s another cgm approved cleansing conditioner that’s cheaper?
skysenshi
March 10, 2020 at 11:37 amHello! Sorry I haven’t been able to reply to this for more than a year. It took me this long to find the cheaper products and couldn’t quite give you an answer back then. But I created a blog post for my students, because their budget is also a concern: http://skysenshi.com/2020/03/10/caring-for-natural-hair-cheaper-and-lazier-edition/
Ging
February 3, 2020 at 3:45 pmThanks for this post! I am new to CGM and still learning. You made a very helpful post!
skysenshi
March 10, 2020 at 11:38 amGlad I could help! 🙂
Charlyn Entoma
June 3, 2020 at 9:25 amWhen washing using Joy po, do we include the roots? (Planning to do CGM here) 🙂
skysenshi
June 16, 2020 at 6:14 amYes. So you can strip away all product buildup. 🙂
Charlyn
June 4, 2020 at 4:17 amHow often do you use cantu cream/fix gel po? I’m still learning CGM and still confused on how should I do it properly. Do you also use it on days na nag-cocowash+conditioner lang po kayo? Thank you.
skysenshi
June 16, 2020 at 6:15 amI only use it on days when I need to go out. 🙂
Yang
July 1, 2020 at 6:52 pmWhich is better po for wavy hair (2A or 2B) strong hold or extreme hold bench fix hair gel?
skysenshi
July 1, 2020 at 10:38 pmI use both, depending on my need. If I’m in a particularly windy place, I go with strong hold.
Mags
July 9, 2020 at 4:58 pmQuestion po, since i need to wash my hair daily kaso mainit dito sa phils, can i co-wash everyday instead?? Parang ndi kaya ng refresh lang. In your lazy edition blog, days 2-3, mon/tue or wed/thurs are refresh days only, panu po pag sobrang itchy/init, pde po magco-wash in lieu of refresh? Thank you!
skysenshi
August 19, 2020 at 5:12 amPag sobrang itchy, wash na agad. The moment na makati ulo ko, hugas agad yan. Pwede naman co-wash, pero magsha-shampoo ako pag nanggigil ako. I was able to go that long without washing nung early part of the year kasi hindi nakukulob ang ulo ko. Pero ngayon parang mas madalas ako mag cowash kasi parang dandruff season na.
Mia
July 22, 2020 at 7:13 amAside from Shea moisture
What other brand of leave in conditioner approved by CGM
That can be found in ph local drugstore or supermarket/grocery
Thanks
skysenshi
August 19, 2020 at 5:11 amHi! Not really familiar with drugstore brands here, as I have a habit of ordering online. Try joining Curly Girls Philippines on Facebook. There are lots of people there you can ask. 🙂
Jade
July 29, 2020 at 7:23 pmHello! I’m just starting out CGM and yung primary worry ko is my hairfall, split ends, and dandruff ko 🙁 I’m currently using Moringa O-2 for hairfall po both shampoo and conditioner but my situation didn’t get any better 🙁 baka may tips po kayo 🙁 Thank you!!
skysenshi
August 19, 2020 at 5:10 amSo far, yan lang tips ko sa blog. If you need more, join Curly Girls Philippines on Facebook. 🙂
Jebi
November 9, 2020 at 9:51 amI currently have the following:
HumanHeartNature MoisturizingPLUS Shampoo and Conditioner
HumanHeartNature Daily Hair Treatment
Watsons Argan Hair Oil
Are these products okay to use for CGM? They’re the ones I have at the moment.
skysenshi
November 10, 2020 at 7:36 amPlease join Curly Girls Philippines FB group to have these products checked. I only blog about products I’ve tried. 🙂
Kat
November 18, 2020 at 10:07 amI joined like last week but they didn’t accept me yet. Btw, how long is it take to have your natural curls back?
skysenshi
November 18, 2020 at 10:19 amThat depends on how bad the damage is. I saw results almost a few days later, but that’s because I stopped rebonding in 2009. So my hair had been pretty much healthy for the most part until I discovered CGM in 2019. For people with badly damaged hair, it could take a year or two. Without CGM, it took around 2-4 years for my hair to recover, and only because all the bad parts grew out.
xan
November 23, 2020 at 7:49 amHi! Thank you so much for the great final wash guide. Im thinking of starting cgm but im scared to use joy in my final wash because i have very sensitive skin and scalp. Pwede po ba celeteque hydration facial cleanser? It has sulfates naman po and no silicones ?
skysenshi
November 25, 2020 at 8:32 amI can’t answer that since I haven’t tried the product. Pero ask nalang din sa Curly Girls Philippines FB group. 🙂
Grace
November 25, 2020 at 8:06 amThank you so much for this post! I am just dtarting CGM and nakaka-overwhelm ang information! Di ko alam ano ba bibilhin ko products to start! But your post made it easy! Thank you so much!
skysenshi
November 25, 2020 at 8:32 amGlad to be of help!
Grace
November 25, 2020 at 9:17 amHi! Can I ask where you buy the Sheamoisture coconut & hibiscus co-wash? Thanks!
skysenshi
November 25, 2020 at 9:52 amI don’t remember where exactly, but I don’t go out so I always find these items on Shopee and Lazada. For hair care, mostly on Shopee.
Grace
November 25, 2020 at 11:26 amThank you!
Tiffany
January 28, 2021 at 10:57 pmHi! Any tips on how to achieve bangs similar to yours? I always wanted bangs to cover my large forehead lol but it doesn’t seem very easy for a curly girl to have bangs as good as this. Thanks!
skysenshi
January 30, 2021 at 8:44 amPray? Hahahaha, that just happened to be ONE lucky day when my hair behaved. Most of the time, I still struggle with it.