Curly Girl Method Update: Week One

Hey guys! So it's been exactly one week since I did my last wash with a sulfate shampoo and started co-washing. It's been a really interesting week.

Here are a few things that I've noticed so far...

First of all, my hair is way softer than it was before. I did trim my hair last Sunday, so I'm sure that has something to do with it. But my hair actually feels more hydrated. It's also a lot easier to de-tangle than it ever was before. I love it. Even my best friend noticed, and let's just say if he notices something, it must be drastically different.

He said that my hair is at least ten times softer to the touch than it was before. I'm not sure if it's actually ten times softer, but it certainly feels smoother and more hydrated.

I'm not entirely sure where all this hydration is coming from, but I have a few guesses as to which products are doing it for me. My rinse-out, the Tresemme Naturals Nourishing Moisture Conditioner, makes my hair so silky soft. My leave-in, the Kinky Curly Knot Today Natural Leave-In is also lovely. I'll do a full review on the products I chose for my Curly Girl Starter Kit in another post, probably tomorrow.

Anyways, on to a little bit about what happened this week. So on Sunday I washed with my last sulfate shampoo and deep conditioned with my Shea Moisture masque. The next day, I did not wash at all, I just had my hair up. The following day, my hair felt really greasy, and I was concerned. I thought it would take my new sulfate-free shampoo to get it cleared out. But, instead, I decided to give co-washing a shot to see if it could do the job. Turns out that co-washing with the Suave Naturals conditioner was perfect. My hair felt clean and moisturized.

Here is my tip for the week: if you're afraid of co-washing, just give it a shot. I was so pleasantly surprised at how clean my hair felt. I gave my scalp a good massage with my conditioner, and it came clean, I swear.

I'm not sure why my hair felt so greasy that day. It might just be adjusting to my new routine, or perhaps I just didn't rinse my masque out well enough. Either way, it's fine now.

I also noticed that my curls seem more defined. I have no idea why. Maybe they're more moisturized, or maybe it's my new gel. It's probably a little bit of both. But seriously, my curls look nice. My best friend noticed this too. I asked him how my hair looked, and he said it looked "more curly" and, amazingly enough, he said my curls looked more "clumped together." Little did he know that he used the exact word us curlies use when we describe nice hair! I know in my last post I said I don't like my curls to be too clumped, but I think I lied.


As far as styling, it's been hit and miss. Sometimes I feel like I get the exact right amount of gel that I need, and other times I'm concerned about too much or too little.

I know I've been celebrating in this post so far, but as life goes, good is often accompanied with bad. Not every day has been a good hair day this week. Honestly, I haven't even attempted second day hair yet, other than just throwing my hair in a bun. But right now I'm just happy about the moisturization and definition that I'm starting to see.

Plopping has been a strange experience. I tried it earlier this week, and I didn't love the results. But I tried it again today, and I'm kind of really liking it. My hair isn't fully dry yet, so we'll see.


Anyways, I think that's all for my curly hair updates this week.

Here is a picture of my hair before the curly girl method:

Here is my hair today, one week into the curly girl method:

My hair isn't entirely dry in this picture. But I think the picture shows that my ends look healthier and more defined.

I'll be back next week for another update.

Wishing you all a good hair day!

Gianna