Q&A for How to Determine if a Hair Product is Curly Girl Approved

After your silk press, wrap your hair at night and pull it forward before wrapping it in a cylinder shape with a silk or satin scarf. Tie the hair down as flat as possible to keep moisture out of your hair. If moisture gets into your hair cuticles, they're going to frizz and your hair will revert back to its natural state.

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I wouldn't recommend it. One bad ingredient can cancel out the good.

No, this is a humectant often used for moisturizing the hair. In high humidity it can sometimes cause frizz, but generally it moisturizes.

Yes, it is a moisturizing alcohol that is beneficial for colored hair and many other types of hair.

The first edition of the Curly Girl Handbook does not mention parabens. Most who follow this method regard this as a personal choice. Parabens are water soluble and will nto interfere with co-washing, so they are fine to use for this method. Feel free to do your own research into them if you like.

Baby shampoo won't give you curly hair. Plus, it has more sulfates in it than adult shampoo, usually.

If you're following the Curly Girl method, it's a good idea to skip products with wax in them.

I like to use Live Clean, as it's full of moisturizing alcohols and natural oils. They make many different shampoos and conditioners for different types of hair.

I recommend Herbal Essences Bio Renew Alcohol-Free Hairspray.

Glycerin is an ingredient that actively seeks homeostasis -- this means that if you live in a dry environment (low humidity or arid) the glycerin is actually going to pull water from your hair because it wants your hair and the surrounding area to be the same moisture level. So glycerin products that are used in either very low humidity or very high humidity aren't going to work well for many people. Use a product with mineral oil in it instead. You will have to do a low shampoo to remove it, but mineral oil will seal the moisture either in or out of your hair, depending on how dry the atmosphere is. Mineral oil, contrary to what is blogged, is a natural product and won't hurt your hair.

A sulfate shampoo without buildup ingredients is good. They are stripping, so moisturize or condition, too.

You should use them in the morning because your curls might flatten or frizz while you sleep. They will be more fresh in the morning.

Some sulphates are bad for other reasons, such as the environment (fish ecosystems, for example), so there are different criteria for "bad" apart from the curly girl rules of what is "bad" for curls.

It is best to wait a couple of weeks between perming and coloring your hair. That way, your hair has a chance to recover from the chemicals of the perm before you color it.

No; that's a silicone and can only be washed out with sulfates. The Curly Girl Method means that you do not use these, as they are harmful to your hair.

I would definitely change the shampoo. That sounds awful and I hope your hair has grown back! I use a natural herbal growth spray from Etsy called Asha + Miel Hair Health Herbal Scalp Spray Super Formula three times a week, and use a curly girl approved shampoo and conditioner. I also use hair oils and deep conditioners about once a week and let them sit in my hair under a plastic cap for an hour before washing. My hair now grows a lot faster.

I watch Curly Penny on YouTube, and she loves castor oil because it stimulates hair growth.

It can be beneficial, as long as you're looking for the bad ingredients you need to avoid.

Maui moisture does and it's under $10. Sheamoisture and Cantu are also pretty affordable while meeting the requirements. Also Curls, Mielle, and Camille Rose are more expensive but meet the requirements.

You can try. But without cutting it to keep it in good condition, you may never reach your hair's true natural curl pattern, which is often curlier once healthy. At least by following this method, your hair will look more healthy.

Not necessarily vegan unless you are vegan. They definitely need to be sulfate free. Sulfates strip the hair of its natural oils, which causes drying and frizz.