Curls – My Curly Girl journey

Curls are everywhere on social media. This started with the Curly Girl Method. The CG method stands for using products that support your curls. This article will tell you all about my hair journey and my tips and tricks.

From curls to slick and back to curls

As a toddler, I had gorgeous curls. At some point (toddler puberty?) I got slick, but thick hair. No kinks or frizz, just straight. When I tell people this, they don’t believe me but it was.

Mini Marijke with curls
Toddler Marijke

With getting older the frizz and curls came back. It was a nightmare to do my hair. The front is frizzy and dry, with the bottom being quite slick. Hairdressers didn’t know what to do with my hair.

What to do with my hair?

Looking back at pictures from those days, I wish I did something about it. It was or frizzy or short.

I remember one appointment quite well. I had some knots in my hair, and they couldn’t get it out. The hairdresser used a whole bottle of detangling spray, but it didn’t work. She got angry with me. She told me she had to cut it because it was the only way. I felt terrible about my hair!

Straight out the curls and frizz

Around the age of 14 or 15, I started to straighten my hair. It would last for 20 minutes and would get frizzy. It looked like cotton candy. Ultimately, I found out about the curly girl method and a good hair salon.

Before
Before
After
After left side
After right side

The things I’ve learned

The same as with my skin it was a whole trial and error process. Here are my do’s and don’ts for curls:

Do’s

  • Find a good hair salon that specializes in curls
  • Use Leave-In Conditioner every day and a hair mask once a week.
  • Wear your hair up when you go to bed
  • Use satin scrunchies
  • Brush your hair wet
  • Get yourself a good diffuser to dry your hair

Don’ts

  • Stop using shampoo
  • Stay away from products with parabens and sulfates
  • Don’t use a towel to dry your hair
  • Don’t wash your hair every day

My curl routine

With some help from the hairstylist, I found out that my hair needs extra protein. She tested this by making my hair wet and pull it down. It’s called a porosity test as described here.

I use the following products:

  1. As I Am Cowash. This is a conditioner that also cleans your hair.
  2. Aunt Jackie’s Quench leave-in conditioner. When I walk out of the shower, I put this in my hair to add protein and extra moisture.
  3. Flora & Curl Sweet Hibiscus Curl Activating Lotion. I switch between Quench and this one for that moisture.
  4. Creme of Nature Argan Gel Snot. I use gel for better hold and to avoid frizz.
  5. As I Am Restore and Repair mask. I used this once a week or every other week for extra care.