The curly girl method by Lorraine Massey is incredibly popular – and for good reason. Social media is full of examples of people using it on their wavy hair or natural curls and achieving beautiful results.
But there is one hair type that’s kinda left out of all the fun: straight hair. Unfortunately, what works for all the curly hair types will make straight hair look kinda oily or limp. Using rich leave-in conditioner is probably not the way to go for you. Instead of helping to keep any natural waves, you’ll probably look like you skipped wash day.
But still, there are ways you can get inspired by the curly girl method to play with your own texture. You simply need to go about it in slightly different ways to achieve the best results!
Related: How long to plop wavy hair & what else to watch out for
Disclosure: Some of the links below are so-called provision links, meaning, at no additional cost to you, I can earn a commission if you click through and make a purchase.
Purpose of the Curly girl Method
The purpose of the curly girl method wasn’t simply to “give” anyone curls. It wouldn’t work that way, unfortunately. If you don’t have at least a wave pattern naturally, using different products will not create gorgeous curls.
No, what the CG method actually did, was to create a popular hair care method that actually works for naturally wavy and curly hair to make them look their best.
(For a step-by-step-guide of the curly girl method see here!)
So the basic purpose is to make sure your hair texture can look its best according to its natural needs and patterns. And to keep the health of your hair by avoiding damaging products.
Sounds like something anyone with straight hair would want too? Let’s see how we can extract lessons from the CGM for you!
What can you take from the curly girl method to use for straight hair?
So when getting to work to make your hair look best, you have to start with the basics. And they are very similar independent of hair type.
Focus on the health of your hair for the best looks
No matter what your natural hair texture is, healthy hair will always look better. And to have really healthy hair, many of the rules of the CG method apply to straight hair, too.
Avoid harsh chemicals
Anything that damages your hair will make it look worse. Using sulfate-free shampoo, for example, avoids the drying effects of those cleansing chemicals. Similarly, you want to bleach or dye your hair as little as possible.
No matter if straight or curly – no one wants to deal with crunchy hair because of chemical damage!
Use low heat
The CGM avoids heat tools whenever possible because heat is both drying and damaging to the cuticle. This is true for straight hair as well. So maybe exchange the curling iron for some heatless curl method.
Or try out air drying your hair. It might be quicker than you think!
Ideally, you avoid any type of heat styling as much as you can.
Heat damage isn’t cute on anyone! And every time you use a hot tool, your hair gets damaged. Unfortunately, that’s not reversible.
Don’t be afraid of natural oils
All that shampoo marketing made us afraid of the natural oils our scalp produces. And yes, coily hair will absorb much more of that without looking oily. But even for straight hair, the sebum of your scalp can help protect the length of your hair from drying out and getting brittle.
It’s made for that!
Try to stretch the time before the next wash by using a brush to distribute your sebum from your scalp into the length and see how that works for your hair.
Use a microfiber towel
The reason why we prefer a microfibre towel in the CGM is that it absorbs excess water from your wet hair without you having to rub. This way, you can avoid mechanical hair damage.
So using a microfibre towel is a great tip for straight hair, too!
You can simply get one here!*
Adapt your hair care routine to what’s best for YOUR hair texture
The second lesson from the CG method: you have to adapt your hair care routine to your own hair texture. The hair types are wildly different in structure, so you can’t just do what works for someone with natural curls. The same is true for every single curl type.
Wavy hair needs different care than coily hair. And straight hair has different needs, too.
Obviously you cannot bring out your natural curl pattern if you don’t have it, right?
The truth is, every hair type looks their best when treated accordingly to their unique needs!
Use different products
You’ll definitely have to use different products than someone with coily hair. If you’d do what they do, you’d have insane product build-up in no time from all the heavy products.
Healthy straight hair usually has a very different hair porosity compared to most curly hair types. And that means, using different styling products!
Low poo
Low poo is the CG method way of using as little shampoo as possible to not dry out the already dry curly types. If you have straight hair, chances are you rather struggle with getting an oily scalp very quickly.
In that case, avoiding shampoo might simply not be the right way for you. You don’t want to risk an itchy scalp or worse!
Still, don’t simply go for traditional shampoos.
Instead, pick a gentle, sulfate-free shampoo like this one* to keep your hair AND scalp healthy.
Related: 10 ways to stop your hair from getting oily so fast
Styling products
You might get away with using the wrong shampoo. But when it comes to styling, the wrong products will make or break your look.
You want to go for much lighter products than the usual CG method follower. For most people with straight hair, moisture is great, but “buttering” your hair up is simply too much.
So while curlies will often use heavy leave-in conditioners and rich styling creams, you can benefit from rinsing out your conditioner and using light-weight styling gels to accentuate any texture.
You probably won’t get the famous “curl clumps”, but depending on how straight your hair is, you might be able to retain some soft waves.
For best results, let your hair air-dry with the gel until a gel cast forms. Only then you scrunch it out.
Again, you won’t get the same curl definition as people with curly textures, but just play with it!
Related: Curly girl approved gel: 7 products you can get online
Hair oils
Hair oils should only be used on your hair lengths, possibly only the ends of your hair. Try using them on damp hair to help lock in moisture. And, of course, stick to curly-girl approved hair oils in terms of ingredients!
If you’re looking for specific products, check out this list of low porosity hair products. It might give you some ideas!
Style your hair with your head upside
One last tip to “steal” from the curly girl method: style your hair with your head upside down. No matter your hair type, this helps creating a nice “root lift” and avoids the “hair sticking to scalp” look.
Unless you’re going for a super sleek bun look, you probably want to use the volume-adding effect of this trick!
Enjoy your hair texture!
I hope this helps you to both play with some curly girl tips as well as enjoy your natural hair texture. No matter which hair type you are, remember that your hair is beautiful just like it is!
If you enjoyed this, I always appreciate any shares. Thank you and have a great hair day!
*These links are so-called provision links, meaning, at no additional cost to you, I can earn a commission if you click through and make a purchase.
