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The Curly Girl Method Doesn’t Work for Wavy Hair — Here’s What Does

Tori Hunter

37,028 views

If the Curly Girl Method isn’t working for you, the problem may be the rules—not your wavy hair. In this video, I explain why popular CGM rules such as co-washing, avoiding sulphates and silicones, not brushing, creating a gel cast and avoiding heat can leave fine wavy hair feeling frizzy, weighed down, tangled or difficult to manage.

I’ll also share a simpler, results-led approach to building a wavy hair routine around what your hair and scalp actually need. Because wavy hair isn’t curly hair—and one routine will never work for everyone.

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Favourite Shampoos
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📺 Watch next:
Why You Will Never Have Her Wavy Hair
Wavy Hair Beginners: Stop Buying Everything
Why Your Hair Is Still Frizzy (You’re Fixi...

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20 Comments

@amouzing 1 month ago

One thing you called out in an early video is how your wavy hair isn't wavy in the same way all the time or even all the way around your head (me to a tee ) so trying to make wavy hair fit into a framework is quite difficult. So i think the result-led method makes so much sense, you can adapt to what your hair needs in the moment. I'm grateful to the CGM for making me realize I had patterned hair, not "straight hair with weird cowlicks" but also glad to know my hair is wavy and happiest with a lot less product and good cleansing shampoo.

@charlieyates492 1 month ago

My scalp was terrible when I fell into CGM! The flakes, scalp buildup, it was so sore and itching was terrible! My hair has never been better now I use a scalp focused shampoo and a super hydrating mask and conditioner

@Terecita47 1 month ago

Grateful for this! I am 53 and the texture of my hair has changed. For a few years I thought I had ruined it and that it was all damage. Now that I have "gone natural" and allowed my silvers to come in...I can see it has a variation of colors and textures. I went down the CGM rabbit hole HARD for an entire year. Threw out all my old products. Tried all the methods and rules. Ultimately? I did learn that if I tried really, really hard...I could pull off a curly hair day. But the price to my scalp and the producty-y feeling was not worth it. Add to that, once my bleached and color treated hair grew out, the hope of any curl left. My natural mother nature hair is simply wavy. A true miracle for someone who desperately used curling irons all those years! It's a relief to let go of strict rules...and to experiment again with an open mind and a more gentle expectation for my silly hair. Thank you.

@IncandescentLightbulb00 1 month ago

One thing that people don’t often talk about is that if you use silicones then you should also use sulphates for cleaning. “Gentle” shampoos don’t remove silicones well. I have 2a hair and I still struggle with wave definition vs stringiness. My favourite wavy hair product is X Mondo hair foam. That stuff is amazing. To naturally style my waves I absolutely need to use a diffuser otherwise my hair dries wavy on one part and straight on the other.

@julietierney2516 1 month ago

I went "on-board" with CGM years ago. Getting more moisture helped, gels were awful, my hair looked like wet worms - and worse on day 2 and then dirty looking. I've found less is better for my hair. I don't need too many products - of course, that doesn't stop me from trying some. One thing that makes my hair look better almost every time is a detangling spray. I wash and condition my hair, I use a detangling spray - it's light, it detangles. I use oil on the ends of my hair (in the very olden days, they used to have a "cream rinse". It was a light conditioner. I always keep looking for that...<sigh>. But...the detangling spray acts like a leave in (so many leave ins are too heavy.) My hair feels less stiff than with other products. I do like EVO liquid rollers, but I have to just use a speck. I wish I could get styling down better. I often wear a twisted bun - and that allows me to wear wavy hair down later in my day. It's not easy being a wavy. And I always look here for more hints...

@simplycurlyde 1 month ago

I've recently realized that my hair does better too, if I don't go by the cmg, bc my hair has more waves than curls. It starts off wavy and it curls at the ends. I know now my hair doesn't need leave-ins or creams. So, I be using what I have as a rinse out conditioner. My hair does better with lightweight gels and foams and mousses. I pretty much use Anna Primavera's technique.

@katalou1093 1 month ago

It is definitely necessary to try it all out… for example, foam alone gives me too little definition, and gel alone gives too little volume… for my wavy hair, type 2b-2c, combining them is simply a must. It lasts me 3 days, in the morning I refresh with a plain water and that works great for me too 😉 At the same time, I've stopped doing a lot of the other CGM techniques, because they just don't work for my hair… I have fine, uncolored hair. It's so individual! Anyway, thank you for your videos, they really helped me, especially in the beginning.

@MaidenThailand 3 weeks ago

I've had hair problems all my life, but it was only in recent years that my scalp started getting sore and the dandruff genuinely concerning. Curly methods didn't work for me to tame the mess, and no shampoo for ANY type worked for me. I don't know anything about sulfates or sillicones, but the hair care routine I'm using now is just an all-purpose liquid soap (mild enough to be baby shampoo) and then an after-drying application of amla oil as a leave-in conditioner and scalp tonic -- just a dab since my hair is fine. I comb with a yak horn comb and brush with a boar-bristle brush after every new wash and reapplication. I can't tell if it improved my waviness, but my scalp doesn't get itchy as quickly anymore (I can go now 3-4 days before it starts getting oily instead of needing to wash it every other day), I basically get zero tangles now, I have no frizz, and my hair is the softest it has every been in my life. I've also seen a significant increase in new baby hairs.

@briannalarsen3601 1 month ago

Always love your content. I have wavy hair with nearly identical texture and have come to all the same conclusions. Always nice to feel like you're not alone! Haha

@ronyrodriguez8533 1 month ago

I wasn’t much fan of co-washing when l tried it a few years ago 😊
I do enjoy pre-washing time to time 😊
It’s curl hair method for me 😂
Very informative video presentation, thank you for sharing, Tori 🙏😊

@hurtstarling42 1 month ago

Hard agree on all of this! I tried it all too and had very sad, limp, greasy looking hair. I love my tangle teaser! I use mine in shower.

@ambibambi6479 4 weeks ago

I have super thick wavy dry frizzy hair. I’m really trying to find ways to tame my frizz!

@blktauna 1 month ago

I never dry comb or brush my hair. Bad things happen when I do.Those wetbrushes are a godsend. I also don't like silicones. I'm with you on the hold products. I only like using one. Love the air dry creams. I also like mousse but it depends on the day doesn't it. I've never been a heat styling person. In fact I didnt even own a hair dryer until recently. Just don't go too hot. Smelling burnt hair is a no no.

@SusanSaysSomething 1 month ago

❤ evo liquid rollers

@RSonja 1 month ago

Totally new to thinking about my hair not being straight. I have blown dry forao long I just assumed my hair was straight. Because it's very wavy on the very underneath layer and gets less wavy as you move up the layers and around my head. I always joked I had stringy puppy dog ears on the side and kind of pretty waves underneath where no one saw them.
So maybe I have wavy hair. But I have no idea how to style it. Like I said I usually round brush and either run a flat iron through or curl with a curling iron.
I did just buy a diffuser but I've been to scared to try because I won't know what to do on day 2 and 3 because I try and not wash but every 3 days.
So I guess I have a lot to learn.

@HXXXXWXXN 1 month ago

What do you think about volumizing shampoos/conditioners?

@gemmajaws 1 month ago

Love your videos Tori! CGM gave me the worst scalp issues ever (intense itching). Sulphates keep my scalp happy and healthy, and my medium/coarse hair does well with silicones too. I brush my hair wet and dry and this works for me. When I do brush my hair when it's dry (on non-wash days) I will mist it with distilled water after and gently scrunch and my 2C/3A wavy/curly pattern looks even better than on wash days where use stylers. I do either a LOG or LOC routine depending on my mood but always do this, it is what gives me the best results.

@sanna8593 1 month ago

This is exactly what I found out to work for my wavy hair as well 🤗 I use a shampoo for oily hair, sometimes a moisturizing conditioner. Then i squeeze out the excess water and put in a heat protectant and a leave- in conditioner (less is more). Then I use a tangle teazer brush on all of my wet hair but it goes smoothly because of the products. I blow dry my curtain bangs and since I have a wolf cut (which I LOVE for wavy hair) I just blow dry the rest without any tools on medium heat. My hair is bouncy, shiny and full of volume. Finally I love my hair and people comment on it quite often🤩

@Eynjal 3 weeks ago

Can you test products from the curl company brand? The product contain silicones

@Katharine-000 3 weeks ago

Do you find that a lot of the air dry creams gave you rats’ tails and wet frizz? I’ve only tried a couple so far, but my hair hated them so much that i gave up and focused on a mousse and gel combination that works for me. It makes drying much slower though and it does feel producty most of the time, so if it’s possible that i just didn’t pick the right air dry cream, i’d be up for giving it another go!