Since curly hair is extremely dry, it is best to avoid washing your hair every day. You have to create a schedule that balances off sweat and grime on one hand and hydration on the other. What works best for my hair (with my daily gym visits) is washing every 2 or 3 days – be it with a shampoo or co washing. I always wash my hair at night because it dries taking its own sweet time which gives me well defined curls the next morning. Here is a step-by-step process on how to wash and condition curly hair.
1.Shampooing
I use only anti-dandruff shampoos. I don’t use the shampoos that come clubbed with the conditioners. In my experience, I have not seen them doing any special miracle as opposed to using a separate conditioner. For me, they don’t “Repair split ends” or “Provide volume boost” or the worst claim, “Tame frizz & dryness”. To me, a shampoo is only for one purpose – cleaning. Be it cleaning dirt, grime, sweat or dandruff…a shampoo cleans. I experiment with many anti-dandruff shampoos.
Steps:
- I take about 20 ml of the shampoo into a mug and dilute it with water. (Directly pouring the shampoo onto the scalp can badly dry out the hair.) 4 ways to make your shampoo less harsh – The best alternative to sulphate free shampoos
- Then I pour it onto my hair working up a lather concentrating only on the scalp. A shampoo brush works great for this – Scalp/Shampoo brush for shampooing and co-washing
- Whatever drips off from the scalp is enough to clean your hair length. This is more important with curly hair because it has very little oils off its own.
- There is no need to ‘rinse and repeat’ – it will only strip off whatever little oil your curls have.
I shampoo rarely, probably once or twice per month either to get rid of any product build up, or to do a thorough cleaning if my hair was exposed to too much dirt (like when traveling), or if my hair looks too greasy and limp. For regular cleansing, I prefer co washing.
2.Co washing
Co washing is to use just a conditioner to clean hair. Most conditioners have small amounts of cationic surfactants in their ingredient list and they are enough to clean hair. Co washing is more gentle on your hair and it retains moisture in your hair. Here is everything you need to know about co washing – Co washing curly hair – What, Why, How.
3.Conditioning
This is perhaps the most important part of a curly hair regimen. Since curly hair is the driest form of hair, we need to rely on external hydration. I keep rotating between conditioners which are rich in oils and butters.
Steps:
- I make sure my hair is dripping wet. Water helps the conditioner do its job.
- I take a BIG palmful of the conditioner and apply it all over my hair detangling it with my fingers as I go. To make work easier, divide your hair into 2 or 4 parts and condition and detangle it one at a time concentrating on the mid length to the ends. Run your fingers through your hair and detangle it using the conditioner’s slip. If any part feels very rough or tangled, rub on some extra conditioner.
- Next I apply some conditioner onto my scalp and detangle the crown area. (I do not avoid the scalp as is popularly advocated because that would just make my scalp area very frizzy.)
- Lastly I repeat the same with the hair between the scalp and the mid length.
- Now you can run your fingers from your scalp through the ends with ease. All the hair strands must be soaking and coated with the conditioner by now and should feel soft to touch.
- I put my hair up with a jaw clip. Then I wash my body. Now, the conditioner can do its work for a good 5-7 minutes.
- After that I wash my hair. I gently use my hand to wash off the conditioner for about 1 minute. Not more than that. You want some to remain in your hair.
Here is a video of my curly hair routine showing how to wash and condition curly hair.
I have recently fell in love with the Squish to Condish method for conditioning my curly hair- It helps hydrate curls, promotes curl clumping and you don’t need a separate leave in. This will leave your hair with the right amount of conditioner it needs as a leave in conditioner. Here’s the detailed post – Squish to Condish – The best conditioning method for curly hair
Check out the List of curly hair products in India to know the products I currently use and “How to dry curly hair” and “How to apply products and scrunch curly hair“. And here is a post with my full curly hair care routine – My curly hair routine .
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Indu
September 23, 2015 at 5:30 pm
Hi… Can you suggest some anti dandruff natural shampoos for sensitive scalp.
Thank you in anticipation.
Curls and Beauty Diary
September 23, 2015 at 9:14 pm
Indu, you can refer this post – My current curly hair products ( I have mentioned the link in the above post itself)
Ashly
March 10, 2016 at 7:12 pm
Hi Anjana ,
Is it necessary to shampoo every time we wash our hair?
I mean we can just co wash and just use shampoo once in a week right?
Anjana
March 10, 2016 at 8:48 pm
Yes absolutely Ashly! You need to shampoo only when you feel like 🙂 And if you can totally ditch the shampoo, better!
Yashu
July 21, 2016 at 11:46 am
Hi Anjana,
I oil my hair with coconut oil atleast once a week cos my hair is really dry. What is the hair wash routine if you oil your hair and how often do you oil yours? Thanks! Awaiting your reply 🙂
Anjana
July 21, 2016 at 4:00 pm
Hi Yashu 🙂 If I use oil before washing as mentioned here (https://www.curlsandbeautydiary.com/oils-and-curly-hair-benefits-types-and-ways-to-apply/), I simply wash it off with shampoo(minimal amount) or by co washing. I prepoo whenever my hair is too tangled or dry and seal with oil if my products don’t have any oil as ingredient. Hope that helps!
Roshni
October 4, 2016 at 3:24 am
Hi. So i have a doubt. You shampoo. Then you co-wash
And then you again condition? And for normal cleansing days you so wash and condition? How is that different? Do you use 2 conditioners? And also could you explain the procedure of deep conditioning? Do i shampoo them deepcondition and leave it on for 30 minutes then again wash and condition?. What if i use a DIY deep conditioning mask of egg, oil and avocado. How will the procedure be?
Anjana
October 4, 2016 at 9:24 am
Roshni, I shampoo once in 1-2 weeks. On other days I only co wash. Shampooing or co washing has to be followed with conditioning. You can use a cheap conditioner for co washing and a rich moisturising conditioner for conditioning. Co washing emphasizes on the scalp while conditioning emphasizes on the hair(Read the difference in the methods in the respective posts). For deep conditioning, shampoo-apply deep conditioner-wait-cowash-condition. For oil based deep conditioning, apply deep conditioner-wait-shampoo-condition. Hope that clears your doubts 🙂
Pallavi
January 27, 2020 at 9:38 pm
Hi anjans, I’m just planning to start the cg method. Your blogs are too awesome. Few doubts. One what are the products that can be used for co washing .. and can we oil hair before co washing ?
Anjana
January 28, 2020 at 3:11 pm
Hi Pallavi, check this https://www.curlsandbeautydiary.com/co-washing-curly-hair/
Some find that oiling before cowashing doesn’t remove all the oil. Others find it to work. You can experiment with any oil and see if or not it works for you 🙂
Urvashi Mohanani
March 3, 2017 at 10:29 pm
Hello! Umm.. I’m an Indian 🙂 and I’ve got curls like yours. I wish to know how many times do you shampoo, condition and co-wash your hair in a week, usually.
Anjana
March 6, 2017 at 10:21 am
Hi Urvashi! I shampoo once or twice a week and cowash once or twice. I condition every time I wash my hair
Angelini
August 26, 2024 at 9:37 am
Hi Anjana I’m a beginner with curly hair I started accepting my curls this year March-April as I didn’t know I had curly hair in my whole life I have been straightening it. I thought my hair was straight and freezy but not curly cuz everytime my hair grows out it was so freezy and puffy so I would straighten it using chemicals. One day saw an ads where I saw the exact type of hair that I have and they use curly products so I went to try and found out I have it too and after seeing your websites here I wanna learn more from u and maintain my curls too as it is still freezy. Too so thank you Anjana.
crlsth
April 8, 2017 at 10:43 pm
How much time do you usually spend on the wash & condition process?
Anjana
April 9, 2017 at 11:20 am
Wash + condition takes me around 7-10 minutes
Meera
June 2, 2017 at 11:17 am
Hey Anjana! In your curly hair routine video you used Dove shampoo? Doesn’t that contain silicones? Are silicones alright if it’s in shampoo?
Anjana
June 2, 2017 at 12:47 pm
Yes it has silicones. I don’t follow the CG method – I use sulphates and silicones 🙂 But if you are following the CG method, you should avoid silicones in any product
Megha
June 7, 2017 at 4:32 pm
Hello Anjana,
I have a doubt, so the last you apply cream and gel to your hair, you don’t wash it off with later in your video?
Thanks,
Megha
Anjana
June 8, 2017 at 1:59 pm
Hi Megha, cream and gel are meant to be left in, not washed out.
Megha
June 8, 2017 at 5:31 pm
Hello Anjana,
Thanks for the reply.
Leaving so much cream and gel means accumulating lot of chemical residues on scalp, will that not cause more hair-fall. I am already having heavy hair-fall and my hair has gone down to 1/4th of its quantity.
Megha
Anjana
June 9, 2017 at 11:44 am
The products are left on the hair, not on the scalp. Plus products don’t cause hairfall – Do hair products cause hair loss?
Vaishnavi
July 10, 2017 at 3:13 am
Hi Anjana….
you have a wonderful hair 😍 I would love to get the same…. Actually I straightened my hair… and the natural hair had grown up till my below neck park… Will these products which u used will work in my hair??? Shall I buy those products????
Anjana
July 10, 2017 at 1:03 pm
Hey Vaishnavi! Have you seen this – How to transition from chemically straightened hair to your natural curly hair
suni saji
July 12, 2017 at 11:22 am
Thank you..Really helpful
Anjana
July 12, 2017 at 2:12 pm
❤ 🌹
Rani
July 12, 2017 at 2:06 pm
Hi Anjana…..do you have any suggestions for grey hair…?
Not sure about the reason but started up with grey hairs on my scalp from past two years and it became more view able these days.
Is coloring the only option or any home remedies which can fix it
Please suggest
Anjana
July 12, 2017 at 2:13 pm
Henna is a natural remedy – it is messy and time consuming. It can also loosen your curl pattern. Ammonia free dyes are the better option.
Lakshmi
July 19, 2017 at 10:53 pm
Hi anjana, this is one of the very honest sites I have read thru..hats off to the clarity & transparency in your writing and justice you are bringing in the blog. Exceptional!!!
I have a 2b/c fine hair and have found your model very exciting..EVen as a beginner in this field, with few rounds of co-wash and conditioning thru scrunching I have found my curls shaping up..I am in the process of collecting all hair products as I am new into this..ENlivn and natural aloevera gel is what I am planning to use..
Had few specific questions for you..1. can this scenario be tried on days when my hair or scalp doesn’t need a cleanup..can I do away with shampoo and co-wash and go directly for conditioning using squish to condish method..? Probably backed up.with overnite oiling?
2. what would you recommend as a weekly routine for a 2b fine hair? Any specific tips from your experience
Anjana
July 20, 2017 at 11:41 am
Thank you so much Lakshmi!!
1) Yes absolutely! But you may want to skip the oiling because it may leave your hair greasy.
2) Use lightweight products, shampoo at least 2 times per week. And scrunch scrunch scrunch!!
SHERYL
March 1, 2018 at 4:15 pm
Anjana, in the video of your curly hair routine, you have applied a little conditioner, followed by cream and then a gel…but you haven’t washed any of the three stuff you put on your hair. Just wanted to confirm if that is the case or do I need to wash at least the conditioner off.
Anjana
March 1, 2018 at 4:18 pm
They are all meant to be left in the hair Sheryl
Neha
June 3, 2018 at 4:13 pm
Hi Anjana,
Please suggest me something for some amount of white curly hair from your experience
Anjana
June 4, 2018 at 11:31 am
Check this Neha https://www.curlsandbeautydiary.com/colouring-curly-hair-treat-damage/
Elisa Bushaw
August 9, 2018 at 8:15 am
Thank you for your blog! I have 3b hair and am already getting great results after learning some new tips from you. Your methods are so much easier than following the strict CG method and my hair feels so much happier! After trying the “squish to condish” method, I realized my water pressure has not been good to my curls. We have VERY good water pressure and an oversized shower head. Luckily the shower head can be adjusted to a more gentle setting, which I now use whenever I put my head under. It’s made a ton of difference! I think it will also eventually reduce the baby hairs and fly-a-ways that I could never explain. I never brush my hair, comb it or use harsh ponytail holders. I don’t use a towel to rub it and I always use a diffuser in the rare cases when I dont air dry it. I think its possible the heavy pressure could cause them.
Anjana
August 9, 2018 at 4:38 pm
So great to hear that Elisa!
Namita Jha
August 23, 2018 at 12:41 am
Can we color our hair when following CG method? I have lot of stubborn greys that I need to touch up every 2 weeks 😞
Anjana
August 23, 2018 at 2:55 pm
You could. Check this https://www.curlsandbeautydiary.com/colouring-curly-hair-treat-damage/
Abinaya T
November 1, 2018 at 5:53 pm
Hi Anjana
I got the products as suggested by you for my hair type(3b-3c)..they are devacurl one condition decadence,can’t shea butter moisturiser and devacurl ultra defining gel. I just used them once and on the day of washing it showed good results,the next day it was not that defined and the third day it was almost back to my normal hair(kinda frizzy and not so defined soft curls).How long will it take to see the real results of the products??😞And I had hairfall too when I washed my hair while detangling..since the day I washed I didn’t use comb but still it’s like a nightmare for me when I think of detangling it while washing cos am scared if there will be more hairfall..how can I avoid it? Pls reply ASAP! Thank you☺️
Anjana
November 5, 2018 at 2:42 pm
You have to refresh your hair to get the curls to stay for more than a day.https://www.curlsandbeautydiary.com/3-ways-refresh-curly-hair/
https://www.curlsandbeautydiary.com/curly-hair-faq/ – check point 3
Elisa Bushaw
November 1, 2018 at 6:31 pm
I found that it took a few weeks of sticking to the new routine to see my results last longer. My hair fall also seemed to increase, but now it has decreased a lot. I think it needed time for the moisture to make enough of an effect. I felt my fall was more from breakage and started using conditioner that included a protein treastment once every 2 or 3 weeks. The other idea that helped a lot was to spray my hair before bed with a mixture of 1 cup water, 2 tablespoons leave-in conditioner and a teaspoon each of coconut oil & olive oil. I spray until it’s saturated, scrunching gently as I spray with my head hanging upside down. Then in the morning, after sleeping on a silk pillowcase, my curls are refreshed and beautiful. I can do that for 3 days. I only co-wash for most weeks. About once every 3 weeks I shampoo, but only after I pre-oil my hair and scalp at least an hour before or at most overnight. Stick with it and experiment with what works for your hair. I’ve gone from wearing my hair in a ponytail or bun nearly everyday, because of the frizz to wearing it down and enjoying my curls. Even my hairdresser has started using some of these ideas because of the results I’ve seen.
Abinaya T
November 2, 2018 at 1:27 pm
Hi Anjana can u pls reply for my message!
Rikhia
February 16, 2019 at 9:47 pm
Hi,
In this post you said we should not wash curly hair too often. But for the college going students like us who travel by public bus everyday, it is very difficult not to wash hair everyday because hair gets so greesy and tangled. Also we are advised not to comb dry hair. So how it is possible to carry that dry, tangled abd hay like hair for 2-3 days?
Thank you in advance for replying! 😊
Anjana
February 18, 2019 at 3:10 pm
Hey Rikhia, use shampoo only once or twice per week. If you have to wash, cowash instead – https://www.curlsandbeautydiary.com/co-washing-curly-hair/
You can also use a scarf to protect hair from dust while traveling.
Also check this https://www.curlsandbeautydiary.com/7-ways-keep-curly-hair-tangle-free-between-washes/
Shony
April 9, 2019 at 12:32 am
Pata rizos resecos y maltratados que me recomiendas usar?
Vruddhi
July 5, 2019 at 6:06 pm
wen i apply conditioner and wash for minute or two…still hair is soapy…i keep washing till soapy texture is gone…it takes 10 mins…how to knw conditioner is washed off?
Anjana
July 8, 2019 at 2:37 pm
It’s not necessary to fully wash off conditioner Vruddhi. Especially if your hair is really dry, leaving in conditioner is necessary
Vruddhi
July 8, 2019 at 2:39 pm
okh thanks 🙂
Aarushi
August 8, 2019 at 11:37 pm
Hi Anjana,
Thanks for sharing your routine. I have curly hair with an extremely oily scalp and dry ends. If I leave conditioner or use any gel/serum my scalp comes oily very quickly. Should I still continue the cowashing routine? Thanks.
Anjana
August 12, 2019 at 2:19 pm
It takes some weeks for the scalp to adjust from a shampoo to a cowashing cleanse. Give it some time and if it still doesn’t improve some weeks later, alternate between shampoo and cowashing
Priyanka
September 30, 2019 at 2:37 pm
Thank you soooo much for sharing ur hair routine.. it works for me.. i got awesome results with in 2 weeks.. i used same products as you suggested… my hair was too freezy..but now whenever i see my hair .. i can’t believe they are really mine….
Anjana
October 1, 2019 at 1:28 pm
So glad to hear that Priyanka!
IP
September 3, 2020 at 1:56 pm
Hi Anjana.. You have beautiful hair, and a lovely blog going.. Very helpful indeed.
My question is this: At no point do I see you drying with any kind of cloth (towel or tee etc.) Is that how it is supposed to be – Straight to air dry after gel? (And Second question being – if I don’t have a diffuser, can I hope for somewhat similar results with air drying?)
Anjana
September 8, 2020 at 3:43 pm
Hi Indira,
1) Check this https://www.curlsandbeautydiary.com/how-to-dry-curly-hair/
2) Yes, I don’t diffuse all the time
Cecilia Talin
October 2, 2020 at 11:49 pm
Hi Anjana,
It’s been 6 months since I started taking care of my hair with the advice on your blog, I still can’t find a suitable routine for my hair. I hope you can help me with these questions:
1. In this post you mention that “you rarely use shampoo”, what kind of shampoo do you use? A mild sulfate-free one or a with sulfate-?
I have 2a / 2b hair. Since I started the CG I have noticed more waves. My hair was dull and frizzy. But it still has a lot of frizz.
I do the following:
Day 1. Wash (mild shampoo) + co-wash + protein (gelatin) + Squid to condish with tresemmé Detox conditioner(I let the conditioner rest for 30-60min), + I apply conditioner without rinsing as cream and homemade oatmeal gel
or aloe. All this I do 1 time a week at night.
Day 2. The next morning my hair is great without frizz, This day refresh (I use any of the 4 forms of refresh that you explain).
Day 3. This day in the morning my hair looks terrible, frizz increases, waves fall, in the afternoon it gets more frizzy, I refresh it again if necessary, but at night it looks drier and more a little hard (I think because of the gel)
So at night I go back to Co-wash + Squid to condish (every time I do this I let the conditioner rest for 30-60min) + Cream / Gel.
Day 4. refresh
Day 5. Co-wash
Day 6. refresh
Day 7. Washing + cowash, etc …
Any advice and suggestion you give me, I really appreciate it, I think some concepts I have not understood well 🙁
help!
Anjana
October 5, 2020 at 6:32 pm
Hi Cecilia, I use a sulfate or sulfate-free shampoo depending on many things like when I last clarified, am I doing a protein treatment etc.
Some hair types cannot go past day 2. I too can’t get decent day 3 hair. That’s ok 🙂
Cecilia
October 6, 2020 at 12:59 am
Thank you very much Anjana, reading you reassures me.
So when you clarifie your hair you use a shampoo with sulfate and when you do a protein treatment you use a shampoo without sulfate, is that correct?
Anjana
October 6, 2020 at 3:22 pm
I use sulphate shampoos for clarifying and before protein so that it can work well
anky
December 18, 2020 at 4:19 pm
hello….Is it necessary to apply gel ??or Applying curl defining cream is enough for hair???
Anjana
December 18, 2020 at 8:27 pm
Hi Ankita, it depends on what you want. Gels give more hold and definition, especially to looser curls.
Chloe
December 19, 2020 at 4:34 am
Hi, I am really struggling to find a hair routine that works for me, my hair is types 2a through to 3a and all in between. I tried this method of washing this morning ,but I don’t have any gel so skipped that step, and I have to say my hair definitely feels healthier and more hydrated however it is still really frizzy and a bit all over the place, do you think this issue will be resolved with gel and what gel would you recommend (I am in the UK).
Anjana
December 22, 2020 at 2:19 pm
Hi Chloe, you could check if the US ones are available in UK https://www.curlsandbeautydiary.com/beginner-friendly-simple-curly-hair-starter-kit/
Porkodii
October 16, 2022 at 12:18 am
Hey Anjana, naturally I have curly hair I had shaved my head for prayer offerings, my hair is about 1inch now advise me on the care routine or products to use please
Anjana
November 8, 2022 at 2:22 pm
https://www.curlsandbeautydiary.com/start-here-curly-hair-routine-for-beginners/