I broke up with the curly girl method for a low-effort routine

Sometimes less is more

When I was a teenager, my nemesis wasn’t the math teacher or a mean girl; it was my hair. Frizzy to the core, no amount of Vasmol, Sunsilk, hot oil or deep conditioning brought me any closer to a smooth and silky mane. Eventually, I made peace with my unruly mop, and accepted that Rapunzel-esque locks were not my destiny. That is, until I got to college, and a friend suggested that I stop brushing my hair because I most likely had curly hair. She handed me a curl cream and serum, and asked me to switch up my hair wash routine. My life was forever altered when I discovered that she was right. The chidiya ka ghosla on my head was actually unmaintained curly hair.

That’s how my ‘curly girl’ education began. I watched styling videos and read blogs that revealed secrets about caring for curly hair, and grew increasingly fascinated by this world. I experimented with a plethora of products, thinking my hair needed it all—leave-in conditioner, curl cream, gel, serum, and oil. And it worked. From my lifeless, hay-like hair there emerged tight ringlets and ‘s’ shaped curls that altered the way I looked and felt. I was in a real-life transformation montage. Every wash day, I picked up my army of hair products and got ready to style my curls, squeezing in an arm workout in the process.

This was easy to manage when I was a college student with ample free time, but as soon as I entered the workforce, my extensive routine felt like a Monday after a long weekend. I no longer looked forward to it. But I was worried that if I stopped, I’d lose the curls.

The curly girl overwhelm

For the sake of keeping my curls healthy, I maintained the five-step pre-wash, cleanse, condition, style and dry routine. I even purchased a diffuser to dry my hair quickly. But I realised there was a point when the benefits peaked and reached a plateau—while my hair was healthier, the product layering felt heavy, and eventually stopped working.

The internet had been my teacher when it came to learning the rules for curly hair, but there were simply too many rules. Lorraine Massey, creator of the curly girl method, claimed you needed to quit shampoo and stick to conditioning, while Indian curly hair influencer The Curious Jalebi recommended using microfibre towels for drying, followed by curl cream and a gel to lock in the moisture. Asha Barrack, founder of Ashba Botanics, outlined a styling glossary for curly girls trying to achieve definition, with techniques like raking, praying hands and finger coiling. At this point, I was positively overwhelmed by the volume of advice and styling products I was expected to use.

And none of this was simple enough to integrate into a daily wash-and-go routine. Even the low-effort curly hair routines listed at least five steps to achieve the look. Eventually, instead of providing hold for my curl pattern, the products weighed them down, and I could see flecks of the old jhaadu returning.

Finding the one (and done)

Despite being faithful to my curly hair routine for months, my previously defined hair started losing pattern soon after washing, my roots turned flat, and I was tired. “The curls will return when they want to” I’d console myself. And so, just to make sure I wasn’t entirely sacrificing my mane to the frizz gods, I decided to use just one product for hydration and protein balance.

But, as we all know, finding ‘the one’ is near impossible—whether it’s your soulmate, the perfect shade of red, or a workout you don’t hate. And finding a one-and-done styler for a low-effort curly hair routine felt like looking for a pearl in an oyster. I tried a hair mousse, but it was too drying for my hair and gave me way more volume than I like, gel left my hair feeling crusty, and curl cream weighed my hair down. Finally, an Instagram reel introduced me to Ashba Botanics’ serum gel styler and I found my one-and-done hero. It gave my hair the perfect balance of hydration and hold without weighing it down, and prevented a halo of frizz around my head, especially during the ultra-humid Mumbai monsoons. My apprehensions about crusty hair proved wrong, and my hair wash routine shrunk to 20 minutes instead of an hour. I couldn’t believe I had gotten what I wanted just when I wanted to quit trying.

Four years into my curly hair journey, I have accepted that my curls have a mind of their own. No two wash days deliver the same look, and you just have to improvise. Some days, I go completely product-free. I’ve found the wisdom in simplicity, for instance, the best way to keep your curls hydrated is to just scrunch your hair with cold water throughout the wash process. And then all you need is one solid styler to prevent the hydration from leaving your hair. Voila, you have a low-effort curly hair routine.

Identifying that one product, and how much to use, depends entirely on your hair type and length. According to professional hairstylist and “texture advocate” Dre Demry-Sanders, finer hair may need fewer, lightweight products while thick hair with tight ringlets may need a heavier styler and more product. Here are some tried-and-tested stylers that do a fabulous job by themselves, and might just be your ‘one-and-done’.

4 Low-effort curly hair stylers

Curly styling serum by Ashba Botanics, ₹1,099

Infused with hyaluronic acid, the hair product has a gel-like consistency, but is as lightweight as a serum. It defines your curl pattern and gives your hair adequate hold without making it crusty or greasy. Just scrunch it in after your hair wash and dry it the way you like.

Curly hair cream by Arata, ₹599

If you love defined curls with little to no frizz, this hair cream is your best bet. Infused with nourishing ingredients—including Abyssinian seed oil, soya protein, shea butter, and argan oil—this lone warrior can smooth out the unruliest curls.

Weightless leave-in conditioner by Moxie, ₹625

True to its name, Moxie’s weightless leave-in conditioner, feels… weightless. With a buttery smooth texture, the cream moisturises your hair and enhances your curl pattern. Unlike heavy curling products that feel like you’ve added spoonfuls of makkhan to your hair, this conditioner delivers the magic without any excess weight.

Weightless whip volumizing mousse by Fix My Curls, ₹770

If you’re inclined towards a voluminous mane, this mousse will be your go-to styler. Infused with everyone’s favourite matcha green tea, rice water and amino acids, it balances the protein in your hair and enhances its texture. Fear not—you’ll look more like Julia Roberts from My Best Friend’s Wedding than Monica in Barbados on Friends.