Lorraine MasseyPhoto: Courtesy of Roberto Ligresti
When I think of the leading curl pioneers – the people who changed how we care for and think about our texture – Lorraine Massey is high on that list.
When I met her more than two decades ago, I felt like I met a kindred spirit. The vivacious and passionate stylist championed the beauty and uniqueness of natural curls, encouraging people to embrace and celebrate their natural curl pattern at a time when straight hair was seen as the ideal of beauty.
Image Source: @curlyworldllc
She helped develop the DevaCut, a revolutionary dry-cutting technique that involves cutting curls in their natural state, creating a personalized, flattering shape. She trained thousands of stylists around the world.
One of her biggest contributions is the creation of the Curly Girl Method. It’s hard to remember when CG wasn’t a part of our curly lexicon. In her book “Curly Girl: The Handbook” – a best-selling book that is a bible for many people, Curly Girls – she outlines the CG philosophy of enhancing and maintaining curly hair’s natural texture and health.
Massey has had a lasting impact on the curly hair community through her efforts, helping many people feel more confident and informed about their natural hair.
I had the opportunity to catch up with Massey. She reflected on her journey, how the CG method she created has evolved over the past decade for different hair types, and the creation of her CurlyWorld haircare brand.
Michelle: Can you please share your curl journey?
Lorraine: Growing up, I often felt like an outsider because of my curly hair. In a world that favored straight hair, I spent many years miserable. I would dislike my curls so much that I would run home at lunchtime from school and put on a balaclava, thinking that would flatten its spirit. It wasn’t until my late teens that I began questioning why I was trying so hard to make it something it wasn’t.
I was in Hong Kong then, and a hairstylist friend saw how miserable I was and said, “Why don’t you just wash it with some conditioner sometimes?” I wish I could thank him because that was the game changer for the rest of my life. This one ingredient change that eliminated the detergent part of cleansing marked the beginning of my journey to embrace my natural curls. It was a liberating and transformative experience to accept and love my curly hair as it is finally.
I never thought that what once felt like the bane of my existence would become the vein of my existence. Now, I celebrate my curls and hundreds of thousands, if not millions, of other “Curlies” who feel the same way I do.
Michelle: How did you create the CG method?
Lorraine: As a stylist, I hated blow-drying everyone’s hair to mold them into a one-size-fits-all box. I often wondered why I liked my clients’ hair more when they arrived than when they left. I loved how their natural curls and waves made them look softer and more like themselves. I saw blowouts on Curly Girls akin to wearing a dress that doesn’t fit properly.
It became painful for me to see beautiful hair become brittle and dry due to being blow-fried. I almost left my craft; it felt like glorified laundering to me. I trained myself to deliver the best blowouts—anyone can, really; there isn’t much art in that— but since I decided to stop, I haven’t done a blowout in over 30 years.
The Curly Girl Method evolved from my own experiences with my hair. I once had a terrible haircut where, when it dried, one side was up to my chin, and the other side just skimmed my shoulders. When I asked the stylist why it was shorter on one side, he said, “When your hair is wet, it is even.”
After that haircut, I vowed no one would ever make me feel that ugly again. It took me almost seven years to get my hair to a length where I felt comfortable. The curls were growing and self-organizing in their natural state. I trimmed each curl by curl where they lay, one at a time, and oxygenated the very ends so they could grow healthily.
I learned over time, with my hair and my trusted clients, that a unique, different, and specific approach was needed to care for curly hair effectively. Once I could train my clients with a consistent lifestyle approach from shower to style that got them to stop the shampoo diet of sodium or sulfate, we all experienced an undeniably massive shift from hating our curls to loving them. It began a local word-of-mouth phenomenon as my clients shared their experiences with friends, and the movement multiplied.
Michelle: What exactly is the Curly Girl Method?
Lorraine: The Curly Girl Method is fundamentally quite simple. It is as much about what you DON’T do to avoid harming your curls (like using sulfates, sodium, silicones, “blowfryers,” hot irons, and brushes ) as it is about ensuring that the tools and products you DO use with the methodology contain ONLY healthy ingredients that will protect, nourish and cultivate beautiful curls. The CG method can enable gentle cleansing, conditioning, and styling techniques tailored for curly hair when combined with the right products.
Michelle: How does it feel to see the Curly Girl Method become such a game-changer in the industry?
Lorraine: It’s been fascinating. The Curly Girl Method has grown so significantly that it now has a life of its own. As noted previously, Twenty-plus years later, the good news is that millions of curlies have become aware that there is now a powerful and beautiful alternative to straightening their curls. That means that more and more people are embracing their natural curls, coils, and waves and celebrating their individuality rather than trying to conform to the same cookie-cutter mold.
Image Source: @curlyworldllc
The challenge for curlies out there is still wading through myriad offerings from various manufacturers, pundits, and influencers as they try to find the best products to maximize the benefits of the Curly Girl Method.
I know it is working because I have seen it transform the lives of countless people by helping them embrace and celebrate their natural curls, coils, and waves and they pass it on to others.
The Ingredients are really important, and any regulations that protect consumers by ensuring transparency about ingredients and sourcing will be very helpful. I’m looking forward to that.
Michelle: Tell us about how you developed the CurlyWorld product line. You have a knack for coming up with fun product names!
Lorraine: Developing CurlyWorld products took a long time. For instance, our newest gel has taken over two years to develop. Fortunately, I have a salon where I can test products before finalizing them.
Being a hairdresser and still working behind the chair gives me firsthand experience. It’s like being in the truffles—I can directly observe how the products perform on my clients and on myself and how the curls react to the ingredients. This is called cautionary principles—making sure something works in the most effective and simplistic way.
I continue to love and learn from conversations with my curly clients about their curl challenges and curl liberation stories, which is why I finally decided to start a podcast to share some of those valuable stories with others. The podcast is called “If Your Curls Could Talk” and will be coming out later this year. The product line includes I Mist You, Sham-Free, Terms and Conditions, Leave In Lover and With or Without Hue.
Regarding our product names, I am dyslexic and know I’m not the only one. This means I read words in a way that is a bit upside down and backward and quite slowly. Because of this, I sometimes sound out names or see them split up, revealing double meanings quickly. For example, I once believed that “psychological” contained the word curl “psycurlogical.”
The product line includes the following: I honestly never stop trying to improve the formulas.
Michelle: Can you share some wavy, curly, and coily texture tips?
Lorraine: When it comes to our hair, meeting someone for the first time is like being a paleontologist: the hair has a history. You have to understand where it has come from and what has been done to it before knowing where it’s going. Many variables in a curl’s lifespan affect its current condition.
But in general, one certainty that I have observed for every curl type, including wavy hair, is that the story begins and ends with hydration. Regarding different curl types, the key is the amount of hydration you administer. Coily hair often requires more hydration, while wavy hair requires less. Still, Hydration is the foundation for healthy hair, regardless of texture.
Next, avoid overloading your hair with too many products. Otherwise, you will never understand which ones are really working for you. Avoid any products that attach to and build up on the hair. Instead – look for water-soluble options. These allow hair to breathe and interact with the atmosphere rather than blocking and clogging it.
I truly believe that curls and nature are not as complicated as they seem. Frizz is still seen as a big problem that needs to be tamed or eradicated, but understanding its biochemical structure reveals that it’s just a natural part of curly hair. There is no “cure” for frizz— but if you keep your hair hydrated and conditioned (and avoid weighing it down with silicones), your curls can look beautiful for life, regardless of age.
Also, cleanse your hair because it’s time for a refreshing, hydrating cleanse, not because it feels terrible and weighed down with too much product residue.
Once you understand and respect your own hair, treat it kindly, avoid damaging it, and allow it to be free, you won’t be reaching for hair growth remedies. The problem is that the first thing we often put on our hair can act like a weed killer instead of fertilizer.
Michelle: How have you seen the curly world change over 25 years?
Lorraine: The biggest takeaway is the incredible shift in how curly hair is perceived and celebrated. Especially after COVID-19, when blowout bars and salons were closed, women and men started to let their curls unfurl and be free. As global warming becomes a more pressing, maintaining unnaturally straight hair in extreme and changing weather conditions will be increasingly challenging.
Recent revelations about the links between chemical straightening and cancer have also pushed people to embrace their natural hair. I believe there will be an even greater shift towards accepting natural hair because people will have no choice. Curls are free and require no plug-ins.
When I first started as a shampoo girl in Leicester, there was a significant lack of knowledge, resources, and acceptance for curly hair. Today, there’s a thriving community and a wealth of information available.
It’s heartening to see how the craft of hairdressing has evolved to be more inclusive and supportive of naturally curly, coily, and wavy hair. However, you still have to sift through a lot of “seemingly Curly Girl-approved” noise. The Curly Girl Method’s simple three-step process—cleanse, condition, and style—is being amplified, and some influencers are pushing overly complicated versions that can sometimes be counterproductive rather than helpful.
Remember, it’s 40 percent product. The rest is your care and knowledge of your own glorious curls. Ultimately, each curl needs to find the routine, products, and journey that works best for them since they live with their hair every day.
It’s not always what you do. It’s what you don’t do that makes a difference. The journey is ultimately about more than just curls; it is about self-acceptance, empowerment, and embracing your natural beauty.
Read about How to Follow the Curly Girl Method. Check out Lorraine’s Lazy CG Method.Watch Yourcurlywavybff talk about the CG Method for Wavy Hair.
