The Bowl Method Is TikTok's Latest Curly Hair Hack—Here's What You Need to Know
D Mills / Byrdie
Water and curly hair have a complicated relationship: Moisture in the air around us can cause frizziness, but thoroughly saturating your locks with water before hair styling helps to define your curls or coils. Knowing how to use water to your advantage is a big part of navigating textured hair types, so it shouldn't come as any surprise that myriad TikTok trends claim you can enhance your curls with the use of it.
The bowl method is a trending curly hair hack that shows no signs of slowing down. But what is it, and how do you do it? We spoke with pro hairstylist Justin Toves-Vincilione and Justine H. Park, MD, to find out. Read on to discover what this method is, how to perform it, and whether it might meet your needs.
Meet the Experts
Justin Toves-Vincilione is a professional hairstylist, Authentic Beauty Concepts ambassador, and member of the Ulta Beauty design team.
Justine H. Park, MD, is a board-certified dermatologist at Skin & Beauty Center in Los Angeles.
What Is the Bowl Method?
To be used by anyone with wavy, curly, or coily hair, the bowl method helps you get the most out of water when you style your hair. Videos for it have hundreds of thousands of likes on TikTok—with some even in the millions—and it's actually pretty straightforward: All you need is a large bowl of water to dunk your head in. You apply styling products with your hair super wet, then dunk and scrunch repeatedly to get the products as diluted and integrated into your hair as possible. The dunking and scrunching is repeated numerous time, and you'll see the bowl of water become opaque with product as you continue to do it. You can use a brush to disperse the products through your hair, and many people choose to let their hair dry upside down.
"Since wavy, curly, and coily hair [types] are best styled when soaking wet, this method helps people enhance their natural texture without needing to be in the shower or bending their body at a 90-degree angle over a sink," explains Toves-Vincilione. "This can [benefit] many people and is rising in popularity because it can be considered more ergonomic and effective when done correctly."
Park adds that this method is used to reduce frizz, define curls, and evenly distribute leave-in conditioner.
How to Try It
Wash and condition your hair, then, while it's still completely wet, get a large bowl of water and place it on your counter or in your sink; Toves-Vincilione suggests filtered water. As for temp, "for high-porosity hair, be sure to use warm to hot water to help out with absorption," he says. "For frizzy hair, use cold water to help minimize frizz and close the cuticle."
Detangle using a brush and detangling product suitable for your hair type. For wavy hair, Toves-Vincilione suggests the Hydrate Spray Conditioner from Authentic Beauty Concept ($31). For curly hair, he likes Pattern's Detangling Nectar ($28).
Next, apply a curl cream to define your curls. (Toves-Vincilione recommends Living Proof's Curl Definer, $38) Once it's in, he says to detangle again before beginning the method.
Brush your hair forward and upward so you can place it into the bowl most easily. Then, Toves-Vincilione says to "dunk your ends into the water first and continue until you feel the water on your scalp."
Now, lean away from the bowl and scrunch your hair, letting the water drip back into the bowl. He says to scrunch down to your scalp.
Repeat the dunking and scrunching at least two or three more times.
You're now ready to style your hair, and you have a few choices: you can flip it back over, shake it out, and let it dry, diffuse it upside down as is, or wrap it in a microfiber towel. Once it's dry, Toves-Vincilione recommends adding a hair oil or curl cream, such as the Nourishing Hair Oil ($48) or Replenish Balm ($31) from Authentic Beauty Concept or IGK's Beach Club Blowout Cream ($25).
Does It actually Work?
As with many home beauty hacks, we're afraid there isn't any real science behind the bowl method. "There is little to no scientific basis for it, as studies on its effectiveness are lacking," Park tells us.
However, "it seems plausible that it does help to reduce frizzy hair by increasing hydration of the hair cuticle (the outer shell that coats each hair follicle)," she notes. "The bowl technique may achieve this by making it more likely that the product is evenly spread throughout the hair and increasing the contact time with water and conditioner."
Alternatives to the Bowl Method
If you're not sure this process is for you, there are alternatives for enhancing your texture.
Shower styling is an easy alternative to the bowl method. "The best way to do this in the shower is to soak your hair with water, apply the product directly to soaking wet hair, detangle, and scrunch," says Toves-Vincilione. He notes that while "you wouldn't be able to soak your hair more than once... this does suit some people's unique hair texture better than the bowl method."
If the prospect of using lots of dripping water to style your hair is just too intimidating, Park suggests opting for a leave-in conditioner instead. "Using a leave-in conditioner is definitely the quickest alternative to the 'bowl method,' as it requires the application of a product that doesn't need to be rinsed out," she tells us.
The Final Takeaway
The bowl method for curly hair involves repeatedly scrunching and dipping your hair into a bowl of water to define your curls. While it is a bit more time-consuming than other methods, we say the bowl method is worth a try—it doesn't cost anything, and you could end up with your most defined curls yet.
Up Next: Your Complete Guide to Hair Plopping for Perfect Curls
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