Why don’t you comb your hair? It is probably one thing that all girls with wavy hair heard at least once in their lifetime. When I was young, I used to hear the same thing from my peers, and I couldn’t just make them understand that it was how my hair looked, no matter how many times I combed it. But we are past that phase to convince people that curly hair looks good, too. So, if you own such nice waves, make sure you know how to take care of wavy hair, too.
The hype of getting flat, straight, ironed hair is kind of fading away now. Thanks to that, people are once again falling in love with their naturally wavy and curly hair. But why did we think of switching our waves in the first place? Is it because everyone was straightening their hair trying to look chic and elegant? Or is it because we found it hard to manage our curls? If your answer is the second one, we can help you figure out how to take care of wavy hair.
How To Take Care Of Wavy Hair?
How to care for wavy hair is a typical question many girls ask. I personally think they should want to know about wavy haircare because they want to keep those natural waves intact. Instead of submitting to the artificiality of straightened hair, we are there for you if someone wants to know how to take care of wavy hair. So, let’s check out the steps now;
Step 1: Figure Out Your Hair Type
If you want to know how to keep waves in your hair, you must first figure out your hair type. Yes, wavy hair has many subcategories, too, and you have to find out which one of them fits your hair type the most. For example, your hair may tend towards looser, gentler curls. In that case, you may think your waves are weighing down, and that may not look so attractive.
However, if your hair has a curly, lean wave, it may be prone to being dry and frizzy. The waves that look the finest tend to be oily and greasy. So, if you have wavy hair, you must find the type first. Otherwise, you can’t figure out the right products for wavy hair, and that will mess up your waves.
Step 2: A Nice Wash Day
If you want to know how to take care of wavy hair, you must survive the wash day without any obstacles. As we have mentioned before, wavy hair is a texture, so some waves may be thick and coarse, while some may be soft and fine. As a result, many people continue experimenting with hair products until they find the one that suits them.
But, we think you can start with a non-stripping cleanser that will take care of your gentle waves and wash the dirt off of them. We have some other product recommendations in mind to help you manage your wavy curly hair easily, such as;
- Neutrogena Healthy Scalp Hydro Boost Shampoo & Conditioner.
- Garnier Fructis Curl Nourish Shampoo.
- DevaCurl No-Poo Original Cleanser.
- Drunk Elephant Cocomino Glossing Shampoo.
- L’Oréal Paris Evercurl HydraCharge Shampoo.
Step 3: Clump, Scrunch, And Squish
Once you are done washing your waves, you must learn how to treat wavy hair, and that’s why these strange words are essential. First, you have to put conditioner in your hair after washing it. Then, just flip your hair upside down and squish the conditioner upwards in cupped palms. Don’t squish all the water out from it because the wetter it stays, the better it will moisturize.
Now, you have to look for clumps. Yes, if you want to know how to keep waves in your hair, this is the time to do that. Check if your hair strands are standing individually or if they have clumps. If there is no clump, you have to flip your hair upside down again and tilt your head to apply the products. Now, squeeze your hair into the scalp so that the product settles in. Some scrunching products for wavy hair are;
- Aussie Catch The Wave Hair Spray
- Schwarzkopf OSiS
- Herbal Essences Totally Twisted Curl Scrunching Gel
Step 4: Drying Or Heating?
Sometimes, when we are in a hurry, we often tend to heat our hair to reach the office on time. While it may seem like an easy fix, you have to get rid of heaters if you want to know how to take care of wavy hair. Air drying is the best way for wavy hair care because heating can make your waves look frizzy.
It also contains the risk of overheating, and since you are no expert, you won’t know when the temperature is unbearable for your roots. That’s why air drying is the best way to keep your waves natural, smooth, and free from split ends.
Step 5: Should We Forget Styling?
We are girls, and we can never ignore styling our hair just because someone said it would damage our roots. So, we can take the right styling toolkit so that we know how to take care of wavy hair even when we are styling it. But you should check out some essential hair accessories when you travel to keep your hair styling game on during trips, too.
You can make the floating roots work for you. When your hair is still wet, just clip individual clumps together so that they stand straight up. Once it dries out, remove the clips and see how voluminous it looks. If you want to use products for wavy hair, you should select some lightweight products specially made for your curls. Some products are;
- DevaCurl’s hand-shaped universal diffuser.
- WaveMaker.
- Miracle Moist Leave-In Conditioning Spray.
Some Additional Tips
Well, if you want to know how to take care of wavy hair, you can follow this routine once or twice a week. It will ensure you the great curly, wavy hair that you have always longed for. So, let’s take a look at these few additional tips to complete your wavy hair routine.
- If you don’t know how to figure out your hair type, just use your finger to twirl a strand of your hair, and you can tell the type.
- After showering, you can flip your hair upwards and lay it flat on a t-shirt. Once the hair is laid flat, wrap the t-shirt around your head for 30 minutes. Once the water droplets soak in, you can let your hair out, and it will keep your waves intact.
- Never use a regular towel to dry your hair because it causes friction. Instead, always use a microfiber towel to blot out the excess moisture gently.
- Always use a comb instead of a brush because a brush can lead to hair damage and can spoil the texture of your wavy, curly hair.
- If possible, try to sleep on a satin pillowcase. Cotton pillow covers cause friction, and that causes frizz in your beautiful waves.
Is Wavy Hair Difficult To Maintain?
Yes and no! Are you confused? See, taking care of wavy hair is going to be more difficult for you than regular or straight hair. At the same time, if you follow some basic steps properly, you can have the most beautiful wavy hair.
To be more specific, you have to wash your hair properly and ensure that your hair gets enough conditioning and moisture. Styling is also very important if you want to have the best wavy hair. Let me explain these things to you in detail.
Conditioning Your Wavy Hair
The first thing you must know about picking the right conditioner for your hair is that the choice of conditioner depends on your hair type. So, to enjoy the maximum benefits of using a conditioner, you must seek consultation from your haircare expert.
Choose a conditioner that can go deep into your hair shaft and provide each hair strand with much-needed nourishment. You can choose protein hair conditioners or go for some solutions with elements like chestnut milk.
Wavy hair needs deep conditioning once a month. So, do not miss paying a visit to the salon every month to maintain the proper health of your hair.
Moisturizing Your Wavy Hair
If you know, you know! Wavy hair often becomes frizzy and unmanageable. With time, the hair strands also gather dirt and grime. Thus, the hair strands become rough. Because of all these reasons, your wavy hair needs proper moisturization along with conditioning.
Proper moisturization makes your hair strands stronger, and it also helps to stop frizziness and breakage of highly porous hair. Now, what is high porosity? Simply put, the high porosity of hair strands refers to the highly porous quality of your hair. When your hair becomes highly porous, it absorbs moisture very fast. That’s a good thing!
However, because of the high porosity, your hair strands fail to hold the moisture for long. The following problems can occur due to a lack of proper moisturization in your hair.
- Dryness
- Dullness of your hair
- Frizziness in your hair
- Tangles
- Breakage/Excessive hair fall
Today, you will find many protein-rich moisturizers for your hair. You can even use hair masks with essential nutrients to maintain the proper health of your hair.
How To Style Your Wavy Hair?
Styling your hair right is crucial if you want to take care of your wavy hair. You need to be especially careful about the styling product you use. You must not pick a hairstyling product that has sulfate or silicone.
Further, if you have wavy hair, you need to choose lightweight products to style your wavy hair. Make sure that the styling products offer a decent hold for your hair. Pick a hair gel or mousse with a light formulation to ensure good health for your hair.
Again, there is a smart trick for styling your hair right with a styling mousse or gel. Apply it to your wet hair, and then you can dry your hair with the product applied. This hack always ensures a better result while styling your hair.
Wavy Hair Inspiration From Celebs
Hollywood has an impeccable impact on our everyday style- be it hair, outfits, or shoes. So, if you are a bit directionless on how to maintain your wavy hair shine, take inspiration from these celebs:
1. Gabrielle Union
When it comes to flexing her waves, Gabrielle Union has been a pro. But when she twinned with Kaavia James, her daughter, people loved the resemblance to her mother.
She even wrote on Instagram that her baby loved it when Union made braids, and they both were seen rocking the natural curls. Isn’t this a positive approach towards embracing your natural wavy hair?
2. Cardi B
Cardi B is a popular name in the world of ever-changing fashion and styles. She had set examples in front of the world to embrace her natural hair. However, things changed drastically when she started posting stories on Instagram during the pandemic.
She said, “Look at my hair. This is dead-ass, my fucking real hair,” This was when she washed her hair and was too proud to show it to the world.
3. Lili Reinhart
We cannot get over Lili’s Riverdale character. But what adds more to her natural beauty is her bouncy locks and curls. She posted a picture on Instagram, adding that this was her natural hair and no curling iron had been used.
In her Betty Cooper character, we’ve seen Lili wearing long waves accompanied by sleek strands. And, of course, she had her signature ponytail, too! Let’s see if we can get some of those curls in season 2. Fingers crossed!
4. Salma Hayek
Salma is a Mexican-American actress who has been flexing her curls, too. She is popular for her experiments with colorful wigs and has been papped with mid-length dark brown hair.
But as straight as they appear, she naturally owns curls and doesn’t shy away from showing them on Instagram.
She wrote, “A veces mi cabello se vuelve loco,”- which is a simple translation for my hair sometimes looks crazy, but they are great! Salma colors her curls very often but not too traditionally!
5. Laverne Cox
Laverne is an inspiration. Her comment on accepting her natural curls is a positive affirmation for the world.
“Wearing my hair natural with its beautiful kink and curl on the daily is a bit too much work for me.”
She says she generally chooses protective wigs, hairpieces, or styles for shoots. But she is particularly happy with a shoot that featured her natural hair. Cox has never been so relieved with her hair since 2011.
6. Joan Smalls
Joan has always been low-key in the industry. But that never stopped her from gaining massive love and attention from fans. Her natural waves are simply the cherry on the cake!
She plans on maintaining her bohemian momentum with dried-in-the-breeze hair. In a few other pictures, Joan is also seen making slim braids that appear to be absentmindedly woven. Try her hairstyle and make your wavy hair look stunning.
The Bottom Line
How to take care of wavy hair is indeed a tough deal. There are so many people with different opinions that we get really confused about whom to listen to.
But it isn’t as complex as we make it. Tackling wavy hair has petty to no difference from any other hair type. All we need is some good care at home!
That’s why this article has bunked all those useless opinions and taken expert advice to help you maintain those beautiful waves. If you want to know more about curly wavy hair, ping us in the comment box.
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