Published 28th May, 2021

How Do I Make My Waves Last Longer?

How many times have you given up on the curly / wavy hair of your dreams because it drops out or frizzes up before you even leave the house?

Curly and wavy hair types can be unpredictable. Even when we’re born with natural shape to our strands, they can change depending on the weather, how we style them, and how long it’s been since washing.

Curls and waves are much more fickle than straight styles. But they are possible - it’s just a case of understanding how our hair works, and how products can be used to control it.

So if you’re on a mission to manage your curls and waves, this article is for you.

These 5 tips will tell you how to lock your curls / waves in during styling, keep them looking full and bouncy all day long. Right up until your next wash.

Let's get started...

1. understand your hair

Firstly, you need to understand whether your hair is wavy or not. I spent years not really knowing. Opting for straightening it or throwing it up in a bun. This blog will reveal the key signs your hair is actually wavy and not straight.

Secondly, different hair types will respond in different ways to styling tools.

If you've been using heat tools and silicone laden products to style your hair for years then you need to remove them from your life. They are causing far more harm than good.

Once you do start the wavy hair process you're unlikely to get instant results. Your hair will need to go through a transition stage when you first embrace your waves or start the curly girl method. A stage when your hair looks worse than it did before. A stage when frizz is out of control. You just need to resist the temptation to grab those straighteners and power through. Read here to discover how to get through this stage.

At the end of the day, everyone's hair is different. It will react differently to different products and methods. It'll look different. It'll feel different. To enable our waves and curls to last longer, we first need to understand our hair type and how best to control it.

It's also a case of trial and error. Testing different products and quantities. Varying your techniques. Eventually it'll just click and you'll see incredible results.

Patience is therefore critical when starting this journey.

2. correctly activate your curls / waves

The products you use on your hair are therefore essential to making your waves/curls last longer. Even the way you wash and style your hair can help to activate your curls.

Using a silicone scalp shampoo brush is a great place to start. What's a scalp brush? Pretty much it's a brush with wide rubber or silicone bristles designed to remove scalp build up while also helping to encourage blood flow to the scalp. This stimulates hair growth. Leaving you with beautiful clean and healthy hair.

If you don’t want to use a scalp brush you don’t have to. But just make sure that you aren’t using your nails to scrape your scalp - just use the pads on your fingers.

Next you need to make sure that you are conditioning your hair thoroughly and brushing it when the conditioner is in. Check out which hair brushes we recommend here.

Once out of the shower and you have applied the products, you can move to the plopping stage. This is essential in creating long lasting waves or curls. Here’s a tutorial on how to plop your hair.

You can follow either of these steps with a diffuser if you want to add volume and speed up drying time. Or you can just air dry it.

3. use the correct styling products

Some people claim that they don't need products to awaken their natural wavy or curly hair. This has some truth to it. Yet what they fail to mention is that their waves aren't locked in for a long time and eventually fizzle out throughout the day. Which isn't the desired look we're after if we want our waves to look incredible all day and night.

Therefore, anyone who knows anything about wavy and curly hair understands that they must use a variety of products that are formulated for curly and wavy to enhance and awaken their natural waves and curls. Products that'll help keep their waves locked in for longer.

Merwaves 5 step method offers a simple system to unlocking your hairs true potential. Each product is specifically designed for wavy hair.

- The step 1 gentle cleansing shampoo won’t strip your hair of its natural oils.

- Step 2 conditioner gives your hair a moisture boost.

- Step 3 feed treatment gives your hair an extra boost of moisture to help eliminate frizz.

- Step 4 casting foam creates and holds your natural hair shape. Before the step 5 gel locks the style in giving you long lasting, frizz free smooth waves.

It's the perfect combination to longer lasting waves and curls. Without the hassle associated with more curly girl method products.

4. protect your hair overnight

Most people fall short at this stage. They don't realise that once you've created those perfect curls or waves you need to protect them at night.

During the night you're more likely to toss and turn your head. This can put stress on your hair follicles and may even lead to them breaking.

If you’re sleeping on normal cotton sheets this can dry out your hair. Which is why we recommend choosing the right fabric to sleep on to help minimise frizz and tangles.

Use a silk or satin pillow case, silk scarf, pineapple (loosely tie your hair) with a silk scrunchie or wear a silk bonnet.

These techniques can stop your curls or waves from stretching. Which in turn leads to your waves and curls maintaining their shape for longer.

5. correctly refresh your hair

In a perfect world we would all wake up with perfect curls or waves that require no effort. Unfortunately that’s not normally the case.

To make your waves last longer, you must carry out a refresh. A quick and easy process to keep those waves locked in.

Below are some simple tips you should follow.

1. Inspect your hair.

After waking up, remove the pineapple, bonnet or scarf from your hair and take a good look. Does it look flat? Does it look dry? Is it tangled? Working out what your hair needs will help you decide on which products your hair needs.

2. Give it a chance.

You have just been sleeping for (hopefully) at least 8 hours. So once your hair has been let down, allow it some time to settle into place before you make any drastic decisions or accept defeat. I tend to have breakfast first and then have a look in the mirror before I make a decision.

3. Use water.

Don’t worry, I am not suggesting a full hair wash. At the end of your shower, let your hair down and either use the steam in the room or wet your hands and glaze lightly over your hair. Your hair should be slightly damp.

4. Add more products.

Remember when I said inspect your hair and assess what it needs? If your hair is dry you can add a little of the Merwave Feed Treatment. This will hydrate your hair throughout the day. If it has lost definition you can add a little Protect Gel or Cast Foam.

If you wish, you can dilute the products by mixing them with water in your hands. Some people even prefer to mix the products in a water spray bottle, or spray hair with water then add. Remember the idea is not to wet your hair, it's just to make it damp.

This is where trial and error comes into play. Some Merwave members use lots of Cast Foam yet very little Feed Treatment and Gel. Everyone's hair is different, so you must be patient and figure out what combo and quantities work best for you.

Check out the refresh video on our tutorial that breaks down this process.