Your waves wish they could tell you these.
Wavy hair can be confusing.
One wash day, your waves are defined, bouncy and behaving exactly how you want them to. The next, they're flat at the roots, fluffy at the ends or somehow both greasy and frizzy.
The temptation is to keep changing products, adding more steps or blaming your hair.
But a good wavy hair routine doesn't need to be complicated. It's usually about understanding what wavy hair needs, avoiding the things that weigh down your pattern, and finding a handful of techniques that consistently work for you.
Here are the best tips to get you started on a wavy hair routine that works for you.
There's no single perfect routine for every person with wavy hair.
Your ideal routine will depend on things like:
- How fine or thick your individual strands are
- How much hair you have
- Your hair porosity
- How oily or dry your scalp gets
- Whether your hair is coloured or heat damaged
- How strong your natural wave pattern is
Someone with fine, easily weighed-down 2A waves may need considerably less product than someone with thick, dry 2C waves.
Pay attention to how your hair responds rather than copying somebody else's routine exactly.
The aim is to find your waves' sweet spot.
Wavy and curly hair can share some characteristics, but they aren't the same.
One of the biggest differences is how easily wavy hair can be weighed down.
Rich curl creams, thick butters and heavy oils can be brilliant for tighter curl patterns that need lots of moisture. On looser waves, however, they can weigh down waves, leaving hair flat.
You might notice:
- Flat roots
- Waves dropping quickly
- Hair feeling greasy after styling
- Stringy rather than bouncy waves
- Less definition than you had before applying product
If you've tried curly hair products and thought your hair simply "doesn't work", it may just be that the formulas are too heavy.
This is one of the simplest changes you can make to your wavy hair routine.
Don't towel dry your hair and then spend ten minutes deciding which styling products to use.
Apply them while your hair is still very, very wet.
Water helps your strands group together into defined wave clumps. Applying your styling products at this stage helps support those clumps before they have a chance to separate and become frizzy.
Once you've distributed your products, gently scrunch upwards towards your scalp to encourage your natural wave pattern.
You should already start seeing your waves taking shape.
If you've spent your life treating your hair as straight, brushing probably feels completely normal.
But running a brush through dry waves separates the individual strands that have grouped to form your wave pattern.
What happens next?
Frizz.
Instead, detangle your hair when it's wet and has plenty of conditioner in it. Use your fingers or a wide-tooth comb and work gently from the ends upwards.
Wavy hair is often more prone to dryness than straight hair.
Natural oils produced by your scalp can travel relatively easily down a straight hair strand. With wavy hair, they have to navigate all those bends and curves, making it harder for those oils to reach the mid-lengths and ends.
That's why hydration is so important.
A good conditioner should be a staple in your routine, while an occasional deep conditioning treatment can give particularly dry waves an extra moisture boost.
But there's an important caveat..
This catches a lot of wavies out.
Your hair feels frizzy, so you add more conditioner.
Still frizzy? Add an oil.
Still not right? Add a mask.
Eventually, your waves become incredibly soft...and completely flat.
Wavy hair needs balance.
If your hair feels limp, overly soft or won't hold its shape, it might not need another moisturising treatment.
Try reducing the amount of product you're using and see how your waves respond.
Sometimes less really is more.
You don't have to swear off your hairdryer forever.
But repeatedly straightening or curling your hair at high temperatures can damage its structure, making it harder for your natural wave pattern to form.
If you diffuse, use a lower heat and airflow setting where possible.
And if you've spent years straightening your hair, give it time.
Your first natural wash day might not reveal perfectly formed waves. As you reduce damage and learn what your hair responds to, your pattern may become easier to manage.
Your post-shower towel technique matters more than you might think.
Traditional bath towels can create friction against the hair cuticle, disturbing the wave clumps you've just created and contributing to frizz.
Instead, use a microfibre towel or wrap.
Gently remove excess water without aggressively rubbing your hair backwards and forwards.
Possibly the hardest wavy hair tip of them all:
Stop touching it.
You've applied your products. You've scrunched. Your waves are looking good.
Now leave them alone.
Running your fingers through your hair, rearranging individual waves or repeatedly scrunching as it dries can break apart the clumps you've worked so hard to create.
Whether you're air drying or diffusing, try to disturb your hair as little as possible until it's completely dry.
If you've used a product that creates a cast, wait until your hair is fully dry before gently scrunching to reveal softer waves underneath.
Day-two hair doesn't need to look exactly like wash-day hair.
And a few flattened or fluffy waves don't necessarily mean you need to start again.
Try refreshing instead.
A little water or a lightweight refresh product can help reactivate your existing styling products and encourage your waves back into shape.
Lightly dampen your hair, scrunch the areas that need attention and leave them to dry.
It can save you a complete wash day while helping you avoid unnecessary overwashing.
