Maximising the waves in hair?

[Laura Corin]

I'm growing my hair out - it's wavy rather than curly. I'd like to maximise the waves. I don't want to start using a hairdryer.

Right now I just wash my hair at night and towel it dry, then brush it in the morning, but the brushing takes the waves out. My daughter suggested brushing with conditioner in the shower,  then rinsing and wrapping my hair in an old t-shirt.  Then in the morning just finger comb. What do you think? Any other tips?

Edited October 15, 2022 by Laura Corin

[fairfarmhand]

My dds have waves. they use a anti frizz product at night after washing, comb it in and finger comb in the morning. 

[fraidycat]

I think the conditioner and t-shirt method is the basic steps of the Curly Girl method. 
 

As someone with wavy hair, I wash, finger comb, scrunch with light weight leave-in conditioner/anti-frizz, and air dry - in the morning, not at night. I cannot sleep with wet/damp hair or I feel chilled. If I must use a tool for a tangle,  I always use a wide-tooth comb, never a brush unless my purpose is to pull the wave out of my hair for some reason.

Edited October 14, 2022 by fraidycat

[Arcadia]

Run a humidifier 😂 When I went back to my high humidity country of origin, my waves became french curls. 
If you are going for volume, use a leave in conditioner after shampooing and finger comb your hair in the morning.

[katilac]

My wavy hair is often impossible to finger comb after sleeping on it, and will always have some frizz.   

If I shower at night, I will either: 

Pull up my hair in a kind of bun toward the top and sleep that way. I say "kind of" a bun, because I just pull it out a little bit, not as much as I would to make an actual bun. I use a cloth scrunchy or a plastic coil, and this is usually completely comfortable for me - I sleep on my side, but it's high enough on my head that I'm not leaning on it regardless. In the morning, no tangles, so I can finger comb, and it's usually extra wavy. 

Or, I just wet my hair in the morning. This lets me finger comb it and I will add a bit of leave in conditioner (and occasionally just regular old conditioner). 

[katilac]

8 minutes ago, Arcadia said:

Run a humidifier 😂 When I went back to my high humidity country of origin, my waves became french curls. 
If you are going for volume, use a leave in conditioner after shampooing and finger comb your hair in the morning.

Whereas my high humidity locale results in crazy amounts of frizz for me, lol. 

[KungFuPanda]

Do all of your combing and brushing while the hair is wet and never when it’s dry. You don’t touch dry curly/wavy hair. 🤣 
 

I sleep with my hair in a high ponytail to preserve the curls. Most stay intact in the morning. Some times I have to spritz a few ringlets and reform them if they look fuzzy and crazy. I do get better curls when I diffuse them so that the weight of the wet hair doesn’t pull out the curl.  I can preserve them for 2-3 days. By day 4 I’m putting my hair up until it’s washed. 
 

ETA: You probably want to give up on the towel drying. It’s not kind to girls. YouTube is FULL of curly hair content. Here’s a fairly simple nighttime routine:

 

Edited October 15, 2022 by KungFuPanda

[Frances]

I’m no expert, but I think just gently patting hair dry with a towel is better than active towel drying.

[happi duck]

I agree with your dd.  Drying your hair in a tshirt is called plopping (iirc).  I use a long sleeved t-shirt and find it helpful.

[klmama]

I use some light curling gel in my hair when wet and crunch it to shape the waves and curls.  Once it's dry, I fluff.  If I were going to bed with it damp, I'd likely dampen it slightly in the morning - a mister works great - to reactivate the gel and to adjust the hair into a pleasing arrangement. 

[Melissa Louise]

I would just like to let people know that I tried the method in the video above and am currently sporting more than a passing resemblance to Medusa.

I think I need to work on my technique!

 

[Melissa Louise]

A bouffant Medusa.

[Starr]

16 minutes ago, Melissa Louise said:

A bouffant Medusa.

Fabulous!

[popmom]

I could never acheive a Medusa look lol. My hair is wavy but VERY fine. The only way it looks decent wavy is if I use a "deep waver" type curling iron. Otherwise, I just have to blow dry it straight. My hair won't grow long either. It won't grow past my shoulders.

My youngest daughter inherited my husband's hair--dark, thick, and curly/wavy. Parts of her hair have tight curls/ringlets and parts are wavy. It's fine for dh--he just keeps it cut super short. Youngest dd... bless her...it is what it is. It's almost untamable. Is that a word? lol She tried the curly girl method, and it didn't give her the best results. We have tried the Diva Curl products. Redken Frizz Dismiss, etc. Her hair always looks a little wild, but at least it's not FLAT like mine. I adore her hair, honestly. I was so happy when she was a baby, and I realized she got her dad's hair! She's our only brunette. 🙂 I'll be following for more tips. 

Edited October 15, 2022 by popmom

[popmom]

34 minutes ago, Melissa Louise said:

I would just like to let people know that I tried the method in the video above and am currently sporting more than a passing resemblance to Medusa.

I think I need to work on my technique!

 

Pics or it never happened. 😉

[Tap]

I comb through in the shower with conditioner. Then wrap lightly in a towel without any rubbing. I then use a mix of  a firm gel  (fat blue berry size) and a few drops of  Biosilk. I rub those together in my hands and then very lightly scrunch the gel mixture into place. Then I try to not touch it at all and let it air dry.  I have used a few different products for 'curly girl' type hair, but find this mix is best for me. My hair is fine and midback length, so I have to be careful to not put too much product in, or it weighs it down. I only brush pre-shower or comb with conditioner, never after. I use a small clip to hold my hair out of my eyes until my hair is totally air dry. 

[Starr]

Mine likes to be wavy, frizzy and of course i would be happy with straight hair. lol I have a cousin with thick beautiful curls and her sister's hair is totally straight. If mine is short enough and I do the curly hair stuff I get curls. Humidity helps. Otherwise it's drying it and using electric curlers because I can't blow it out pretty. How does one even find a good haircut for the curls?

[Melissa Louise]

16 minutes ago, popmom said:

Pics or it never happened. 😉

Ha! I brushed/combed it out. Have the type of hair that it doesn't matter what I do to it, it always turns out the same wave-frizz. The fave? The wizz? 

 

[klmama]

53 minutes ago, Starr said:

How does one even find a good haircut for the curls?

Google both DevaCurl and Rëzo.  The corporate websites have stylist finder tabs.   ETA:  Both companies have several levels of training for stylists.  

Edited October 15, 2022 by klmama

[Hannah]

You will have to experiment a bit with products and methods that works for you. 

My daughters and I all have curly/wavy hair, but the textures differ a bit.  Elder Dd's is thicker and more wavy and her hair goes limp with heavier products, while younger Dd and I have finer, more frizzy hair and need the heavier products to keep it in check. 

Our basic routine is to wash in the shower using the 'squish to condish' method (basically scrunching the conditioner into the hair for moisture)- Elder Dd rinses out all conditioner, but younger Dd and I find that leaving some in lets the curls 'clump' more.  I then add a curl enhancer that I leave in as well.   We then use either a t-shirt or a micro-fibre towel to wrap around our heads to absorb the water.  I don't use a comb or brush.

I sleep on a silk pillow-case with my hair in a "pineapple" on my head.  In the morning I use a spray bottle to define the curls a bit.  Elder Dd sleeps with wet hair wrapped in the T-shirt, but I want my hair to be dry before bed.

I can't advise on UK products, but try to find 'curly girl approved i.e. sulfate free, silicon free, etc.  You can add the product name into a website like curlscan.com.   

Edited October 16, 2022 by Hannah

[Laura Corin]

16 minutes ago, Hannah said:

You will have to experiment a bit with products and methods that works for you. 

My daughters and I all have curly/wavy hair, but the textures differ a bit.  Elder Dd's is thicker and more wavy and her hair goes limp with heavier products, while younger Dd and I have finer, more frizzy hair and need the heavier products to keep it in check. 

Our basic routine is to wash in the shower using the 'squish to condish' method (basically scrunching the conditioner into the hair for moisture)- Elder Dd rinses out all conditioner, but younger Dd and I find that leaving some in lets the curls 'clump' more.  I then add a curl enhancer that I leave in as well.   We then use either a t-shirt or a micro-fibre towel to wrap around our heads to absorb the water.  I don't use a comb or brush.

I sleep on a silk pillow-case with my hair in a "pineapple" on my head.  In the morning I use a spray bottle to define the curls a bit.  Elder Dd sleeps with wet hair wrapped in the T-shirt, but I want my hair to be dry before bed.

I can't advise on UK products, but try to find 'curly girl approved i.e. sulfate free, silicon free, etc.  You can add the product name into a website like curlscan.com.   

Thank you. When do you brush or comb? I live somewhere quite windy, and although I wear a snood or a hat, there are bound to be tangles.

[Hannah]

On 10/16/2022 at 6:53 PM, Laura Corin said:

Thank you. When do you brush or comb? I live somewhere quite windy, and although I wear a snood or a hat, there are bound to be tangles.

We only use our fingers.  As soon as I brush or comb it just becomes a frizzy mess.

 

This is younger Dd's hair.

And this is older Dd's

 

A very windy day just to show our curl structure...

 

 

 

 

 

Edited November 3, 2022 by Hannah
Edited to remove photographs

[Laura Corin]

1 hour ago, Hannah said:

We only use our fingers.  As soon as I brush or comb it just becomes a frizzy mess.

This is younger Dd's hair.

And this is older Dd's

A very windy day just to show our curl structure...

 

Thanks.  Mine is more like older dd's.

[klmama]

When my hair is long enough, I find wrapping it into a clip works best for wind. My mother used to wear a big silk scarf tied under her chin, which was far superior, but it's not a look I want.

[Hannah]

1 hour ago, Laura Corin said:

Thanks.  Mine is more like older dd's.

I just asked about her current routine. She said "Wash with sulfate free shampoo and use  a scalp massager brush to work it in well, conditioner squished in then washed out completely. 
Curl cream and sometimes gel. All applied on wet hair. Plop dry hair on a t-shirt. I only use the scalp massage brush when ĺ wash, otherwise finger comb. 

I tend to rotate products, but am currently using Cantu shampoo, Two Oceans conditioner, Umberto Giovanni Curl Mousse and Gel".

Edited October 16, 2022 by Hannah

[lmrich]

I used to have long, straight, light-brown to blonde hair. Now it is brown with grey and blonde and curly - wavy. I went from never having to worry about my hair to having a mess. I am listening to all.

Interesting side note - I am going through pictures for my dad's 90th birthday  and noticed that I had crazy hair under the age of 4 but it somehow got straight around 5 or  6. Hair is weird.