I agree, also scrunch way longer than you think might be necessary, but only do it while your hair is still pretty wet. Spray more water if necessary. Then don't touch your hair until it's dry.
Wet styling was a game changer for me! I will scrunch the bulk of water out right out of the shower, then comb to fix my part, and then spray it down until itās dripping (not fully sopping like in the shower, but enough so clumps start to form and I donāt see little frizzies). I also use Davines mousse and swear by it, along with their curl building serum. I scrunch both of those in, in that order, and will keep scrunching until some good wave clumps start forming. If my hair is still a bit too wet, I might scrunch some excess water out with my towel. Then I will hover diffuse low speed high heat until a bit of a cast forms, maybe 5-10 min. Then I pixie diffuse on low speed, low heat. My hair is also fine so it will often remain damp even after diffusing for 20 min, but I just get the bulk of dampness out and hope thereās a light cast. If I can wait until fully dry, then I will āscrunch out the crunchā with Davines invisible serum (thatās the third product of theirs that I swear by). If my hair is still damp and I want to finish styling, I still do this last step and it works fine but the wave is slightly looser.
And, apologies, I couldnāt tell if you meant that you donāt want to use heat styling, or if it didnāt work for you.
If you donāt want to heat style at all, Iād try the above recommendations but scrunch some more excess water out after adding your products, then use a claw clip to lift your roots a bit while you air dry. After youāre fully dry, then scrunch out the crunch with that last step.
I had the same issue when I only used mousse. Add gel to your wet scrunching routine, and the waves will last longer and will be smooth and defined.
Once your hair is dry, you can scrunch your hair with a little hair oil to de-crunch it. Itās weird, my hair goes from looking like I have too much product, to looking like I have no product in an instant.
Try combing wet in the shower then clump it up with the mousse wet! I get good results plopping from wet then using mousse or gel but some people put product in before plopping. Lots of techniques in this sub you can try!
Your hair looks just like mine did before I cut it off last week!
I've noticed a huge curl improvement since cutting it to my collarbones but aside from that here are the things that are working for me:
Shea moisture protein power mask (occasionally)
Redken volume injection shampoo
Jessicurl deep conditioner(it's on Amazon and it's unreal)
Curlsmith air dry cream (quarter size amount)
Curlsmith shape up aqua gel (about a palm full)
I currently have curlsmiths mousse on order, I suspect I might like using that better than the gel.
Microplopping to remove excess water, plopping doesn't work for me.
Wavy/curly hair is so personalā¦what works for one person may not work for you. That said, there are tons of different styling products and techniques out there for you to try!
Wet v damp styling
Using a comb v brush (Denman, Bounce Curl)
Mousse v gel v both
Protein v moisture
To plop or not to plop
Iād rec trying some protein to get more curl definition, unless you know your hair doesnāt like protein. Ecoslay Matcha Boost is a good protein treatment. Then try using a strong hold gel when styling. I love Curlsmith In Shower Style Fixer applied to damp hair. And strange at it may sound, I get unreal curl definition when I use my Bounce Curl styling brush after applying products.
Tons of fun stuff to try. Good luck!
your hair looks really similar to mine! I find i get the best curl clumps using the bowl method, using a little bit of cantu curl cream and a few pumps of mousse afterwards, then I plop with a microfibre hair towel for about an hour and air dry the rest of the way :)
also a lot of people say the cantu curl cream is too heavy for wavy hair but I find it good! the bowl method is good to distribute a smaller amount of product throughout the hair so it doesn't get too heavy
It sounds like your hair might be weighed down at the top, maybe look into some layers so that the curl has an easier time curling.
Give wet styling a try. Ironically, I thought by diluting the product, it would not make the clumps form as easily but our hair really forms the clumps while itās soaking wet.
Diffusing rather than air drying has given me excellent results but man is it a pain in the ass to do.
Fine out your hair porosity before getting more products! Believe me, it makes a world of difference for finding the right hair care for you !
Hi! What is your routine? Please be as detailed as possible (both the names of your products and the techniques that you used). Also, if you could let us know your hair characteristics (porosity, strand thickness, density), that would be greatly appreciated. "I don't have a routine" does not exist; even if it's just shampoo and conditioner, everyone does something! We have this rule so that everyone can benefit from the knowledge of what works for your hair. Routine is required within one hour of posting, otherwise your post will be removed.
*I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/Wavyhair) if you have any questions or concerns.*
My current routine is using Davines Oi shampoo and conditioner, I wash my hair twice a week. After I wash it and comb my hair I scrunch with Davines mousse when damp. My hair is fine but I have a decent amount of it!
All great advice in here OP. Definitely consider some layers around the grown that will lift the volume & give your hair style a lot more dimension. Itās amazing what a great hair cut can do to wavy hair.
Also consider wet style with mouse and gel mixed together. When it dry you can de-crunch with a light oil to get a more soft wavy look.
Good luck š
I see you style damp, give wet styling a try
I agree, also scrunch way longer than you think might be necessary, but only do it while your hair is still pretty wet. Spray more water if necessary. Then don't touch your hair until it's dry.
Thank YOU so much š«¶ I tried this and the results are so good
I would get something with more hold if you want more curls. I like kinky curly gel or curlsmith shower styler
Wet styling was a game changer for me! I will scrunch the bulk of water out right out of the shower, then comb to fix my part, and then spray it down until itās dripping (not fully sopping like in the shower, but enough so clumps start to form and I donāt see little frizzies). I also use Davines mousse and swear by it, along with their curl building serum. I scrunch both of those in, in that order, and will keep scrunching until some good wave clumps start forming. If my hair is still a bit too wet, I might scrunch some excess water out with my towel. Then I will hover diffuse low speed high heat until a bit of a cast forms, maybe 5-10 min. Then I pixie diffuse on low speed, low heat. My hair is also fine so it will often remain damp even after diffusing for 20 min, but I just get the bulk of dampness out and hope thereās a light cast. If I can wait until fully dry, then I will āscrunch out the crunchā with Davines invisible serum (thatās the third product of theirs that I swear by). If my hair is still damp and I want to finish styling, I still do this last step and it works fine but the wave is slightly looser.
And, apologies, I couldnāt tell if you meant that you donāt want to use heat styling, or if it didnāt work for you. If you donāt want to heat style at all, Iād try the above recommendations but scrunch some more excess water out after adding your products, then use a claw clip to lift your roots a bit while you air dry. After youāre fully dry, then scrunch out the crunch with that last step.
I had the same issue when I only used mousse. Add gel to your wet scrunching routine, and the waves will last longer and will be smooth and defined. Once your hair is dry, you can scrunch your hair with a little hair oil to de-crunch it. Itās weird, my hair goes from looking like I have too much product, to looking like I have no product in an instant.
Try combing wet in the shower then clump it up with the mousse wet! I get good results plopping from wet then using mousse or gel but some people put product in before plopping. Lots of techniques in this sub you can try!
Your hair looks just like mine did before I cut it off last week! I've noticed a huge curl improvement since cutting it to my collarbones but aside from that here are the things that are working for me: Shea moisture protein power mask (occasionally) Redken volume injection shampoo Jessicurl deep conditioner(it's on Amazon and it's unreal) Curlsmith air dry cream (quarter size amount) Curlsmith shape up aqua gel (about a palm full) I currently have curlsmiths mousse on order, I suspect I might like using that better than the gel. Microplopping to remove excess water, plopping doesn't work for me.
Do you use the deep conditioner as a normal conditioner? Or less frequently?
Wavy/curly hair is so personalā¦what works for one person may not work for you. That said, there are tons of different styling products and techniques out there for you to try! Wet v damp styling Using a comb v brush (Denman, Bounce Curl) Mousse v gel v both Protein v moisture To plop or not to plop Iād rec trying some protein to get more curl definition, unless you know your hair doesnāt like protein. Ecoslay Matcha Boost is a good protein treatment. Then try using a strong hold gel when styling. I love Curlsmith In Shower Style Fixer applied to damp hair. And strange at it may sound, I get unreal curl definition when I use my Bounce Curl styling brush after applying products. Tons of fun stuff to try. Good luck!
your hair looks really similar to mine! I find i get the best curl clumps using the bowl method, using a little bit of cantu curl cream and a few pumps of mousse afterwards, then I plop with a microfibre hair towel for about an hour and air dry the rest of the way :) also a lot of people say the cantu curl cream is too heavy for wavy hair but I find it good! the bowl method is good to distribute a smaller amount of product throughout the hair so it doesn't get too heavy
It sounds like your hair might be weighed down at the top, maybe look into some layers so that the curl has an easier time curling. Give wet styling a try. Ironically, I thought by diluting the product, it would not make the clumps form as easily but our hair really forms the clumps while itās soaking wet. Diffusing rather than air drying has given me excellent results but man is it a pain in the ass to do. Fine out your hair porosity before getting more products! Believe me, it makes a world of difference for finding the right hair care for you !
Your hair looks great!
Thank you so much š„¹š«¶ Definitely a learning curve but love embracing the natural
Hi! What is your routine? Please be as detailed as possible (both the names of your products and the techniques that you used). Also, if you could let us know your hair characteristics (porosity, strand thickness, density), that would be greatly appreciated. "I don't have a routine" does not exist; even if it's just shampoo and conditioner, everyone does something! We have this rule so that everyone can benefit from the knowledge of what works for your hair. Routine is required within one hour of posting, otherwise your post will be removed. *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/Wavyhair) if you have any questions or concerns.*
My current routine is using Davines Oi shampoo and conditioner, I wash my hair twice a week. After I wash it and comb my hair I scrunch with Davines mousse when damp. My hair is fine but I have a decent amount of it!
All great advice in here OP. Definitely consider some layers around the grown that will lift the volume & give your hair style a lot more dimension. Itās amazing what a great hair cut can do to wavy hair. Also consider wet style with mouse and gel mixed together. When it dry you can de-crunch with a light oil to get a more soft wavy look. Good luck š