How do I get fast, easy waves?

[oOoAMANDAoOo]

I see so many of you ladies with light waves in your hair. How do you get them? I want something quick & easy, and I obviously don't want to use heat. I'm not opposed to using a light product, but I can't seem to get it right. I've tried buns on damp hair, braids... nothing seems to give me the result I'm looking for.

Please help! My hair is almost hip length, average thickness and fine in texture. (Need to update my profile pic.)

Thanks!!

[Ferryl]

Hmm.. braid curls usually work for me. You didn't specify if what results you are after that your previous attempts did not achieve. Maybe look into ragcurls.
TorrinPaige has a vid of one of the ragcurl methods: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p1ZgOhopgL8

[oOoAMANDAoOo]

Hmm.. braid curls usually work for me. You didn't specify if what results you are after that your previous attempts did not achieve. Maybe look into ragcurls.
TorrinPaige has a vid of one of the ragcurl methods: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p1ZgOhopgL8

I want more waves, not curls. In the pictures I've seen they look like from braids maybe? I just need something quick that I can do after I shower with damp hair.

I'm going to look and see if I can find some photos of the look I'm trying to get.

[FallingDarkness]

Maybe do two Dutch braids in your hair when it's still damp?

[FallingDarkness]

My hair is naturally wavy so I don't need to necessarily enhance my waves...

[tigress86]

I can't seem to find the Youtube tutorial for this method that worked great for me when I had long hair, so I'll try to explain the best I can. Basically you section your almost dry hair into big sections - one top section and 2-3 bottom sections. You twist each section and then roll it loosely around a large flexi rod. It should give very light, beachy waves.

[ExpectoPatronum]

Back before I embraced the fact that my hair is wurly on its own, I'd use one dutch braid to get soft waves throughout my hair. I'd get out of the shower, apply a little oil, and braid while it was wet/damp. The key is to not take it out until your hair is completely dry, which can be a pain if your hair is kind of thick like mine and takes hours to dry.

[Nadine <3]

I either just let my hair dry into it's natural wave, or I stick it into a damp bun or braid. My hair is so thin that braid waves on me look crimped so I usually just put it in a damp bun. When I take it down I have lovely spirally waves.

[ositarosita]

My hair is naturally 3a/b so I stretch my hair to get waves, I do that with buns, flat twists, double or trips braids.

[Komao]

I just put in French braid with hair damp, sleep overnight and wallah lots of braid waves. :o

[Robot Ninja]

Bandana curls, like these. (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OnasZvqPh8Q) If you use thicker strips of cloth you will get bigger waves.

A lot of the waves you see on LHC are natural though.

[lapushka]

Back before I embraced the fact that my hair is wurly on its own, I'd use one dutch braid to get soft waves throughout my hair. I'd get out of the shower, apply a little oil, and braid while it was wet/damp. The key is to not take it out until your hair is completely dry, which can be a pain if your hair is kind of thick like mine and takes hours to dry.

Oh gosh, never braid when it's soaking wet or that damp. Wait until your hair is airdried to about 80/90% dry and then braid.

[Seeshami]

Argan oil before a tight braid.

[Nadine <3]

Oh gosh, never braid when it's soaking wet or that damp. Wait until your hair is airdried to about 80/90% dry and then braid.


Why? I braid my hair wet quite often and as long as you're careful and not braiding to tight I think it's fine but YMMV

[BrunetteMermaid]

I also braid while wet. No problems here so far, except instead of one braid I double up for my fine hair. *shrugs* Whatever works though, right?

[oOoAMANDAoOo]

Thank you all! You guys always have the best suggestions & tips. :heart:

[mikalina]

I started doing overnight braids for damage control while I sleep, but have come to find it gives my hair lovely waves in the morning.

My hair takes a long time to dry so I always start with dry hair for my bedtime routine. I spray my hair with my "hair perfume" mix of water and essential oils, to make just dewy, not damp. I apply a generous amount of almond oil to the body and ends, and secure the hair with soft fabric ties in two braids. In the morning my hair is happily nourished, wavy and smells so good!

[Entangled]

Why? I braid my hair wet quite often and as long as you're careful and not braiding to tight I think it's fine but YMMV

Lupushka'a hair's a lot thicker than yours and a lot closer to mine, so I think it has something to do with thickness; if I braid my hair wet, it will still be wet 24 hours later.

[missfaroe]

I find that a single rope braid gives my hair beautiful soft waves 😊

[lapushka]

Why? I braid my hair wet quite often and as long as you're careful and not braiding to tight I think it's fine but YMMV

Why not? Because it will take much much longer to dry when you tie it up wet. :)

[lapushka]

Lupushka'a hair's a lot thicker than yours and a lot closer to mine, so I think it has something to do with thickness; if I braid my hair wet, it will still be wet 24 hours later.

Yep! Yepyepyep. It will just *not* dry tied up that wet.

[Pamala513]

I spray it with water and scrunch it, let it dry and then when I lightly brush, I have waves

[gwenalyn]

Oh gosh, never braid when it's soaking wet or that damp. Wait until your hair is airdried to about 80/90% dry and then braid.

Hee hee. If I don't try to heatstyle while my hair is at least damp, the results are always uneven and wonky. Then it takes 24 hours to dry. :rolleyes:

[WhimsicalWillow]

I braid it and then it gives me waves. I just do a regular braid but I am looking for more ideas to get it even wavier looking! Oh no... does hair get damaged when it is braided wet?

[endlessly]

My method gives me crazy waves and is my go-to for styling because it's pretty foolproof. I section my hair in half (like pigtails), then do 3 English braids on each side of my head (6 total), and then braid all 6 together for the night. In the morning, I loosen and lightly comb them out (gives it a bit more volume). I typically don't use any product when I braid my hair this way and the one time I tried it with a sea salt spray, I ended up getting the same results. They also tend to last about 2-3 days for me before I need to re-braid using this method.

[noludoru]

Oh gosh, never braid when it's soaking wet or that damp. Wait until your hair is airdried to about 80/90% dry and then braid.

Why do you post stuff like this!? Every time I read your posts in an advice thread, I end up scratching my head. You post advice as though it's flat-out LAW based on one single hair type with no admission that it might work fine for 90% of the board. Just, NOPE, I can't do it so you can't either. Or NOPE that's a bad idea, don't do it - with no explanation of why you're even saying that. In a recent thread of mine your only input was that I shouldn't dye my hair to grow it longer, which actually works for a lot of people. And wasn't what I was saying at all! It's baffling.


Yep! Yepyepyep. It will just *not* dry tied up that wet.

Actually, yes, it can. Yes. It can. We even just went over this in the thread. Your hair type and length determined whether your hair will dry, and so does your climate! I moved from a humid climate to a desert climate, and you can braid THICK waist length hair while wet and it will dry. Where you're at and length and type of hair will determine these factors for each individual, not your specific situation and hair type.

It doesn't add much to the forums if you give people black and white advice (DO/DO NOT/CAN'T) without taking in their individual situations. Something that doesn't work for you might work very well for the rest of us.

[lapushka]

Why do you post stuff like this!? Every time I read your posts in an advice thread, I end up scratching my head. You post advice as though it's flat-out LAW based on one single hair type with no admission that it might work fine for 90% of the board. Just, NOPE, I can't do it so you can't either. Or NOPE that's a bad idea, don't do it - with no explanation of why you're even saying that. In a recent thread of mine your only input was that I shouldn't dye my hair to grow it longer, which actually works for a lot of people. And wasn't what I was saying at all! It's baffling.



Actually, yes, it can. Yes. It can. We even just went over this in the thread. Your hair type and length determined whether your hair will dry, and so does your climate! I moved from a humid climate to a desert climate, and you can braid THICK waist length hair while wet and it will dry. Where you're at and length and type of hair will determine these factors for each individual, not your specific situation and hair type.

It doesn't add much to the forums if you give people black and white advice (DO/DO NOT/CAN'T) without taking in their individual situations. Something that doesn't work for you might work very well for the rest of us.

Feel free to put me on "ignore", but this is uncalled for!

[Seeshami]

Why do you post stuff like this!? Every time I read your posts in an advice thread, I end up scratching my head. You post advice as though it's flat-out LAW based on one single hair type with no admission that it might work fine for 90% of the board. Just, NOPE, I can't do it so you can't either. Or NOPE that's a bad idea, don't do it - with no explanation of why you're even saying that. In a recent thread of mine your only input was that I shouldn't dye my hair to grow it longer, which actually works for a lot of people. And wasn't what I was saying at all! It's baffling.



Actually, yes, it can. Yes. It can. We even just went over this in the thread. Your hair type and length determined whether your hair will dry, and so does your climate! I moved from a humid climate to a desert climate, and you can braid THICK waist length hair while wet and it will dry. Where you're at and length and type of hair will determine these factors for each individual, not your specific situation and hair type.

It doesn't add much to the forums if you give people black and white advice (DO/DO NOT/CAN'T) without taking in their individual situations. Something that doesn't work for you might work very well for the rest of us.

None of the advice lapushka commented on will work for me. My hair won't dry in a loose bun and I do not live in a humid climate. It has to be down to dry in any semblance of speed.

Yes hair types are different and opinions are too but just because there's a difference doesn't mean one is right or wrong. If I didn't know better and hadn't seen her post I could have ruined plans for wavy hair because I tried something for thin hair. Her advice isn't bad, her opinion isn't invalid. Its just not catered to everyone. No one even commented on my advice does that make it crap?

[neko_kawaii]

I find a damp paranda braid gives big waves all the way to the tips, otherwise I have small waves and wonky ends.

Some advice is very specific to hair type and not everyone remembers to put in the YMMV disclaimer. If I braided my hair (for waves) at 80-90% dry it would have hardly any effect. My hair will however dry in a braid/bun, it just takes longer.

[Lauraes]

None of the advice lapushka commented on will work for me. My hair won't dry in a loose bun and I do not live in a humid climate. It has to be down to dry in any semblance of speed.

Yes hair types are different and opinions are too but just because there's a difference doesn't mean one is right or wrong. If I didn't know better and hadn't seen her post I could have ruined plans for wavy hair because I tried something for thin hair. Her advice isn't bad, her opinion isn't invalid. Its just not catered to everyone. No one even commented on my advice does that make it crap?
My hair won't dry in a wet braid (or bun) either. I found that out the hard way when I had to blow dry my hair after taking it down because it was still soaking wet.

[cat11]

splitting the hair in to four sections and then braiding them with moderate tension- or even loosely- will give you many waves(if your hair i slike mine, fine strands, holds shapes well)! Do it 70-80% percent damp! I dry my hair this way to prevent tangles and it leaves a very nice wave pattern but like others if I do it wet or mostly wet it wont dry, same for buns. damp buns give me horrid tangles. I have fine but very thick hair.


edit: when anybody gives advice you can look at their hair type on the side under their avatar to judge if what worked for them will prolly work for you. Thats why its there.

Anything ANYBODY says is opinion and based on their experience. lapushka tried to help using her experience, if someone took that to be law they were being quite ignorant! What person's word is law? What kind advice isnt based on prior knowledge? Lapushka's attacker (whos name i cant remember, because they havent been around helping people as much as Lapushka tries to) needs to follow knit.

[georgia_peach]

snip...


edit: when anybody gives advice you can look at their hair type on the side under their avatar to judge if what worked for them will prolly work for you. Thats why its there.

Anything ANYBODY says is opinion and based on their experience. lapushka tried to help using her experience, if someone took that to be law they were being quite ignorant! What person's word is law? What kind advice isnt based on prior knowledge? Lapushka's attacker (whos name i cant remember, because they havent been around helping people as much as Lapushka tries to) needs to follow knit.
Agreed. I appreciate a confident response. And it's my responsibility to determine what, if any, of the advice I will use.

[Chromis]

Oh gosh, never braid when it's soaking wet or that damp. Wait until your hair is airdried to about 80/90% dry and then braid.

My hair is similar to hers and I braid it or put it up wet most washes. Works just fine! I'd go nutty if I waited until it was that close to being dry. Different strokes, different folks.

[Entangled]

My hair has just enough natural wave to dry wonky and to make my mom tell me to run a brush through it if I let it clump, as it doesn't look nearly wavy enough. If I put it up wet, it will be wet 24 hours or more later, so I wait until it's mostly dry. My hair is usually vaguely wavy as I braid it every night and it stays enough to show, but not enough to to be defined.

[lapushka]

My hair is similar to hers and I braid it or put it up wet most washes. Works just fine! I'd go nutty if I waited until it was that close to being dry. Different strokes, different folks.

Very true! :) Don't say I don't agree with that. ;)

[lapushka]

Anything ANYBODY says is opinion and based on their experience. lapushka tried to help using her experience, if someone took that to be law they were being quite ignorant! What person's word is law? What kind advice isnt based on prior knowledge? Lapushka's attacker (whos name i cant remember, because they havent been around helping people as much as Lapushka tries to) needs to follow knit.

Thank you so much for saying that. :flower: I really appreciate it (and the responses of other people who have come to my rescue). I don't think my word is law, at all, in fact if that poster would have looked at prior responses, I do sometimes say YMMV. But you can't always say that. I mean... there'd be no end.

[vpatt]

Thanks so much for all the advice! I love those bandana waves and torrins rag curls. Not sure how they will work on my much shorter hair, but I will try them because I have decided to live now instead of in the future...lol....I have done this with a lot of things in life. Waiting for things to happen. Some of you know what I mean.....have to save the good China for special occasions.....can't buy new clothes until all the weight is lost.....no cool hairstyles until it is waist length. Not everyone does this, of course. But I have often caught myself suspended in time. But with the help of all the great advice here I will not do it this time. So many good shorter styles I am going to try.

[missrandie]

When my hair was longer ( apl-bsl), I would use my Aussie spray gel and scrunch my hair into waves when it was 90% dry or so. Then I would have to leave it be, because once I brushed it it went back to virtually straight.

I was always able to get a good body wave out of a bun, too. Again, usually worked best with a light gel.

[FuzzyBlackWaves]

My waves are natural but I can change the pattern by leaving it in a braid overnight. Tight braids makes tight waves and loose braids make loose waves. I also tend to use a large claw clip to keep my hair out of my face and that makes big, bouncy waves.