Wavy Hair...How Do You Style?

[Maelyssa]

I'm curious to know what those of you who don't quite have those bouncy spiral curls but don't have hair that lies smooth & flat either do to style your hair once it's dry to wear it down.
I ask because when my own hair dries I tend to have about half of my hair that has a nice wave to it...very close to a curl than the other half of it tends to be nearly straight & limp.
If I comb or brush it out the almost straight ones go total frizz & it ruins the look.
If I leave it alone it looks like I just rolled out of bed after sleeping for 3 days straight.
I'm really trying to avoid styling products but are there any techniques I may be missing?
I have tried to do braid waves but I find that it takes so long for them to dry I have to be braided literally for almost 2 days straight then my scalp gets funky.

Any suggestions I may be missing?

[RancheroTheBee]

Eh. I tried to avoid styling products, but until it's long enough, I need to rely on gel.

[spidermom]

I like to blow-dry mine very gently on warm and cool because it becomes much smoother, less grabby. I think I get less damage after blow-drying it because I don't have to fight with so many tangles.

I also like to apply aloe vera gel and twirl my hair around my fingers while it's drying because it brings out the best of my wave and curl, although I still have straight areas, and it looks messy in a sexy, just rolled out of bed way. Of course then I fight with tangles so it's usually not worth it.

[adventuring]

About the braid waves: do you braid it when it's wet or when it's damp? Waiting until it's almost dry, dampening it just a touch, braiding it and then sleeping with that in always works for me.

[Nat242]

I wear my hair up most of the time, but if I'm going to wear it down I usually dry my hair in a braid or in a bun. As my hair has some natural wave to it, drying it in a braid/bun creates a uniform wave pattern that lasts at least a couple of days (I wash every couple of days). I don't use any styling product.

Different braids/buns result in different wave patterns.

ETA: Yes, as adventuring said, don't braid/bun your hair when it's still soaked. Wait until it's almost dry - or you can work with completely dry hair; just mist it.

Mine takes on wave patterns even if I bun/braid it when it's completely dry, so you could try that.

[Forever_Sophie]

I use a leave-in (ABBA Nourishing/Pure Gentle now, I think it's called), and Proclaim's glosser from Sally's in damp hair. When it dries and I comb it, I get smooth waves, even the next day after it's been braided overnight. Hope this helps a bit :)

[mira-chan]

I hardly wear it down, but if I want waves that are definitely even then I hood plop them (dry hair in a hood not hanging down) or braid it overnight then undo and let it dry the rest of the way.

[Euphony]

If I'm wearing my hair down I will either comb it immediately after I take it out of the drying towel and then pull the canopy into a barrette or bun the canopy or something of the sort. Doing that gives me some ringlets at the bottom of my hair. Or if I want all my hair down I'll comb it before the towel touches it after I wash it then I'll plop it for at least a half hour, take the towel off and allow it to air dry the rest of the way. Doing that gives me very defined waves, almost ropey.

Either way I go with it I cannot comb it at all during the time I want it to look like 'whatever', if I do the wave gets disrupted and I have wave fighting against wave and my hair gets frizzy looking. Second day hair I can comb and go, by that time my wave is around 1c/2a so it's much tamer.

[SheWolf]

My avatar pic is NOT my everyday look: only my hairstylist can achieve that, lol.
Lately, I've been rocking the wild cave woman look: air dried, layers all over the place, the crazier the better, because I have not felt like dealing with my hair at all, these past few days.

[Firefly]

If I want to really encourage the wavies, I don't comb at all in the shower or afterwards... just scrunch a little Aloe Vera gel into it and let it air dry from soaking wet (with a towel on my back for a while). Otherwise I comb it out after I shower, and damp bun it. I get a very nice uniform wave pattern that way. For the first time the other night I tried French braiding while still damp, right before bed. I had the most amazing waves the next day!

[zombi]

To get the best out of the waves I have, I fold it up (not twist it, fold it. um?) and just pin it for a while until it's MOSTLY dry, then let it out and dry the rest of the way.

[Firefly]

How long is your hair? I forgot to mention that (at least for me) length made a difference. When it was BSL I could NOT damp bun or I got what looked like a bunch of cowlicks on the back of my head. Experiment-- you'll find what works for you. :)

[Teacherbear]

I wear my hair up a lot. When I wear it down, I like to do everything I can to encourage the curls: misting, scrunching, and not brushing/combing until I'm done wearing my hair down.

[wackyredtangles]

If I put my hair in two french braids. I always forget what they're called, when you part your hair down the middle and french braid each side. Do that until its mostly dry, but not all the way. Then put some mouse in to fluff it up a bit, and just a tiny bit of gel on the ends to keep it from getting frizzy.

[atlantaz3]

I feel your pain, my crown hair is almost totally straight whereas the under layers have very nice waves. I blow dry straight about once a week. Every so often I let it go natural and think I look like witchy woman. A half up pony shows off the under waves when I let it go. You could try braid waves when damp to try and even out the waves.

[Arctic_Mama]

If I wear it down I don't really style - to make it like my avatar I don't comb or touch it with any product, otherwise I comb it and leave it or spritz and scrunch after combing to bring the wave out more.

[peachrose]

I always braid my hair when it is damp after conditioning and oiling and about 2 days later (yes, thats how long it takes for my hair to dry) I undo the braid and wear it in braid waves.

[Chanterelle]

I wear it down all the time.
If I'm in a hurry I slightly straighten it with a blowdrier and a brush.
If I'm not in a hurry and want to enhance my curls (which doesn't happen too often, LOL) I towel dry it, comb it while still wet, slightly sqeeze, apply some spray leave-in conditioner and leave it to dry without touching it. When it's completely dry I gently comb it.

[teela1978]

I'm not very wavy, and if I comb my hair out while damp and keep fingercombing till dry it stays pretty straightish. That's what I've been doing lately. Doesn't work so great on super-humid days, but it gives a semi-consistent look that doesn't take any styling.

For waves that look good I have to scrunch in product, plop in a t-shirt for a bit, re-scrunch, maybe add more product, etc... too much effort.

[AnnaMarie]

After I wash I leave my hair loose to air dry till my hair is 80% dry, then I divide my hair into pigtails, twist the hair as though I was going to put it in a bun then pin the twists over my head as you would with a crown braid. I'll leave it like that till its completely dry, overnight is best. The when I take it down in the morning I just break up the twists and gently comb it with a wide toothed comb (although it does look nice uncombed as well if you want spiral curls). That gives me nice smooth waves without any product at all. The pic in my avatar and also in my signiture is my hair styled in that way. HTH :)

[manderly]

See the link in my siggy. I personally hate braidwaves. I also can't stand anything that makes waves but leaves the ends straightish. Makes them look damaged (which they are) to me.

I also do a loose low pony (not secured) split in two and gently wrap the length (like a rope braid with no twisting). The tighter you twist, tighter waves, looser you twist, looser waves.

Generally in the morning I comb or finger comb (which always leaves my ends all straight and ugly) and just make pigtails, wet my hands well, and scrunch the last 2 inches or so of my hair and don't touch. Brings back the wave to the end of my hair without having to spray everythign down.

To really get curly, I CO and scrunch and don't touch. Photo of that in my profile.

HTH.

[Maelyssa]

About the braid waves: do you braid it when it's wet or when it's damp? Waiting until it's almost dry, dampening it just a touch, braiding it and then sleeping with that in always works for me.



Well talk about feeling like a goof...why did it never occur to me to wait until my hair was almost dry and THEN braid it?! LOL
That's one I'm going to have to try out.

[Maelyssa]

I like to blow-dry mine very gently on warm and cool because it becomes much smoother, less grabby. I think I get less damage after blow-drying it because I don't have to fight with so many tangles.

I also like to apply aloe vera gel and twirl my hair around my fingers while it's drying because it brings out the best of my wave and curl, although I still have straight areas, and it looks messy in a sexy, just rolled out of bed way. Of course then I fight with tangles so it's usually not worth it.


See I absolutely LOVE LOVE LOVE how your hair looks in your pic...is that the look you get when you do the blowdrying? When you blowdry to you use your hand or do you use a comb or brush to run through the hair...also is it safe to assume that the cool setting doesn't damage the hair?

[Maelyssa]

I hardly wear it down, but if I want waves that are definitely even then I hood plop them (dry hair in a hood not hanging down) or braid it overnight then undo and let it dry the rest of the way.


A few of you ladies are mentioning plopping but I haven't really experimented with it. I think it's time I do some more research on it & give it a good try out. :D

[Maelyssa]

Thanks so much for the info everyone. My hair is just past waist so I think that maybe the weigh is contributing to the problem a bit but I'm going to try out some of your suggestions.
In case you haven't noticed I'm still getting the hang of replying to your specific posts...I know that I can do one post that handles it all but I couldn't seem to get it to work so sorry for the fourish posts but I am trying.
I'd put up a pic for my profile. I'm actually desperately trying to figure out how to work my guy's digital camera but since I'm afraid to mess it up I can't seem to get the flash off so I can do a good bathroom shot so you can have an idea of my crazy hair. LOL

[Sheltie_Momma]

I do a scrunchie bun on wet hair being certain to get the ends caught up in the scrunchie. I use a big soft velvetty schrunchie. I am careful to fold the front side pieces (where I still have layers) into the bun to where they will both dry in the same pattern. I don't know if that makes sense but what I mean is I don't like it to end up where one side flips up clockwise and the other flips under counterclockwise after it is dry. I like it both ways but both sides need to match in my opinion which won't happen if you just twist up a regular pony tail.


I wash in the morning and wear the bun to work, when I get home - about 12 hours later and take it down it will be nearly dry and have nice waves and not be frizzy and the ends will be nice and not straight which shows off my damage in a bad way.

[Boudicca]

I generally just plait while wet. To avoid straight ends, I just twist the ends around my finger for a few second to make a corkscrew and then let go. The ends will then retain the corkscrew shape.

If I want ringlet curls, then I put it into a ponytail when wet and then twist the entire length of the pony tail. My hair holds the twist and then when it's dry I finger cob it lightly and you get Austen-y curls.

If I let it dry itself and don't do anything, then I look like a banshee. Crazy hair.

[Elenna]

All the above, I found that a good pre-conditioner is a must too; otherwise, my hair gets frizzy, but putting up and drying hair in a bun results in nice waves.

[GeoJ]

If I want my waviness to look it's best for wearing down, I CO wash and then let it dry untouched. This only happens a couple of times per year. Brushing always makes my hair frizzy and poofy, so I stopped doing it a few years ago.

My daughter has waist-length slightly wavy / almost straight hair on the top portion, but curls on the ends, so braid waves look great on her because the ends are curly.

:)

:)

[Bunnyhare]

I let my hair dry until just damp and then make several mini buns-twisties, usually about 7, on my head..this gives me an even arge wave look all over and adds full ness. I twist the buns upward so that the final twist is sitting on top of my head. It does take longer to dry but it looks nice. Do not brush when you let them down! just finger comb into the shape you want. I have done this with about 12 little buns and it is WAY too much for my liking! Kinda like a clown wig!Have fun finding the right way for you!

[JamieLeigh]

I don't apply products to mine anymore after washing, not even leave-ins. I finally figured out that cones were making my hair limp and flat, and that cone-free gave me my best waves. Even the leave-ins were coney so I had to put them down too, if I wanted mega-wave.

[K_Angel]

****bump****

[WittyWordsmith]

I'm another that won't comb when it's wet. I may finger-comb just a bit to correct anything going the entirely wrong direction, but that's it.

I plop and scrunch with aloe gel, then if necessary I smooth with the tiniest bit of jojoba oil.

On Day 2, I do a heavy mist with my leave-in (Suave sun-kissed strawberry diluted in an 8 oz spray bottle) and I re-scrunch to define the waves better for the day and get rid of the bed-head look.

[rena]

Using Garnier Fructise Triple Nutrition conditioner as a leave-in on freshly washed hair allows me to to comb it after its dry and not get frizz, but it all depends if you're willing to sit and wait for your hair to dry without touching.

[BranwenWolf]

If I want a bit more curl I put it in two sections, run some water on my hands to dampen it and do a twisted cinnabun and leave that in for at least a couple hours.
Otherwise I let it style itself. Judging by my other thread, people like waves!


ETA: I wash before bed and have it dry overnight, absolutely no combing or styling till it's dry.

[growingpains]

I find what products I use to wash are important inputs for styling. Personally cone free allows for more wurl and volume and more uniform to the wurls/waves I have.

I too DO NOT touch while drying. I only learnt this a month or so ago but it's the best solution ever to what I previously thought was straightish hair with frizz that just wouldn't cooperate. In fact, I possible need to change my hair type to straight up 2a, but need to take another typing photo.

Anyhoo, ya, no touching while drying. Once dry finger comb then wide tooth comb. I often boar bristle brush after all well for a more uniform wavey look. I mean, I could in theory not comb at all and have more "curl" but the reality is: I'm not curly and I need to accept that. If I brush it out when dry I get great wave, that fades naturally into volumous yet straighter hair over the next few days. I can actually go three days down this way:)

At any point if I want a sleeker more polished look I slightly moisten the length with a spray bottle of water or by running wet hands over the hair and bun (I actually find two buns works best for this. One higher on the head and another directly below it). Leaving a bun or two in for 30 mins gives great loose waves to my hair all day; if I leave in for a full day I get genuine bouncy curls for a solid day.

Braid waves wreck my hair and destroy my curl patter without leaving much of anything other than an 80s fallen out permed look in their place so I pretty much avoid braids for styling purposes but do use them sometimes to hide oil in my hair or as an alternative protective do.

A little oiling on my hair helps create a sleeker look too:)

Oh LHC how I love you.

[growingpains]

Rena, I love that you have an Anne of Green Gables avatar:)

[K_Angel]

Just last night I gave the "no touch" theory a try and was surprised at how different my hair was. I still woke up with bed head that never looked better even after finger combing... but still... it was so different and the waves were so defined. It surprised me.

I wonder if I need to buy a BBB? Would that make such a difference?

[Mesmerise]

I need to try NO TOUCH... I think I have found a solution for the frizzlies...and that is to slather my hair in flax seed gel (which has a bit of coconut oil in it...warmed to mix in the oil) and then let it dry. BUT I need to NOT TOUCH it lol... Still today my hair is less frizzy than usual, and that's a HUGE improvement.

[rena]

Rena, I love that you have an Anne of Green Gables avatar:)

Thanks :).

[knoxkatie]

Normally I just mist with my spray bottle and let it dry without touching it.

Sometimes at night I make two cinnabuns (twisting away from my face) at the nape of my neck and secure them with WET scrunchies. I wake up with loose curls at the ends.

[K_Angel]

Normally I just mist with my spray bottle and let it dry without touching it.

Sometimes at night I make two cinnabuns (twisting away from my face) at the nape of my neck and secure them with WET scrunchies. I wake up with loose curls at the ends.

I think I'm going to have to get a little more serious about my plans for a mist-er bottle. :)

[Katze]

Wow, none of what other people mention works for me at all. My hair is frizzy, is many multiple layers because of regrowth, and has stringy, thin ends. Besides that, I have fine, almost-straight hair at the crown and m-thickness, spiral curls (read: almost nappy!) at my nape.

Hair gel or mousse (aveda) is the ONLY thing that works for me for BOTH updos and hair down. Otherwise my hair looks messy, and I look unkempt and dowdier than I already am.

When I first came here I tried to style my hair 'naturally' but for my situation it is not possible to get tidy-looking hair.

Today I have my relatively freshly-washed (monday night) hair in a lazy wrap bun held with three big claw clips and an elastic, and I brushed it flat and then put Aveda Phomollient mousse in it. Apart from my nape-nap, the rest is holding.

I often mix my gel or mousse with leave-in to get some extra conditioning (on the length only).

Your descriptions of your hair sound a lot like mine!

[longhairdntcare]

I don't use any products except for leave in conditioners. I either let it dry down or swirl it up and pin it on top of my head with two spin pins.

[Firefly]

Wow, none of what other people mention works for me at all. My hair is frizzy, is many multiple layers because of regrowth, and has stringy, thin ends. Besides that, I have fine, almost-straight hair at the crown and m-thickness, spiral curls (read: almost nappy!) at my nape.

Hair gel or mousse (aveda) is the ONLY thing that works for me for BOTH updos and hair down. Otherwise my hair looks messy, and I look unkempt and dowdier than I already am.

When I first came here I tried to style my hair 'naturally' but for my situation it is not possible to get tidy-looking hair.

Today I have my relatively freshly-washed (monday night) hair in a lazy wrap bun held with three big claw clips and an elastic, and I brushed it flat and then put Aveda Phomollient mousse in it. Apart from my nape-nap, the rest is holding.

I often mix my gel or mousse with leave-in to get some extra conditioning (on the length only).

Your descriptions of your hair sound a lot like mine!

Katze, I seem to have the same struggle. I have tried and tried and tried to get my hair to look good sporting my natural waves. It always winds up looking unkempt. I'm still working on it, but in the meantime-- I recently discovered hair wrapping to straighten my hair without heat (sig picture). I actually had almost an entire week where I loved my hair! It was such a great feeling. I want to get to the point where I feel that way about my hair when I wear it wavy, but that seems like a long way off. Sigh...

[SoulOfTheSea]

Sounds exactly like my hair! I was the same way, completely frustrated!! but I discovered a technique.. and it took me years! When I wash, I do it in the afternoon. Then when I go to sleep I leave it down. Then the next day it's still frizzy and dry feeling, so i put it in a rope braid pony with some jojoba oil and that's my style for the day (or I clip it half up, also with jojoba oil). That day I sleep with it in 2 rope-braided pigtails. The next day, it's amazingly smooth and tamed!! :D The best waves come from rope braids in my opinion :cheese:

[jacqueline101]

I dont have natural waves mine is from a perm that is growing out. I would have to say put it in a bun or braid would give you awesome waves. I used to wet mine with water braid mine leave it braided over night and take it out the next day and enjoy the waves.

[QueenJoey]

I actually love my natural texture. Most days I'll just comb it and leave it alone. That's what I did in my siggy pic as well as my avatar.

Sometimes it looks like bedhead, so I play off that so it looks more like a style than "I rolled out of bed late and didn't have time to do anything." I flip over and muss it up and when I flip back up I have this rock and roll kind of thing going on.

And I also agree with everyone who says that if your braids are taking too long to dry, your hair was too wet. I french braid my hair when it's 90% dry, sometimes almost completely dry, and I get these great waves when I take them out after a few hours.

[chickpea]

After wash/condition: I use a microfiber towel to squeeze out the excess water, apply leave-in conditioner plus curl cream or jelly and distribute with my Denman brush or Madora comb. I gently twist my hair up as though to make a loose bun, and wrap it up in another microfiber towel until mostly dry but still damp. Then I shake it loose, apply a few drops of oil to the length & ends and let it air dry.

I'm currently using Darcy's Botanicals leave in conditioner and curling jelly but am always on the lookout for new stuff to try. I also like Kinky Curly Curling Custard but when I use this product my hair takes longer to dry. That isn't necessarily a bad thing, just something to keep in mind. :)

[MrsGuther]

If I want my waves to be at their best, I wash, and condition my hair then let it dry without touching it or messing with it- just slightly towel drying it and then I leave it alone.

[whitestiletto]

I find that sock bun curls are really nice for my wavy hair.

What is your reason for avoiding styling products?

Are you avoiding all-natural things too, like aloe, glycerin, and oils?

[Xandergrammy]

Here's a post from my blog on what I did with my hair today. I only wear my hair down on wash day but if I did want to wear it down more often this is probably what I would do:

It is wash day and today I used ABBA shampoo and the rest of my AOHR. I used a glob of AOHR as a leave in on very wet hair, then used plain ole aloe vera gel after the water was blotted out. I didn't comb after detangling in the shower, but I did gather all of my hair in front of me over one shoulder and twist my hair from nape to ends a couple of times. My hope was to add a bit of extra control because it is very hot and humid here and when I left for work it was raining. Hot, humid and raining usually translates to very big fuzzy hair, so I was pleased with this result. It looks very well moisturized to me too and it feels good. Too bad the AOHR is so expensive. :sad

http://i52.photobucket.com/albums/g6/Xandergrammy/The%20Next%20One%20Thousand/And%20Another%20Thousand/Some%20more%20Xandergrammy/DSCN0089480x640.jpg

[Firefly]

Awesome hair, Xandergrammy! :flower:

[SoulOfTheSea]

On wash day, I don't touch it after I shower, I just let it dry naturally. When it's done drying, I usually clip it into a half back style (with a snaggle-free plastic hair-claw clip) and wear it like that for the rest of the day.

When I go to bed that day, I just go to sleep with my hair hanging over my pillow. Then, the second day my hair is much smoother and easier to deal with. I usually give my scalp a gentle combing to ease any itch, and I put my hair either into:
a.) A rope-braid ponytail with some jojoba oil. OR
b.) half up with jojoba oil

so by the end of this day my hair is soo much better (unlike on wash day, where it's poofy and just awful XD) so on the second night after washing, I put my hair into rope-braided pigtails (with more jojoba oil usually) and sleep with that. The next morning, VOILA, GORGEOUS soft waves! And I don't wash my hair for like another 2 days after that.

This is the only technique that has worked for my hair, and it took me YEARS to discover... seriously!!:rant: But it works wonders on my wavy frizzy hair :) Hope this can work for you too! :flower:

[K_Angel]

On wash day, I don't touch it after I shower, I just let it dry naturally. When it's done drying, I usually clip it into a half back style (with a snaggle-free plastic hair-claw clip) and wear it like that for the rest of the day.

When I go to bed that day, I just go to sleep with my hair hanging over my pillow. Then, the second day my hair is much smoother and easier to deal with. I usually give my scalp a gentle combing to ease any itch, and I put my hair either into:
a.) A rope-braid ponytail with some jojoba oil. OR
b.) half up with jojoba oil

so by the end of this day my hair is soo much better (unlike on wash day, where it's poofy and just awful XD) so on the second night after washing, I put my hair into rope-braided pigtails (with more jojoba oil usually) and sleep with that. The next morning, VOILA, GORGEOUS soft waves! And I don't wash my hair for like another 2 days after that.

This is the only technique that has worked for my hair, and it took me YEARS to discover... seriously!!:rant: But it works wonders on my wavy frizzy hair :) Hope this can work for you too! :flower:
Thank you so much for sharing! :flower:

[AshleyTheRed]

I sleep with my hair in a braid to avoid frizz.
I don't use any type of heat on my hair.
If I do need to curl my hair I use sponge/rag curlers.
I only brush my hair with a wooden comb.

Usually In the mornings I just undo the braid, comb my hair, flip it back and forth a few times, (Headbanging type motion xD), and go!
When my hair won't behave, I have some moose I use, and I put it in a bun or braid. A braid if it will let me. My hair has a mind of its own and like to eat combs and pins on occasion.

[pixiestar]

I'm still experimenting. Mines not long enough to braid at night yet:( I just recently have started using foxes shea conditioning cream, this seems to help sort out some of my frizz:)

[Tabihito]

I just wash it, scrunch in some aloe vera gel, and let it do its... stuff. No touching after the AVG is in. I'm pretty close to curly, so it doesn't take much to encourage my wurls. And since I'm not even at BSL yet, wearing it down isn't at all difficult at this point.