Wavy hair styling

[AmaboTe]

Hi! I have just started growing out my shoulder length hair and I want to treat it very well :)

However, I find it very hard to get my hair to look nice without using heat styling products :(

My problem is that my hair does not curl evenly, the whole top layer of my hair just goes frizzy while the bottom is in loose curls.

How do you curly girls/boys style your hair?

[Ursula]

Often, wavy hair does better when well conditioned. That helps control frizz. I'd suggest that you wash your hair at the beginning of your shower, and then when you condition, let the conditioner soak until the end of your shower, and then rinse. (It doesn't have to be expensive conditioner, I use the Suave Naturals, VO5, or White Rain.)

It might also help to comb it through to detangle when wet (perhaps while in the shower and loaded with conditioner) and then let it dry without touching. That helps defined locks form.

It also can help to use a wide tooth comb, and avoid brushes, as they tend to pull wavy or curly hair out into a frizz-ball.

It looks from your picture as if your hair is still fairly short, above shoulder length. I'd suggest you get some headbands, to hold the hair out of your face. That can make a big difference, as waves tend to go every which way. Every which way waves are a pain when falling into your face, but can be much nicer when held back.

[xoxophelia]

Oh my goodness I know your problem so well O.O...

My hair is a mix in texture as well and "straighter" on the top (read.. poof). Awhile ago, I had cut layers into my hair and started growing them out. To get the overly thinned layer off and even it out, last summer I cut my hair about 2" below my shoulders. So, I can vouch when I say that it gets better as your hair gets longer. The weight helps pull down both the puff and the wave. My hair has sloooowly started to look a bit better without heat styling. Cutting out the heat really has been worth it for me.

So this is what I do: I wash my hair usually only 2x a week with shampoo (cuts down on puff a LOT). I always leave my conditioner in my hair longer than they tell you (maybe around 10 minutes). I currently do not use silicone products in my hair but it might be easier for you to right now as your hair doesn't have the weight of longer hair just yet. Also, once a week I put olive oil with about 1 TBSP of honey warmed up in my dry hair sometimes over night wrapped up. I don't heat style at all and I do not use gel or hairspray. But, I do often rub a tiny amount of jojoba oil in my hair after showering.

A few helpful tips that I do:
-don't wash your hair in warm water at all. The water temp I go for is so that is doen't feel warm or cold on my cheek (but I like my water hot when my hair isn't under it haha :o) At the end turn down the temp to cold.. I usually lean back so the water is only on my hair. It helps my hair look a bit glossier.
-to even out your texture, when your hair is almost dry, roll sections around your fingers like you would on a curling iron. Then, pin it in that spiral shape on your head. Leave it in for 1 hour if you can.
-do two french braids on damp hair and sleep in it over night. Take them out and have braid waves
-sometimes put conditioner only in your hair in the shower, let it sit for awhile and then rinse it out.

That is a whole lot of info I just threw at you but many of those things are bound to help. Trying new things out is half the fun :D

[manderly]

Ursula is correct. When I wore my hair wavy (as opposed to curly), I dialed up the moisture big time. I could get away with far more oil and moisture than straighties could.

I would wash and condition (I like CV bars and Suave) and then apply leave in (Giovanni Direct) and a lot of coconut oil. When I say a lot, I mean like a teaspoon or so (I was around APL, so length matters here). I would then twist my hair (info in my siggy "soft waves") which helped my hair dry in a more uniform manner with waves along the length.

You will probably need to do some trial and error, and be prepared to wear your hair up if you overdo it, but work your way up, be brave, and see how much moisture your hair really craves :)

[AmericanWoman]

I pretty much leave my hair alone until it's dry. I take the towel off, put my oil in a, comb it backwards and it styles itself.

[Katze]

Lately I have been using product to help tame my frizzy, poofy, multiple-length hair.

One thing that really helps me - but my hair is wavy, not curly - is to put it like I'd like to have it dry while it is still wet. At the moment that means clipping the top back so that my scalp cleavage is hidden better when my hair is dry.

I also like sleeping with my hair damp (I shower nights) and in a towel - it is dry and the waves are nice in the morning.

However, I do have to use product - a small amount of gel mixed with my leave-in - and this helps me have 'presentable' hair. Otherwise, it can really be a mess, but I figure product is less of a hair no-no than heat, especially for my fine hair...

[Spike]

Conditioner and oil are my best friends.

I condition and oil every time I get my hair wet (daily to twice a day). I get amazing volume with defined waves and occasional curls.

Headbands were my best friends up to shoulder length, and I'll still use them once in a while. They help tame poof and make it more "lion's mane."

[AmaboTe]

Thanks for the tips:)

I haven't tried using oil in my hair yet but I think that would really help since almost everything seems to recommend it.

[jojo]

Wavy hair needs lots of moisture, the best thing to tame waves is to do as little as possible, I just comb through when rinsing, put a little oil or serum through it and leave alone until dry.

I near enough always end up combing though which stretches the wave as in my siggi, I need to learn to leave alone. But frizz is normally an indicator that you have wavier/curly hair and moisture is needed.