You may have just recently realized that your hair isn’t straight or curled. Now is the time to find a natural way to style your wavy hair. Or maybe you’re ready to stop straightening your hair and let your natural waves show. This piece is for you no matter what!
It takes skill to take care of naturally wavy hair because it has a different thickness that needs a different way of being styled. Hair that isn’t curly or fine doesn’t get as sticky or scratchy. Hair that is curly doesn’t get as matted or tight.
We’ll talk about the different types of wavy hair (like how to tell if yours is type 2A, 2B, or 2C) and the first steps you should take to start taking care of your wavy hair.
How Do You Take Care Of Wavy Hair For Beginners?
It might be hard to understand all the scientific terms like 2A wavy hair routine, low porosity wavy hair routine, Curly Girl Method, and more if you’re new to the idea of a wavy hair routine.
We’ll break it all down for you so that by the end of this piece, you’ll know how to take care of naturally curly hair with the best method for your hair type.
Use the basics when you’re not sure what to do. Here are five ways to take care of hair that is curly:
- Use a shampoo made for wavy hair to clean it. To keep your hair from getting dry, choose ones that don’t contain sulfates.
- Use conditioner the right way. Also, deep condition your hair often to get rid of frizz.
- Use products and styling methods that work for your wavy hair to make it look good.
- Do not use heat on your hair. You can use a fan or let your hair dry naturally.
- To keep your natural waves, take good care of your hair.
Before You Begin: Find Out Your Natural Wavy Hair Type
Andre Walker made the Hair Chart, which can help you figure out what type of hair you have. Walker is best known as Oprah’s hairdresser. These are the groups:
- Type 1: Straight hair doesn’t have any bends or curls, so it looks straight.
- Type 2: Hair that is wavy and has waves that are shaped like a S.
- Type 3: Curly hair has ringlets or corkscrew curls that are springy.
- Type 4: Coily hair has twists and coils that are tighter.
People with wavy hair often call it Type 2. You can further divide this into sub-groups based on how wide your wave, curl, or coil is.
Type 2A
Note about the 2A wavy hair routine: heavy wavy hair routine items can make this hair look limp. When you first start using style products, use less of them. You can also try items that are lighter.
Type 2B
It has thicker hair that lies flat at the top and waves that get rounded and S-shaped as it gets to the middle.
Note about the 2B hair routine: Type 2B hair is rougher than Type 2A hair and is more likely to frizz. To give your hair shape and a healthy shine, make sure you use items that keep it moist.
Type 2C
Thick hair with clear waves that start at the top and shape into a S.
As you may know, 2C wavy hair is more likely to frizz because it is the thickest and coarsest of the three types. You can use more moisturizing products to keep your hair from getting dry because the strands are bigger and can handle them.
Hair Porosity
It helps to know how well your hair can absorb and hold on to moisture when you’re trying to figure out the best way to take care of your wavy hair. This is called hair porosity.
Here’s a simple hair porosity test you can try:
- Put a piece of hair that you just washed into a glass of water.
- If it goes down quickly, it means your hair has a lot of holes in it. If it floats for a while before going down, you might want to use a low-porosity hair treatment.
It is harder for wetness to get into hair that has low porosity because of the way it is structured. Here are some ways to take care of wavy hair that doesn’t have many pores:
- Putting products on wet hair will help them soak in better.
- If you want the conditioner to work better, mix it with a little water first.
On the other hand, hair with a high porosity level soaks up water and products but doesn’t keep wetness very well. Here are some ways to take care of hair that is very porous and wavy:
- To keep hair from getting tangled and breaking, detangle it before you shower.
- To help your hair get stronger, think about adding items that are high in protein.
It’s Easier To Understand Wavy Hair Routines When You Know Your Exact Hair Type
Do you need a 2A low-porosity hair routine? Are you more of a high porosity 2B hair type of person? You’re one step closer to getting those beautiful beach waves once you know what kind of hair you have.
Natural Wavy Hair Routine For Beginners: The Ultimate Guide For 2A, 2B, And 2C Hair
Step 1: Use A Curly-Friendly Shampoo
Because wavy hair can get dry, you can use favorites from a curly hair routine, like the SheaMoisture Intensive Hydration Shampoo, to clean your hair without making your waves feel dry.
If you have naturally wavy hair, you should always use sulfate-free shampoos because they can help reduce frizz the most.
One more thing! If you want to wash your hair, don’t use very hot water. It will dry it out. Use cool or warm water to wash. After washing and conditioning, rinse your hair with cold water one last time to seal the cuticle and make it shine.
Step 2: Condition, Condition, Condition
Meet your new best friend: the all-powerful conditioner! When you have naturally curly hair, you might use a few different kinds of products.
Start by conditioning your hair after washing. The SheaMoisture Intensive Hydration Conditioner is a good choice. Run a few drops of conditioner through your wet hair. Use your fingers, a wide-tooth comb, or a Wet Brush to get rid of the knots. Leave it on for a while, then wash it out with water.
Next, use a leave-in conditioner on your wet hair. The SheaMoisture Jamaican Black Castor Oil Leave-In Conditioner is our favorite. This step helps get your waves ready to be styled. Try this well-known Squish to Condish move:
- Turn your hair over.
- Leave-in conditioner should be used on your hair.
- Make the ends of your hair stand up. You will start to see your own waves beginning to form. You can also make your waves stand out more with a Denman-style brush.
This picture shows how to do the Squish to Condish move.
Deep conditioning once a week rounds out the conditioner trio. Briogeo’s Don’t Give Up, Repair! has won many awards. Deep Conditioning Mask—it has been shown in studies to improve damaged hair and make it shine and feel smooth.
Step 3: Style Your Naturally Wavy Hair
To make your natural beach waves look even better, run a curl-enhancing styling gel or cream through your hair, like the very famous Cantu Moisturising Curl Activator Cream.
To set your waves, try the plopping method:
- Put down a T-shirt or a cotton towel on the floor in front of you.
- Stack all of your hair on top of your head and place it on top of the towel.
- Put the towel over your head and tie it at the back of your neck.
- Set your hair like this for at least half an hour.
As your hair dries, plowing makes your waves stand out. If you let your hair air dry right after taking a shower, the weight of the water will pull it down, making it lose its natural waves.
Watch this video to learn how to plop your curly hair:
Step4: Air Dry Or Diffuse Your Hair
If you have curly hair, heat can damage it quickly. Letting your hair dry naturally can make a big difference in making your hair healthy.
If you normally use a hair dryer or curling iron, skipping this step might seem strange at first. But try this way of styling your hair without heat for at least a month and see how it feels.
You can add a diffuser to your blow dryer if you’d rather dry your hair that way. The force of the air from your blow dryer is spread out, which helps keep your curl pattern and reduce frizz.
Try the popular Pixie Diffusing method for lots of volume with little frizz:
- Put some of your hair in the diffuser cup while the blow dryer is off.
- Set the machine to low speed and low heat. Spread out for 15 seconds to two minutes.
- Take your hair out of the diffuser cup and turn off the dryer.
- Do this all over your hair until it’s about 90% dry.
I found this movie on Pixie Diffusing to be helpful:
Step 5: Maintain a Healthy Everyday Hair Routine For Wavy Hair
Having good habits is the best way to take care of your curly hair. Here are some things you can do to make your waves look better:
- Take a look at the Curly Girl Method. Lorraine Massey, a curl expert, has a great method for getting better wavy hair. It focuses on using hair products that are super clean and don’t have any sulphates, chemicals, silicones, waxes, mineral oils, or alcohols in them. Read Curly Girl: The Handbook to find out more!
- Do not wash your hair too much. To keep your natural oils from being stripped away, wash your hair only once to three times a week.
- Think about co-washing. You might want to wash your hair with a cleaning conditioner instead of shampoo if you find that shampoo makes your hair too dry.
- Do not use a towel to mess up your wavy hair. It can cause knots and frizz. Instead, use a towel to lightly squeeze your hair to get rid of extra water.
- Don’t forget to drink water and eat whole foods. There’s more to the best hair care routine for wavy hair than just washing, drying, and styling it. Make sure you take care of your hair by eating right and living a healthy life in general.
Now, let’s look at the questions you have about getting your hair naturally curly:
What Helps With Wavy Hair After A Shower?
We have the answer to your question about how to style wavy hair after taking a shower.
Now is the day of your wash when you prepare and shape your waves. In this step, a thick, deeply curl-defining conditioner with moisturizing oils and other ingredients like glycerin can be helpful. Using the Squish to Condish method, scrunch the leave-in conditioner into your hair to get waves that stand out.
How Do I Stop My Wavy Hair From Getting Frizzy?
One of the worst things about wavy hair is the frizz, but don’t worry—let’s go over a quick process for curly wavy hair!
Here are 10 ways to tame and get rid of frizzy hair for good:
- When you shower, only use warm or cool water.
- Stay away from items that have sulfates.
- Use cleaning products when you co-wash your hair.
- Use a conditioner that you leave in.
- Do not rub your hair with a towel.
- Use a towel made of microfiber.
- Do not use (or lessen) heat on your hair.
- Ten times a week, use a deep conditioner.
- Put your head on a silk pillowcase.
- To get rid of split ends, cut your hair often.
How Do You Sleep With Wavy Hair?
Use the pineapple method to take care of your hair at night. Take a scrunchie and pull your hair through it, but don’t double-wrap it. This will give you an open high ponytail. When you sleep, this keeps your hair out of the way. It also makes your head look like a pineapple, which is why it’s called “fruity.” You can also sleep with a silk hat on to cut down on contact.
How Do I Refresh My Wavy Hair In The Morning?
Use water to refresh your curly hair. Spray some water on your waves to make some of the items you used work again. Also, this can help the parts that have become frizzy get back together. Put some curling cream or hair oil on your hair and scrunch it up. Then, let it air dry or spread.
