As a fellow wavy hair person I've had similar issues with my hair. Most gels and curling creams are going to be too heavy and weigh down your hair. You want something light weight like a mouse or spray but it needs to have a strong hold. Also diffusing is a necessity when styling. Try and avoid leave in products with glycerin high on the ingredients list. Also your shampoo and conditioner can weigh down your hair if they have too many oils/moisturizing ingredients. I've had better luck with shampoos and conditioners that are targeted for frizzy hair. Any product labeled as thickening is a giant no because it just adds more weight to your hair. Finally when you get a routine that you like you will need to do a proper cleans with sulfates more frequently than a regular curly girl. Even with curly girl approved products you get buildup in your hair and wavies tend to get it faster.
The best thing I ever did was visit a curly hairdresser who went through my fine hair and taught me how to look after my curls and gave me a curly hair cut. My fine hair is weighed down easily by creams and gels, so I use a light mousse and spray. I also use little metal snap clips to hold my hair up on my scalp to stop is flattening and that helps my curl pattern build up volume and form shape. I do not expect my hair to do the same thing every time just learnt to embrace the facts that 'curls will do what they do ' and it will be different each time.
@@footprintwanderings do you put the mousse and spray in when your hair is wet like people do with the gel and creams? I think I need a lighter product as well
@@ashleybullard1285 Hi, I use the mousse when my hair is wet and scrunch it in. I then use little metal clips (I think they are called pin curl clips) to clip and shape my hair at the roots so my curls do not sit flat. I also manipulate them around with a chop stick so my fingers do not break the curls. I usually use a conditioner and water mix spray on day 2, 3 and if I am blessed by the hair gods day 4 to rewet and shape my curls. I hope this helps you. It took me months and months to realise that I need a much lighter routine than the heavy gels and flaxseed is too much for my curls.
Hello! Just a few tips from a fellow wavy haired person. 1. When conditioning your hair, comb through it with your fingers. This should really be the time you are detangling your hair, as textured hair should never be brushed dry. This will also help distribute the conditioner better. 2. When you are doing this, pull the hair outwards directly off of your scalp to get waves closer to your roots, then scrunch. I noticed the back of your hair was much flatter. 3. When scrunching the gel into your hair, flip your hair more! I suggest flipping all of your hair to the right and scrunching, then all to the left, then all forward again. This makes sure the curl clumps can form closer to the scalp and all over your head. This will also give better volume. I suggest doing this when scrunching the gel out when your hair is dry too! 4. Dry your hair with a microfiber towel or cotton shirt before plopping. This will help it dry faster, and keep the clumps too. You just gently squeeze the hair like when you are scrunching gel or conditioner into it. Good luck!
Here's something I've learned, you can't always expect the same results. Wavy hair is very unpredictable with outcomes. I do a very simple wash routine and my hair never looks the same. For the conditioner, after you apply, take a wide-tooth comb or Wet brush to distribute the conditioner evenly. I would also recommend a hair oil to finish the styling process. You have fine hair, so you might want to look for products labeled for waves, curly products tend to be thicker. For me personally, I like to very lightly brush my waves with a detangler (a wide tooth or boar brush works great) every other day or depending on the knots. I would definitely say your hair is wavy! It is just harder for wavies who have finer hair to keep those waves. What helps is finding a RUclipsr with a similar hair type! Sorry for the long comment, hope this helps!
I do the same thing! In the winter without the humidity I can brush my hair and let dry straight but that would never happen in the summer. It's fun to have two natural different hair style depending on the season.
Don’t give up! It took me almost 2 years to find what works for my hair. I’d suggest 3 things: first try upright styling. Styling upside down is a recipe for wonkiness in my experience. 2. Use a leave in conditioner. My hair responds better to a leave in with small proteins like hydrolyzed silk. I like Curls Blueberry Bliss. 3. Diffuse. With gel in your hair air drying will take forever. But keep experimenting - there are glorious waves in there!
This cute look. I would recommend a leave in to moisturise and help to clump. You have fine hair, so you don't need too much. If you use too much, then it will be weighed down. Another thing I would suggest is to section your hair in to 2 or 3 parts. That would make your waves POP.
The biggest game changers for me: Use a super hard hold gel and apply much more than you think you'll need, always diffuse your hair for better wave hold (wet hair is heavy and pulls the wave out), and last but not least: DO NOT touch your hair until it is 100% dry. And even then, only fluff your roots. Don't rake your hands through it unless you are going for lots of volume (and lots of frizz).
Just a tip with diffusing curls, lay them where you want before you dry it. You can put your hair upside down for more volume but it may mess up the end result with it not being too curly naturally, and just place the diffuser and push it toward your scalp, don't move it around and never dry it 100% or it will be too frizzy, only dry to about 70% with diffuser and air dry the rest of the way. :)
For me, funnily, best results come if I air dry for 20 min befor diffusing and I diffuse to 100% or 95% dry when the cast has formed beforehand. This make my hair more voluminous. And as I usually do my wash day as wash evening, I don't scrunch out the crunch, but put my hair up with banana clip for sleeping and SOTC in the morning together with root fluffing. :)
i think that for wavy hair, the curly method can be useful for some things, but not all. after years of trying different products (all curly-approved and most of them so incredibly expensive) and even getting "the chop" (literally got a pixie cut so my regrowth was all virgin hair and not bleached and dyed hair), trying countless techniques in washing and drying... the difference in results was minimal for me. my hair is a bit different from yours, it's definitely wavier (I'm a 2B-2C), but I think it's also thicker/coarser and I think I also have more hair, so my clumps form differently (mine are... chonky). in the end, I have discovered that sulfate-free shampoos are the way to go for me, but that my hair does need some silicones or else the frizz is unmanageable (even with gels and casts and all that), especially now that I have once again "destroyed" my hair with bleach and hair dye (ammodimethicone is a godsend in these cases. it's a silicone that binds to the damaged bits, but doesn't build up). I think it's a matter of finding the parts of the curly method that work for you and whether the results are worth the hassle (and money) for you. for me they weren't. I'm very happy with my silicone products, they tame my frizz and define my waves enough. I always air dry my hair, but if I want something special and my heatless sleep-in style didn't turn out well, I'll bust out my curling iron no problem. if all that makes people kick me out of the curly club, then so be it. I prefer to save money, use less products (better for the environment too), get more consistent results and be happy. I'd definitely recommend playing with more methods of applying conditioner and of drying until you find what you like best, but be careful to fall into the trap of everything being curly-approved to the point where it all feels like a chore and not fun anymore.
Hello Loepsie! I know you’ve gotten a lot of comments on these types of videos, but I would recommend shaking your wet hair around to un-stick it from your scalp, that will help it lay nicer while it’s drying upright, also if you skake it out before it is absolutely 100% dry then the clumps will fall apart a bit more and be more frizzy, also for my bangs I make sure to separate them and brush them down before I blow dry, then when they curl they tend to flip up less lol also over time I have found that blow drying and styling upside down doesn’t super work for me and I tend to prefer doing both upright and just going upside down every once in a while! hope this helps!
As a person with curly hair, here’s my advice: it’s best to put the gel or cream in and then twirl the curl (not while upside down but just while standing) with your fingers. Takes a while but it forms each curl. Then you scrunch it. Then lightly scrunch it with a microfiber towel or soft t shirt so it’s not dripping (this can be done either before or after the finger twirling). Then use a diffuser attachment on a hair dryer on the cool or warm setting (depends what works best for you) starting at the base and then incorporating the whole curl. You hold the diffuser on each curl for long enough for it to dry or almost dry. Hope this helps!
Its taken me 3 years to crack my waves but I think I'm there, here's what I do: wash once a week (with a sulphate containing shampoo!!), Deep condition for 30 mins, rinse, add leaving in conditioner and a flax seed gel, stand upright and use a denman brush on wet hair, taking it clump by clump to style curls and lay them in the direction I want, scrunch/squish, plop with a microfiber towel for 10 mins, then diffuse using the method explained by Manes by Mel. After that I get sort of 2c curls that are frizz free and slowly fall into smooth soft waves, ending with 2a waves by the end of my wash week. Sometimes I mix it up with a protein rich deep conditioner if I need it. NB: all of my products are silicone free but I do use a sulphate shampoo because I feel wavy hair needs a deeper cleanse on a wash day. Hope that helps!
I think it's official. You have natural beachy waves! The thing with curls, you have to encourage them. If I wear my hair straight a lot, even as someone with naturally curly hair, it takes some time for my curls to come back to their full potential. The more you do everything you did, the more they will come, because you definitely have texture. No question there. I think the results were cute!
THIS! The more I do it, the easier my waves (or my daughter's curls) bounce out. If I get lazy (or my kid fights the process, haha) for too long, it takes time to encourage them back to their full potential.
Along with learning about your curl pattern, learning about your hair porosity, density (how much hair is on your head), and hair strand thickness helps a lot as well! Also, you definitely don't have to diffuse your hair upside down the whole time haha, upright is perfectly fine. If you want less frizz, the hover diffuse method is amazing. Good luck!
I would definitely recommend something much lighter than gel like a curl cream or mousse designed for waves instead of curls. My hair is also fine with a similar wave pattern and gel is way to heavy for me. I used to really like AG Re-coil cream and would have great results even diluted a bit so it's even lighter. I am definitely going to revisit it in the spring.
I used mousse the last time I tried CGM, and it gave me what you saw in the throwback clip 😅 My waves were much more defined with the gel! I need the hold as it'll go straight if I so much as look at it wrong. Maybe I just need to embrace the straight hair, haha!
My hair is similar to Lucy's and I use gel, just a tiny bit of it :) Like a pea size amount on most of it and then half a pea on the bits I feel didn't get enough gel in the first round. With mousses etc. my hair curls beautifully when wet and once it dries you can't really tell... But different methods work for different people :)
I think you have to find what works best with your hair. I have a gentle wave and I find the support of gel helps more than it weighs my hair down. So I use a decent amount of gel if I want enhanced waves.
You have to use a diffuser. You have wavy hair! Curly method is a guideline because different things work for different porosities and densities. Don’t give up! You look lovely either way but the waves are so fun
I think your hair looks very similar to mine when I started styling my waves. What I'd suggest is wash and scrunch and diffuse mainly upright, with a little mix of side-to-side & upside down motions for extra volume, but mainly upright! I find it keeps the shape a little better
Some tips for you as a fellow Dutch wavie! Diffusing: I would recommend watching “Manes by Mell” video about diffusing you indeed can up your game. Conditioning: do detangle your hair when you have your conditioner in, you can still crunch in the clumps after you’ve detangled but it will give you a more even result. Products: I don’t know what shampoo and conditioner you use, but the no sulfates nor silicones is pretty important, I’d recommend the “petal fresh voluminizing shampoo” (holland&barrett) and the “inecto coconut conditioner” (Kruidvat), or a combination of other products from those lines. If you’re searching for a mousse, “Etos styling mousse 3” is curly girl approved. Washing: I would recommend to wash your hair less often, maybe go to a once every 3-4 days, and only refresh your curls on the in between days (plenty of RUclips videos on that). If you use shampoo, only clean your roots, not the rest of your hair that will dry it out. Lastly, it will take some time, after a couple of months you’ll find your hair getting wavier and wavier!
your first video inspired me to start investigating and playing around more with this for myself. i've found that styling upright is the way to go. i'm not an expert on my hair or anyone else's, but hunching over feels bad and by styling upright i have more control over the end look. i also have stopped squishing products in and water out of my hair in favor of pressing the clumps onto my scalp? praying hands apply product and then i keep a flat hand, making sure the waves are all spiraling nicely on it, to elevate and press them to my scalp. to get water out, i drape a cotton shirt over my hand and do the same motion. my hair looks different every day and i still have a lot to learn about what my hair wants, but it seems to have responded well to those two changes (clumps stay in tact, less frizz) and might work for you, too. best wishes!
Your end results (no 1) looked like mine pre-CGM (although I use a modified method now). I now have 2C/3A hair and I've been committed to going curly for around 6 months now. Advice/ worked for me: - Not wash your hair so often - I wash once a week and waiting 3/4 hours isn't that long in the grand scheme (I mean I do it when I'm WFH). - Use loads of conditioner - I use a week's worth of conditioner in one go, it's a lot - Use an combination of leave in conditioner and gel for the cast - I found that I get a best cast when I use them both, I'm still experimenting with the ratio, but I'm starting to get pretty consistent results - Sulphate free shampoo and don't wash it more than once! - You can scrunch into your hair with a towel to help towel dry (microfiber) - Scrunch in the leave in conditioner and gel rather than rub it on flat
When I discovered I had curly hair, I experimented with the curly girl method and products until I found something that I like and works for me (2c or 3a hair). Personally, my current routine no longer looks much like the curly girl method. Firstly, I don't do anything upside down. Secondly, different curl gels and creams can yield very different results so just experiment and see what works (some creams have made my hair greasy, mousse and some gels makes my hair crunchy, etc). Currently, I wash and condition my hair in the shower like normal (I care more about the health of my back than my hair haha). I scrunch some of the water out of my hair with a normal towel. I like my hair looking neat, so I part my hair and brush it. I pretty well saturate my hair with curl cream (I prefer cream over gel, I find that it holds my curls without being crunchy. But I have also heard great things about DIY flax gel.). I hate my hair being in my face, so I twist and bobby pin the sides back. Finally, I scrunch my hair and let it air dry. (My hair is thin and I have never lived the look I get from using a diffuser.) Just experiment until you find what works for you and your hair! Don't feel like you have to stick to the anybody's rules!
Best thing you can do is stick with it. I could never have imagined 3 years ago that I’d have the waves/curls I do now. Experiment with how you apply the products- how much, how wet, how long you plop, scrunching upside down/right side up, etc. It’ll be trial and error until you find what works for you! Thanks for sharing ☺️
Wow, this is gorgeous and makes your hair look so full and thick!! Love this look on you. Yes, you will want to flip the hair back and finish drying while standing upright.
Swavy curly Courtney has all your wavy answers. Your hair is definitely wavy. Embracing and learning your hair texture takes time and work. So proud that you are embarking on your own self love hair journey. You will get there if you do not give up. Hair memory is a thing and your hair is used to being styled straight. In time it will learn and then remember its wave pattern and it will get easier.
As someone with seemingly straight hair that can get waves when I do the method, I NEED to diffuse if I want waves, until dry, otherwise the water weighs it down quickly and it goes flat again and as you said it would take forever to dry. The more product in your hair the longer it takes to dry. You can and I do get a gel cast with diffusing. You might just need a harder hold gel and/or to not touch your hair while diffusing to get a gel cast
So pleased to see you re-try this! Your video was one of the first ones I saw 2 years ago that set me down the path of discovering and learning love and care for my waves. Thank you!
It looks so cute!! It takes a lot of trail and error. Don’t be afraid to use a wide tooth comb after washing, then scrunching with gel more carefully the right way round and not upsidedown. It’s much harder to master diffusing upside down as a newbie and you get more defined results. As someone with 2A-B hair doing CGM for a few years
I have very curly hair I only wash it 2 times a week. I wrap my hair in a tee shirt for about an hour. I also don't use that much gel and I can scrunch it dry with a tee shirt. I sometimes diffuse it. I sometimes comb the gel through my hair too. It is not hair and does not take a lot of time but there is a learning curve. I don't use the "curly girl" method. The longer you try the better your curls are.
I didn't realize I had wavy hair until I was in high school. But my hair loses its wave easily. I would highly recommend you try out a deman brush. It helps with definition. Instead of using gel, I would recommend herbal essences mousse... it's really affordable! If you are still scared of losing your waves...try paring the mousse with an eco styler gel...
I loved all three results in their own ways! Everyone’s hair is different and I’m sure someone has already said these things, but for the results you said you’re looking for I would recommend: -Brush your hair before you scrunch in your conditioner: wet frizz becomes dry frizz! -A runnier gel, the general rule is- the runnier the gel the looser the curl/wave. (for your fine wavy hair I would recommend the Curls brand blueberry bliss leave in conditioner- a pea sized amount after washing out your conditioner, and their matching styling gel- two dime sized amounts, one for all over with praying hands, and one to scrunch in) -One half pump/three drops of a lightweight hair oil (i recommend the Verb ghost oil) on your hands when you scrunch after drying will break the gel cast without frizzing your ends -Give it time! It takes months to get to know your waves and how they lay. It will be different every time and that’s okay!
The look you got by the end of the video looks phenomenal ✨ It really suits you.. I am a super curly, but wish I could have those silky, wavy, voluminous natural curls 😉 and as you said you're waaay lucky to have straight hair and can goes curly at the same time 😁💆🏻♀️
As a wavy 2c/3a, I will apply my leave in with sopping wet hair and use a comb to apply it evenly, and then lift the hair from the back of my head so it can move freely before standing up for the rest of the process. If I apply gel to sopping wet hair, I get larger curl clumps. If I take some of the moisture out before gel (typically to arrange my hair and part and sometimes even some curl training with my Denman brush) I will water down the gel before applying it with praying hands and scrunching it well. I would recommend you apply the gel all the way to your roots to lessen the frizz. For diffusing, I start with hovering at the roots till at least 60% dry and then putting the diffuser into the roots and gently moving it around as it dries if you want a little volume. Then for the ends, I'll put sections of hair into the bowl (off) and lift it up against my head (on) for about 30 seconds. No longer otherwise my hair gets too hot. I never dry it completely with the dryer otherwise it gets frizzy toward the end. I'd leave it a bit damp and let it air dry the rest of the way. Have fun learning your hair!
First scrunch you’re hair with the microfiber towel or a tshirt to get the water out of it. Comb thru your hair in the shower or after you apply the products to distribute the product thru your hair. You don’t have to put the product in with your with your head down. Scrunch it into the hair. Then diffuse. Give your hair time it can take years to get your pattern and routine down. Be patient and do what works for you! Take a pick or your fingers and run thru your roots. Don’t handle the hair while drying it just use the diffuser you won’t get as much of a cast because the heat will help to break the cast up. Try different products too. I have horrible frizz and I’ve come to the realization that sometimes frizz just is! I have wavy hair sometimes curly it all depends on what my hair wants to do!
I have similar hair-fine and 2a - 2b waves. It took some time to find the right method and products. I'd suggest styling upright to prevent the front bits from wanting to flop forward and to get your curls starting closer to the scalp. My Holy Grail gel cast is Curlsmith In Shower Style Fixer, but I don't use it in the shower and you don't need that much. Scrunch out with a little hair serum on your hands. I like Verb Ghost Oil. I also use a diffuser but standing up right.
I am a few years into my curly girl journey - my hair is 2b, extremely thick and coloured. The most important thing I have found is all products MUST be Silicone free, I never use shampoo - only ever a cleansing conditioner and don’t scrunch out he crunch until the next day. It also takes time for your hair to get used to it so you need to allow a few weeks. Enjoy your journey! 😘
Alas, the joke with wavy/curly hair is that it will never ever ever dry the same way twice 😂. But even if you don't feel like you've worked out the kinks yet, your initial results are super promising! I need to look into a diffuser because my hip-length hair also takes FOREVER to dry, and even though my hair is quite fine, the weight at that length pulls a lot of the curl out by the time it's dried. I don't personally have any diffusing tips, seeing, as I don't yet own a hair dryer, but India Batson just put out a video on diffusing, and her hair is also on the wavier end of the spectrum.
I think it went really well!! Really interesting to see the different methods. Ive never heard of using the gel, but it looks like it worked well. Love your hair by the way!
I have a similar curl pattern and I'm very dedicated to a quick dry time, so instead of the usual steps I do: 1. Scrunch hair until normal wet and not dripping (standing up just like normal, I don't do it upside down) from the bottom up to form curls 2. Apply a leave in (lightweight curl cream is what I opt for, but gel works too) 3. Let dry until less wet (or not if you're in a hurry), and then scrunch with microfiber towel to remove excess water (do this side to side and front to back for curls from the root) 4. Let air dry or diffuse, depending on how you like your curls (I air dry because I am lazy) 5. Break up the curls/waves a little over the course of the day if they are too clumpy I usually get waves, not curls, from this method because I am lazy and I don't take more than ten minutes to do all this, but its worth it to cut down on my time spent getting ready in the morning. I generally use a lot of moisture in my routine too, I use ultra moisturizing shampoo and conditioner, a leave in conditioner, and I use a moisturizing curl cream - all to avoid frizz. I prefer my waves to the work it takes to make them into real curls. I use Palmer's almost exclusively for shampoo, conditioner, and leave in conditioner - I use their spray for frizz control and their cream for curl shaping. I also have been using the Shea Moisture curl smoothie and that works really well for my waves ( and smells amazing - I got a sample since its a little more pricey than Palmers). I can also highly recommend "Not Your Mother's" products for the best curl cream ever, its just so expensive I can't justify buying it when Palmer's is so much cheaper. My last piece of advice is to stick with it! I thought it was bogus when I read that your hair curls better the more you teach it to keep it's curl pattern (scrunching and moisture and air drying/diffusing), but over several months my hair went from almost straight to lovely waves and even loose curls. I think your hair is lovely by the way!
For quicker drying without a diffuser: Instead of applying gel on soaking wet hair, maybe try scrunching your hair dry(er) with a t-shirt, and then scrunch it with the gel. Then plop it for a bit, and then take a scrunchie and tie all your hair VERY LOOSELY on top of your head. Only twist the scrunchie once, if at all. Don't worry about making a bun or a ponytail, just grab all of your hair in a ball and tie that. This will help airdrying the last bit of moisture without your hair weighing itself down. I hope this helps! ❤
I do the 'pile your hair on your head' method, but I use one of those 'no dent' hairties (the ones that look like an old school telephone cord) instead of a scrunchie; I feel like it has a better hold while still loose. I also sometimes section my hair, using 3 or 4 of them - I still pile it all to my crown, but each quadrant of hair is in its own pile/ball/lump (this mostly depends on if my kid has stolen too many of my hairties, haha). I feel even more importantly, I only wash my hair once a week. Midweek I'll make sure to comb/brush my hair's natural oils through, then I do a sort of refresh by spraying with water & scrunching a curl creme through. Depending on humidity/how I slept/time, you can do a spray it fairly damp, add product of choice, diffuse dry to give them a pickup as well.
@@brendaleelydon oh I've seen those! I can imagine they hold very well. I have very thin hair so I have to do one ball haha! And wow, only once a week! My hair gets greasy after 2 days :( but maybe combing would help like you said. How does the combing affect your curls? I think mine would disappear immediately.
@@lunatonkens7933 I really only have waves, but they're getting there! My daughter's hair has always had more curl than mine; brushing through with a boar bristle brush worked well for us when it was still in its 'boing-boing ringlet' stage. Spraying it with water after the brush through brought her curls right back, sometimes adding some curl creme or other product if needed. Man, there was this specific Got2B product that worked FABULOUSLY on her curls, perfect weight & hold & moisture for her hair. Alas, I received it as a hand-me-down from my SIL & they'd already discontinued it by the time I discovered it! 😔 I started saving it for only special occasions, but we finally ran out of it 4 years ago & I've been on the hunt ever since for her new holy grail.
Some tips from me, if you don't mind. I have fine medium density hair, that loves protein rich products. My typical wash day would look like this: 1. Shampoo (I usually do everything upright except styling products) 2. Condition - I rake my product in, as this gives more slip and hair is moisturised better (rinse out) 3. out of the shower - then I brush my hair carefully up from the scalp. 4.flip my head down and put in mouse (small tangerine amount) focusing on the roots. 5.then I put in some sort of hard hold gel (pretty nice is ecoslay orange marmalade or eco styler gels). Firstly using praying hands and then scrunching. 6.Take out as much water as you can with microfibre towel, gently scrunching. 7.Airdry for 15-20 min as this helps to form cast (maybe you can try the net plop method) 8.Then I diffuse upside down and flipping my hair from side to side (as I value more volume over definition most of the time), but what helps with reducing the frizz - leave diffuser cup in one spot for a while without moving it too much, so it doesn't brake up the cast. I hope you find your way to the right routine that adds to your day-to-day life not makes washdays miserable. Here to support Kate
My hair is 2B/2C. I scrunch my gel in wet, scrunch our as much water as I can, plop, then scrunch out even more water with the towel. I use a headband to keep it back while it dries. Here are some troubleshooting tips for you: -Protein treatments always make my hair curlier. I highly recommend Swavy Curly Courtney’s gelatin treatment, but I know you’re vegan. Any protein treatment will help. -Use a curl-enhancing cream under the gel or mousse. Specifically the Cantu curl cream and the Not Your Mother’s Curl Talk cream. -Mousse! It offers excellent hold but dries your hair more quickly than gel. The NYM Curl Talk mousse is amazing. -experiment a lot when it comes to how wet your hair is when you apply product. Hope this helps!
I leave my towel on for about 30 minutes. I'd recommend a lighter weight gel or mousse that doesn't weigh your hair down. Flip your hair from side to side to help your hair dry at the root quicker. I'd also use the halo method with the diffuser and dry your roots first before you dry your ends as they dry quicker and will frizz before your roots get chance to dry
I would recommend, because your hair is so fine, that you try upright styling. It would help avoid that moment where your waves catch on each other and undo themselves, it would for sure give you a sleeker look. Maybe opt for a mousse or a light cream and gel duo, (not your mother's curl talk line has done wonders for my waves). A mousse wouldn't take nearly as long to dry either. You definitely have waves though! I'd encourage you to give it another shot!
I have wavy hair and these are my tips! 1 - Use a shampoo and conditioner that will hydrate your hair without weighing it down. I absolutely love the Maui Moisture Hibiscus line 2 - Style your hair upright, just detangle it while it's wet, make your part and divide the hair into 2 sections (left and right) 3 - Use very lightweight products! My holy grails are the flora and curl activating lotion and the gel! Their volumizing foam also gives your hair a beautiful bounce. Apply the lotion with the praying hands method and then scrunch. Next, apply the gel by glazing it on top of the curl clumps, scrunch again. And then scrunch in the foam for volume. 4 - Diffuse your hair using the hover method. Hover the blow dryer over the hair without actually touching it. Focus on drying the roots first so the hair isn't being weigh down by the water weight. Next hover the diffuser over the lengths of the hair without disturbing the curl clumps. Once the hair starts to become dry you can start cupping the hair into the diffuser attachment. And remember, it takes time to see progress! Once you start to see it you're gonna be super excited
Love the video! I'm so glad you shared several different applications and techniques in the one video, I appreciate the thoroughness. Fellow 2a wavy here! I've found my hair holds wave best when I apply my leave in conditioner (and gel if I want it) after I've plopped my hair in a cotton t shirt for around 20 minutes. My hair takes forever to dry as well so I understand the feeling! My hair always takes time to settle after blow drying (for which I use a modified version of the fishnet method since I don't have a diffuser). Swavy Curly Courtney has some great videos on application techniques and diffusing so I'd highly recommend those if you're interested.
There are lots of great suggestions, but I thought I could add my wavy routine and maybe you will consider to try it as well :). So, my steps are: - little amount of oil to the lengths and tips for 30 minutes, - conditioner wash to break the oil, - two shampoo washes, - dry a little with cotton t-shirt, - add leave-in conditioner and scrunch, - add strong hold gel and scrunch, - dry with diffuser. This way I get my best results, good luck with finding your routine!
I never used the curly girl method on purpose but I did do something similar for awhile. I had very long hair but I was keeping it very healthy with the ends always nearly trimmed. I would shower and wash my hair like normal, then apply a light mouse and scrunch it. Then for drying I would put it in twin braids and sleep on it over night, the result was always beautifully wavy hair for at least a day sometimes two. Before it would unfortunately go puffy from being brushed.
my hair is EXACTLY like yours. literally same color, same length, same density, same thickness. I wanted to try making it wavy since I've noticed some texture without trying. I came across your video from a years ago and search to see if there was an update! it's definitely wavy. keep going! I'm excited to see your progress and begin my hair journey too
It looks good, you’re on the right path. When I had my longer hair, I washed pretty normally, avoiding conditioner on the root. When I lightly dried after with a cotton T-shirt I would brush curl cream through my hair, making sure to still avoid too much on the root. Then I would add a bit of gel to my finger tips and scrunch, making sure my hair was wet but not soaked. I flipped my hair upside down, side to side, to make sure I got all of my hair to the root this time. Then I would plop(gotta add that this originally said poop cause autocorrect 😂)with the cotton T-shirt for about 15 mins and air dry. But sometimes I would use a defuser to cut down time. You’re gonna have this method perfected in no time 🙌❤️
When you said you couldn’t brush your hair I thought, oh, case closed! I thought the last results you had looked great! Here are a few observations that might help you. First, I’m not sure if a gel cast will help you - that’s more for someone with 2B/2C/3A hair, who has tighter waves they want very defined. I think a gel cast might weight your hair down too much. BUT, if you do want to try a cast while blow drying, try a thinner gel, and squeeze out some of the water before you apply the gel. I find that when I use gel on very wet hair, I usually don’t get a gel cast, especially when blow-drying. (If you don’t want to buy new gel, try emulsifying it on your hands with water before you apply it.) That being said, gel might not be for you. You might want to try a curl cream (something like Not Your Mother’s Curl Talk Defining Cream, as an example of what I’m talking about) or a mousse. If you use a mousse you’ll probably also want to use a very light-weight leave-in beforehand because there’s no moisturizing properties in a mousse, it’s just lightweight hold, and you need some moisture to combat frizz. A cream should do a bit of both. If you use a cream, try mixing it with a bit of water before you scrunch it into your hair. I think your hair is thin enough that you can get away with just scrunching in your product, rather than doing the praying hands method. If you have really thick hair, just scrunching won’t allow product to reach all the hair, but I don’t think you’d have that problem. You do want to be careful not to “over-scrunch,” as it will break up any clumps you have forming. That pulsing thing you did with your hands on your first try is a good way to get around this. I do think your hair probably needs to be diffused; the water is going to weight your hair down while air-drying. Try sitting (in a chair, on the toilet lid, etc) and literally hanging your head between your legs - this should help with the “all my hair wants to fall forward” problem. You honestly want to be as upside-down as possible, not just hunched over. Sitting will probably also help your back. But yes, once your hair is around half-dry, you want to flip upright and finish that way! If I were you, I’d try scrunching in some conditioner on soaking hair, then scrunching in some defining product once you’ve got some clumps forming and a bit of the water squeezed out. Then use your microfiber towel and try diffusing while seated. If you get good results that way, if you want to advance a bit, look up videos on the finger-coiling technique. It’s a great way to encourage those spirals to form before you start scrunching. Good luck on your curly-girl journey! You might be surprised at how curly your hair gets once you get the hang of it.
Along with all the great tips that have been left already, I wanna add something. Don't move the diffuser when you use it. It breaks up the clumps and makes your hair frizzier. At least when you use pixie diffusing. With hover diffusing, you don't touch the hair and hover over your head. Also, some gels don't produce a gel cast.
I must say that your hair looks way way healthier in its wavy state! Don't give up! I am a curly girl and my hair looks different every time too. I think it's just the natural way of wavy/curly hair.
I have thick hair unlike you, but when it dries I have the same issue where it can be straight or wavy and depending on the weather maybe even curly or frizzy. But I finally found an epic product that seriously hydrates and is the best for this type of hair. It’s called Caviar anti aging ant frizz hair air dry balm. It’s amazing. Completely transformed the way my hair looks and styles without blowing out. Sometimes I tie it in a silk scrunchie in a bun overnight and it’s looks wavy and divine in the morning perfectly hydrated waves. But honestly this video was really fun and pretty hilarious. You’re so funny Lucy. And I love the results in both cases I think it looks sexy and kind of 80s punk rock in a more feminine way. I don’t think wavy hair is about perfection it’s about feeling free-spirited.
Ok, we have, like, the same hair. Must be my ancestors that hail from your neck of the woods. I appreciate seeing the work it would take to build towards a consistently wavy style. In the past, I would only try that style in high humidity environment. When my hair is shoulder length it easily waves, but because it is fine, like yours, but longer the natural waves fall out more easily. It's winter where I live, and very dry now, so maybe I will try to consistently do this method in the summer months! Thanks for experimenting for me!
I loved your results! I’m a 2c wavy and when I committed to not heat styling (except for diffusing) and using quality products, my hair became healthier and curlier. It’s fun to experiment and change things up. Good luck to you!
love your curl pattern! definitely invest in some styling products because even when you dont defuse they will help with the frizziness. I use a leave in conditioner, a curl cream, and just a de-tangler spray and a heat protect spray if I think I am going to flat iron my hair after it is dried for my bangs. I saw recently on tiktok that you should put the products in while you are still in the shower and your hair is super wet and scrunch it in the shower. Also between washes you can always rewet your hair and use refreshing sprays to help keep the curls alive longer. Wide tooth combs and theres a brush where you can take out the bristles at least here in the States. I can't remember where you live, but you should be able to find something online if there isn't anything like that in store. I used to wish for straight hair when i was younger because my hair was always so frizzy and unmanageable, turns out i had curls lol! The more you treat your hair as curly the more the curl pattern will come out. its like muscle memory! I don't have fine hair so I am not sure exactly what products would be good for your hair but i hope what i have said helps! GOod luck on your hair journey cant wait to see more of your curl pattern in your future videos.
Your hair is definitely wavy! Focusing on lightweight, strong hold products, and not using to much product will probably really help! Also, for me, upside down styling totally ruins my clumps and pattern, so don't feel afraid to play around with upright styling as well :D
I'm a 2A/2B and each day my waves are different! With natural wavy hair you'll never get the same look twice. Also, some days it will just fall straight. And the day after will go wavy again! Wavy hair doesn't act like straight hair and it doesn't act like curly hair, it does its own thing, I go with the path of least resistance these days. It's nice to have slightly different look every day anyway. I used to try CGM but it was too much work so now I do a 'lazy' version. I still avoid sulfates and I alternate co-wash and shampoo days. I hate gel and have never come across one that doesn't make my hair feel like straw. I use only a leave in conditioner after washing and either air dry in summer, or blow dry just the roots in winter. A diffuser makes my ends too dry so I just lift up the mid-lengths of my hair in my hands loosely and lightly blow dry the roots. That way I can direct the shape so that I can get volume without a 'mushroom' effect. And I leave the ends to dry on their own in any way they want. When air drying I don't go from dripping, I leave my hair in the towel for longer and then scrunch and 'blot' the hair in the towel a bit before I leave it. It's just faster. It can add a bit of frizz though, but I don't mind a bit to be honest, it's gives a bit of volume and a 'lived in' look, which I prefer (personally). By the way, a tip with brushing: if it makes your hair 'poofy' (mine does), you can take a bit of leave in conditioner (I use Garnier hair food) and put a TINY amount just on the ends of your hair to smooth it down. It remoisturises and 'weighs' it down and so gets rid of the frizz. (I have VERY tangly hair so I do need to brush it sometimes, but I find this helps combat it.) It's a bit long but these are just some specific things I do, my hair is a bit similar to yours. Over time it does get curlier by itself eventually. Hope it helps x
My hair thickness & texture is similar to yours and I find the gel (even spray in gel) is just too heavy for my hair! It literally weighs it down & the curls fall out of it as it dries. Pinning it up doesn't help. What DOES work for me is plopping w/o product till it's just damp (minimum 30 mins while I make breakfast, etc.) then I use a little bit of Shea Moisture Coconut & Hibiscus Curl Mousse on each curl / wave & let it air dry. I can not use a diffuser on my hair at all because no matter the technique my hair frizzes. It just does not like being forced to dry faster. The best change I made: I only wash my hair once a week (I have normal to dry scalp & hair) and I don't use shampoo (even sulfate & paraben free is too harsh for me) instead I use suave conditioner (Sun-Ripened Strawberry) or Asiam Coconut cowash to cleanse my scalp. To moisturize my hair my favorite conditioner is Garnier Fructis Hydrating Hair Treats 3-in-1 Mask with Aloe Vera Extract. I don't know if any of the products I mentioned will work the same for you but thought I'd mention them here in case it does help someone out! We're all in the boat together trying to figure out the best way to care for our unique hair ^_^
Wavy/curly hair always has a different outcome which is also something you have to learn to accept. I have conversations with my hair "okay, you're doing this today. Okay cool " haha
loll same i’ve just started to regain my waves after YEARS and it’s different everytime, or one side looks much better - as annoying as it is im accepting that that’s just my life now LMAOAO
I went through this exact same process when I was rediscovering my wavy-curly hair as well and I use the exact same gel as you and I do have some tips! Product: I have found that this gel works a lot better for me than more lightweight products, because they just don't have enough hold, and for such a strong hold gel this one is quite light. Washing: You're going to get better results if you wash less frequently. I wash my hair once once weekly or even every two weeks now because I refresh it with water daily and my refreshes often turn out better than my styling on squeaky clean hair. Styling: You have to rake out your hair away from the scalp while it's wet so it falls in a more 'natural' position rather than just sitting on top of your head before applying your gel. That way your clumps won't just disappear as they dry due to gravity pulling your hair back down. Drying: Plop for a bit, and then be very careful while blowdrying, because you can get a gel cast when using a diffuser, but you have to keep holding the hairdryer in the same place on a low setting for a while, then turn it off before moving it to a new section. Your results so far are looking really promising, good luck!!
I’ve been on this journey! My hair was the exact some texture as yours at the end of the video and now my hair forms into RINGLETS! It’s just a big time investment to find what works for your hair and be willing to break the curly girl method rules. It will take a few months for your hair to get use to this. This is what I do if you’re at all interested: 1. I wash my hair ever second day - scalp can’t handle longer intervals. 2 Wash and condition my hair normally. 3. Detangle my hair with a Denman brush gently 4. Rake through a leave in conditioner on mids and ends. 5. Rake through curl cream (I found gel too intense) 6. Shake at the roots to loosen up and let curl clumps form. 7. Don’t touch it at all until it’s dry which is usually about 3 hours later. 8. Scrunch out the curl cream. Super simple and definitely more manageable. I do use a micro fibre towel but I don’t wash my hair upside down or anything cos I would just have insane knots. I hope this helps! Good luck on your curly journey ❤️
My hair is also fine with a wave, and can get that frizzy texture if brushed. OGX Locking + Coconut Curls Decadent Creamy Mousse works great when you scrunch it into wet hair and then diffuse it. Love your content and videos!
I have 2c/3a hair more emphasis om the 2c hahaha! I wash and condition and then brush my har through with a wilde toont comb. After that I add more water so that the curl clumps form more easily and without frizz. I then add a curl cream, scrunch, add a mousse, scrunch, add a gel, scrunch some more hahahaha! I Micro plop and plop for 15 minutes or so. When my hair is about 80 % dry, I add some more mousse. The curly/wave journey is a journey of trial and error! Good Luck ❤️
I have very fine curly hair, and I have found gels to be too heavy for my hair. I really prefer mousse. It also might work better if you try it with 2nd day hair, that way your hair has some extra oils and texture to hold on to. I usually after wetting down my hair and applying my moose, will wrap my hair in a T-shirt for about 15 to 20 minutes, and then tip my head up side down and diffuse. Definitely takes a lot of experimenting, because everybody's hair is so different! I think you were doing great though!😊
A few suggestions from a wavy, frizzy, sister: 1. Haircut: Your haircut is not going to give more definition because your layers are too long. 2. Method: Upside down is going to tangle a very fine hair like yours. Scrunch ends up and side to side. 3. Products: Heavy products are a big no for fine, wavy hair. Foams like XMondo Wavetech (just an example) and light leave in conditioners are better for your hair texture. 4, Diffuser: a diffuser will help drying your hair faster without frizz. Hope this helps!
The very first video I ever watched of yours was your first curly girl experiment. I was just starting too. You should keep going. Those waves aren’t as fragile as you may think. I have 2b to 3b curls and waves. The crown is straight. I learned to wash my hair normally but to apply a few different products but the most important thing for wavy girls is to learn to style the clumps. I lightly twist my clumps with product in then lightly scrunch them and let dry. I know something like this will work for you because your hair takes a curl really well when you use rags and curlers. With the curly girl method you need to learn what direction your curls go in so you can twist in the right direction. It takes time and dedication. A good curl cut also can help.
My hair is a 2A as well! It's not as thin as yours seems to be, but something that really worked for me and that I think you could give a try is using mostly a lightweight leave-in conditioner and mix just a little bit of gel with it. You might have to try a few times until finding the perfect balance between conditioner and gel, but for me it's what works best! The little bit of gel does its job of holding the waves in place until your hair dries (whatever method of drying) without being too drying or crunchy because of the conditioner. Also, I would keep doing all that with your hair dripping wet! It's usually a good method for wavy hair in general, specially thinner hair, cause the water that's still in it helps distribute the products better. The squishy sound is all you want!
I have wavy hair and I get a solid gel cast with blow drying. Try using lower heat or lower speed. I use the cold shot button, between each section, when i blow dry. This helps maintain the cast :). Also, I use more product than I would ever have thought necessary. More so in the beginning when I was 'finding' my waves. Hard hold gels are a must. I use a cream to clump my hair together and then the gel to hold the clumps together :)
I enjoyed watching this video even though my hair is probably 2 inches shorter than yours, it’s inspiring to see what do you do with yours. I know from watching previous videos that you don’t have a whole lot of hair. Same here. But your hair looks gorgeous here, not thin at all.
As a fellow wavy girl, here as my tips: -Try not styling your hair upside down. I feel its just way easiar to deal with the clumps if you dont have to turn your head up after styling. With your head up and soaking wet hair, just rake some leave in or curl cream in (pea size) and then apply your gel with praying hands. Scrunch it. Diffuse. Done. I take an hour to do the whole process and the results are great. -Try using mousse instead of gel. I feel the overall results are much softer and more lightweight
I see so many tips in the comments, so I won't add mine. But please don't give up! Keep trying! It'll take some experimenting in products and methods, but eventually you'll find what works for you! I don't like spending much time on my hair either, so I do mask in dry hair, shampoo, conditioner, then leave in, gel, and that's it. Sometimes I fingercurl some pieces, and sometimes I diffuse (this does help a lot, but I usually don't have the patience and I'll just walk around with wet hair). You can do iiiiiiit!!
Hi! I it can help I'll tell you what I learnt from numerous curly girls videos and what works for my thin but curlier hair. The frizz when drying with the diffuser comes from moving it too often. First you should not touch the hair with it but only turn the diffuser around your head until you feel its beginning to be a little crunchy. Then you should keep the diffuser scrunching the same section for about one minute and manipulate each section really carefully when moving the diffuser. Some girls even turn it off while moving to another section. It doesn't take that much effort for my hair, I need maybe 10 to 15 min. You don't have to dry it until fully dry, 80-90% is enough since you eliminated most of the water that could weigh your waves down. Usually it's when it's the dryest that it frizzes the most. Also, you can keep your towel longer. Just be careful when putting it that your form the curls on your head (it's called plopping) and it will pre-dry your hair in the right position. I keep mine for about half an hour or an hour.
I am no expert but I've been doing the CGM for about a year and have very fine hair like you do. -Try leaving your plop for a little longer (30 m) and try using a cotton tshirt. -Try reducing your amount of product, fine hair cannot hold as much product as thick or coarse hair does, and makes it heavy, losing the shape. -Results are actually not immediate, it takes a while for your hair to get used to its new shape and for you to find your ideal routine. Good luck!
I would suggest trying plopping for longer (20-30 minutes) and using mousse combined with gel, also like everyone is saying do not touch your hair with the blow dryer it can kill your waves and add a ton of frizz! Finding what works takes time but you will get there!
I've found that 100% aloe vera gel (no alcohol or dyes) is the best for holding my wavy hair (2B), and my waves get better the farther I am from wash day. I always have to remind myself to use way more gel than I think I need, otherwise no gel cast and no hold. If your hair is weighed down easily I'd give aloe a try! Also, blow drying of any kind, even with a diffuser, ruins my waves and gives me crazy frizz so I never do it. I "plop" with a t-shirt in spring, summer, and fall. In winter when it's way too cold to have wet hair for half the day I let my hair dry most of the way wrapped in a towel then do overnight robe curls.
The end result looks great already! 😄 I have semi-wavy hair that I'm still learning about so seeing your video on this and the comments will help me learn too! I'd love to see an update in the future.
Hello Lucy!! For sure your hair has curly potential :D First of all dont worry that the results are not great at the start! Took me months to find the right combo for my curly hair! Also depends how healthy your hair is , if you iron them a lot, the products you use. As I saw on the comments below you should apply your conditionner, leave it for a few minutes and then untangle your hair either with your fingers if you can or a brush. Once you wash it out you can apply a leave in if necessary and then your gel cream. I understand that for thin hair the gel can weight it down but I think its just a matter of quantity that you apply, try and see :) if you want to try a natural and super cheap, hydrating version, try FLAX gel, it is super easy to do and super efficient :) if it is still too heavy for your hair, you can try a spray like Aloe vera spray conditionner leave in! Maybe you should try the finger coil technique to help to shape your curls !! The best is to let it dry naturally but if you must use your diffusor, do not put it on high heat and no you dont have to keep your head down ;D Freezy hair is normal if you diffuse your hair but also for curly hair! Try a few drops of Broccoli oil (first cold pressed) it works really well and it is very light so it wont make them greasy! It is totally normal that if you scrunch your hair that the '' gel effect'' disappears for a natural texture. A tip is to sleep either with your hair in a scarf to not destroy your curls , or to do a high bun on top of your head! You can refresh your curls if needed in the morning with some water or a fixing spray like the aloe vera one! Remember that curly hair has a temper of its own so sometimes results are good and sometimes less good ;D Can't wait to see your curly hair at its full potential !!!
The "curly girl method" is a method of "cleansing" first and foremost. Sulfate-mild or sulfate-free or even conditioner only (CO-wash). Second thing is working with your texture, that means if you have no curls or wave to it, treat it as straight! It doesn't mean you need to work with what's not there. That is not at all what it means. IMMHO. I have wavy/curly hair myself, that is classic length (over the booty) and I do not use the CG method, not one bit because I can't do sulfate-mild or sulfate-free at all. I need sulfates. And so I use the WCC method (wash condition condition), meaning I condition twice after my shampoo, and I do an oil rinse in between both conditioners (no not an oil "bath", it just means a couple drops of oil on the lengths of the hair, then conditioner on top, let marinate for a couple minutes, wash out, but key is to do it after shampooing). Anyway, there's more info on the longhair community boards for all of that.
Love, love, love the wavy 70's shag with bangs!! It looks great on you. I also have wavy hair and what works for me is to apply gel (I like Maui Moisture Ultra Hold Coconut Quench) and use a Denman brush (after detangling) to brush style on pretty wet (but not dripping...there's tons of videos on how to style wavy hair with the Denman brush) into the shape I want it. Air dry for about an hour for cast to form, then dry to 95% with diffuser.
A few things I learned on my frizzy-hair-is-not-straight-journey (sorry, more than a few): 1. Focus on the health of your hair, instead of the curl/wave-pattern. At this point your hair is just dry. With my 2A hair I saw a great improvement in the overall health of my hair after about 3 months. Improvement in the curl/wave-pattern took me well over a year. 2. Focus on finding a cleanser that gets your scalp clean without drying out both your hair and your scalp. If you find the right cleanser, your washdays will last longer (make sure to really rub your scalp with your fingertips when using your cleanser). 3. (the cleanser should be your first focus, but after that) find a conditioner that is nourishing for your hair without overdoing it. Fine wavy hair tends to over moisturise easily (especially in summer). If you feel your hair gets overly soft (personally I feel like a poodle or sheep, even though it doesn't look like that) tone down the conditioner and add more water. To me the above three points are really the most important. If your hair is healthy, all other things will follow. To get your hair healthy you have to find a balance in cleansing your scalp and nourishing your hair (if your cleanser is too aggressive, your scalp will become itchy and angry, your hair will become dry. If your cleanser is not aggressive enough, your scalp will also become itchy and oily, and your washdays just won't hold. If your conditioner is not nourishing enough, your hair will remain dry or your curl pattern will fall flat). In my experience you can (and at the start you should) cut corners on the styling products. Put your main focus (time/energy/budget) on finding the cleanser+conditioner combination that works specifically for you. It will pay off. Then some general tips/tricks that I still use today (I am almost 2 years in): 4. Add more water during your washday: take longer to get your hair really really wet, and thoroughly clean out your conditioner. More water is beter, more conditioner is not (especially the moment your hair becomes healthier and has more shine, always try more water before you try more conditioner). 5. Gel balances frizz/poofiness. I don't like creams/leave-ins/the like, because it leaves my hair overly soft. If you have fine hair strands (you barely feel them between your fingers) focus on finding a gel you like (the thicker your individual hair strands, the more you want to focus on creams/leave-ins instead of gels, thicker hair strands tend to be dryer). 6. Use A LOT of gel. Keep adding gel till the point you think 'help this is never going to get dry'. Distribute well (use a brush if you like) then squeeze in the wave pattern. Add a bit of water if at this point your curl clumps are falling apart. 7. After adding the gel and squeezing, shake the hair / clumps (gently!) loose from the back of your head. What is now stuck in a weird position will stay in a weird position. When you are straight up, and everything is shaken loose, you can reach behind your head to squeeze the clumps back together again (add water as necessary). Don't be afraid to move, just move gently. 8. Let the gel sit for a couple of minutes before putting on a towel, because otherwise the towel will suck up the gel (go do your makeup, get dressed, clean the house, but don't put on a towel, you can use a plastic cap instead). 9. Skip the air drying. Personally I just diffuse right side up, and add a little foam (which is dryer than mousse) for root volume before I start diffusing. 10. I prefer to use my conditioner BEFORE the shampoo, and leave the conditioner in for a couple of minutes before rinsing it out. This ensures my hair gets the nourishments it needs, without becoming over-moisturised. 11. I also prefer to use oil before I wash my hair. (I just brush oil from root to end through my hair before heading in under the shower.) This helps greatly avoiding any wet frizz and tangles. Good luck (to you and all the others who read this) on your curly/wavy hair journey. Be patient, it takes time (about three times as long as you think now), but you can do it, keep at it!
I also have extremely fine and thin wavy/curly hair (about a 2b) and it's taken me years to find products and methods that actually work. So much stuff that is targeted towards curly hair is just too Heavy with moisturizers and oils for my hair and it would start to look weighed down after a few washes and I would have to use a clarifying shampoo. What's worked best for me I've found is: I wash my hair twice with a shampoo bar (I use the viori brand rice water one and it's been great) and then I use about a good five or six pumps of a light weight moisturizing conditioner. The one I've fallen in love with is the Not Your Mother's Blue Sea Kale and Pure Coconut Water one. It's got kind've a gel-like texture but it's hydrates so nicely and doesn't weigh my hair down at All. I also saw a tip from another wavy hair blog that when you're smoothing in the conditioner, you want to achieve something she called "kelp hair" which is just like, you want your hair to be really sort of flat and slippery with the conditioner in it. Then I will scrunch it a bit and then twist it up into a clip to sit while I finish the rest of my shower. The very last thing I do in my shower is rinse it out upside down, cupping it in my hands scrunching the whole time until the water runs clear. I've seen some people recommend the bowl method because you're using the same conditioner water again and again but I think I get very similar results just with my hands. THEN I SCRUNCH MY HAIR WITH MY MICROFIBER TOWEL. Not super dry, but just so it's not dripping. I find the weight of the water pulls my curl clumps down too much and they don't spring back up but the brief towel scrunch encourages them in place without losing the moisture that helps disperse product. After it's no longer dripping I use like two small pumps of a curl cream. I use a custom one from prose that I've had good results with, but I also really love the Not Your Mother's Curl Talk one. Creams seem to work fine for me so long as they're not super like, argan or other oil heavy, but the mousse from that line is also good of you really prefer something super light weight it just depends on your hair. I sort of very gently praying hands this in upside down, more like hovering, and then scrunch upwards. Then I take a good amount of gel, I think the amount you used was fine, but the argan oil in it might not be ideal. I use a super cheap alcohol free LA looks 10+ hold extreme sport gel. I've tried other brands both drugstore and specific curly girl approved ones and gone back to this one every time. The real trick with the gel for for me at least is to do that Hovering thing again, which I think I learned from India Batson. You really just want to Skim the hair from the outside at first. I don't even scrunch, I will just kind've gently push the ends up with my palms and then flip my hair to the right and repeat, just skimming over the top, fluff, then to the left skim and fluff then back to the front upside down. Usually by now there's barely any gel left on my hands but if there's too much I will rinse off maybe on hand and then redisperse with the water and THEN scrunch up. Scrunching gel in can oversaturate your waves and curls when you have fine hair, I noticed this a lot when I kept trying soaking wet styling. You will still get a little squish and that's good. Honestly I do not get big thick curl clumps, my hair just isn't thick enough, but this still works anyway so long as I do the drying right. Then I plop. Personally I don't really like those little turban things, I feel like they don't actually get my hair dry or in a good position to set in the plop. I use a plain microfiber towel, one of those "fast drying" ones and kind've do the same rolling technique you see people do with a cotton t-shirt where I set my hair flat on the towel, bring it over the back of my head, then gather the sides together and roll them until I can lift my head and tie the two ends behind my head. Honestly, I leave my plop in for a "long" time, like, a half hour to more like an hour and a half ideally. I've tried a diffuser and it works in a pinch if my hair is just Too wet at the roots to go out, but I find the heat really just increases the frizz and messes up how my hair falls because I'm very susceptible to my hair getting stuck in a certain way. I can't blow dry upside down or I look absolutely insane because there's just no weight to pull it back down. So. Once I take it out of the plop it's still definitely damp but I have really well defined, a little gel-sticky clumpy waves and curls. I fix my part and make sure nothing is egregiously tangled or messe up then I DON'T TOUCH IT. AT ALL. Don't put it up don't move it don't do anything to it. Get dressed with your hair still in the towel if you can. If you do want it to dry faster I would say use the diffuser and just hover it over your roots with your hair in the position you want it. That's how I have to. Otherwise I just air dry. It usually takes about? Two or three hours, but I can go about my day just fine because it's not dripping or anything, all the dampness is just at the roots. Once it's dry enough to the touch and my curls are nice and stiff and crispy, that's when I flip my head upside down and break up the cast and fluff everything out. I have done this many times in a parking lot before going inside somewhere and it looks a little crazy but it's Essential for actually getting my waves to looks voluminous and pretty and not like stringy ramen noodles. If you have it and your hair can take it, you can scrunch out the gel with a little bit of hair oil in your palms, that can help with frizz and shine. A good "leave in conditioner" is just plain water mixed with a little bit of your regular conditioner. Nice and light without adding anything else but I would only recommend this to reactivate second and third day waves. Don't want to get fresh curls wet again. Honestly I've been working on my hair routine since about 2018 and doing this specifically with these products for about a year and this is the most consistent and nice looking my hair has ever been. I get very similar results every time and almost never have a bad wash day hair day. Good luck! I've loved your videos for years, especially for styles that actually work with hair that isn't super thick, so I hope any of this is helpful to you in return! 💖
Thank you for ALL that information!!! Very, very helpful! I am going to order everything you mentioned-plus try your techniques. As soon as I read that you get ramen noodles otherwise I knew I must try your methods. Because that is exactly what mine looks like-noodles-YUCK! Appreciate the time it took for you to write all that out!
@@debraray5786 oh my pleasure really! I hope it all works for you, but don't ever feel bad if something someone else loves doesn't. everyone's hair is weird and different! good luck! 💖
Up until I was 20yo, my hair was streight and slipery. I could hair dry and it felt like I had it ironed. In that summer, it started getting waves and curling. I always used longer hair, I could see the big waves and curls when soaking wet and then dried to more muted waves. And then I was done with long hair, so in the end of summer, I had it chopped shoulder lenght. Wow! It curled like a charm! The weight was gone, so the waves were free :D I'm now 33 and had at least two big chops ever since, it always freshens my waves into curls, turning my long old dream of having curly hair come true. Today it is very long, midway my back. I have tried the curly girl method before and saw results, but only stick to a few techniques now. I can't be bored to big routines. One thing I always do in Summer is leave salt water from the beach on my hair overnight. It helps with the oiliness and the waves are delightful 🤩
try keeping the towel in your hair much longer (or a cotton t-shirt) so that the weight of wet hair is not pulling on the waves/curls. keep it up until it is like HALF dry. then air dry for a bit then finish up with the diffuser. let the towel absorb all of that extra water while holding the curls in place and use less heat on your hair. my hair went from straight to wavy in my 40s. i didn't have a clue what to do with it. i did try the curly hair techniques and the more you do it, the more results you get. but for me and my personal health issues (the bending, squeezing, drying, etc) was too much effort, so i gave it up. but i still keep a tshirt on my head until most of excess water is absorbed and then let it air dry a bit and finish up withy my hair dryer.
My hair is also 2A but I use sulfates and don't mind to use products that aren't curly girl method approved. I've realized sulfates are good for my fine hair because they clean well making it very light weight, so it curls easier. Mouse works best for me (but NOT with soaking wet hair), I can also add a little bit of leave in conditioner (just a pea size) before using the mousse.
Yes being that your hair is so heavy definitely try mousse because it will hold better in your hair and don't be stingy with the mousse. You want to put it on when your hair is pretty wet and it makes the squishy noise. Try to do the praying hands method I would do one side with a bunch of mousse and then the other side with a bunch of mousse and then scrunch it really good and then put a little bit of gel in your hands and just squeeze your ends and nothing else. I always wait about 5 minutes before I put a t-shirt on my head. Another thing I do after I get on my product then I take a wide tooth comb and I comb all of the products into my hair to make sure it reaches all of my strands. But do that before you scrunch it and scrunch it really really well. I will post a video on my channel that I had just done the other day and I don't show how I scrunch or anything but you can see how my curls are really tight because that's what I always do with the mousse and then the gel but I have curly hair as well. If you find out what your porosity is in your hair that might help in knowing what products you should use. So if you go to my channel and watch the video I'm going to upload right now you'll see how my hair is really really curly and yes it takes time it's taken me 3 years almost to get my hair to look like this My hair in the last 3 years has changed its pattern. They say every 7 years our hair changes. That's probably what your hair is doing right now it's changing and it's getting wavy. Have a great day and the next time you do this make sure you post a video I'd love to see it but you got to do it all of the time. You can't style it one day with a curling iron or a straightener and expect to get curly hair the next time because it's just going to ruin your pattern. You have beautiful hair by the way
few tips from a fellow wurly-haired struggler: 1. try styling with your head up, head down didn't work for me. after washing I comb my hair as I would wear it and then I start applying products 2. try hair mousse (e.g. pantene defined curls) and apply a lot of it. it's so much better for me than gel, very light, but still holds the curls and makes them crunchy! 3. between every styling step, get rid of some moisture from your hair with towel (really helps, the water doesn't weigh down your curls so much) 4. scrunch the crunch with a little bit of oil on your hands (less frizz) 5. - and the most important - YOU LOOK AMAZING!! I wish you a lot of patience! finding your way of styling is a long journey, but it's so worth it! good luck ♥︎
Good information! I have tried so many products over the years and ugh the frizz! It’s getting worse. The oil while scrunching was great advice thank you! I’m going to try mousse as well. I was talking to the screen as she was doing this video lol
@@juliekozlowski4902 aw, that's great! good luck to you! (or shall I say - good lock....) also, if you're still struggling with the frizz, try applying a little bit of a quite heavy, emolient-loaded conditioner right before styling (don't rinse ofc)! avoiding proteins and glycerin in this step really helped me :)
I have very wavy hair, and I refuse to abide by the curly girl method. It’s too restrictive, it takes FOREVER to dry, and just does not work for me. I tried it for a few months, and my hair always looked knotty, my waves weren’t very defined, my hair would be wet until supper time, and I hated that I couldn’t brush or straighten it ever. I do my waves my way, and it works for me. I use regular shampoo & conditioner to wash every other day. I use a wet brush in the shower. I towel dry my hair- it would never dry otherwise. I use leave in conditioner, gel, and serums that have alcohols in them. After applying the gel, I use my wet brush again to comb it through. Then, I scrunch with mousse and a microfiber towel to remove excess water. I don’t plop. I don’t diffuse. And my waves look great! If I feel like wearing my hair straight sometimes, I do. Blow drying and straightening does not disturb my wave pattern. CGM is a hard pass from me! 🙅🏻♀️
So fun to watch! I've got wavy hair that is never quite sure what it's trying to do, and I'm slowly learning what works the best for me, so I enjoyed seeing you try some different techniques :)
As a fellow wavy hair person I've had similar issues with my hair.
Most gels and curling creams are going to be too heavy and weigh down your hair. You want something light weight like a mouse or spray but it needs to have a strong hold.
Also diffusing is a necessity when styling.
Try and avoid leave in products with glycerin high on the ingredients list.
Also your shampoo and conditioner can weigh down your hair if they have too many oils/moisturizing ingredients. I've had better luck with shampoos and conditioners that are targeted for frizzy hair. Any product labeled as thickening is a giant no because it just adds more weight to your hair.
Finally when you get a routine that you like you will need to do a proper cleans with sulfates more frequently than a regular curly girl. Even with curly girl approved products you get buildup in your hair and wavies tend to get it faster.
The best thing I ever did was visit a curly hairdresser who went through my fine hair and taught me how to look after my curls and gave me a curly hair cut. My fine hair is weighed down easily by creams and gels, so I use a light mousse and spray. I also use little metal snap clips to hold my hair up on my scalp to stop is flattening and that helps my curl pattern build up volume and form shape.
I do not expect my hair to do the same thing every time just learnt to embrace the facts that 'curls will do what they do ' and it will be different each time.
great tips,
@@footprintwanderings do you put the mousse and spray in when your hair is wet like people do with the gel and creams? I think I need a lighter product as well
@@ashleybullard1285 Hi, I use the mousse when my hair is wet and scrunch it in. I then use little metal clips (I think they are called pin curl clips) to clip and shape my hair at the roots so my curls do not sit flat. I also manipulate them around with a chop stick so my fingers do not break the curls.
I usually use a conditioner and water mix spray on day 2, 3 and if I am blessed by the hair gods day 4 to rewet and shape my curls.
I hope this helps you. It took me months and months to realise that I need a much lighter routine than the heavy gels and flaxseed is too much for my curls.
Hello! Just a few tips from a fellow wavy haired person.
1. When conditioning your hair, comb through it with your fingers. This should really be the time you are detangling your hair, as textured hair should never be brushed dry. This will also help distribute the conditioner better.
2. When you are doing this, pull the hair outwards directly off of your scalp to get waves closer to your roots, then scrunch. I noticed the back of your hair was much flatter.
3. When scrunching the gel into your hair, flip your hair more! I suggest flipping all of your hair to the right and scrunching, then all to the left, then all forward again. This makes sure the curl clumps can form closer to the scalp and all over your head. This will also give better volume. I suggest doing this when scrunching the gel out when your hair is dry too!
4. Dry your hair with a microfiber towel or cotton shirt before plopping. This will help it dry faster, and keep the clumps too. You just gently squeeze the hair like when you are scrunching gel or conditioner into it.
Good luck!
Here's something I've learned, you can't always expect the same results. Wavy hair is very unpredictable with outcomes. I do a very simple wash routine and my hair never looks the same. For the conditioner, after you apply, take a wide-tooth comb or Wet brush to distribute the conditioner evenly. I would also recommend a hair oil to finish the styling process. You have fine hair, so you might want to look for products labeled for waves, curly products tend to be thicker. For me personally, I like to very lightly brush my waves with a detangler (a wide tooth or boar brush works great) every other day or depending on the knots. I would definitely say your hair is wavy! It is just harder for wavies who have finer hair to keep those waves. What helps is finding a RUclipsr with a similar hair type! Sorry for the long comment, hope this helps!
Don't worry, it took me a while until I found a way to take care of my curly hair correctly, but either way you look stunning ❤️
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I live straight during the colder, drier part of the year, and wavy in warmer, more humid months. I would try again in June!
I do the same thing! In the winter without the humidity I can brush my hair and let dry straight but that would never happen in the summer. It's fun to have two natural different hair style depending on the season.
Don’t give up! It took me almost 2 years to find what works for my hair. I’d suggest 3 things: first try upright styling. Styling upside down is a recipe for wonkiness in my experience. 2. Use a leave in conditioner. My hair responds better to a leave in with small proteins like hydrolyzed silk. I like Curls Blueberry Bliss. 3. Diffuse. With gel in your hair air drying will take forever. But keep experimenting - there are glorious waves in there!
This cute look. I would recommend a leave in to moisturise and help to clump. You have fine hair, so you don't need too much. If you use too much, then it will be weighed down. Another thing I would suggest is to section your hair in to 2 or 3 parts. That would make your waves POP.
The biggest game changers for me: Use a super hard hold gel and apply much more than you think you'll need, always diffuse your hair for better wave hold (wet hair is heavy and pulls the wave out), and last but not least: DO NOT touch your hair until it is 100% dry. And even then, only fluff your roots. Don't rake your hands through it unless you are going for lots of volume (and lots of frizz).
Im living for the seventies Hermoine look!
My go to cg mantra is: as few products as possible :)
Just a tip with diffusing curls, lay them where you want before you dry it. You can put your hair upside down for more volume but it may mess up the end result with it not being too curly naturally, and just place the diffuser and push it toward your scalp, don't move it around and never dry it 100% or it will be too frizzy, only dry to about 70% with diffuser and air dry the rest of the way. :)
Wow didn’t know about not drying 100% because of frizz that explains my frizz thank you!
For me, funnily, best results come if I air dry for 20 min befor diffusing and I diffuse to 100% or 95% dry when the cast has formed beforehand. This make my hair more voluminous. And as I usually do my wash day as wash evening, I don't scrunch out the crunch, but put my hair up with banana clip for sleeping and SOTC in the morning together with root fluffing. :)
i think that for wavy hair, the curly method can be useful for some things, but not all. after years of trying different products (all curly-approved and most of them so incredibly expensive) and even getting "the chop" (literally got a pixie cut so my regrowth was all virgin hair and not bleached and dyed hair), trying countless techniques in washing and drying... the difference in results was minimal for me.
my hair is a bit different from yours, it's definitely wavier (I'm a 2B-2C), but I think it's also thicker/coarser and I think I also have more hair, so my clumps form differently (mine are... chonky). in the end, I have discovered that sulfate-free shampoos are the way to go for me, but that my hair does need some silicones or else the frizz is unmanageable (even with gels and casts and all that), especially now that I have once again "destroyed" my hair with bleach and hair dye (ammodimethicone is a godsend in these cases. it's a silicone that binds to the damaged bits, but doesn't build up).
I think it's a matter of finding the parts of the curly method that work for you and whether the results are worth the hassle (and money) for you. for me they weren't. I'm very happy with my silicone products, they tame my frizz and define my waves enough. I always air dry my hair, but if I want something special and my heatless sleep-in style didn't turn out well, I'll bust out my curling iron no problem. if all that makes people kick me out of the curly club, then so be it. I prefer to save money, use less products (better for the environment too), get more consistent results and be happy. I'd definitely recommend playing with more methods of applying conditioner and of drying until you find what you like best, but be careful to fall into the trap of everything being curly-approved to the point where it all feels like a chore and not fun anymore.
Really well said
Hello Loepsie! I know you’ve gotten a lot of comments on these types of videos, but I would recommend shaking your wet hair around to un-stick it from your scalp, that will help it lay nicer while it’s drying upright, also if you skake it out before it is absolutely 100% dry then the clumps will fall apart a bit more and be more frizzy, also for my bangs I make sure to separate them and brush them down before I blow dry, then when they curl they tend to flip up less lol
also over time I have found that blow drying and styling upside down doesn’t super work for me and I tend to prefer doing both upright and just going upside down every once in a while! hope this helps!
As a person with curly hair, here’s my advice: it’s best to put the gel or cream in and then twirl the curl (not while upside down but just while standing) with your fingers. Takes a while but it forms each curl. Then you scrunch it. Then lightly scrunch it with a microfiber towel or soft t shirt so it’s not dripping (this can be done either before or after the finger twirling). Then use a diffuser attachment on a hair dryer on the cool or warm setting (depends what works best for you) starting at the base and then incorporating the whole curl. You hold the diffuser on each curl for long enough for it to dry or almost dry. Hope this helps!
Its taken me 3 years to crack my waves but I think I'm there, here's what I do: wash once a week (with a sulphate containing shampoo!!), Deep condition for 30 mins, rinse, add leaving in conditioner and a flax seed gel, stand upright and use a denman brush on wet hair, taking it clump by clump to style curls and lay them in the direction I want, scrunch/squish, plop with a microfiber towel for 10 mins, then diffuse using the method explained by Manes by Mel. After that I get sort of 2c curls that are frizz free and slowly fall into smooth soft waves, ending with 2a waves by the end of my wash week. Sometimes I mix it up with a protein rich deep conditioner if I need it. NB: all of my products are silicone free but I do use a sulphate shampoo because I feel wavy hair needs a deeper cleanse on a wash day. Hope that helps!
I think it's official. You have natural beachy waves! The thing with curls, you have to encourage them. If I wear my hair straight a lot, even as someone with naturally curly hair, it takes some time for my curls to come back to their full potential. The more you do everything you did, the more they will come, because you definitely have texture. No question there. I think the results were cute!
THIS! The more I do it, the easier my waves (or my daughter's curls) bounce out. If I get lazy (or my kid fights the process, haha) for too long, it takes time to encourage them back to their full potential.
Along with learning about your curl pattern, learning about your hair porosity, density (how much hair is on your head), and hair strand thickness helps a lot as well! Also, you definitely don't have to diffuse your hair upside down the whole time haha, upright is perfectly fine. If you want less frizz, the hover diffuse method is amazing. Good luck!
My hair transitioned from one large “s” wave in the back as a child to a mix of spirals and waves in my forties. Stick with it.
I would definitely recommend something much lighter than gel like a curl cream or mousse designed for waves instead of curls. My hair is also fine with a similar wave pattern and gel is way to heavy for me. I used to really like AG Re-coil cream and would have great results even diluted a bit so it's even lighter. I am definitely going to revisit it in the spring.
I used mousse the last time I tried CGM, and it gave me what you saw in the throwback clip 😅 My waves were much more defined with the gel! I need the hold as it'll go straight if I so much as look at it wrong. Maybe I just need to embrace the straight hair, haha!
My hair is similar to Lucy's and I use gel, just a tiny bit of it :) Like a pea size amount on most of it and then half a pea on the bits I feel didn't get enough gel in the first round. With mousses etc. my hair curls beautifully when wet and once it dries you can't really tell... But different methods work for different people :)
I think you have to find what works best with your hair. I have a gentle wave and I find the support of gel helps more than it weighs my hair down. So I use a decent amount of gel if I want enhanced waves.
@@Loepsie try the Pantene mousse hold factor 5. That's the only one that works for me. But do NOT use it in soaking wet hair. Towel dry it first.
I use a spray gel and its lightweight and a HARD cast. Check out manes by mel channel. She knows everything
Your hair looks so good; like a natural beachy wave with lots of texture! Your hair looks really thick when it's wavy too!
You have to use a diffuser. You have wavy hair! Curly method is a guideline because different things work for different porosities and densities. Don’t give up! You look lovely either way but the waves are so fun
I agree! Looks like Loepsie definitely has wavy hair. Diffuser makes a huge difference to my routine.
I think your hair looks very similar to mine when I started styling my waves. What I'd suggest is wash and scrunch and diffuse mainly upright, with a little mix of side-to-side & upside down motions for extra volume, but mainly upright! I find it keeps the shape a little better
"It smells like teenage boy"
I teach middle school and even describing that smell gives me a VISCERAL reaction
I suggest looking into wavy-specific tutorials! Sometimes that can make a huge difference if your hair is more wavy than curly.
Some tips for you as a fellow Dutch wavie!
Diffusing: I would recommend watching “Manes by Mell” video about diffusing you indeed can up your game.
Conditioning: do detangle your hair when you have your conditioner in, you can still crunch in the clumps after you’ve detangled but it will give you a more even result.
Products: I don’t know what shampoo and conditioner you use, but the no sulfates nor silicones is pretty important, I’d recommend the “petal fresh voluminizing shampoo” (holland&barrett) and the “inecto coconut conditioner” (Kruidvat), or a combination of other products from those lines. If you’re searching for a mousse, “Etos styling mousse 3” is curly girl approved.
Washing: I would recommend to wash your hair less often, maybe go to a once every 3-4 days, and only refresh your curls on the in between days (plenty of RUclips videos on that). If you use shampoo, only clean your roots, not the rest of your hair that will dry it out.
Lastly, it will take some time, after a couple of months you’ll find your hair getting wavier and wavier!
your first video inspired me to start investigating and playing around more with this for myself.
i've found that styling upright is the way to go. i'm not an expert on my hair or anyone else's, but hunching over feels bad and by styling upright i have more control over the end look.
i also have stopped squishing products in and water out of my hair in favor of pressing the clumps onto my scalp? praying hands apply product and then i keep a flat hand, making sure the waves are all spiraling nicely on it, to elevate and press them to my scalp. to get water out, i drape a cotton shirt over my hand and do the same motion.
my hair looks different every day and i still have a lot to learn about what my hair wants, but it seems to have responded well to those two changes (clumps stay in tact, less frizz) and might work for you, too. best wishes!
Your end results (no 1) looked like mine pre-CGM (although I use a modified method now). I now have 2C/3A hair and I've been committed to going curly for around 6 months now.
Advice/ worked for me:
- Not wash your hair so often - I wash once a week and waiting 3/4 hours isn't that long in the grand scheme (I mean I do it when I'm WFH).
- Use loads of conditioner - I use a week's worth of conditioner in one go, it's a lot
- Use an combination of leave in conditioner and gel for the cast - I found that I get a best cast when I use them both, I'm still experimenting with the ratio, but I'm starting to get pretty consistent results
- Sulphate free shampoo and don't wash it more than once!
- You can scrunch into your hair with a towel to help towel dry (microfiber)
- Scrunch in the leave in conditioner and gel rather than rub it on flat
When I discovered I had curly hair, I experimented with the curly girl method and products until I found something that I like and works for me (2c or 3a hair). Personally, my current routine no longer looks much like the curly girl method. Firstly, I don't do anything upside down. Secondly, different curl gels and creams can yield very different results so just experiment and see what works (some creams have made my hair greasy, mousse and some gels makes my hair crunchy, etc).
Currently, I wash and condition my hair in the shower like normal (I care more about the health of my back than my hair haha). I scrunch some of the water out of my hair with a normal towel. I like my hair looking neat, so I part my hair and brush it. I pretty well saturate my hair with curl cream (I prefer cream over gel, I find that it holds my curls without being crunchy. But I have also heard great things about DIY flax gel.). I hate my hair being in my face, so I twist and bobby pin the sides back. Finally, I scrunch my hair and let it air dry. (My hair is thin and I have never lived the look I get from using a diffuser.)
Just experiment until you find what works for you and your hair! Don't feel like you have to stick to the anybody's rules!
Best thing you can do is stick with it. I could never have imagined 3 years ago that I’d have the waves/curls I do now. Experiment with how you apply the products- how much, how wet, how long you plop, scrunching upside down/right side up, etc. It’ll be trial and error until you find what works for you! Thanks for sharing ☺️
Wow, this is gorgeous and makes your hair look so full and thick!! Love this look on you. Yes, you will want to flip the hair back and finish drying while standing upright.
Swavy curly Courtney has all your wavy answers. Your hair is definitely wavy. Embracing and learning your hair texture takes time and work. So proud that you are embarking on your own self love hair journey. You will get there if you do not give up. Hair memory is a thing and your hair is used to being styled straight. In time it will learn and then remember its wave pattern and it will get easier.
As someone with seemingly straight hair that can get waves when I do the method, I NEED to diffuse if I want waves, until dry, otherwise the water weighs it down quickly and it goes flat again and as you said it would take forever to dry. The more product in your hair the longer it takes to dry. You can and I do get a gel cast with diffusing. You might just need a harder hold gel and/or to not touch your hair while diffusing to get a gel cast
So pleased to see you re-try this! Your video was one of the first ones I saw 2 years ago that set me down the path of discovering and learning love and care for my waves. Thank you!
It looks so cute!! It takes a lot of trail and error. Don’t be afraid to use a wide tooth comb after washing, then scrunching with gel more carefully the right way round and not upsidedown. It’s much harder to master diffusing upside down as a newbie and you get more defined results. As someone with 2A-B hair doing CGM for a few years
I have very curly hair I only wash it 2 times a week. I wrap my hair in a tee shirt for about an hour. I also don't use that much gel and I can scrunch it dry with a tee shirt. I sometimes diffuse it. I sometimes comb the gel through my hair too. It is not hair and does not take a lot of time but there is a learning curve. I don't use the "curly girl" method. The longer you try the better your curls are.
I didn't realize I had wavy hair until I was in high school. But my hair loses its wave easily. I would highly recommend you try out a deman brush. It helps with definition. Instead of using gel, I would recommend herbal essences mousse... it's really affordable! If you are still scared of losing your waves...try paring the mousse with an eco styler gel...
I loved all three results in their own ways! Everyone’s hair is different and I’m sure someone has already said these things, but for the results you said you’re looking for I would recommend:
-Brush your hair before you scrunch in your conditioner: wet frizz becomes dry frizz!
-A runnier gel, the general rule is- the runnier the gel the looser the curl/wave. (for your fine wavy hair I would recommend the Curls brand blueberry bliss leave in conditioner- a pea sized amount after washing out your conditioner, and their matching styling gel- two dime sized amounts, one for all over with praying hands, and one to scrunch in)
-One half pump/three drops of a lightweight hair oil (i recommend the Verb ghost oil) on your hands when you scrunch after drying will break the gel cast without frizzing your ends
-Give it time! It takes months to get to know your waves and how they lay. It will be different every time and that’s okay!
The look you got by the end of the video looks phenomenal ✨ It really suits you..
I am a super curly, but wish I could have those silky, wavy, voluminous natural curls 😉 and as you said you're waaay lucky to have straight hair and can goes curly at the same time 😁💆🏻♀️
As a wavy 2c/3a, I will apply my leave in with sopping wet hair and use a comb to apply it evenly, and then lift the hair from the back of my head so it can move freely before standing up for the rest of the process.
If I apply gel to sopping wet hair, I get larger curl clumps. If I take some of the moisture out before gel (typically to arrange my hair and part and sometimes even some curl training with my Denman brush) I will water down the gel before applying it with praying hands and scrunching it well.
I would recommend you apply the gel all the way to your roots to lessen the frizz.
For diffusing, I start with hovering at the roots till at least 60% dry and then putting the diffuser into the roots and gently moving it around as it dries if you want a little volume.
Then for the ends, I'll put sections of hair into the bowl (off) and lift it up against my head (on) for about 30 seconds. No longer otherwise my hair gets too hot.
I never dry it completely with the dryer otherwise it gets frizzy toward the end. I'd leave it a bit damp and let it air dry the rest of the way.
Have fun learning your hair!
First scrunch you’re hair with the microfiber towel or a tshirt to get the water out of it. Comb thru your hair in the shower or after you apply the products to distribute the product thru your hair. You don’t have to put the product in with your with your head down. Scrunch it into the hair. Then diffuse. Give your hair time it can take years to get your pattern and routine down. Be patient and do what works for you! Take a pick or your fingers and run thru your roots. Don’t handle the hair while drying it just use the diffuser you won’t get as much of a cast because the heat will help to break the cast up. Try different products too. I have horrible frizz and I’ve come to the realization that sometimes frizz just is! I have wavy hair sometimes curly it all depends on what my hair wants to do!
I have similar hair-fine and 2a - 2b waves. It took some time to find the right method and products. I'd suggest styling upright to prevent the front bits from wanting to flop forward and to get your curls starting closer to the scalp. My Holy Grail gel cast is Curlsmith In Shower Style Fixer, but I don't use it in the shower and you don't need that much. Scrunch out with a little hair serum on your hands. I like Verb Ghost Oil. I also use a diffuser but standing up right.
I am a few years into my curly girl journey - my hair is 2b, extremely thick and coloured. The most important thing I have found is all products MUST be Silicone free, I never use shampoo - only ever a cleansing conditioner and don’t scrunch out he crunch until the next day. It also takes time for your hair to get used to it so you need to allow a few weeks. Enjoy your journey! 😘
Alas, the joke with wavy/curly hair is that it will never ever ever dry the same way twice 😂. But even if you don't feel like you've worked out the kinks yet, your initial results are super promising!
I need to look into a diffuser because my hip-length hair also takes FOREVER to dry, and even though my hair is quite fine, the weight at that length pulls a lot of the curl out by the time it's dried. I don't personally have any diffusing tips, seeing, as I don't yet own a hair dryer, but India Batson just put out a video on diffusing, and her hair is also on the wavier end of the spectrum.
Try a diffuser! Or at the very least try the strainer technique
I think it went really well!! Really interesting to see the different methods. Ive never heard of using the gel, but it looks like it worked well. Love your hair by the way!
Thank you! The gel worked magic
@@Loepsie yay! Best feeling ever when something actually works!
I have a similar curl pattern and I'm very dedicated to a quick dry time, so instead of the usual steps I do:
1. Scrunch hair until normal wet and not dripping (standing up just like normal, I don't do it upside down) from the bottom up to form curls
2. Apply a leave in (lightweight curl cream is what I opt for, but gel works too)
3. Let dry until less wet (or not if you're in a hurry), and then scrunch with microfiber towel to remove excess water (do this side to side and front to back for curls from the root)
4. Let air dry or diffuse, depending on how you like your curls (I air dry because I am lazy)
5. Break up the curls/waves a little over the course of the day if they are too clumpy
I usually get waves, not curls, from this method because I am lazy and I don't take more than ten minutes to do all this, but its worth it to cut down on my time spent getting ready in the morning. I generally use a lot of moisture in my routine too, I use ultra moisturizing shampoo and conditioner, a leave in conditioner, and I use a moisturizing curl cream - all to avoid frizz. I prefer my waves to the work it takes to make them into real curls.
I use Palmer's almost exclusively for shampoo, conditioner, and leave in conditioner - I use their spray for frizz control and their cream for curl shaping. I also have been using the Shea Moisture curl smoothie and that works really well for my waves ( and smells amazing - I got a sample since its a little more pricey than Palmers). I can also highly recommend "Not Your Mother's" products for the best curl cream ever, its just so expensive I can't justify buying it when Palmer's is so much cheaper.
My last piece of advice is to stick with it! I thought it was bogus when I read that your hair curls better the more you teach it to keep it's curl pattern (scrunching and moisture and air drying/diffusing), but over several months my hair went from almost straight to lovely waves and even loose curls. I think your hair is lovely by the way!
For quicker drying without a diffuser: Instead of applying gel on soaking wet hair, maybe try scrunching your hair dry(er) with a t-shirt, and then scrunch it with the gel. Then plop it for a bit, and then take a scrunchie and tie all your hair VERY LOOSELY on top of your head. Only twist the scrunchie once, if at all. Don't worry about making a bun or a ponytail, just grab all of your hair in a ball and tie that. This will help airdrying the last bit of moisture without your hair weighing itself down. I hope this helps! ❤
I do the 'pile your hair on your head' method, but I use one of those 'no dent' hairties (the ones that look like an old school telephone cord) instead of a scrunchie; I feel like it has a better hold while still loose. I also sometimes section my hair, using 3 or 4 of them - I still pile it all to my crown, but each quadrant of hair is in its own pile/ball/lump (this mostly depends on if my kid has stolen too many of my hairties, haha).
I feel even more importantly, I only wash my hair once a week. Midweek I'll make sure to comb/brush my hair's natural oils through, then I do a sort of refresh by spraying with water & scrunching a curl creme through. Depending on humidity/how I slept/time, you can do a spray it fairly damp, add product of choice, diffuse dry to give them a pickup as well.
@@brendaleelydon oh I've seen those! I can imagine they hold very well. I have very thin hair so I have to do one ball haha! And wow, only once a week! My hair gets greasy after 2 days :( but maybe combing would help like you said. How does the combing affect your curls? I think mine would disappear immediately.
@@lunatonkens7933 I really only have waves, but they're getting there! My daughter's hair has always had more curl than mine; brushing through with a boar bristle brush worked well for us when it was still in its 'boing-boing ringlet' stage. Spraying it with water after the brush through brought her curls right back, sometimes adding some curl creme or other product if needed. Man, there was this specific Got2B product that worked FABULOUSLY on her curls, perfect weight & hold & moisture for her hair. Alas, I received it as a hand-me-down from my SIL & they'd already discontinued it by the time I discovered it! 😔 I started saving it for only special occasions, but we finally ran out of it 4 years ago & I've been on the hunt ever since for her new holy grail.
Some tips from me, if you don't mind.
I have fine medium density hair, that loves protein rich products.
My typical wash day would look like this:
1. Shampoo (I usually do everything upright except styling products)
2. Condition - I rake my product in, as this gives more slip and hair is moisturised better (rinse out)
3. out of the shower - then I brush my hair carefully up from the scalp.
4.flip my head down and put in mouse (small tangerine amount) focusing on the roots.
5.then I put in some sort of hard hold gel (pretty nice is ecoslay orange marmalade or eco styler gels). Firstly using praying hands and then scrunching.
6.Take out as much water as you can with microfibre towel, gently scrunching.
7.Airdry for 15-20 min as this helps to form cast (maybe you can try the net plop method)
8.Then I diffuse upside down and flipping my hair from side to side (as I value more volume over definition most of the time), but what helps with reducing the frizz - leave diffuser cup in one spot for a while without moving it too much, so it doesn't brake up the cast.
I hope you find your way to the right routine that adds to your day-to-day life not makes washdays miserable.
Here to support
Kate
My hair is 2B/2C. I scrunch my gel in wet, scrunch our as much water as I can, plop, then scrunch out even more water with the towel. I use a headband to keep it back while it dries. Here are some troubleshooting tips for you:
-Protein treatments always make my hair curlier. I highly recommend Swavy Curly Courtney’s gelatin treatment, but I know you’re vegan. Any protein treatment will help.
-Use a curl-enhancing cream under the gel or mousse. Specifically the Cantu curl cream and the Not Your Mother’s Curl Talk cream.
-Mousse! It offers excellent hold but dries your hair more quickly than gel. The NYM Curl Talk mousse is amazing.
-experiment a lot when it comes to how wet your hair is when you apply product.
Hope this helps!
I leave my towel on for about 30 minutes. I'd recommend a lighter weight gel or mousse that doesn't weigh your hair down. Flip your hair from side to side to help your hair dry at the root quicker. I'd also use the halo method with the diffuser and dry your roots first before you dry your ends as they dry quicker and will frizz before your roots get chance to dry
I would recommend, because your hair is so fine, that you try upright styling. It would help avoid that moment where your waves catch on each other and undo themselves, it would for sure give you a sleeker look. Maybe opt for a mousse or a light cream and gel duo, (not your mother's curl talk line has done wonders for my waves). A mousse wouldn't take nearly as long to dry either. You definitely have waves though! I'd encourage you to give it another shot!
I have wavy hair and these are my tips!
1 - Use a shampoo and conditioner that will hydrate your hair without weighing it down. I absolutely love the Maui Moisture Hibiscus line
2 - Style your hair upright, just detangle it while it's wet, make your part and divide the hair into 2 sections (left and right)
3 - Use very lightweight products! My holy grails are the flora and curl activating lotion and the gel! Their volumizing foam also gives your hair a beautiful bounce. Apply the lotion with the praying hands method and then scrunch. Next, apply the gel by glazing it on top of the curl clumps, scrunch again. And then scrunch in the foam for volume.
4 - Diffuse your hair using the hover method. Hover the blow dryer over the hair without actually touching it. Focus on drying the roots first so the hair isn't being weigh down by the water weight. Next hover the diffuser over the lengths of the hair without disturbing the curl clumps. Once the hair starts to become dry you can start cupping the hair into the diffuser attachment.
And remember, it takes time to see progress! Once you start to see it you're gonna be super excited
Love the video! I'm so glad you shared several different applications and techniques in the one video, I appreciate the thoroughness.
Fellow 2a wavy here! I've found my hair holds wave best when I apply my leave in conditioner (and gel if I want it) after I've plopped my hair in a cotton t shirt for around 20 minutes. My hair takes forever to dry as well so I understand the feeling!
My hair always takes time to settle after blow drying (for which I use a modified version of the fishnet method since I don't have a diffuser).
Swavy Curly Courtney has some great videos on application techniques and diffusing so I'd highly recommend those if you're interested.
There are lots of great suggestions, but I thought I could add my wavy routine and maybe you will consider to try it as well :). So, my steps are:
- little amount of oil to the lengths and tips for 30 minutes,
- conditioner wash to break the oil,
- two shampoo washes,
- dry a little with cotton t-shirt,
- add leave-in conditioner and scrunch,
- add strong hold gel and scrunch,
- dry with diffuser.
This way I get my best results, good luck with finding your routine!
I never used the curly girl method on purpose but I did do something similar for awhile. I had very long hair but I was keeping it very healthy with the ends always nearly trimmed. I would shower and wash my hair like normal, then apply a light mouse and scrunch it. Then for drying I would put it in twin braids and sleep on it over night, the result was always beautifully wavy hair for at least a day sometimes two. Before it would unfortunately go puffy from being brushed.
my hair is EXACTLY like yours. literally same color, same length, same density, same thickness. I wanted to try making it wavy since I've noticed some texture without trying. I came across your video from a years ago and search to see if there was an update! it's definitely wavy. keep going! I'm excited to see your progress and begin my hair journey too
It looks good, you’re on the right path.
When I had my longer hair, I washed pretty normally, avoiding conditioner on the root. When I lightly dried after with a cotton T-shirt I would brush curl cream through my hair, making sure to still avoid too much on the root. Then I would add a bit of gel to my finger tips and scrunch, making sure my hair was wet but not soaked. I flipped my hair upside down, side to side, to make sure I got all of my hair to the root this time. Then I would plop(gotta add that this originally said poop cause autocorrect 😂)with the cotton T-shirt for about 15 mins and air dry. But sometimes I would use a defuser to cut down time.
You’re gonna have this method perfected in no time 🙌❤️
When you said you couldn’t brush your hair I thought, oh, case closed! I thought the last results you had looked great! Here are a few observations that might help you.
First, I’m not sure if a gel cast will help you - that’s more for someone with 2B/2C/3A hair, who has tighter waves they want very defined. I think a gel cast might weight your hair down too much. BUT, if you do want to try a cast while blow drying, try a thinner gel, and squeeze out some of the water before you apply the gel. I find that when I use gel on very wet hair, I usually don’t get a gel cast, especially when blow-drying. (If you don’t want to buy new gel, try emulsifying it on your hands with water before you apply it.)
That being said, gel might not be for you. You might want to try a curl cream (something like Not Your Mother’s Curl Talk Defining Cream, as an example of what I’m talking about) or a mousse. If you use a mousse you’ll probably also want to use a very light-weight leave-in beforehand because there’s no moisturizing properties in a mousse, it’s just lightweight hold, and you need some moisture to combat frizz. A cream should do a bit of both. If you use a cream, try mixing it with a bit of water before you scrunch it into your hair.
I think your hair is thin enough that you can get away with just scrunching in your product, rather than doing the praying hands method. If you have really thick hair, just scrunching won’t allow product to reach all the hair, but I don’t think you’d have that problem. You do want to be careful not to “over-scrunch,” as it will break up any clumps you have forming. That pulsing thing you did with your hands on your first try is a good way to get around this.
I do think your hair probably needs to be diffused; the water is going to weight your hair down while air-drying. Try sitting (in a chair, on the toilet lid, etc) and literally hanging your head between your legs - this should help with the “all my hair wants to fall forward” problem. You honestly want to be as upside-down as possible, not just hunched over. Sitting will probably also help your back. But yes, once your hair is around half-dry, you want to flip upright and finish that way!
If I were you, I’d try scrunching in some conditioner on soaking hair, then scrunching in some defining product once you’ve got some clumps forming and a bit of the water squeezed out. Then use your microfiber towel and try diffusing while seated.
If you get good results that way, if you want to advance a bit, look up videos on the finger-coiling technique. It’s a great way to encourage those spirals to form before you start scrunching.
Good luck on your curly-girl journey! You might be surprised at how curly your hair gets once you get the hang of it.
Along with all the great tips that have been left already, I wanna add something. Don't move the diffuser when you use it. It breaks up the clumps and makes your hair frizzier. At least when you use pixie diffusing. With hover diffusing, you don't touch the hair and hover over your head.
Also, some gels don't produce a gel cast.
I must say that your hair looks way way healthier in its wavy state! Don't give up!
I am a curly girl and my hair looks different every time too. I think it's just the natural way of wavy/curly hair.
I have thick hair unlike you, but when it dries I have the same issue where it can be straight or wavy and depending on the weather maybe even curly or frizzy. But I finally found an epic product that seriously hydrates and is the best for this type of hair. It’s called Caviar anti aging ant frizz hair air dry balm. It’s amazing. Completely transformed the way my hair looks and styles without blowing out. Sometimes I tie it in a silk scrunchie in a bun overnight and it’s looks wavy and divine in the morning perfectly hydrated waves. But honestly this video was really fun and pretty hilarious. You’re so funny Lucy. And I love the results in both cases I think it looks sexy and kind of 80s punk rock in a more feminine way. I don’t think wavy hair is about perfection it’s about feeling free-spirited.
Ok, we have, like, the same hair. Must be my ancestors that hail from your neck of the woods. I appreciate seeing the work it would take to build towards a consistently wavy style. In the past, I would only try that style in high humidity environment. When my hair is shoulder length it easily waves, but because it is fine, like yours, but longer the natural waves fall out more easily. It's winter where I live, and very dry now, so maybe I will try to consistently do this method in the summer months! Thanks for experimenting for me!
I started CG this summer and it was great! But with winter all I get is frizzzzzz! I'll try again in the Spring. I really wanted it to work all year!!
The second “70’s” look was so beautiful!
I loved your results! I’m a 2c wavy and when I committed to not heat styling (except for diffusing) and using quality products, my hair became healthier and curlier. It’s fun to experiment and change things up. Good luck to you!
love your curl pattern! definitely invest in some styling products because even when you dont defuse they will help with the frizziness. I use a leave in conditioner, a curl cream, and just a de-tangler spray and a heat protect spray if I think I am going to flat iron my hair after it is dried for my bangs. I saw recently on tiktok that you should put the products in while you are still in the shower and your hair is super wet and scrunch it in the shower. Also between washes you can always rewet your hair and use refreshing sprays to help keep the curls alive longer. Wide tooth combs and theres a brush where you can take out the bristles at least here in the States. I can't remember where you live, but you should be able to find something online if there isn't anything like that in store.
I used to wish for straight hair when i was younger because my hair was always so frizzy and unmanageable, turns out i had curls lol! The more you treat your hair as curly the more the curl pattern will come out. its like muscle memory! I don't have fine hair so I am not sure exactly what products would be good for your hair but i hope what i have said helps! GOod luck on your hair journey cant wait to see more of your curl pattern in your future videos.
Your hair is definitely wavy! Focusing on lightweight, strong hold products, and not using to much product will probably really help! Also, for me, upside down styling totally ruins my clumps and pattern, so don't feel afraid to play around with upright styling as well :D
I'm a 2A/2B and each day my waves are different! With natural wavy hair you'll never get the same look twice. Also, some days it will just fall straight. And the day after will go wavy again! Wavy hair doesn't act like straight hair and it doesn't act like curly hair, it does its own thing, I go with the path of least resistance these days. It's nice to have slightly different look every day anyway.
I used to try CGM but it was too much work so now I do a 'lazy' version. I still avoid sulfates and I alternate co-wash and shampoo days. I hate gel and have never come across one that doesn't make my hair feel like straw. I use only a leave in conditioner after washing and either air dry in summer, or blow dry just the roots in winter. A diffuser makes my ends too dry so I just lift up the mid-lengths of my hair in my hands loosely and lightly blow dry the roots. That way I can direct the shape so that I can get volume without a 'mushroom' effect. And I leave the ends to dry on their own in any way they want.
When air drying I don't go from dripping, I leave my hair in the towel for longer and then scrunch and 'blot' the hair in the towel a bit before I leave it. It's just faster. It can add a bit of frizz though, but I don't mind a bit to be honest, it's gives a bit of volume and a 'lived in' look, which I prefer (personally).
By the way, a tip with brushing: if it makes your hair 'poofy' (mine does), you can take a bit of leave in conditioner (I use Garnier hair food) and put a TINY amount just on the ends of your hair to smooth it down. It remoisturises and 'weighs' it down and so gets rid of the frizz. (I have VERY tangly hair so I do need to brush it sometimes, but I find this helps combat it.)
It's a bit long but these are just some specific things I do, my hair is a bit similar to yours. Over time it does get curlier by itself eventually. Hope it helps x
My hair thickness & texture is similar to yours and I find the gel (even spray in gel) is just too heavy for my hair! It literally weighs it down & the curls fall out of it as it dries. Pinning it up doesn't help. What DOES work for me is plopping w/o product till it's just damp (minimum 30 mins while I make breakfast, etc.) then I use a little bit of Shea Moisture Coconut & Hibiscus Curl Mousse on each curl / wave & let it air dry. I can not use a diffuser on my hair at all because no matter the technique my hair frizzes. It just does not like being forced to dry faster. The best change I made: I only wash my hair once a week (I have normal to dry scalp & hair) and I don't use shampoo (even sulfate & paraben free is too harsh for me) instead I use suave conditioner (Sun-Ripened Strawberry) or Asiam Coconut cowash to cleanse my scalp. To moisturize my hair my favorite conditioner is Garnier Fructis Hydrating Hair Treats 3-in-1 Mask with Aloe Vera Extract. I don't know if any of the products I mentioned will work the same for you but thought I'd mention them here in case it does help someone out! We're all in the boat together trying to figure out the best way to care for our unique hair ^_^
Wavy/curly hair always has a different outcome which is also something you have to learn to accept. I have conversations with my hair "okay, you're doing this today. Okay cool " haha
loll same i’ve just started to regain my waves after YEARS and it’s different everytime, or one side looks much better - as annoying as it is im accepting that that’s just my life now LMAOAO
I went through this exact same process when I was rediscovering my wavy-curly hair as well and I use the exact same gel as you and I do have some tips!
Product: I have found that this gel works a lot better for me than more lightweight products, because they just don't have enough hold, and for such a strong hold gel this one is quite light.
Washing: You're going to get better results if you wash less frequently. I wash my hair once once weekly or even every two weeks now because I refresh it with water daily and my refreshes often turn out better than my styling on squeaky clean hair.
Styling: You have to rake out your hair away from the scalp while it's wet so it falls in a more 'natural' position rather than just sitting on top of your head before applying your gel. That way your clumps won't just disappear as they dry due to gravity pulling your hair back down.
Drying: Plop for a bit, and then be very careful while blowdrying, because you can get a gel cast when using a diffuser, but you have to keep holding the hairdryer in the same place on a low setting for a while, then turn it off before moving it to a new section.
Your results so far are looking really promising, good luck!!
I’ve been on this journey! My hair was the exact some texture as yours at the end of the video and now my hair forms into RINGLETS! It’s just a big time investment to find what works for your hair and be willing to break the curly girl method rules. It will take a few months for your hair to get use to this.
This is what I do if you’re at all interested:
1. I wash my hair ever second day - scalp can’t handle longer intervals.
2 Wash and condition my hair normally.
3. Detangle my hair with a Denman brush gently
4. Rake through a leave in conditioner on mids and ends.
5. Rake through curl cream (I found gel too intense)
6. Shake at the roots to loosen up and let curl clumps form.
7. Don’t touch it at all until it’s dry which is usually about 3 hours later.
8. Scrunch out the curl cream.
Super simple and definitely more manageable. I do use a micro fibre towel but I don’t wash my hair upside down or anything cos I would just have insane knots.
I hope this helps! Good luck on your curly journey ❤️
My hair is also fine with a wave, and can get that frizzy texture if brushed. OGX Locking + Coconut Curls Decadent Creamy Mousse works great when you scrunch it into wet hair and then diffuse it. Love your content and videos!
I have 2c/3a hair more emphasis om the 2c hahaha! I wash and condition and then brush my har through with a wilde toont comb. After that I add more water so that the curl clumps form more easily and without frizz. I then add a curl cream, scrunch, add a mousse, scrunch, add a gel, scrunch some more hahahaha! I Micro plop and plop for 15 minutes or so. When my hair is about 80 % dry, I add some more mousse. The curly/wave journey is a journey of trial and error! Good Luck ❤️
I have very fine curly hair, and I have found gels to be too heavy for my hair. I really prefer mousse. It also might work better if you try it with 2nd day hair, that way your hair has some extra oils and texture to hold on to. I usually after wetting down my hair and applying my moose, will wrap my hair in a T-shirt for about 15 to 20 minutes, and then tip my head up side down and diffuse. Definitely takes a lot of experimenting, because everybody's hair is so different! I think you were doing great though!😊
A few suggestions from a wavy, frizzy, sister:
1. Haircut: Your haircut is not going to give more definition because your layers are too long.
2. Method: Upside down is going to tangle a very fine hair like yours. Scrunch ends up and side to side.
3. Products: Heavy products are a big no for fine, wavy hair. Foams like XMondo Wavetech (just an example) and light leave in conditioners are better for your hair texture.
4, Diffuser: a diffuser will help drying your hair faster without frizz.
Hope this helps!
The very first video I ever watched of yours was your first curly girl experiment. I was just starting too. You should keep going. Those waves aren’t as fragile as you may think. I have 2b to 3b curls and waves. The crown is straight. I learned to wash my hair normally but to apply a few different products but the most important thing for wavy girls is to learn to style the clumps. I lightly twist my clumps with product in then lightly scrunch them and let dry. I know something like this will work for you because your hair takes a curl really well when you use rags and curlers. With the curly girl method you need to learn what direction your curls go in so you can twist in the right direction. It takes time and dedication. A good curl cut also can help.
My hair is a 2A as well! It's not as thin as yours seems to be, but something that really worked for me and that I think you could give a try is using mostly a lightweight leave-in conditioner and mix just a little bit of gel with it. You might have to try a few times until finding the perfect balance between conditioner and gel, but for me it's what works best! The little bit of gel does its job of holding the waves in place until your hair dries (whatever method of drying) without being too drying or crunchy because of the conditioner.
Also, I would keep doing all that with your hair dripping wet! It's usually a good method for wavy hair in general, specially thinner hair, cause the water that's still in it helps distribute the products better. The squishy sound is all you want!
I have wavy hair and I get a solid gel cast with blow drying. Try using lower heat or lower speed. I use the cold shot button, between each section, when i blow dry. This helps maintain the cast :). Also, I use more product than I would ever have thought necessary. More so in the beginning when I was 'finding' my waves. Hard hold gels are a must. I use a cream to clump my hair together and then the gel to hold the clumps together :)
I enjoyed watching this video even though my hair is probably 2 inches shorter than yours, it’s inspiring to see what do you do with yours. I know from watching previous videos that you don’t have a whole lot of hair. Same here. But your hair looks gorgeous here, not thin at all.
As a fellow wavy girl, here as my tips:
-Try not styling your hair upside down. I feel its just way easiar to deal with the clumps if you dont have to turn your head up after styling. With your head up and soaking wet hair, just rake some leave in or curl cream in (pea size) and then apply your gel with praying hands. Scrunch it. Diffuse. Done. I take an hour to do the whole process and the results are great.
-Try using mousse instead of gel. I feel the overall results are much softer and more lightweight
I see so many tips in the comments, so I won't add mine. But please don't give up! Keep trying! It'll take some experimenting in products and methods, but eventually you'll find what works for you! I don't like spending much time on my hair either, so I do mask in dry hair, shampoo, conditioner, then leave in, gel, and that's it. Sometimes I fingercurl some pieces, and sometimes I diffuse (this does help a lot, but I usually don't have the patience and I'll just walk around with wet hair). You can do iiiiiiit!!
Hi! I it can help I'll tell you what I learnt from numerous curly girls videos and what works for my thin but curlier hair. The frizz when drying with the diffuser comes from moving it too often. First you should not touch the hair with it but only turn the diffuser around your head until you feel its beginning to be a little crunchy. Then you should keep the diffuser scrunching the same section for about one minute and manipulate each section really carefully when moving the diffuser. Some girls even turn it off while moving to another section. It doesn't take that much effort for my hair, I need maybe 10 to 15 min. You don't have to dry it until fully dry, 80-90% is enough since you eliminated most of the water that could weigh your waves down. Usually it's when it's the dryest that it frizzes the most. Also, you can keep your towel longer. Just be careful when putting it that your form the curls on your head (it's called plopping) and it will pre-dry your hair in the right position. I keep mine for about half an hour or an hour.
For the past decade or more that I've been seeing you around on youtube, I've always thought you and I have the exact same hair type!!
I am no expert but I've been doing the CGM for about a year and have very fine hair like you do.
-Try leaving your plop for a little longer (30 m) and try using a cotton tshirt.
-Try reducing your amount of product, fine hair cannot hold as much product as thick or coarse hair does, and makes it heavy, losing the shape.
-Results are actually not immediate, it takes a while for your hair to get used to its new shape and for you to find your ideal routine.
Good luck!
I would suggest trying plopping for longer (20-30 minutes) and using mousse combined with gel, also like everyone is saying do not touch your hair with the blow dryer it can kill your waves and add a ton of frizz! Finding what works takes time but you will get there!
I've found that 100% aloe vera gel (no alcohol or dyes) is the best for holding my wavy hair (2B), and my waves get better the farther I am from wash day. I always have to remind myself to use way more gel than I think I need, otherwise no gel cast and no hold. If your hair is weighed down easily I'd give aloe a try! Also, blow drying of any kind, even with a diffuser, ruins my waves and gives me crazy frizz so I never do it. I "plop" with a t-shirt in spring, summer, and fall. In winter when it's way too cold to have wet hair for half the day I let my hair dry most of the way wrapped in a towel then do overnight robe curls.
The end result looks great already! 😄 I have semi-wavy hair that I'm still learning about so seeing your video on this and the comments will help me learn too! I'd love to see an update in the future.
Hello Lucy!! For sure your hair has curly potential :D First of all dont worry that the results are not great at the start! Took me months to find the right combo for my curly hair! Also depends how healthy your hair is , if you iron them a lot, the products you use.
As I saw on the comments below you should apply your conditionner, leave it for a few minutes and then untangle your hair either with your fingers if you can or a brush. Once you wash it out you can apply a leave in if necessary and then your gel cream. I understand that for thin hair the gel can weight it down but I think its just a matter of quantity that you apply, try and see :) if you want to try a natural and super cheap, hydrating version, try FLAX gel, it is super easy to do and super efficient :) if it is still too heavy for your hair, you can try a spray like Aloe vera spray conditionner leave in!
Maybe you should try the finger coil technique to help to shape your curls !!
The best is to let it dry naturally but if you must use your diffusor, do not put it on high heat and no you dont have to keep your head down ;D Freezy hair is normal if you diffuse your hair but also for curly hair! Try a few drops of Broccoli oil (first cold pressed) it works really well and it is very light so it wont make them greasy!
It is totally normal that if you scrunch your hair that the '' gel effect'' disappears for a natural texture.
A tip is to sleep either with your hair in a scarf to not destroy your curls , or to do a high bun on top of your head!
You can refresh your curls if needed in the morning with some water or a fixing spray like the aloe vera one!
Remember that curly hair has a temper of its own so sometimes results are good and sometimes less good ;D
Can't wait to see your curly hair at its full potential !!!
I love your results! If you stick with it, your hair will get wavier as time goes on. Best of luck on your hair journey
The "curly girl method" is a method of "cleansing" first and foremost. Sulfate-mild or sulfate-free or even conditioner only (CO-wash). Second thing is working with your texture, that means if you have no curls or wave to it, treat it as straight! It doesn't mean you need to work with what's not there. That is not at all what it means. IMMHO. I have wavy/curly hair myself, that is classic length (over the booty) and I do not use the CG method, not one bit because I can't do sulfate-mild or sulfate-free at all. I need sulfates. And so I use the WCC method (wash condition condition), meaning I condition twice after my shampoo, and I do an oil rinse in between both conditioners (no not an oil "bath", it just means a couple drops of oil on the lengths of the hair, then conditioner on top, let marinate for a couple minutes, wash out, but key is to do it after shampooing). Anyway, there's more info on the longhair community boards for all of that.
Love, love, love the wavy 70's shag with bangs!! It looks great on you. I also have wavy hair and what works for me is to apply gel (I like Maui Moisture Ultra Hold Coconut Quench) and use a Denman brush (after detangling) to brush style on pretty wet (but not dripping...there's tons of videos on how to style wavy hair with the Denman brush) into the shape I want it. Air dry for about an hour for cast to form, then dry to 95% with diffuser.
A few things I learned on my frizzy-hair-is-not-straight-journey (sorry, more than a few):
1. Focus on the health of your hair, instead of the curl/wave-pattern. At this point your hair is just dry. With my 2A hair I saw a great improvement in the overall health of my hair after about 3 months. Improvement in the curl/wave-pattern took me well over a year.
2. Focus on finding a cleanser that gets your scalp clean without drying out both your hair and your scalp. If you find the right cleanser, your washdays will last longer (make sure to really rub your scalp with your fingertips when using your cleanser).
3. (the cleanser should be your first focus, but after that) find a conditioner that is nourishing for your hair without overdoing it. Fine wavy hair tends to over moisturise easily (especially in summer). If you feel your hair gets overly soft (personally I feel like a poodle or sheep, even though it doesn't look like that) tone down the conditioner and add more water.
To me the above three points are really the most important. If your hair is healthy, all other things will follow. To get your hair healthy you have to find a balance in cleansing your scalp and nourishing your hair (if your cleanser is too aggressive, your scalp will become itchy and angry, your hair will become dry. If your cleanser is not aggressive enough, your scalp will also become itchy and oily, and your washdays just won't hold. If your conditioner is not nourishing enough, your hair will remain dry or your curl pattern will fall flat).
In my experience you can (and at the start you should) cut corners on the styling products. Put your main focus (time/energy/budget) on finding the cleanser+conditioner combination that works specifically for you. It will pay off.
Then some general tips/tricks that I still use today (I am almost 2 years in):
4. Add more water during your washday: take longer to get your hair really really wet, and thoroughly clean out your conditioner. More water is beter, more conditioner is not (especially the moment your hair becomes healthier and has more shine, always try more water before you try more conditioner).
5. Gel balances frizz/poofiness. I don't like creams/leave-ins/the like, because it leaves my hair overly soft. If you have fine hair strands (you barely feel them between your fingers) focus on finding a gel you like (the thicker your individual hair strands, the more you want to focus on creams/leave-ins instead of gels, thicker hair strands tend to be dryer).
6. Use A LOT of gel. Keep adding gel till the point you think 'help this is never going to get dry'. Distribute well (use a brush if you like) then squeeze in the wave pattern. Add a bit of water if at this point your curl clumps are falling apart.
7. After adding the gel and squeezing, shake the hair / clumps (gently!) loose from the back of your head. What is now stuck in a weird position will stay in a weird position. When you are straight up, and everything is shaken loose, you can reach behind your head to squeeze the clumps back together again (add water as necessary). Don't be afraid to move, just move gently.
8. Let the gel sit for a couple of minutes before putting on a towel, because otherwise the towel will suck up the gel (go do your makeup, get dressed, clean the house, but don't put on a towel, you can use a plastic cap instead).
9. Skip the air drying. Personally I just diffuse right side up, and add a little foam (which is dryer than mousse) for root volume before I start diffusing.
10. I prefer to use my conditioner BEFORE the shampoo, and leave the conditioner in for a couple of minutes before rinsing it out. This ensures my hair gets the nourishments it needs, without becoming over-moisturised.
11. I also prefer to use oil before I wash my hair. (I just brush oil from root to end through my hair before heading in under the shower.) This helps greatly avoiding any wet frizz and tangles.
Good luck (to you and all the others who read this) on your curly/wavy hair journey. Be patient, it takes time (about three times as long as you think now), but you can do it, keep at it!
Thank you for all that helpful info!!!
Omg i LOVE how it looked when you blowdried it, you look so fresh and happy
I also have extremely fine and thin wavy/curly hair (about a 2b) and it's taken me years to find products and methods that actually work. So much stuff that is targeted towards curly hair is just too Heavy with moisturizers and oils for my hair and it would start to look weighed down after a few washes and I would have to use a clarifying shampoo.
What's worked best for me I've found is: I wash my hair twice with a shampoo bar (I use the viori brand rice water one and it's been great) and then I use about a good five or six pumps of a light weight moisturizing conditioner. The one I've fallen in love with is the Not Your Mother's Blue Sea Kale and Pure Coconut Water one. It's got kind've a gel-like texture but it's hydrates so nicely and doesn't weigh my hair down at All. I also saw a tip from another wavy hair blog that when you're smoothing in the conditioner, you want to achieve something she called "kelp hair" which is just like, you want your hair to be really sort of flat and slippery with the conditioner in it. Then I will scrunch it a bit and then twist it up into a clip to sit while I finish the rest of my shower.
The very last thing I do in my shower is rinse it out upside down, cupping it in my hands scrunching the whole time until the water runs clear. I've seen some people recommend the bowl method because you're using the same conditioner water again and again but I think I get very similar results just with my hands.
THEN I SCRUNCH MY HAIR WITH MY MICROFIBER TOWEL. Not super dry, but just so it's not dripping. I find the weight of the water pulls my curl clumps down too much and they don't spring back up but the brief towel scrunch encourages them in place without losing the moisture that helps disperse product.
After it's no longer dripping I use like two small pumps of a curl cream. I use a custom one from prose that I've had good results with, but I also really love the Not Your Mother's Curl Talk one. Creams seem to work fine for me so long as they're not super like, argan or other oil heavy, but the mousse from that line is also good of you really prefer something super light weight it just depends on your hair. I sort of very gently praying hands this in upside down, more like hovering, and then scrunch upwards. Then I take a good amount of gel, I think the amount you used was fine, but the argan oil in it might not be ideal. I use a super cheap alcohol free LA looks 10+ hold extreme sport gel. I've tried other brands both drugstore and specific curly girl approved ones and gone back to this one every time.
The real trick with the gel for for me at least is to do that Hovering thing again, which I think I learned from India Batson. You really just want to Skim the hair from the outside at first. I don't even scrunch, I will just kind've gently push the ends up with my palms and then flip my hair to the right and repeat, just skimming over the top, fluff, then to the left skim and fluff then back to the front upside down. Usually by now there's barely any gel left on my hands but if there's too much I will rinse off maybe on hand and then redisperse with the water and THEN scrunch up. Scrunching gel in can oversaturate your waves and curls when you have fine hair, I noticed this a lot when I kept trying soaking wet styling. You will still get a little squish and that's good. Honestly I do not get big thick curl clumps, my hair just isn't thick enough, but this still works anyway so long as I do the drying right.
Then I plop. Personally I don't really like those little turban things, I feel like they don't actually get my hair dry or in a good position to set in the plop. I use a plain microfiber towel, one of those "fast drying" ones and kind've do the same rolling technique you see people do with a cotton t-shirt where I set my hair flat on the towel, bring it over the back of my head, then gather the sides together and roll them until I can lift my head and tie the two ends behind my head.
Honestly, I leave my plop in for a "long" time, like, a half hour to more like an hour and a half ideally. I've tried a diffuser and it works in a pinch if my hair is just Too wet at the roots to go out, but I find the heat really just increases the frizz and messes up how my hair falls because I'm very susceptible to my hair getting stuck in a certain way. I can't blow dry upside down or I look absolutely insane because there's just no weight to pull it back down. So. Once I take it out of the plop it's still definitely damp but I have really well defined, a little gel-sticky clumpy waves and curls. I fix my part and make sure nothing is egregiously tangled or messe up then I DON'T TOUCH IT. AT ALL. Don't put it up don't move it don't do anything to it. Get dressed with your hair still in the towel if you can. If you do want it to dry faster I would say use the diffuser and just hover it over your roots with your hair in the position you want it. That's how I have to. Otherwise I just air dry. It usually takes about? Two or three hours, but I can go about my day just fine because it's not dripping or anything, all the dampness is just at the roots.
Once it's dry enough to the touch and my curls are nice and stiff and crispy, that's when I flip my head upside down and break up the cast and fluff everything out. I have done this many times in a parking lot before going inside somewhere and it looks a little crazy but it's Essential for actually getting my waves to looks voluminous and pretty and not like stringy ramen noodles. If you have it and your hair can take it, you can scrunch out the gel with a little bit of hair oil in your palms, that can help with frizz and shine. A good "leave in conditioner" is just plain water mixed with a little bit of your regular conditioner. Nice and light without adding anything else but I would only recommend this to reactivate second and third day waves. Don't want to get fresh curls wet again.
Honestly I've been working on my hair routine since about 2018 and doing this specifically with these products for about a year and this is the most consistent and nice looking my hair has ever been. I get very similar results every time and almost never have a bad wash day hair day. Good luck! I've loved your videos for years, especially for styles that actually work with hair that isn't super thick, so I hope any of this is helpful to you in return! 💖
Thank you for ALL that information!!! Very, very helpful! I am going to order everything you mentioned-plus try your techniques. As soon as I read that you get ramen noodles otherwise I knew I must try your methods. Because that is exactly what mine looks like-noodles-YUCK! Appreciate the time it took for you to write all that out!
@@debraray5786 oh my pleasure really! I hope it all works for you, but don't ever feel bad if something someone else loves doesn't. everyone's hair is weird and different! good luck! 💖
@@LoveMeHateMeKissMe Thank you!
Don't give up, I've been on my wavy journey for little over six months and it only gets better ;)
Up until I was 20yo, my hair was streight and slipery. I could hair dry and it felt like I had it ironed. In that summer, it started getting waves and curling. I always used longer hair, I could see the big waves and curls when soaking wet and then dried to more muted waves.
And then I was done with long hair, so in the end of summer, I had it chopped shoulder lenght. Wow! It curled like a charm! The weight was gone, so the waves were free :D
I'm now 33 and had at least two big chops ever since, it always freshens my waves into curls, turning my long old dream of having curly hair come true. Today it is very long, midway my back.
I have tried the curly girl method before and saw results, but only stick to a few techniques now. I can't be bored to big routines.
One thing I always do in Summer is leave salt water from the beach on my hair overnight. It helps with the oiliness and the waves are delightful 🤩
try keeping the towel in your hair much longer (or a cotton t-shirt) so that the weight of wet hair is not pulling on the waves/curls. keep it up until it is like HALF dry. then air dry for a bit then finish up with the diffuser. let the towel absorb all of that extra water while holding the curls in place and use less heat on your hair. my hair went from straight to wavy in my 40s. i didn't have a clue what to do with it. i did try the curly hair techniques and the more you do it, the more results you get. but for me and my personal health issues (the bending, squeezing, drying, etc) was too much effort, so i gave it up. but i still keep a tshirt on my head until most of excess water is absorbed and then let it air dry a bit and finish up withy my hair dryer.
My hair is also 2A but I use sulfates and don't mind to use products that aren't curly girl method approved. I've realized sulfates are good for my fine hair because they clean well making it very light weight, so it curls easier. Mouse works best for me (but NOT with soaking wet hair), I can also add a little bit of leave in conditioner (just a pea size) before using the mousse.
Yes being that your hair is so heavy definitely try mousse because it will hold better in your hair and don't be stingy with the mousse. You want to put it on when your hair is pretty wet and it makes the squishy noise. Try to do the praying hands method I would do one side with a bunch of mousse and then the other side with a bunch of mousse and then scrunch it really good and then put a little bit of gel in your hands and just squeeze your ends and nothing else. I always wait about 5 minutes before I put a t-shirt on my head. Another thing I do after I get on my product then I take a wide tooth comb and I comb all of the products into my hair to make sure it reaches all of my strands. But do that before you scrunch it and scrunch it really really well. I will post a video on my channel that I had just done the other day and I don't show how I scrunch or anything but you can see how my curls are really tight because that's what I always do with the mousse and then the gel but I have curly hair as well. If you find out what your porosity is in your hair that might help in knowing what products you should use. So if you go to my channel and watch the video I'm going to upload right now you'll see how my hair is really really curly and yes it takes time it's taken me 3 years almost to get my hair to look like this My hair in the last 3 years has changed its pattern. They say every 7 years our hair changes. That's probably what your hair is doing right now it's changing and it's getting wavy. Have a great day and the next time you do this make sure you post a video I'd love to see it but you got to do it all of the time. You can't style it one day with a curling iron or a straightener and expect to get curly hair the next time because it's just going to ruin your pattern. You have beautiful hair by the way
few tips from a fellow wurly-haired struggler:
1. try styling with your head up, head down didn't work for me. after washing I comb my hair as I would wear it and then I start applying products
2. try hair mousse (e.g. pantene defined curls) and apply a lot of it. it's so much better for me than gel, very light, but still holds the curls and makes them crunchy!
3. between every styling step, get rid of some moisture from your hair with towel (really helps, the water doesn't weigh down your curls so much)
4. scrunch the crunch with a little bit of oil on your hands (less frizz)
5. - and the most important - YOU LOOK AMAZING!! I wish you a lot of patience! finding your way of styling is a long journey, but it's so worth it! good luck ♥︎
Good information! I have tried so many products over the years and ugh the frizz! It’s getting worse. The oil while scrunching was great advice thank you! I’m going to try mousse as well. I was talking to the screen as she was doing this video lol
@@juliekozlowski4902 aw, that's great! good luck to you! (or shall I say - good lock....)
also, if you're still struggling with the frizz, try applying a little bit of a quite heavy, emolient-loaded conditioner right before styling (don't rinse ofc)! avoiding proteins and glycerin in this step really helped me :)
I have very wavy hair, and I refuse to abide by the curly girl method. It’s too restrictive, it takes FOREVER to dry, and just does not work for me. I tried it for a few months, and my hair always looked knotty, my waves weren’t very defined, my hair would be wet until supper time, and I hated that I couldn’t brush or straighten it ever. I do my waves my way, and it works for me. I use regular shampoo & conditioner to wash every other day. I use a wet brush in the shower. I towel dry my hair- it would never dry otherwise. I use leave in conditioner, gel, and serums that have alcohols in them. After applying the gel, I use my wet brush again to comb it through. Then, I scrunch with mousse and a microfiber towel to remove excess water. I don’t plop. I don’t diffuse. And my waves look great! If I feel like wearing my hair straight sometimes, I do. Blow drying and straightening does not disturb my wave pattern. CGM is a hard pass from me! 🙅🏻♀️
So fun to watch! I've got wavy hair that is never quite sure what it's trying to do, and I'm slowly learning what works the best for me, so I enjoyed seeing you try some different techniques :)