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Original poster

Wavy hair tips please

22 replies

Ismeyes · 17/07/2011 21:20

At the grand old age of 30, I have finally come to accept after years of blowdrying, straightening and cursing my hair for flicking out where I don't want it to that I actually have wavy hair.

On looking up the curly girl for much more obviously curly DD, I came across this description : wavy hair and it describes my hair perfectly! I have always thought I just had crap straight hair that I was doing something wrong to as it always frizzed. I just thought it was poor condition and I was unlucky.

So what do I do now? I'm so used to (and sick of) straightening my hair to death, I'm not sure how to handle wavy hair and I'm scared people will wonder what on earth I have done to my hair! Help!

OP posts:

Chocamochalatte · 17/07/2011 21:57

Try the 'Curly Girl' method, mine is more wavy than curly but find by using products with no 'nasties' in and loads of conditioner really improves my hair waviness ()

Also use Argan oil (forget Morroccon oil as it has loads of silicone in it which is bad) on freshly washed hair with a little Boots curl cream and leave to dry naturally...

BunnyLebowski · 17/07/2011 22:30

No idea what the 'Curly Girl' method entails but for my hair (very similar to yours) I.....

Shampoo and condition
Leave wrapped in towel for half an hour or so
Apply mousse and scrunch (so 90's but it works)
Blast with hairdryer till almost (but importantly not totally) dry
Pull back in ponytail (base being quite high but not croydon facelift high). Twisty wrap hair round base of ponytail and secure with bobble.
Leave till going out/overnight and the unravel.

Instant beachy tousled waves. My summer hair every day!

Original poster

Ismeyes · 18/07/2011 08:17

My hair isn't long enough for the beachy waves method, but I might grow it if I can get it to be nice wavy. Have stepped away from the straighteners this morning and left it to dry itself after scrunching it, and its looking wavy alright. Not terrible though, just need to be brave! Will read up on curly girl and make a trip to boots!

OP posts:

WhollyGhost · 18/07/2011 08:23

for me, the main thing is to avoid brushing it once it is dry

a spray bottle of leave in or diluted conditioner does wonders to correct frizz

daimbardiva · 18/07/2011 10:20

I have this problem too. Although I've found that Argan Oil is doing wonders for the general condition of it, my problem is I just like how it looks straight better. I just feel like I look more groomed, and my hair looks nicer. Also, I know what I'm going to get when I blow dry and straighten - if I leave my hair to dry, anything could happen!!!!

I'm desperate not to be a slave to my Ghds anymore though, and to just get on with what I've got naturally :(

ensure · 18/07/2011 10:27

You need Boots Curl Creme!

mintymellons · 18/07/2011 10:32

I posted on this very subject a few days ago!

Like you, I've just ditched the GHDs and am going au naturel. I've just got some argan oil and used for the first time this morning.

Like you, OP, I also thought I just had slightly wavy hair, bit it is in fact pretty curly when left alone.

I just wash and condition, then wrap in a towel. After a couple of mins I remove the towel and put argan oil through it (I don't comb mine at all after washing, but might get an afro comb and see if it still looks okay when the comb's been through it). All I do is straighten my (full, blunt) fringe - this would NOT look good if it were curly!

I say stick with it and be brave - a few people have siad my hair looks nice, but I think most have hardly noticed because it was never really properly straight before even after 20 mins of straightening!

FuzzpigFourFiveSix · 18/07/2011 10:33

I have recently grown to love my wavy hair - I've cut it differently (I believe it's actually known as the mumsnet haircut?) and it's gone really nicely layered and wavy from the neck down.

I am very lazy low maintenance so I'm just wondering if there's a decent (but cheap) product to make it look nice. I use frizz ease serum on my head as otherwise I get those spit curl things - is there some kind of conditioner or something that I could put on the ends?

CountBapula · 18/07/2011 11:32

I have hair a bit like yours. It does go a bit mental if left to its own devices though, so when it's dry, I just curl random sections with my GHDs (using a similar method to the one TattyDevine posted a few weeks ago). It only takes a couple of minutes, but gives a more groomed look overall.

Fuzzled · 18/07/2011 12:34

Been embracing my inner curly goddess for a few years now.
Frizz-ease products are great. They're not the cheapest, but I find I don't need a lot, so a bottle of serum lasts me about 6-8 months, and I use the curl spray every day for loose curls, and add in mouse if I'm going a bit more formal and posh.
I don't use their shampoo - I actually find it a bit heavy for me, but I found that Aussie 2in1 Custard Apple shampoo & conditioner is a great everyday product and I use the 3 min leave in conditioner when I have the time and DS isn't screaming blue murder weekly.
A wide tooth comb is also essential rather than a brush as it doesn't yank the damp hair straight, but does get rid of the tangles
Curls rule!

valiumredhead · 18/07/2011 13:16

Get some TIGI blow out balm - great stuff and has transformed my hair!

Original poster

Ismeyes · 18/07/2011 14:56

Well, I've survived the day at work and no one fell over in horror at my hair so that is a start, no one commented either, so either my hair has always looked wavier than I thought or they were all being too polite and I looked a sight. Either way, I have found that I have a few actual ringlets in my hair, especially around the front, which is somewhat disconcerting as I was only going for the wavy look. I know it might be strange that I did not know this, but I have always brushed my hair after washing in an attempt to get it to be straight.

Off to Boots now to invest in some curl creme etc.

OP posts:

Original poster

Ismeyes · 18/07/2011 21:01

Ok, I have wide toothed comb, pink curl creme (which took me bloody ages to find!) and tresemme naturals shampoo and conditioner which say low sulphite and non silicone.

I have experimented with straightening fringe as Dh thought this might look better, he was right as feels tidier. Tried to curl random sections with straighteners but failed dismally and ended up with sticking out bits.

Am going for proper curly girl method in morning with curl creme and straightened fringe. Will report back!

OP posts:

Chocamochalatte · 18/07/2011 22:14

Good luck! Keep us posted!!

Original poster

Ismeyes · 19/07/2011 08:25

Ok, to keep boring you all to death

I did the whole curly girl thing this morning and my hair went mad and looked very strange, lets just say volume wasn't a problem. I tried to tidy it up, but it just got worse! So I now have straightened hair.

Its not all bad though, because it looks miles healthier than usual. I wonder if being silicone free has made the difference? I have also left some conditioner in and it has curl creme in too, which I would expect would make it stringy and awful when straightened, but it hasn't. So the conclusion is, that I may well continue with the curly girl method to make my hair look better straight.

I am going to keep trying with the waves, will experiment at the weekends, hoping it will get better as hair gets longer.

OP posts:

daimbardiva · 19/07/2011 09:44

What I want to know is, how do you get wavy hair to look shiny and healthy? This is always the reason I cave in and straighten mine - it's not so much the straightness per se, it's just that my hair looks so much better in terms of glossiness etc when it's straight. When I leave it wavy it looks straw-like...

WhollyGhost · 19/07/2011 10:03

Ismeyes - try using gel on wet hair stop it looking mad - Boots purple one is cheap and works well.

I put it in after a shower, and then wrap my hair in a microfibre towel which mops up any excess.

HuntForGalaxyHazelnut · 20/07/2011 11:32

I read this thread last night, and it inspired me to tackle my hair!

I have frizzy hair that takes ages to straighten but holds a curl well if i use tongs. So i did the curly girl last night (rinsed with cold water, used argan oil, wide toothed comb only when soaking wet, wrapped in a microfibre towel) when it was almost dry i went to bed with my hair tied up high in a twisted bun type thing. This morning it is really curly and not frizzy at all. I am shocked that this is the natural state of my hair! How have i never known this? My life is going to be so much easier from now on.

So thank you for all your good advice!

ClaireDeLoon · 20/07/2011 11:43

I have wavy hair, I have conquered it, I think, by encouraging the curl. The curly girl method did nothing for me. Nothing.

I use kerastase. It's not cheap but it works, the oleo curl shampoo is very moisturising and after shampooing my hair feels OK, not parched and rough. I use the kerastase lait vital conditioner, which is for slightly dry hair.

I wrap it in a towel for 5 - 10 mins then mix a drop of argan oil with mop top curl gel (from the british curlies website) and scrunch it in. After about half an hour of letting it dry naturally I scrunch through some kerastase oleo curl creme and then just leave it.

I appreciate that all the products I have listed are expensive but they have worked better than any frizz ease rubbish IMHO.

ClaireDeLoon · 20/07/2011 11:44

Sorry shold have said, I comb it through with a wide toothed comb before applying the argan oil/gel combo.

Merle · 20/07/2011 17:55

I think if you keep with the CG method you will gradually improve - much to my amazement I have achieved ( most days) the holy Grail of curly AND shiny.

kyacat · 20/07/2011 19:00

I have ditched heat styling and am now using sock curls to give my natural waviness a boost. This video is awesome although I only wind the socks halfway up so it's more wavy than curly:

She has some awesome heat-free curling and waving techniques :)

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