New to wavy hair. Help me embrace it.

[Chipsahoy]

I've always had a natural wave but for years have straightened. After baby number three I lost tons of hair and it all grew back really frizzy.
So recently I've ditched the brush and embraced the wave. However my hair is quite frizzy and also goes weird in humidity. I'm used to straight styling products. I haven't a clue where to start or what to use. Hair spray? Mousse? Salt spray? Oil? I've been using coconut oil to de tangle but it has silicones. I'd prefer silcone free. I think?
Help. I don't know where to start!

Google 'the curly girl method'. It's amazing but a bit much to try and explain here

Thanks. I've had a look. Wow that all looks a bit daunting! I feel overwhelmed just trying to figure out my hair type?
I'm going to try the garnier hair food, and I have ordered a microfibre cloth. So no hair sprays or salt sprays? I just let my hair do its thing?

Any one with wavy hair not use the curly girl method?

Silicone free shampoo and conditioner
Plus a hydrating conditioner spray

Only brush before it’s washed

Let it dry naturally

I have wavy hair too. The Curly Girl method is too 'all or nothing' for me, I like being able to straighten it sometimes. I use a lightweight shampoo and conditioner, then scrunch mousse through it and let it air dry. It dries a bit crispy but you can soften the waves/curls by scrunching again once dry, and sometimes add a bit of serum. I find it too frizzy without mousse.

I know what you mean about CGM being all or nothing. Some of the Facebook groups are very ott. To be honest I've done trial and error and picked the bits of it that work for me. I'm sure I could get better results if I really followed it strictly but I don't have the time for it all the time and like a bit of flexibility!

I have wavy hair and I use Cantu Shampoo, Conditioner and Cantu Shine and Define Custard, and that encourages more of a wave and controls the frizz really well

And i use their curl activator to keep it wavy the next day!

What you’ll want to use will depend a lot more on your hair type than curl type tbh...

I can’t use anything like cantu because my hair is too fine for it, it just weighs it all down and I get product build up.

Mousse or gel is a pretty good place to start, what really threw me was that they’re supposed to go crunchy while they dry and then you scrunch it when it’s totally dry - decades I just avoided them because my hair went crispy, lol.

Just keep it dead simple, then experiment a bit...

See now I thought the same with mousse and have avoided. So that's interesting.
I get product build up fast in my head and it weighs it down, so definitely need lighter products.

This is a nice product

It’s not sticky or heavy and smells nice

Try again

I use this after using bog standard shampoo, elvive no break conditioner www.superdrug.com/Hair/Curl-Cream/Superdrug-Black-Castor-%26-Shea-Curl-Cream-250ml/p/767411,. If you like using the same range they do shampoo and conditioner.

Mine went wavy in menopause

Brush before washing only - never brush it at other times unless you're straightening it!
Leave conditioner in for as long as you can, don't rinse it too thoroughly (just enough and no more). Towel wrap - not for long - 3 mins top. Scrunch in leave in conditioner on the ends or mouse I suppose or serum - try which suits. Dry naturally or with a diffuser in winter.

Wow thanks for all the ideas! I've ordered a few different products to try on the basis of these replies. Just washed my hair. Used loads of conditioner and then rinsed it out, just. Wrapped in a microfibre towel (Dh camps a lot so has some) and now leaving to air dry. I have coconut oil but it's got paraben and sulphate so skipped any products until my boots and Amazon orders arrive!
Exciting. Thanks

I have started the CGM on my wavy hair and have got to stage when I can wash every few days and be reasonably happy with it. My old regime was wash every couple of days with a shampoo bar, occasionally use conditioner and leave until just damp. Then I'd dry with a hot brush, sometimes using mousse.

Now I'm washing with conditioner only (one quick wash followed by leaving it in a few mins and combing through) and then brushing through some gel. Scrunch and diffuse dry. Looks a nightmare next day, but responds to being sprayed with water/gel and scrunched. I've never used so many products on my hair.

Well this is the result this morning. Normally I need tons of product to get these waves after washing, brushing and drying.
No brushing. Tons of conditioner and air dry after using the micro Fibre towel. No products but I have straightened a teeny section at the crown as new hair growth after baby there means it sticks straight up.

It looks good. I have tried many variations of the CG method over the years but eventually realised that I was wasting an awful lot of money on curl friendly styling products that don't work for me. So I don't use any oroducts now, wash twice a week with low (not usually no) sulphate shampoo and silicone free conditioner, microfibre turban for a few minutes and then let it dry without touching it. This gives loose curls. The next day I brush it, which changes it to bigger bouncy waves.

I tried the conditioner only method too but it didn't work for me, I stuck it for a few weeks but my hair has never felt worse. Products of any description weigh it down, I occasionally blow dry straight and use heat protector spray then but that's all.

Head on over to the fantastic hair care thread it's all about embracing natural hair texture and making sense of products and what works etc

Thanks. I think I will need shampoo too. I have ways had very greasy roots and dry ends. I've just ordered a curly girl recommended shampoo.i normally wash every other day. Not sure if this will change? I go by how greasy my roots feel.

Does anyone recommend a leave in conditioner? I love my loreal coconut oil smells amazing and leaves my hair very soft and all the fly away ends tamed, but I don't think it's free of all the nasties..

@53Outtheforest thanks I will!

When possible - ask the hair dresser for a spiral cut.

It takes the weight out of the ends and lets the curl spring up

I have been trying to embrace my natural waves, the waves themselves are looking lovely - but the overall effect makes me look like a spaniel!!

Thanks for the tip. I was wondering about the hair dresser. As they use products with silcones and such in too and heat to dry..

Salon ranges should hopefully have curl friendly products, I go to an Aveda salon and they do.

@Chipsahoy

Thanks for the tip. I was wondering about the hair dresser. As they use products with silcones and such in too and heat to dry..

Some hairdressers have products that don’t and they can either use a diffuser or you can tell them you want to leave it to air dry.... though it’s looking like blow dryers won’t be getting used once they reopen anyway.