Wavy hair help please

[Shallysally]

Since menopause my hair has gone from pretty much poker straight to natural waves.
I had continued to wear it straight until my hair appt this week. I had avoided layers due to the mushroom effect 🙈

I wanted to change the style as my hair just fights against being straight and felt dry no matter how well I looked after it.

So my hairdresser went through everything, and now I have a lovely shoulder length with long layers style.

The waves are there and I know it’s early days.

Routine is curl jelly on soaking wet hair, lightly absorb excess with a towel, diffuse will 80% dry and leave it. Scrunch when totally dry to break any cast.

The problem is as the day goes on it expands at the sides and I end up popping it in a clip.
Also, it doesn’t look polished, just messy.

What else do I need to do please? It’s been ok this week as worked from home but I’m back in the office tomorrow and really feel like I’m going to have to go back to straightening it.

I would leave some of your conditioner in, blot with a towel, squish in a leave in, then mousse then gel. Leave it to air dry. Only break the cast when it’s fully dry. I like redken curl leave in and gel which are £££, but cheap mousse works just as well.

Have a look at the wavy hair method by Charlotte Rich on Facebook, it's really helpful. If you are in an area with soft water you don't need leave in or heavy conditioner as it will make your hair over moisturized and more frizzy. There's some info on her Facebook page re gel with glycerin in it, which is better used in winter and gel without glycerin in being better for summer.

I have wavy hair and find umberto giannini curl jelly the best thing for my hair. I leave conditioner in it overnight at least once a week, wash in the morning and then scrunch with curl jelly and leave to dry naturally. I don’t get on with gel, mousse or curl cream. I find most products are designed for curly hair and it’s tricky to find products for wavy hair

Watching with interest as I just forked out on only curls (shampoo conditioner curl creams dn gel) but feel it weighs down my hair too much and the waves disappear!
not sure what to do now!

Thanks all.

@Pavlov123 I’d rather air dry but it won’t be dry before I leave the house. I could take a clip with me and put it up when I get to work if it’s too much of a disaster!

@YoungSoak I have the same curl jelly. Think I’m going to try some lightweight leave in conditioner followed by the curl jelly tomorrow and see how that goes.
Yes that’s what I’ve found, although saw an ad today for the new umberto giannini wavy range.

I’ll play about with it but I also think I need to ask the hairdresser to take some of the weight out from the top and sides.

Those of you who use the Curl Jelly, do you use it right up to the roots? I've been experimenting with this and can't decide what works best. It's less frizzy used right to the roots but this weighs it down and makes the roots and top parts flatter with no volume. I do wish my hair was properly curly, wavy is a pain!

The curl jelly is too heavy for my fine waves, I find. Has anyone tried olaplex number 10? I'm not sure if that is more for proper type 3 curls?

I’ve only used it mid length to ends. I need something for the top part to help with the expansion!

I’d recommend a curl cream, I use Cantu. Apply this on barely towel dried hair comb through with a wide comb before applying curl jelly.
Then diffuse and style as you’ve said.

Thank you @greengreengrass3, I’ll pick one up tomorrow.

Be wary with anything Cantu or fur curly hair if you've got wavy hair, a lot of it is too heavy and too moisturizing which will make your waves fall and increase frizz.

Thank you, I’ll have a look in boots tomorrow for a lightweight one.