Four inexpensive 2b wavy hair products (Curly Girl approved)
I recently shared a photo on social media of my wet hair followed by my dry, scrunched wavy hair, and lots of people were asking about the products that I used.
(By the way, Curly Girl is a method for taking care of hair that's not straight. Here's a good summary.)
Wait. Your hair is wavy?
Well. My hair is smack dab in between curly and straight, and if I leave my hair in its natural state, I have always felt that the best descriptor for my hair is "worn-out perm".
Like, not straight. Not curly.
Just kinda frizzy and dry-looking.
So, I've always just straightened it, curled it, or put it up and out of the way.
And I always blow-dry and straight my bangs because they are really unfortunate-looking otherwise.
Also, if I put my hair up into a bun and then take it down later, my hair looks smoother.
So, it's not like my hair was a total disaster before this.
I've made a few half-hearted attempts to work with my waves, but I have never figured out how to do this successfully.
(It might also be said that I have not tried super hard because...I am kind of lazy on the beauty front.)
Also, I am cheap/frugal, and a lot of curly or wavy-hair approved products are on the expensive side.
But Sonia sent me an Instagram post that shared several inexpensive products and I ordered them immediately.
And while I'm still pretty new at this, I do think these products work pretty well.
Here's what I've been using.
Shampoo: Maui Moisture
I've been using sulfate-free shampoo for a while now, so I don't think this in particular is responsible for my improved waves.
But I do understand that sulfate-free shampoo is helpful for overall hair health.
I look at it the same way I look at eating vegetables. Do I see an immediate payoff? Nope.
However, I trust the science that says that vegetables are good for my body, and I trust the science that says it's good for my hair if I avoid sulfates.
Conditioner: Garnier Plumping Conditioner
I've also been using silicone-free conditioner for quite some time (like Maui Moisture).
I like this one better though, since it's a little richer. I felt like I had to use so much of the Maui Moisture conditioner, but I don't need tons of this Garnier conditioner.
And it is made specifically for hair that is easily weighed down, which definitely describes my hair.
Cantu Curl Activator
This product goes a long way, so I think this $7 container is going to last me a nice long time.
Aussie Gel
This is the least expensive of the four items, and it is Curly Girl approved, despite being just a regular brand. Yay!
How much do these wavy hair products cost?
I spent $21 altogether, which seems very reasonable to me.
I imagine that these products will last me more than a month (especially the Cantu product), but even if I used them all up in a month, $21/month on hair care doesn't seem crazy.
The Wash Day Method
I am super new at this, but here's what I've been doing.
Shampoo, Conditioner, Curl Activator, Gel
First I wash my hair and condition it (nothing rocket-science-y here).
I squeeze the extra water out of my hair and then work a small amount of the Cantu curl activator in, brush it through, and then squeeze my hair to form clumps and encourage curling.
Then I spread some gel on my hands and kind of pat it onto my hair and then do more squeezing.
"Plop" hair in a t-shirt, then let it dry
Next, I "plop" my hair, which is basically just putting my hair up into a cotton t-shirt.
(Here's a good explanation about how to plop your hair.)
I leave my hair plopped for maybe a half hour to an hour, then take off the t-shirt and let my hair air-dry.
(Sonia sometimes dries hers with a hair dryer, using cold air with a diffusor. This takes about eleventy-twelve hours and I am not patient enough for that.)
After my hair is dry, it's super crunchy and it looks downright terrible.
But once I "scrunch the crunch" as Curly Girl people say, the gel cast is gone, and just the waves remain.
The refresh day
The next day, I keep my hair out of the water while showering, getting it briefly wet at the end of my shower.
Then I brush it, scrunch it, plop it with a cotton t-shirt, let it air-dry, and then scrunch it.
It's definitely a bit frizzier and less wavy the second day, but it's still better-looking than my hair was before I started using this method.
This isn't actually super hard or time-consuming
And you can trust me when I say this because I am very prone to thinking beauty processes are hard.
It only takes a few minutes to put these two products into my hair, and since I go the air-drying route, I am spending almost no time at all on my hair after the product application.
Also, I can go at least two days between washes, which saves time.
I do think this is an improvement
I go back and forth a little about how I feel about my waves (if only they were just a little wavier!), but the fact of the matter is that without any products, my hair does look a little dry and frizzy.
So even if my waves are maybe not ideal, I do think they are better than my no-product hair.
And a nice thing is that even if I do put my hair up, the front part of my hair looks more interesting and less flat than it did before I tried this hair method.
What are my future hair plans?
Will I stick with this routine most of the time? Will I get lazy and go back to my no-product life? I dunno.
I do want to try getting some inches cut off of my hair to see how less hair weight affects my waves.
And I'm sure I'll get better at this wavy styling thing as I get more practice under my belt.
About the grays...
My gray hairs are mostly definitely easier to see with my hair this way.
But, I am going to do my best to resist dying them. This is less about taking a moral stand against ageism and more about me knowing that I am too beauty-lazy and cheap to keep up with dying my roots.
I would totally be the person walking around with inch-long roots, and let's be honest, that is not a better look than natural grays!
So. Embracing my grays would be lovely, but I'm more at the awkwardly-hugging-my-grays place for now.
I’ve just been experimenting with some of these same techniques! Plopping my hair definitely helps activate the waves but I need to find products to help hold the wave since the high humidity here doesn’t allow my waves to last long. I recently got a haircut and the stylist cut some subtle layers which helped lighten my hair up and the wave is a little more prominent. Maybe the waves are a benefit of aging? My hair has never been this wavy before.
I love your natural greying look, especially in the white-and-taupe top. Wearing a two-toned top enhancies both colours in your hair I feel. Also your hair looks well on you sleek or curly, so you can choose 😉
I have dyed my hair for over 12 years and felt increasing uncomfortable about that. As you grow older, the dye will increasingly mismatch with your facial tones and skin structure (which with age will change). This is also something to take into account when you decide to dye your hair. Colours that will still look good on you at 45, will not look good on you at 52. You'll have to reassess the colour you'll dye with every four years or so.
Corona and my home office gave me an opportunity to grow out my grey hair without feeling unkempt. I am now just over a year in growing gray and it will take some three, four months more before I am entirely gray (I wear a long bob). My hair tones match my skin tones now and funnily enough it makes me look more "coherent" and stronger. I have slightly adapted the colours in my clothes also and try to draw attention to my eyes, by wearing a top or scarf that has my eye colour in it. Everybody is vain in their own way I suppose!
I love your waves. Whatever you're doing is definitely working for you.
I have very curly hair, and I still don't really have any idea what to do with it. I think I was in college before I even figured out to put products in it to keep the curl there (rather than just brushing it and pulling it back, which is what I did in high school and which I SHOULD NOT have been doing with curly hair). And I pretty much do the same thing now that I did then: Shampoo (about every other day, because I shower about every other day), conditioner (allllways conditioner--on days I don't shower but have somewhere to go, I just soak my hair in the sink or tub and put on the conditioner then), comb out with a wide comb, mousse, and hairspray.
My favorite thing is John Frieda Frizz Ease Secret Weapon. Not because of the name, but because I can put a tiny bit on on wet days and it really does help with the annoying fly aways around my hairline.
I tried the no shampooing thing that's supposed to be good for naturally curly hair, and just could not get it to work for me. Honestly, I really just want to cut all of my hair off and have a really short haircut because I hate messing with my hair, but . . . too vain for that. 🙂 That's hard to pull off with very curly hair.
Also, never dyed my hair in any way (I'm 41 and have some gray, but not a ton) and never plan to. Waaay too lazy for that kind of maintenance.
I'm reminded why I regularly get my hair cut in short layers. I am too lazy for all that. I wash, use a dab of conditioner, and towel dry. With infrequent hair cuts during Covid-19 I did finally buy some tousling mousse and I do find that using that does give my hair more texture. I just run a bit through my hair after towel drying then finger brush and go. My hair too is between straight and curly, it has a bit of natural wave. Post menopause my hair had changed from a medium texture to a thinner texture. I think the mousse mitigates that somewhat.
One note about not dying your hair. I think it is much healthier for your hair and body to not use those chemicals on your hair/head. I have silver highlights throughout my dark brown hair and I just accept it. I have earned the silver hairs as well as the facial wrinkles.
I tried Curly Girl when it first came out back when I was in high school. My hair texture is almost exactly like yours— in between and kind of fine/easily weighed down. Back then it was kind of gross to wash only once a week (this was when dry shampoo was something only used in hospitals and nursing homes!).
I have since gone back to a more normal routine, but while I was doing CG, I definitely had curlier hair than ever before. If you stick with it for a couple months, your hair should start to behave a bit better and be more predictable.
I do still go curly sometimes when I’m too lazy to blow dry, but sometimes I don’t want or have time to let my hair air dry. I still use sulfate and silicone free products, no matter what I’m doing with my hair, and when I do go curly, I use their method. I’m going to try your curl activator!
With washing so infrequently (I now use dry shampoo on non-wash days when my hair is straight, so I still wash only once or twice a week anyway), shampoo/conditioner last forever, so even if a product were more expensive, the yearly cost still isn’t too bad.
I am 37 and don’t have any grays yet, but I’m sure my days are numbered. It’s great that gray seems to be trending now, and people are more comfortable with gray. I remember telling my mom to dye hers for a few years because she still looked so young otherwise, so I’m sure if I went gray tomorrow I would totally dye my hair... I just think it would make me feel older than my years for now. I think yours looks quite nice with your hair curly, though. It really shows off the texture, kind of like highlights would.
PS— I find these lifestyle posts SO interesting. You seem to be a practical person, and I’m always interested in your take on things, whether budget related or not!
i say embrace the gray. I live what I recommend - I started getting just a little gray in my 20s. I left it as much to disconcert my brother as I did out of laziness.
I take a pretty quick and easy approach. I wash my hair with whatever shampoo smells good, condition the middle-to-end of my hair with a conditioner that's meant for wavy/curly hair (whatever is at the grocery store/smells good), and then reapply a second, very thin layer of conditioner on the middle-to-end parts of my hair (so as not to weigh down what's on my scalp). Then I sort of "plop" with a towel, and let it air dry. It tends to "fall" and get straight after I sleep on it, but I find a quick misting with water will get it looking nice again, or I just wear my hair up the next day.
I tend to shower when I get home from work, rather than in the morning, partly so that I can sleep in and partly because I don't like drying my hair but I walk to work and have on more than one occasion had my hair freeze in the winter!
Maybe one day I'll try a full curly girl method and see what happens. Like you, Kristen, I always thought my hair was just kind of frizzy and had no idea it could make such nice waves!
In case you go back to the old way- I have finally figured out that if I don't rinse all the conditioner out of my hair completely, as I had for the 1st 50 years of my life, my hair was much smoother!
Oops - forgot to note that I find that pantene pro v conditioner works great! So great that I have not used any other conditioner for years.
I looove the greys. It is a pretty color of grey.
Thank you! I feel lucky that my hair is a medium brown, because the grays do blend in fairly well. If I had really dark hair, the contrast would be way more noticeable.
Your new-to-us hair looks gorgeous! I
have the same exact type of waves. Two pro-tips I have are to not brush at all (creates frizz and separates curls!) but rather finger comb through it while wet. And second, you can use small amounts of corn starch at the roots to absorb oil between washes. It’s a super frugal dry shampoo. You just want to apply a little with your fingertips and then you kind of have to run it through/shake your hair a bit since cornstarch is white and not the color of your hair.
Your hair looks great!
I have very similar hair texture (wavy-ish and thin and lots of grays on the sides). I currently have short hair, but my hair was long for years. The curly girl method sounds great, but I would like to share what I did for easy straight hair. I did the following in the morning.
Day 1: Shampoo and condition (I did not rub conditioner into my scalp, left about 1 inch space between scalp and where I would apply conditioner.) Put in leave in conditioner and let my hair air dry.
Day 2: Straighten hair with flat iron (I would divide my hair into a few small sections similar to how stylists blow dry hair. Then I run the flat iron once or twice over each section. The process took me 10 mins tops.
Day 3: Brush hair if needed (this was often the best hair day).
Day 4: Apply dry shampoo to roots
Start cycle again!
Same thoughts as Jennifer Y. With grey hair, your freshly washed day is generally not nearly as great as the couple of days after. 🙂 Anytime I want my hair to look really great I try to wash it the day before!
Love all these great tips! My sorta-wavy hair got more curly after each of my 4 kids and even at 42 I still feel like I'm "learning" how to embrace it and get the most out of what's there instead of fighting it (I still remember getting the 80's perms!).
My only thought to add is that getting some layers put in will REALLY help encourage your curls if that's where you want to go, rather than hair that's all one length. Asking for a point cut with long layers makes the curls pop up without extra frizz. There are some great YouTube videos (Justin Hickox is one I like) that help you know what to ask for so that you'll get nice curl and movement without it being thin on the bottom from the layers.
I love the encouragement to always try new things and I just want to thank you for the bright spot of cheer and encouragement you bring daily via your blog. It is truly a gift I'm grateful for and appreciate!
Yes! I will definitely ask for some layers when I get a trim.
And I am so happy to hear that my blog helps bring cheer to your day.
Love your waves and your greys! I began greying in my early 20's (family trait) and dyed it back to my brown similar to yours immediately. I continued to do this for twenty years. As I got older, the greys took over and by my early to mid 40s I realized I was probably completely grey/white underneath all that dye (which I had to do monthly or even more frequently at this point to even try to keep up!). As my hair was about the length of yours or even a bit longer it was daunting to even think of stopping the dye process and letting it grow out. Finally I just did it in my mid 40s. It took about a year and a half to finally all grow out, and yep, I was totally grey/white. It was such a relief to stop the dye process and my hair is so much healthier now. I even get a lot of compliments on my grey and how healthy my hair looks which always makes me smile as I fought it for so long. I have zero regrets. The other thing about the grey taking over is it requires much less frequent washing - usually only twice a week is ideal for mine and in a pinch I can easily even go four days between washes without it looking dirty or oily. So hair care is very easy even with pretty long hair. Mine also takes the flat iron easily (I can completely style my hair once air dried or blown dried in five minutes) and stays straight so only quick touch ups are needed on nonwashing days which only takes 2-3 minutes. My hair has never been so easy! I'm glad to see you are embracing your greys early on! It will really make your life so much easier and I wish I'd done the same - even in my 20s!
Oh, interesting! So I have fewer wash days ahead of me; yay!
I am 74 with lots of grey and oily hair still. I have to shampoo at least every other day or my hair looks greasy so don’t count on doing it less!
Oh man. Well, a girl can hope. Ha.
The good thing is that oily hair usually comes with oily skin, and oily skin is good for looking youthful. It can be our silver (ha!) lining.
I'll try this regime, though plopping my hair in a T shirt seems like too much work. Boy, have I gotten super lazy! I almost always air dry my hair, though, so that's good. It's super thick so takes approximately forever. I like those special faster-drying microfiber hair towels for after my shower, though I need to use the large body kind because my giant melon and thick, thick hair means I can't fit it all in the ones meant for hair.
Plopping is actually really fast; I am super unmotivated about beauty stuff, and even I don't think it's too bad. Heh.
I agree! I limit my extra beauty stuff to 5 minutes or less. I love plopping now that I'm doing it.I love that my neck isn't wet for hours anymore.
Brush before showering and not while wet. Your waves will be much better with way less work. Happy curls.
Your hair is beautiful. I really enjoyed reading this post. I have very thin hair. A friend described it as angel hair - - - what a nice thing to say. My routine is to shampoo, condition, and air dry with finger scrunching. This gives me the most curl, the most volume, and the least frizz. I have my hair cut just a bit shorter than shoulder length, with long layers. As mentioned by others, layers are a great way to boost your waves, as well as taking off a little of the length. I use Nature's Brand organic hairspray which is very lightweight. Thanks for the information about the products - - - I might give some of them a try.
Yes, I definitely want to get some layers in; my hair often behaves better with layers even if I wear it more straight.
I love your friend's phrase for your hair!
I can sooooo relate to this post! My hair is the same as yours - not straight but not curly. It doesn't take too much effort to straighten it but it's not straight on its own anymore. My hair has definitely changed since I turned 40 - it's frizzier, grayer, and more wavy. Since the pandemic hit, I've been experimenting with the wavy look too - tried hair plopping, using leave -in conditioners, etc. and I like it. Garnier Fructis also has a leave in conditioner that works well for me - it makes my hair feel much less dry. Thanks for the product recommendations. I'm going to give that Maui shampoo a try. Great pictures, btw!
I have very thick, coarse, curly hair and I quit coloring my hair over a year ago.
Right now I use Pantene 2 in 1 shampoo/conditioner every 4-5 days, followed by Suave almond+Shea butter conditioner. About once a month I use L’Oreal purple shampoo for gray hair to counteract any brassy tones. When my hair is wet, it immediately goes to curly even after a comb through. I currently am using up some curly hair products that I don’t completely love but will do for now. I think I’ll investigate your products listed as I don’t want to spend a fortune either! Thanks for this post! I am always looking for good, inexpensive hair products.
We have twin hair, including the gray that I leave natural out of laziness and frugality. Plus, it's kind of nice to not have to explain repeatedly that I am, in fact, 42 years old and not 27, so I'm not making it up that I graduated high school in the late 90s and yes, I am, in fact your professor.
I am DEFINITELY trying these products! During the winter, when my hair tends to be straighter, I can usually go a week between washes with dry shampoo support. The summers in SE Texas, though, make it unbearable to use a hair dryer and also disgusting to go a week without washing my hair.
Texas readers, HEB has a coupon for $2 off of the Garnier conditioner until May 22.
Very timely post! I'm not a very girly girl so have often struggled with knowing exactly how to care for my specific hair type. During the last few months / covid, I finally spent time researching my hair type and watching tutorials. Have been experimenting with ways to help my 2c/3a hair (thank you, internet, for the help in classifying it). Lots to learn, lol! I think I'm making some progress though 🙂 Good luck with your hair journey too!
Oh, I'm glad to see this, because I'm a curly girl.
My hair is superfine and has mixed curls -- spiral, waves, and loopy curls all combined. I investigated the Devacurl method and used their products, then moved to cheaper products, but still using only sulfate, paraben and silicone-free products. I have to say, the Devacurl hair products were really, really nice, though.
One thing they say is don't brush OR comb your hair and I don't. I also go to a salon where the hairdressers are trained in how to cut a Devacurl haircut (layers, cut it dry by trimming the curls individually, no brushing or combing, no towel rubbing) and I only have to go every three months, so it's not so bad. I used to cut my own, and may try doing this myself one day, but I don't have the nerve yet.
I've been using Shea Moisture products for a while. There are more and more out there, and I'm glad to see Aussie gel is now approved. I bought a $4 Turbie Twist to plop my hair. A used tee-shirt is cheaper, but I find the microfiber Turbie Twist was easier to keep on my head as I go about my business after my shower.
I like the way your waves look, Kristen!
Yes, agree with this tip! Not brushing really helps with frizz.
I think I snorted when I read this .... I was smack dab in the middle of coloring my hair. BTW, for what it's worth, I use a demi-permanent color (Clairol Natural Instincts) which is ammonia-free. It's best for people with a smaller amount of gray (like you) and the color gradually fades rather than leaving you with that gray root line. Just in case you decide you want to try something different at some point in time--this is definitely a lower commitment way to cover your gray. If you ever decide to use it, don't go for anything darker than medium brown, or it will look severe. I remember that at one point you had pink highlights so I was under the impression that you weren't totally against hair coloring.
Anyway, I have found that my hair has gotten wavier as I have gotten older and I have been thinking about playing with styling waves during the summer, so this is perfect timing for me! Thank you for your willingness to show us things that you have tried so that we can learn from you.
I think you will really like the way you hair behaves after you get a good trim. And leave the grey !! I am in the process of growing my hair out to it's natural grey color (and growing out bangs at the same time too !! ) and it has been very long process. I'm almost there and so happy to have made the decision to do both !!
I casually started the curly girl method in August 2020, and got serious about finding products/method that work in February 2021. My hair is in such better shape. My hair tends between curly and wavy if I don't care for it well, but now even on Day 3 (since shampoo) it looks good. I don't brush or comb my hair, ever. I don't use a dryer (it's a waste of time because I have so much hair).
After shampooing and using conditioner, I rinse everything out while bending over, so I'm upside down. I immediately apply product to the bunches of hair it's naturally fallen into. This helps define my curls. Then I plop, usually for an hour or so, apply a little bit of styling cream and I let it finish air drying. Periodically, I use a clarifying shampoo and follow up with a serum to keep the moisture level high. I use Noughty products, which run about $10/bottle, which is more than what I used to spend. I'm still on my first bottle of shampoo, and it's been 3 months, maybe? So it's not like I'm flying through product. And I love my hair now. It's worth it to me.
When I first saw the thumbnail, I briefly wondered if you had a guest-poster--you look so different with your waves pushed back vs. bangs! Your gray looks so wonderful, especially with the waves. I'm glad you're hugging it, however awkwardly. 😉
My own hair is thick and has a slight wave to it that I've learned to emphasize in the most efficient/lazy manner possible. I've cut my own hair for 10+ years and do so by first parting it in the middle, then cutting it along a taper. The shortest section ends at my chin when wet, and the longest ends just below my breasts. Once done, I brush my hair over so that the part is on the far right (think very 1940s/Veronica Lake), which creates easy layers around my face. Since my THICK hair takes forever to dry, I wash it a few hours before bed so that it isn't sopping when it's time to sleep; come morning, it's delightfully wavy. For second day hair, I braid it at night, which results in easy waves the next day. I haven't owned a hair dryer... ever, now that I think about it, and my curling iron only gets rediscovered once a year at best for when my usual tricks don't work and I have something special I need to look nice for.
Product-wise, I'm loyal to Giovanni's deep moisture shampoo and conditioner (every two days) and hair mask (once a week). For truly deep conditioning, I'll brush Argan oil into my hair when dry, braid it, then leave it for 3+ hours while I do chores, online work, and so on before shampooing it out. My gray has a more pronounced wave, so the deep moisturizer helps keep both incoming and outgoing colors similar in texture and behavior.
You look great with your beautiful waves!
My hair is thick and a bit wavy. It has to have layers or it becomes very unflattering and hard to manage. Layers bring out the wave and make it dry a lot faster.
They are not grey's...they are strands of glitter. you're welcome.
Love that!
Aw, lovely!
Love the wavy look with products. ALso the silver is beautiful.I grew mine out finally during our isolation year.. why not? So much less hassle now, no more color, no roots. Cut off the brown dyed ends over a period of months and now have natural hair.
You look good without the products too!! But that wavy front of your hair wiht silver,with product, is stunning!!
How lucky to look great with waves or straight! And the bits of silver are lovely. I am in the "too lazy to dye" camp and seriously have no preference either way -- whatever looks good and makes YOU feel good. I will check out this curly girl site, as the owner of gray, frizzy, weirdly wavy hair that has been the bane of my existence. Thank you for sharing all this info!
I feel like the gray hairs that are coming in are definitely a different texture. So I guess it's good I'm figuring out what to do with non-straight hair!
Yes, gray hair has different texture, it's thicker.
Love Aussie Instant Freeze products! My hair tends to be curly when the humidity is high. I use Got2b Kinkier it keeps the curl shape well & does not frizz out.
Your waves look great!
Your waves and the way the gray is coming in are just beautiful! Thanks for sharing your routine and products. My hair is very similar to yours, and I’ve been lazy about it. I need to pick up a few of those products.
Wow, I think you look amazing with your waves/curls! I didn't realize your hair was that long.
I love your natural silver highlights!
Thanks for the tips! My hair turned curly in my 30's so I've been learning how to deal with the curls as well. I have found that the longer I stick with the curly girl method, the more curls I get.
And resist the dye! 🙂 If we all stick together with our natural beauty we may just change some social norms.
I love your wavy hair and the beautiful silver. I have very tights curls that are salt and pepper; I have learned to embrace my hair in its complete natural state
I belong to a very supportive group for women who have grey/silver hair or who are transitioning into their natural grey hair color.
Your gray looks awesome! I also am a lazy hair person and started getting a few gray hairs when I was 26. I am now 42 and still just have some around my temples, but refuse to dye my hair. I am digging the waves. Shout out to Sonia for the assist.
I love your hair!!! It looks amazing curly/wavy. Our hair is definitely the same!! I also adore your grey!!! It looks fabulous on you!
Beautiful waves! My hair is similar, sorta flat on top and some sorta waves, so I also use a curl cream. Never heard of plopping your hair, so will have to give that a try. And a shorter length gives me more curl. I also refuse to dye my hair because I don't want to get into that trap. Your gray is a beautiful shade, so silvery.
I stopped dying my hair at the beginning of the pandemic. It is not as bad as I thought it would be. Your hair is beautiful in the before and the after. I used to wash my hair daily when I was younger. My stylist said twice a week is good enough. I use shampoo I got as a freebie from a hotel we stayed at while we were looking to move closer to my husband's job. For most of the pandemic I was at my mother-in law's house with my two kids and hubby. Found a great stylist there who comes from a family of barbers. She really gave me 3 great cuts that grow out wonderfully. I think a good cut makes everything else better.
I've been Curly Girl-ing for a few years now and have my sons on board, too!
My daughter has very thick hair, that was curly when she was a tiny little girl. I think the weight of her hair pulls the curls out. I should get these products for her!
I needed this tutorial and it seems super easy! I have 3 young children (pre K 2yr, pre K 4yr, and 2nd gr--all going to different schools on different schedules---THANK YOU COVID!) and my husband is away a lot. I don't have the luxury of taking time to get myself ready, especially on the days I go to work. I'm thinking I will "plop" my hair after I shower, get dressed, set out breakfast, wake kids, and de-plop!
I think that my be most time efficient, but if you have other suggestions I welcome them. Thank you. I will try this tomorrow after my run/shower!
I started getting your emails when I lived in Columbia, SC but have moved back to my hometown in NYS. I stopped getting them for awhile, but have been getting them lately. Keep up the encouraging work. If you're not a Dave Ramsey fan, I highly suggest it! Seems to be right in line with your beliefs.
Wishing you nothing but the best,
Leah
Hi there,
I had long hair that I wore up. Several years ago I was watching a makeover show and cut my hair to about 3 inches below my shoulders. I wash my hair with regular shampoo and conditioner, towel dry, then apply a dime size of Frizz Ease to my palms and pat it over my hair, then turn to one side and kind of rub it in the ends, then the other side. Then let it dry. I keep poofing up the top to get some lift. It looks fine the next day, with a little straighter hair as the week goes on. What a timesaver if I had that product in highschool on!
It's funny because I never would have categorized your hair as "frizzy" based on the pictures you post on your blog. Of course, in a tutorial about hair with all the different photos you added, I can see all the differences in your hair now but I just thought I'd mention that it never looked frizzy to me. Oh. And I love your gray! (I'd actually thought that when I saw pictures in past posts not just from this post!) I know that we all have to do whatever feels right to us and I also know that darker hair is often harder to deal with graying hair but you look lovely with the gray! I am all about natural. I never wear make up anymore and I haven't colored my hair in 10 years. I'm formerly a redhead so my gray hair is coming in like blonde highlights and I'm thankful for that. I actually regret all the money I spent in my 30s and 40s putting chemicals in my hair to change the color!
after reading, I found a coupons for Cantu Hair or Skin products in my weekly paper! $1 off one product or $2.50 off 2 products! win, win.
Oooh, sweet!
Kristen, you look great! Couple of comments about the comments- if we don’t brush or comb, what about tangles? I have mostly straight hair and if I don’t brush, twice a day, I’ll have knots of tangles. I have a wide-tooth comb and a natural bristle brush. My fingers just don’t do the job.
Cornstarch in hair, plus oil, equals roux, as in base for gravy or sauce! Right? I will admit, I never tried it.
We’ve come a long way from Prell, Tame, and Dippity-do!
Most of the curly/wavy people I know do not follow the method exclusively; sometimes people comb their hair out in the shower, some use a wide-toothed comb.
I have never tried cornstarch but I imagine it just absorbs the oil; without the heat, it probably wouldn't make a roux. lol
I notice that tangled hair is dry hair in my case. You might try a hair mask or deep conditioning treatment to keep tangles away. I only finger detangle and it works well for me.
I have been following the curly girl method for about two years and am loving the results! My hair has been getting wavier/curlier as I go. I’ve been cowashing (washing my hair with conditioner) instead of going with a gentle shampoo like you. I use Silkience Pro damage repair conditioner from the dollar tree, Shea Moisture Curl and Shine conditioner ($10 at target and lasts me a good six months), Cantu Curl activator (my bottle lasted me over a year!), and LA looks blue gel (also from the dollar tree. I spend about $ 30 a YEAR on hair products and only wash every three to five days. It does take me a few more minutes to style than my old method, but the results and price point are so worth it!
Your hair is looking great, and I personally like the gray. I am also not dying my grays because of the work and price of upkeep. We shall see how long I hold out.
For my thick swayvy hair I am even lazier than you! I don't use shampoo or conditioner at all. This is my routine. Before I shower, I comb my hair with a pick comb. If I need to "wash" my hair, I mix about a tablespoon of baking soda with a cup of water (probably 10oz total) and dump it on my head in the shower then scrub and rinse. I always rinse my hair with about 1-2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar mixed with water (probably 10oz total again). I pour it carefully over the ends of my hair and occasionally closer to my scalp. I rinse it out quickly so the smell doesn't linger and to make sure none is on my scalp (makes me itch like crazy!). After towel drying my hair I put about a teaspoon of coconut oil between my hands and rub all over the ends, mostly avoiding my scalp. That's it. Super frugal and my hair looks so much healthier than when I was using products!
Thank you for this post. You hair is absolutely gorgeous!. I am currently trying to figure out how to stop coloring my hair and let my grey come in.
Thanks so much for this article, I've been thinking about putting just a little more effort into my wavy hair but I'm "frugal" and lazy as well. I don't even think I have time for the t-shirt method as I just let my hair air dry naturally all the time and well heading off to work with a tshirt on my head just isn't going to happen LOL....
The grays... I do an at home root touch up, takes 10 minutes to put on and 10 minutes of letting it sit, shower and do hair as normal. $8 a box and matches well with my hair. Lasts about 4 weeks before I'm noticing that they are overwhelming my roots again. Definitely doable on the frugal side 🙂
I suppose you could leave the t-shirt on during your commute. Ha. Some people just use a cotton t-shirt to kind of scrunch their hair dry too, and that's super quick to do.
I hope these products help your hair behave!
Lovely! Your post saved me and my wavy haired teen some heartache! Quick question: Do you reapply any products on your refresh days? Thanks!!
Normally on the second day, I just get it quickly wet in the shower, then scrunch, plop briefly and let it air dry. So glad my post was helpful to you!
I am 41 and have plenty of gray sprinkled in and I am basically embracing it because I am too cheap to keep up with anything else, so I loved reading your comments about that. My hair is 2b/2c and thin/fine. I’ve been unhappy with how limp it’s been looking and decided to embrace the wavy curls to get more volume and maybe make it look thicker. Some things I tried have lead to stringy hair and too much of my scalp showing. Also, I am sensitive to fragrances. I am trying to stick with a curly girl type routine long enough to see if I can get my hair looking better than when I was heat styling. Best of luck to you!
Oof, yes, I hear you about the scalp showing! Definitely fluff your roots when you scrunch your hair after the gel has dried. That can help with the scalp-showing problem.
Another way to enhance your waves is to get a curly cut, which would add (long) layers and more volume for fine hair and avoid the triangle-head look for coarse hair. Once I grew out my own coarse gray hair, I realized I couldn't keep damaging it by straightening it all the time so I've been styling it wavy and accepting its natural volume and texture (2b/2c). It taught me to finally listen to my stylist and moisturize it more often using weekly masks plus clarifying every 1-2 weeks to keep the products I use from building up. When I have time, I finger-curl my newly-cleansed hair (after curl cream and gel/mousse) and then diffuse. Even if I don't finger curl, using a diffuser (with a heat protectant), REALLY makes a difference in accentuating waves and even creating some loose curls.
Btw, I grew out my gray using a semi-permanent color (that washed out once I was done growing it out) and I still enhance or play with my silver using Overtone, which is also temporary. Enjoy your lovely hair!
Your greys are beautiful! Thanks for the product advice.
Thank you for your detailed post! I’m going to try the curl activator. I just have to say I think your grays are gorgeous! I wondered if you intentionally put gray highlights. I have similar hair and routine and now can feel confident in my purchase.
Hahah nope the grays are just happening all on their own! A result of 46 trips around the sun. 😉