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With countless YouTube tutorials on how to achieve effortless, beachy waves, you should consider yourself lucky to have naturally wavy hair. But by no means do wavy-haired celebrities like Kit Harrington and James Franco wake up sporting a follicular masterpiece. Unkempt hair is always the result of, well, quite a bit of upkeep.
Here’s how to keep your wavy hair tamed and on fleek.
Basic Maintenance
Shampoo
An unfortunate fact of wavy-haired life is that your strands are prone to frizz. Shampooing your hair too often can dehydrate your hair, making the frizz situation worse. If you have thick hair, you can go up to 3 days without shampoo; if you have thin hair, make that every other day. Remember to use a moisturizing shampoo like St James of London Lemongrass and Bergamot Hydrating Shampoo to help hair retain natural oils that keep it healthy and slightly weighed down.
Avoid clarifying shampoos, which are designed to strip your hair of vital moisture.
Conditioner
Step up your conditioner game. A conditioner helps your hair retain moisture (read: reduce frizz), so aim to use conditioner every time after you shampoo. But don’t just slap some conditioner on and rinse it off quickly like shampoo – instead, leave it in your hair for a few minutes to let it penetrate hair follicles. If you’re short on time, try a leave-in conditioner like Dax Supergro Hair & Scalp Conditioner.
After washing your hair, softly blot hair dry. Be careful not to aggressively rub your hair with a towel, as this will create frizz.
Brushing
Using a wide-tooth comb, brush your hair while it’s still wet. Don’t use a fine-tooth comb, since this will tear at hair follicles and tease your hair out in a way that approximates tumbleweed.
Pick the Right Hairstyle
More likely than not, without the proper haircut and styling your wavy hair will appear a little unruly.
Selecting the right haircut will help control your natural waves.
Short to mid-length hair:
The benefit of short to medium-length hair is you’ll reduce the amount of time you need to style your hair every morning.
Ask your barber for a point cut, in which the scissors are held at an angle to create texture. The shorter pieces of hair will support the longer pieces, allowing you to easily wear your hair in a casually undone or spiky way. If your hair is extra thick, you can reduce bulk by having the barber use thinning scissors, which remove bulk and weight.
Look we love: Wavy undercut
The back and sides are kept extremely short, while the top is longer. Work a medium to strong hold pomade – like Rumble 59 Schmiere Wanderlust Hair Pomade – into your waves to hold them in place.
Mid-length to long hair:
GABRIEL BOUYS/AFP/Getty Images
More power to you if you want to embrace your waves by letting them grow out! To create a streamlined shape, cut hair at different lengths all around your head.
Look we love: Windswept waves
Windswept waves should be shaped with layers to reduce weight and add texture. Ask for shorter layers at the front for some effortless fringe. After drying your hair, spray with a sea salt spray like Bumble and Bumble Surf Infusion to enhance that surfer vibe.
Styling
Basic tips:
- For defined waves, use a strong hold pomade like Brooklyn Soap Company Classic Pomade.
- For volume and texture, try a sea salt spray like the one mentioned above.
- When applying pomade, always start with a small amount and add more as necessary. There’s nothing worse while blowdrying your hair than to feel it crunch up with too much product.
