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Discovering my natural hair type and texture several years ago through the Curly Girl Method has been one of the best beauty decision I’ve ever made. I truly believe had I not found out about the Curly Girl Method through some random blog post that the way that I care for my hair today would have been completely different.
I can not stress enough the importance of discovering your own hair’s type and texture. What I thought my hair was turned out to be completely different once I allowed it to be natural without a ton of heat and styling products. What I did to my hair in my teens was largely influenced by whatever my friends did to their hair. I had no clue what I was doing or even why I was doing it.
Discovering your hair’s type and texture can be difficult and sometimes frustrating. What works for one person may not work well with your hair. However, once you do discover the type and texture of your hair you can begin to narrow down which natural wavy hair products might work well for you.
Finding the right natural wavy hair products that compliment your hair care routine can often times be hit or miss. When you do find the products that work in harmony with one another you kind of feel like shouting them from the rooftops to ever curly haired friend that you meet.
Shampoo and Condition
The shampoo and conditioner that I prefer to use is something that is natural based. However, when it comes to trying to find natural wavy hair products it can be a bit difficult. I don’t want anything with sulfates, parabens, etc. The closer to nature the better, in my opinion. But from my experience not all naturally bases products are created equal. I like shampoo that lathers which is not always the case when trying to find a naturally based shampoo. However, there is a brand called RenPure Advanced that I really love. You can find it in drugstores sometimes but my favorite place that I’ve recently found it at is Target (they are often on sale there quite often).
Right now I’m using a combination of a nourishing shampoo with a thickening conditioner. I often prefer mixing and matching my shampoo and conditioner combination. This allows me to get benefits of both nourishment plus strength. To figure out the right combination your hair needs think of a couple of things your hair needs improvement in. For me, my hair needs to be moisturized but at the same time it also needs a boost in strength to help keep its length.
My hair needs fluctuate based on the seasons. In winter I may need more moisture but in summer I may need help with taming frizz. Don’t be afraid to change out your shampoo and conditioner based on your hair needs.
+ Renpure Advanced: Extra Strength Coconut Cream Nourishing Shampoo – contains coconut oil, rapeseed oil, red seaweed, red alga, brown seaweed, and palm oil to super-moisturize hair
+ Renpure Advanced: Extra Strength Biotin & Collagen Thickening Conditioner – contains palm oil, coconut oil, rapeseed oil, cocoa, horse chestnut, and guar bean to give the look and feel of more voluminous hair
I love the Renpure shampoos and conditioners because they give a good bit of lather. Yet they don’t leave my hair feeling dry or stripped after I rinse it out. I also love how thick and luxurious their conditioners feel. I really coat my hair in the stuff, comb out any tangles with a wide tooth comb in the shower with the conditioner still in my hair, then allow it to sit and penetrate my hair for at least 5 minutes before I rinse it out. The end result is very silky, soft feeling hair.
Side Note: Target has a lot of natural based products. I’m really impressed with the selection that they offer.
Hydrate and Define
The biggest step in my hair care routine to rocking my natural waves is hydrating and defining my curls post shower. Without this critical step I’m pretty much rocking just a whole lot of frizz. I apply my natural wavy hair products as soon as I turn off the shower knob while my hair is dripping wet. The water in my hair helps to dilute and distribute the product evenly throughout my entire head. I like to apply both a leave in conditioner plus some sort of styling gel. Of course, as I’ve been doing with most of my beauty products lately I’m keeping the products that I apply naturally based.
Shea Moisture is a brand that is the queen of curly hair products in my opinion. I love, love, love their products and they smell absolutely amazing! My only suggestion to those with a more lose curl or wave pattern is to use a very small amount. More does not mean better in this case. A dime size or smaller for each product is all you need if you have Type 2 curls. If you apply too much product you’ll definitely feel it. Your hair will be sticky and look weighed down. Also, stay away from the roots when apply gels or leave in conditioners.
+ Shea Moisture Yucca and Plantain Anti-Breakage Strengthening Styling Milk – my hair tends to break easily if I wear it up for a long period of time so I’ve really begun using products that focus on strength. This product is called a styling milk but I don’t feel like it offers much in terms of holding a particular style. I do however feel like it does a fantastic job of adding moisture to my hair. Shea Moisture Yucca & Plantain Anti-Breakage Strengthening Styling Milk contains baobab oil and cilantro extract as well as yucca and plantain extracts. These ingredients help hair to be softer, shinier, and stronger.
+ Shea Moisture Coconut & Hibiscus Curling Gel Souffle‘ – This isn’t your typical gel. This gel doesn’t become incredibly hard and crunchy after it dries. It offers just the right amount of flexibility and hold. This gel really helps to keep my hair from getting frizzy throughout the day. I love the ingredients as it contains agave nectar, coconut oil, and flax seed oil. I think it does a great job of defining my curl pattern without making it crunchy.
After applying all of my styling products, I will then wrap my hair up with an old t-shirt that my husband no longer uses. I’ve been drying my hair with a t-shirt also known as hair plopping for over 5 years now. I rarely use an ordinary bath towel on my hair. A t-shirt is ideal material as it absorbs moisture and prevents friction which causes frizz.
Shine
Last on my list of must-have products for curly/wavy hair is a shine serum. Shine serums come in handy when you just need a little something extra to smooth down flyaways and give your hair a healthier appearance overall. For shine serum I prefer a natural, diy approach. Some shine serums or oils can really weigh down the hair especially if you have fine hair like me. When looking for a hair serum I look for oils and ingredients that I know will penetrate and absorb into my hair rather than just coat the outside of the strand.
+ Grapseed Oil – if you are looking to add shine AND strength to you hair grapeseed oil might be a good option for you as it contains lots of Vitamin E, non-greasy, and lightweight. It is also fast absorbing and odorless meaning it is great to use mixed with essential oils.
+ Essential Oils – Lavender & Sandalwood – I love the scent of lavender and sandalwood. Both are great essential oils for preventing hair loss on top of their wonderful, calming fragrance. Do your own research on essential oils benefits on hair. Choose ones to add to your shine serum that will assist in meeting your hair’s specific needs.
In a small travel container I add a few drops of my chosen essential oils with the grapeseed oil. I only use about 5 (less than a dime’s worth) drops total for my long hair. I only apply it from the middle of my hair to the ends. Never near the roots and always after my hair has completely dried. I also don’t apply shine serum every time I style my hair, I only apply it when my hair really needs it or could use a bit more frizz control. It is mostly dependent on the weather in my case.
Do you have wavy curly hair?
I would love to hear your tips, tricks, and favorite hair care products you can’t live without. Let me know in the comment section of this post or you can always give me a shoutout over on twitter…
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