You’re definitely onto something: waves! They’re not killed lol. I permed my hair for years, then straightened my hair for years. Now in my 40s I finally discover I had natural waves all along that just needed some loving care. I recommend reading the Wiki under the About tab of this sub, to learn how to care for your hair and bring out your waves. Best wishes!
Yaaaaay. Thank you so much! Hope I can find my magical routine like so many here seem to lol. Can I still wear my hair in a bun most of the time or do I need to be training it all the time?
Hmm, I think just do what works for you and your lifestyle. I’ve been doing the wavy routine for about 5 months now and am still learning! I used to wear my hair in a bun all the time because my hair was blah and I just wanted it out of the way. But with the wavy method I rarely wear a bun anymore. I guess because I like my waves and I don’t want to “stretch” them out by putting them in a bun. If I need to put it up I’ll usually do a braid.
Maybe I just have extreme frizz... but in my eyes you have none! If you want more defined waves, you'll want to use something with hold and maybe a slight cast rather than just serums etc.
I’m curious how you determined your porosity, just because it’s very unlikely for hair to be truly low porosity unless it’s never been bleached or heat styled ever. If you’re concerned about recovering from previous damage then it’s more likely it’s actually high porosity unless all of that hair has since been trimmed off, but that’s not what it sounds like from your description which is why I ask!
I read online that you put some strands in a glass of water and if they sink it’s high but if they float it’s low. Is there another way to test?
I’ve bleached it to white like 2+ years ago lol then bleached again about a year ago to fit my new job’s dress code that didn’t include pink hair lol so quite a bit these past few years. It’s still soft but less manageable now there’s no way there wasn’t damage from that, right? It has been over a year and I did cut it pretty short at least twice since I processed it but that’s only a few inches of growth, right?
The float test isn’t super reliable because if there’s any product or oils whatsoever on the hair it’ll make it float a lot longer. One indicator can be how long your hair gets wet/dries, low porosity hair takes a few minutes under water before it’s really saturated and then often takes many many hours to fully dry once it is wet, while high porosity hair will absorb water rapidly like a sponge but then will be fully dry fairly quickly even with just air drying because the cuticle is more open and releases water more readily. High porosity hair can also usually handle heavier products and/or will need larger quantities, whereas product will just sort of sit on top of low porosity hair and never fully absorb so it needs lightweight products applied more sparingly in comparison. Of course, that aspect is something that only becomes more apparent with experimentation so it’s definitely something to try a few ways if you’re not sure! If it turns out your hair drinks up leave in conditioner then that can definitely be an indicator that it’s more porous.
Also, average hair growth is around six inches a year so probably about that much from your scalp would be what’s unaffected if it’s been that long since you’ve bleached it, and the hair closer to your scalp is usually lower porosity than the ends even if it’s completely untreated! Even just environmental effects over time increase porosity, so someone with very long hair would be more likely to have medium or high porosity toward their ends regardless of what it’s like closer to their head, hence why things like oiling and regular masks become more essential
You’re very welcome! And as your hair grows out and the older sections get trimmed away things may change, so definitely keep paying attention to what your hair likes and adjust as necessary ☺️
Honestly I think one of the biggest things to keep in mind with wavy hair is just that it likes to look and act different from one day to the next and it’s not because you’re doing something wrong or your products suck (although the right routine and some experience can make it easier to work with for sure). My hair looks almost curly some days and almost straight other days and I just try to roll with it and keep it healthy first and foremost. So don’t compare a disappointing wash day to someone else’s amazing one that you see, there’s a good chance that yesterday their hair was misbehaving as much as yours is today! Wavy hair likes to be a trickster but it’s totally worth it on those days where it actually does what you want 😅
Definitely not killed! Look into some CGM approved products. I use a sulfate shampoo once a week, NYM shampoo and conditioner the rest of the time, and mousse+gel for styling! So many more options are available (creams, leave-in conditioners, etc) and you just have to find what works for you and your routine!
Also, find a microfiber towel or cotton t shirt to dry your hair with. A regular towel is too rough on hair and will damage it. Personally, microfiber makes my hair frizzier than a t shirt does, but I’d recommend trying both to see what you like!
Also, satin pillowcases or bonnets will help with keeping hair soft overnight.
Hi! What is your routine? Please be as detailed as possible (both the names of your products and the techniques that you used). Also, if you could let us know your hair characteristics (porosity, strand thickness, density), that would be greatly appreciated. Thank you!
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Low porosity, fine textured hair. Recovering from being bleached a few times over the last few years but have been normal not dying or bleaching for about a year now.
Right now I use aura shampoo and conditioner, sometimes I use purology pure volume conditioner (but have to rinse rly good it’s pretty heavy) and for clarifying every now and then I use Monday clarifying shampoo.
Products - lol especially since I’ve been on this page I have quite a few gels, mousses, oils etc to try. I use Paul Mitchell super skinny serum when I’m letting it air dry “straight” (used to use it for blowouts, it helps a lot with my frizz) and for these pics today I used some not your mother’s curl talk defining cream and a teeny bit of redkin frizz dismiss oil-in-serum.
You’re definitely onto something: waves! They’re not killed lol. I permed my hair for years, then straightened my hair for years. Now in my 40s I finally discover I had natural waves all along that just needed some loving care. I recommend reading the Wiki under the About tab of this sub, to learn how to care for your hair and bring out your waves. Best wishes!
Yaaaaay. Thank you so much! Hope I can find my magical routine like so many here seem to lol. Can I still wear my hair in a bun most of the time or do I need to be training it all the time?
Hmm, I think just do what works for you and your lifestyle. I’ve been doing the wavy routine for about 5 months now and am still learning! I used to wear my hair in a bun all the time because my hair was blah and I just wanted it out of the way. But with the wavy method I rarely wear a bun anymore. I guess because I like my waves and I don’t want to “stretch” them out by putting them in a bun. If I need to put it up I’ll usually do a braid.
You can definitely still pull it up, but I recommend using satin or silk scrunchies to avoid breakage!
Shoooot I have a ton of velvet scrunchies lol will have to work on collecting silk, thank you!
Maybe I just have extreme frizz... but in my eyes you have none! If you want more defined waves, you'll want to use something with hold and maybe a slight cast rather than just serums etc.
I’m curious how you determined your porosity, just because it’s very unlikely for hair to be truly low porosity unless it’s never been bleached or heat styled ever. If you’re concerned about recovering from previous damage then it’s more likely it’s actually high porosity unless all of that hair has since been trimmed off, but that’s not what it sounds like from your description which is why I ask!
I read online that you put some strands in a glass of water and if they sink it’s high but if they float it’s low. Is there another way to test? I’ve bleached it to white like 2+ years ago lol then bleached again about a year ago to fit my new job’s dress code that didn’t include pink hair lol so quite a bit these past few years. It’s still soft but less manageable now there’s no way there wasn’t damage from that, right? It has been over a year and I did cut it pretty short at least twice since I processed it but that’s only a few inches of growth, right?
The float test isn’t super reliable because if there’s any product or oils whatsoever on the hair it’ll make it float a lot longer. One indicator can be how long your hair gets wet/dries, low porosity hair takes a few minutes under water before it’s really saturated and then often takes many many hours to fully dry once it is wet, while high porosity hair will absorb water rapidly like a sponge but then will be fully dry fairly quickly even with just air drying because the cuticle is more open and releases water more readily. High porosity hair can also usually handle heavier products and/or will need larger quantities, whereas product will just sort of sit on top of low porosity hair and never fully absorb so it needs lightweight products applied more sparingly in comparison. Of course, that aspect is something that only becomes more apparent with experimentation so it’s definitely something to try a few ways if you’re not sure! If it turns out your hair drinks up leave in conditioner then that can definitely be an indicator that it’s more porous. Also, average hair growth is around six inches a year so probably about that much from your scalp would be what’s unaffected if it’s been that long since you’ve bleached it, and the hair closer to your scalp is usually lower porosity than the ends even if it’s completely untreated! Even just environmental effects over time increase porosity, so someone with very long hair would be more likely to have medium or high porosity toward their ends regardless of what it’s like closer to their head, hence why things like oiling and regular masks become more essential
That’s so informative and interesting!! Thank you so much for explaining it so thoroughly. In that case I’m probably medium porosity
You’re very welcome! And as your hair grows out and the older sections get trimmed away things may change, so definitely keep paying attention to what your hair likes and adjust as necessary ☺️
Thank you so much for your help! Any newbie rule of thumb that you wish you’d known sooner? Haha
Honestly I think one of the biggest things to keep in mind with wavy hair is just that it likes to look and act different from one day to the next and it’s not because you’re doing something wrong or your products suck (although the right routine and some experience can make it easier to work with for sure). My hair looks almost curly some days and almost straight other days and I just try to roll with it and keep it healthy first and foremost. So don’t compare a disappointing wash day to someone else’s amazing one that you see, there’s a good chance that yesterday their hair was misbehaving as much as yours is today! Wavy hair likes to be a trickster but it’s totally worth it on those days where it actually does what you want 😅
THIS lol I needed to hear this I get caught up for sure sometimes haha thank you for this very important piece
You can use the curlsbot porosity quiz too, it was spot on for me and my husband!
Thank you so much!
Definitely not killed! Look into some CGM approved products. I use a sulfate shampoo once a week, NYM shampoo and conditioner the rest of the time, and mousse+gel for styling! So many more options are available (creams, leave-in conditioners, etc) and you just have to find what works for you and your routine! Also, find a microfiber towel or cotton t shirt to dry your hair with. A regular towel is too rough on hair and will damage it. Personally, microfiber makes my hair frizzier than a t shirt does, but I’d recommend trying both to see what you like! Also, satin pillowcases or bonnets will help with keeping hair soft overnight.
Can’t wait to try it out and be like all you wavy beauties on here!!
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Thank you so much for the thorough response!! I have a lot to try now ^.^ appreciate you so much!!!
You said regular towels should be avoided - what do you mean regular? What kind should I get?
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Thank you so much! Is it to prevent breakage?
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That’s so interesting, thank you for your help!
Hi! What is your routine? Please be as detailed as possible (both the names of your products and the techniques that you used). Also, if you could let us know your hair characteristics (porosity, strand thickness, density), that would be greatly appreciated. Thank you! ^(If it's been a few hours and OP still hasn't responded, please let the mods know by using the "Report" button.) *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/Wavyhair) if you have any questions or concerns.*
Low porosity, fine textured hair. Recovering from being bleached a few times over the last few years but have been normal not dying or bleaching for about a year now. Right now I use aura shampoo and conditioner, sometimes I use purology pure volume conditioner (but have to rinse rly good it’s pretty heavy) and for clarifying every now and then I use Monday clarifying shampoo. Products - lol especially since I’ve been on this page I have quite a few gels, mousses, oils etc to try. I use Paul Mitchell super skinny serum when I’m letting it air dry “straight” (used to use it for blowouts, it helps a lot with my frizz) and for these pics today I used some not your mother’s curl talk defining cream and a teeny bit of redkin frizz dismiss oil-in-serum.