20 Simple Wavy Hair Routine Steps I Follow
Twenty steps and the shelf I cut them down to, and the reason it worked — I got better results with two products than with six. Each one was light on its own and together they exceeded what my hair could carry.
In this article · 27
- How I Cut It Down
- The 20 Steps I Follow Now
- 1. Shampoo the Scalp Only
- 2. Conditioner From the Ears Down
- 3. Detangle in It
- 4. Scrunch During the Rinse
- 5. Leave a Little Conditioner In
- 6. Leave the Shower Dripping
- 7. Light Gel, Praying Hands
- 8. Scrunch Upward Once
- 9. Squeeze With a T-Shirt
- 10. Clip the Roots
- 11. Air-Dry or Diffuse on Low
- 12. Do Not Touch It
- 13. Scrunch the Cast Out
- 14. Satin Pillowcase
- 15. Water Spray on Day Two
- 16. Wear It Up on Day Three
- 17. Clarify Once a Month
- 18. Deep Condition Weekly
- 19. The Six-Product Version
- 20. The Two-Product Version
- What Worked Best
- What I Would Do Differently
- Mistakes to Avoid
- FAQ
- Final Thoughts
I spent about a year adding products to a wavy routine and the results got worse in a way I could not explain, because every individual product was light.
I got better results with two than with six. The weight is cumulative. Each item was light on its own and together they exceeded what my hair could carry — which is the specific problem wavy hair has and curly hair does not.
Cutting the shelf down did more than any single product swap ever had.
How I Cut It Down
I removed one product at a time and gave each removal three washes, which is the same discipline I should have used when adding them.
The oils went first and nothing got worse. The second cream went next and the waves improved. By the time I was down to a conditioner and one gel, the result was better than anything the full shelf had produced — and the routine took about four minutes.
The 20 Steps I Follow Now
1. Shampoo the Scalp Only
Twice a week, gently. Scalp only — the lengths get cleaned by the rinse running down through them, and shampooing them directly costs oil the ends cannot spare.
2. Conditioner From the Ears Down
The first of my two products. I use more than I would have guessed, because conditioner is the one thing on a wavy head that earns its weight.
3. Detangle in It
Fingers, once. While it is slippery, and never again after the rinse — that single rule saved me more definition than any product I removed.
4. Scrunch During the Rinse
Where the clumps form. I did this for a year without knowing it mattered, and only noticed when I skipped it once and wondered what had gone wrong.
5. Leave a Little Conditioner In
Enough that it still feels slippery. Squeaky means I have overshot, and my hair reads frizzy by lunchtime when it does.
6. Leave the Shower Dripping
Not towel-dried first. I keep the gel on the shelf inside the shower so there is no walking about between the rinse and the product.
7. Light Gel, Praying Hands
The second and last product. A light gel, not a cream — the cream was the first thing I cut and I have never gone back to one.
8. Scrunch Upward Once
Once, not repeatedly. I used to scrunch three or four times because it felt productive, and every extra pass was undoing the one before it.
9. Squeeze With a T-Shirt
No terry towel anywhere in the routine. I threw the last one out of the bathroom entirely, because it was too easy to reach for it half-asleep.
10. Clip the Roots
Two clips, thirty seconds. The only reason my crown is not flat, and easily the best few pounds I have spent on my hair.
11. Air-Dry or Diffuse on Low
Whichever the morning allows. Air-drying if I washed the night before, diffuser if I did not — the result is close enough that I stopped worrying about it.
12. Do Not Touch It
The step that took me longest to actually follow. I now leave the bathroom entirely, because the temptation to check is stronger than any intention not to.
13. Scrunch the Cast Out
Once fully dry, both hands. Fully dry, not nearly dry, which took me several attempts to learn properly.
14. Satin Pillowcase
The only thing I bought that was not a product. It fixed day two more decisively than anything I ever applied to my hair.
15. Water Spray on Day Two
Nothing else. A cheap spray bottle, refilled with tap water, used on whichever side I slept on.
16. Wear It Up on Day Three
Extends the cycle by a day. A loose gather hides the flattened side and gets me to a fourth day I would otherwise have lost.
17. Clarify Once a Month
Because gel does build up, even at two products. I clarify on the first of the month so I do not have to remember when I last did it.
18. Deep Condition Weekly
The one addition I kept. It goes on before shampoo rather than after, so it strengthens without leaving weight.
19. The Six-Product Version
Flatter, and it took twelve minutes. I was not doing anything wrong; there was simply more product on my hair than it could carry.
20. The Two-Product Version
Better, and four minutes. And because it is four minutes rather than twelve, I actually do it properly every wash.
What Worked Best
Removing one product at a time. The same discipline as adding, and I had never applied it in that direction.
Cutting oils first. Nothing got worse and the routine got shorter immediately.
Keeping a gel rather than a cream. Gel holds without the weight a cream carries.
The satin pillowcase. The only non-product purchase and among the most useful.
Four minutes instead of twelve. Which meant I actually did it properly every time.
What I Would Do Differently
I would have tested removals, not just additions. It never occurred to me for a year.
I would have suspected cumulative weight sooner. Each product being light hid the problem.
I would have bought the pillowcase in month one. It fixed day two entirely.
I would have kept a note of what I removed. I repurchased something twice by accident.
I would have stopped at two products rather than proving it down to one. One was worse.
Mistakes to Avoid
Assuming light products cannot add up. They do.
Only ever testing additions. Removals are tests too.
Cutting everything at once. One at a time, three washes.
Replacing a product instead of removing it. Try the gap first.
Keeping oils in a wavy routine. They cost the most weight for the least gain.
FAQ
How many products? Two is enough for most wavy hair.
Why did fewer work better? Weight is cumulative, and wavy hair sits near the threshold.
What should you cut first? Oils and heavy creams.
Final Thoughts
Remove one product and give it three washes. It is the test nobody runs, it costs nothing, and on wavy hair specifically it is at least as likely to improve things as adding something new — because the problem is rarely a missing product and often one too many.
For the shortest working routine see 20 easy wavy hair routine steps, and for the no-product version see wavy hair with vs without products. More in Hair Care.
