Natural Swirls.

Hey, wavy anon here. My apologies for cluttering the ask Steven blog >\\\>’ I would like any tips though you have for wavy hair folks like myself. Basically I have had to deal with my wavy hair by cutting it to a very short length. I use to gel it in my teens, but even then, the gel would start to get to wavy. I have since stopped using gel. While I don’t get as many knots as curly hair folks, I still suffer from them when it gets much longer. Any recommendations or thoughts welcomed. Thanks!

No problem, thanks for sending it here!

If even gel can’t keep your hair down, it sounds like you have nice, strong/thick hair, which is great. It will also be much more resistant to things like being straightened, be more susceptible to frizz (including knots) and so on. 

The biggest advice I have is - read up on curly hair tips and try to treat your wavy hair like curly hair for a month and see what happens.

1.Use less heat products (straighteners, hairdryers), or at least set your hairdryer to a lower heat setting. Use a lower temp when washing your hair in the shower.

2. Use less shampoo and more conditioner. (Hair with texture will respond better to moisture. That’s its job. Rinse-off conditioner is probably better, but there are many recommendations from other people with wavy hair.)

3. Detangle/comb only when your hair is wet and conditioned already to avoid tearing. Lather conditioner in so that your hair isn’t catching on itself, comb everything out, wash, etc. Allow to air dry once in a while! It’s good for you.

 The biggest thing I see in people with longer hair is that they assume that tangling is just a thing that happens to them. But tangling and knots is a result of environmental factors! You gotta take care of your hair and watch your surroundings! 

Most common causes of knots/tangling:

Check your surroundings, make sure your hair is not being harassed by literally everything around it, and then invest in some protective hairstyles! Loosely braid your hair! If you’re wearing a hoodie, pull it up into a bun! Invest in a scarf and tie it up! :) I promise it will be worth the trouble.