Wavy hair is more delicate than straight hair and more easily damaged– curly hair is even more delicate still.
Most shampoos are too harsh for wavy hair, and will dry it out, give it split ends and leave it crackly and damaged.
Styling tools will fry wavy hair faster than straight hair, because it’s already more easily damaged.
The most important thing in taking care of wavy hair is to keep it moisturized, and to avoid aggravating its built-in flaws.
How to care for wavy hair
When you wash it, do it this way: Wet the hair completely, then put a layer of moisturizer from the tips to about half way to the scalp. Use a gentle daily moisturizer, not a heavy deep-tratment one, and use it more often. Wash just the roots with a very small amount of shampoo, about half of what you’ve previously been using. Massage it right into the scalp, and rinse it out after only a few minutes; longer will let your hair dry out. Use a gentle daily shampoo appropriate to your hair-type; one without sodium lauel sulphate, which dries hair out and has been linked to other health problems, is best, but they’re frequently expensive. If your hair isn’t too greasy or oily, you can try making your own home-made shampoo (recipes can be found easily with Google), or you can try washing with only conditioner and no shampoo at all.
Once it’s rinsed, add another layer of conditioner, from the roots to the tips, and leave it in for a few minutes while you finish your shower. Rinsing with cooler water will close the cuticle and help keep your hair smooth.
Once out of the shower, wrap your hair up in a towel, but don’t rub at it– leave it in the towel for a while, or scrunch it until it stops dripping. Smooth some leave-in conditioner through the whole of the hair, and spray it with a curl enhanser. If you need anti-frizz treatments, choose one that’s light-weight and oil-free, and smooth it onto wet hair so it doesn’t weigh the curls down and make them slimy.
Scrunch it while it dries, and if you use a hairdryer, use a diffuser head and a cool heat setting. Don’t mess with it too much while it dries, and if you’re drip-drying, try to stay inside until it’s done; going outside with wet hair will let the humidity at it, and it’ll frizz out.
Use gentle barrettes and no-pull rubberbands, but pins and hair sticks are gentler on the hair. If your hair is very wavy, wearing it longer might help keep it from going crazy, as the extra weight will stretch out the waves some. Longer hair also gives you more styling options.