Hair Care Routine for Long Wavy Hair
Hair routine for long wavy hair - I will share with you my hair routine for long wavy hair, like mine. As many of you may know, my hair is a pretty big part of me, literally. Actually, it is such a big part of who I am, that I often refer to it as a separate entity. After all, it does take up an entire pillow in bed, I think calling it “Floffy” is the least I could do :D
My Hair Routine for Long Wavy Hair
Hair Type
Now apart from simply being big, my hair has got quite a selection of texture. 1/3 from the top of my head it quite thin, 1/3 in the middle is a little thicker, whilst the 1/3 section near the neck the texture of the hair is so thick, it resembles a wire.
My hair is actually primarily curly, but due to its long length and weight, the curls are pulled down, making it wavy. This is one of the main reasons I keep it long. If my hair was short, I would resemble cauliflower and it would be even harder to take care of. Taking care of the hair is actually not too hard. Yes, I do buy shampoo and conditioner in bulk because the large bottles usually only last for 3 washes.
The biggest battle for my hair is humidity. Not so lucky for me, I live in a climate where the humidity is very high, so I never quite know what hairstyle I will be waking up to every morning. So, you can say I wake up to a surprise every morning.
Luckily, recently I have found a product which has helped me keep my hair both healthy and not go ultra-crazy due to the humidity. I will be mentioning it in this post.
So, let’s start step by step my hair routine for long wavy hair:
Shampoo & Conditioner
After many trial and errors, I have finally found a shampoo and conditioner which leave my hair soft and shiny. Pantene Pro-V Smooth & Sleek. I never use a 2 in 1, as many of you may know the conditioner is no good for roots. At the moment, in the climate I live in, these two products seem to work very well for my hair. Should I be changing climate, I may have to change my products. The reason I mention this is because I have noticed how quickly my hair and skin react to the air and water when I travel. I do sometimes have to scrap my products and use entirely different ones in certain countries.
Hair Masque
Every 3 to 4 weeks I make a masque treatment for my hair. In summer I make one every 2 weeks and sometimes once a week, depending on the state of my hair due to the exposure to the saltwater when swimming and even more, the sun, especially the sun after a swim in the sea.I use the Pantene Pro-V Intensive Repair Masque Repair & Protect. There are several masques that I have tried, but this seems to be the only one that at the moment seems to leave my hair smooth and manageable. Others I've tried in the past seemed to result in my hair feeling brittle and dry. The masque suggests to leave in for 2 minutes, but I always leave the masque on from 3 to 5 minutes. I have a lot of hair and it is very long, I need more than 2 minutes to make sure it reaches every section.
Masque application technique
I apply the masque after the shampoo and conditioner. Some have told me that a masque should be applied instead of a conditioner and others said the masque should be applied after shampoo and a conditioner should be applied after the masque. I have tried all these options and the one that works for me is shampoo, conditioner, and masque. There can never be too much conditioner or a masque treatment for hair like mine?
Step 1
Once I apply the masque equally on the hair (never on the roots, only on the hair), I begin to twirl all the hair. The reason I do this is;
- The masque gets distributed to all the parts of the hair and
- My hair is curly, twirling it seems to keep my hair more or less calm. Yes, calm and I’ll explain why. Every time someone goes through my hair with a comb or brush, they break the strands of waves my hair form naturally. This makes my hair become huge, lose its shape and adding the humidity into the equation, I am basically left with an 80’s hairdo which I either have to straighten or wash and hope that after the conditioner or masque, will help calm it down and go back to its natural shape.
Step 2
After the twirl, I go through my hair with my fingers. This is done mainly to get through any entangled parts of the hair, whilst still distributing the masque.
Step 3
I do brush my hair, but only when there is a conditioner or a masque in it. Firstly, no one should brush wavy or curly hair when it’s dry because;
- You are likely to pull the hair from the roots when trying to entangle the hair
- You will break the natural wave of your hair unless that is your intention
- You will end up with 80s hair.
I use a Double Row Tooth Detangle Hair comb. This type of comb was made specifically for very curly and wavy hair. It brushes through the hair but does not separate the curls or waves or cause any damage to the hair.
Step 4
I then, once again twirl my hair and release it for the hair to take its natural shape. After rinsing off the conditioner or masque, I wrap my hair in a towel and keep it in the towel from 40 minutes to 2 hours. The towel absorbs all the excess water in my hair (leaving the towel soaking), whilst allowing the waves to take a natural form.
Sleep on the hair
I always wash my hair at night, before heading to bed. When I remove the drenched towel, the hair is usually wet but not dripping with water. The longer you keep the towel, the more the hair dries out.
I like to twirl it into a light bun, with no hairband and just sleep on it. If it’s too wet, then I would place a new towel on the pillow so the pillow wouldn’t soak up the water.
Morning Hair
In the morning, the hair is a little bit damp, but it’s the right amount of dampness. By this I mean that it is in the stage of the final drying, which means that if I leave it down, it may get its volume and if I leave it in a bun for a few hours, it will remain calm and wavy.
As I mentioned earlier, humidity really plays a number on my hair. My hair begins to resemble a cross between a sheep and a lion’s mane. As much as sometimes that amount of volume is desired, for the majority of days in the year, I do want to get a handle on the craziness of my hair.
Oil Elixir
Recently I found an oil elixir that has worked magically on my hair. I don’t usually like adding too many products on my hair, but this elixir has given some great results.
RICH Pure Luxury Rejuvenating Argan Oil Elixir has not only solved my uncontrollable big hair, but it has been leaving my hair smooth, shiny and my hair feels like it absorbs the elixir and the texture and colour looks so healthy and strong. I started by using 3 drops of the elixir twice a day, morning and evening, on just the hair. Make sure not to use it on the roots because your scalp will become oily.I was seeing the colour and texture changes of my hair after just 2 applications. The changes in the volume were noticeable after 3 days. At that point I began to apply 3 drops of the elixir once a day, in the morning. After 2 weeks of using this product, I now apply 2 drops of the elixir every morning and I am pretty happy with the results. The elixir can be bought from Amazon and if you are in Malta, it is available at Brown’s Pharmacy.
Posted from my blog: https://www.innakay.blog/hair-care-routine-for-long-wavy-hair/