Wavy Hair Care

A wavy hair blog sharing tips and tricks for embracing naturally wavy hair.

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15 Hair Gels Tested Head-To-Head On My Wavy Hair (With Pics!)

May 31, 2021 by Emily Evert 19 Comments

There are affiliate links in this post. 

What is the best gel for wavy hair? I tested 15 curly girl method approved hair gels on my wavy hair, to find out! I documented each one with pictures over 3 days to test how they perform on definition, volume, frizz control, and longevity!

It’s no secret that I tend to prefer mousse over gel on my wavy hair. When comparing mousse and gel, gel will usually win out in offering more hold and more definition. If your goal is to hold your waves as long as possible between washes, to keep frizz at an absolute minimum, and/or to maintain as much definition as possible, these are all reasons why you may opt for gel.

Plus, many people use mousse and gel both!

My blog post comparing 10 types of wavy hair mousse has been a popular article, so I thought I’d do a gel comparison post as well. This has been 2 months in the making, as I’ve tested each of these across 3 days each, and some of them I had to try multiple times.

If I didn’t get a good cast over all of my hair or otherwise thought my first test run may have been ‘off’, I tried a second time.  Ps – if you aren’t familiar with gel casts check out my blog post what is a gel cast. My goal was to find the best gel for wavy hair, and to rate the gels based on various factors – to help you guys decide which one(s) you’d like to try.

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Cheapest Start To Curly Girl Method | Dollar Tree Routine

June 3, 2021 by Emily Evert 4 Comments

There are affiliate links in this post.

Cheapest Way To Start The Curly Girl Method

When I first was looking to start the curly girl method 3 years ago, I wanted to buy the cheapest curly girl approved products that I could. I’ve always been pretty frugal and I wasn’t sure if this method would even work on my hair. I didn’t want to risk wasting money.

In other blog posts I’ve shared curly girl method starter kits for Target and Walmart. My Walmart curly girl method routine post was specifically focused on being affordable, coming in at under $20. In that post, I went quite cheap while also only including products that I personally really like a lot and have repurchased myself.

This post is aimed at people who really just want the cheapest way to start, period. I want to be transparent in admitting that I don’t love some of the products that are included in this routine.

You won’t see me recommending some of these products in other posts, because some of these products are just really not my favorite. I do think they are all okay, though. Also some of what is included here I really do like a lot and think they’re just a great bargain. I’ll discuss my thoughts on each product below if you’re curious which ones I really love and which I don’t.

This is for people who are looking for the cheapest way to start the curly girl method. I know there are lots of others who like me, don’t want to invest money early on until they grasp the basics. I see people in my wavy/curly groups saying they are in high school or are a broke college student and have really limited funds. I hope this post is helpful to people like that!

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Different Types Of Hair Products Explained

June 12, 2021 by Emily Evert 6 Comments

If you’re new to realizing you have wavy hair, or are new to the curly girl method, you may find yourself trying to learn about a lot of products that you’ve never used before. Prior to starting the curly girl method about 3 years ago, I was treating my hair like straight hair. I didn’t use any products other than shampoo and conditioner.

It took me a while to figure out what some product categories even were. I wasted some money buying products that were pointless, too. For example, I brought some “frizz serum” products because I had frizz. I didn’t know enough about different types of wavy hair products to know whether a “serum” or a gel, or a leave-in, would be the best type of product to purchase for frizz.

I find there to be a lot of benefit in understanding the basics of what different hair products are, and what their main function is, so I thought I’d just explain what different product types are.

Different types of hair products explained - what their purpose is, who should use them & what order to layer them in! #wavyhair #curlygirlmethod

What order do you use hair products in?

A really common question that comes along with asking what different products are, is how to layer them! This certainly depends somewhat on which products you’re using. With wavy hair, often times using fewer product is better.

I wouldn’t recommend using this many products in your wavy hair. Still, I wanted to list them in the normal order so you can look at what you plan to use and figure out what should come first. Of course, just skip over the products that you aren’t choosing to use.

  1. Leave-in conditioner (or hair lotion, detangler or milk)
  2. Curl cream
  3. Defining product
  4. Curl Enhancer
  5. Sea salt spray / texturing spray
  6. Mousse or foam
  7. Gel (or gelee, custard, souffle, or pomade)
  8. Oil (or hairspray)

What is a low poo?

Low-poo is a term used by people who follow the curly girl method. Low poos are sulfate-free shampoos.

The curly girl method believes that sulfate-free shampoos are more gentle than shampoos with sulfates. In other words, they use low poo’s because they are sulfate free, and they believe these to be gentle shampoos.

The purpose of low poo is to clean your scalp and hair, but gently, to avoid stripping your hair or drying it out.

Most people who use low poo would use these on their regular wash days, and then they would use a clarifying shampoo 1-4 times a month to remove build-up.

What is a sulfate-free shampoo?

Another term for sulfate-free shampoo is “low-poo”. Sulfate-free shampoos are just shampoos that do not have sulfates in the ingredients. People who believe in the curly girl method believe that sulfates are harsh, so they opt to use sulfate-free shampoos as they are believed to be gentler cleansers. 

The purpose of a sulfate-free shampoo is to cleanse the hair and scalp, but gently.

Most people who use sulfate-free shampoos use these for their regular wash days, and use clarifying shampoos 1-4 time as month to remove build-up.

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Wavy hair care blog owner

About Me

My name is Emily, I have been blogging since 2009. I found the curly girl method in 2018, which helped me to discover my naturally wavy hair. Since then, I’ve continued to wear my hair wavy, reading and watching tons about wavy hair. This blog is where I share what I’ve learned, in hopes of helping others. More about me and my backstory can be found on my about page.

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