A wavy hair blog sharing tips and tricks for embracing naturally wavy hair.
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Root clipping is a hair styling technique that involves using hair clips near the roots as your hair dries to increase root volume once your hair is dry.
I hear about root clipping being used alongside air drying most often. However, you can root clip when air drying or diffusing, it’s totally up to you.
These are all samples of a type of question I’ve received that in my mind, ultimately boil down to “How can I embrace my wavy hair with less effort or less time?”
Let me add the disclaimer that I am not saying that opting for a lower maintenance or less time-consuming routine means you are being lazy. I used that in the title because it’s a way that people commonly describe easier hair routines, and I thought it would help people find this post. There are endless reasons why you may choose to go for a routine that is simpler or faster, ad there is no shame in any of those reasons in my opinion. Nobody should feel obligated to spend a lot of time on their hair in my opinion!
Anyway, back to the topic of so-called lazy wavy hair routines. I didn’t feel great about my answer to people who were asking me for quicker or easier hair routines until recently.
Over the last several weeks, I’ve been trying to find a routine that took less of my time, but gave me results I was comfortable with. I’ve found a routine that I’m shockingly happy with. I started out trying to find a routine that might be “acceptable” for people who needed or wanted an easier route, but I expected to have to sacrifice the tightness of my wavy curls quite a bit.
In the past I had tried to compare air drying and diffusing, and my air drying results were never satisfying to me. I’ve always felt like I pretty much have to diffuse my hair to near-dry to get results I was happy with. That isn’t the case, though!
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Something I really appreciate about Gen Z is how many of them are more conscious consumers than those of us who are older. I personally am not great about choosing vegan or cruelty-free products on a regular basis. I have so much respect for people who do make it a priority, though!
I had someone email me asking about a vegan and cruelty-free routine for wavy hair so I thought, sure! I went through the products I had to come up with products I enjoy that could be used together in a routine. This is a simple one, just three products!
Noughty Wave Hello Shampoo
Noughty Wave Hello Conditioner
Cake The Curl Whip Mousse.
Why these products? Well, because they are vegan and cruelty-free, and they work well for me! The shampoo feels cleaning yet slightly moisturizing, and the conditioner is moisturizing without being too heavy for my fine but dense wavy hair. The conditioner also has good slip so I can detangle my hair without too much trouble.
The curl whip mousse is one of my all-time favorite stylers. It is really lightweight and offers great volume and good hold. IT doesn’t offer long-lasting hold so my hair will fall flatter than usual by day 2, but it’s super lightweight in my hair. It almost leaves my hair feeling product-free! So, I’m able to add more of this mousse to my hair on day 2 to regain some curl and definition.
What else will you need? In your monthly routine, you’ll likely need a clarifying shampoo to use about once a month, and a deep conditioner and/or protein treatment to use once a month to once a week (depending on your hairs needs). If you’re unsure of your hair type, my how to determine your wavy hair type can help you get an idea of your hair type and my post on wavy hair & protein may help you estimate how much protein you’ll need to use.
There is no protein in these three products so even if your hair only needs a tiny bit of protein, you’ll likely need to do a protein treatment periodically if you do this routine longterm. However, this routine is great for your regular wash days! Scroll down to see other products that you can try for your clarifying and mask needs on ‘special’ wash days.
My results from using this routine.
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If you’re looking to start the curly girl method, it’s easy to get overwhelmed quickly! There are so many product options, and routine options. often advise people to just jump in, rather than trying to make all the ‘perfect’ choices for your hair type from the get-go. Most of us will end up changing products and techniques as we go along and experiment with our hair.
With that in mind, I think it makes sense to start with affordable products. There are some really nice, really expensive curly girl approved products out there. You may decide that they’re worth the cost someday. When you’re new and just learning about your hair, I think it makes sense to stick with drugstore products until you get a better sense of what your hair does and doesn’t like.
This post is a CVS drugstore curly girl method starter kit for wavy hair. If you’re looking to start the curly girl method by shopping at CVS, this post has you covered!
To get started with the CGM at CVS I’d recommend buying the following:
My total cost was $27 and change, but one item was on sale and I had $2 extra care bucks. At full price it would have bee around $32.
Why these products?