
Last summer, I began wearing my hair naturally. For years and years, I had heat styled my hair with blow dryers, straighteners, and curling irons, and I was really seeing the effects of all that heat damage. As I continued to avoid heat styling, my wavy hair really started to come through, and overall it’s looking much healthier. I’ve gotten a few requests to share how I style my wavy hair so I’m sharing my process here.
I’ve learned along the way that curly hair has a mind of it’s own sometimes! Each time I wash and style it, it turns out slightly different. I’m learning to embrace the wild hair days! I’ve watched many tutorials and tried a few different techniques, but this is what works for me. This is my easy wash and go hair style that doesn’t require much maintenance.
Note that what works for my hair may not work for yours. It takes a lot of trial and error to figure out what works best for your hair type. Take what works for you and leave the rest!
How I Style My Wavy Hair
Wash

I started using Prose products at the beginning of this year after being influenced on Tiktok, and I’ve really liked them. Prose is a haircare brand that provides personalized formulas based on your hair type, how you style it, hair concerns, and even where you live. I use their shampoo, conditioner, and curl cream. Just a note here that this is a monthly subscription. Be sure to login and adjust your delivery if you want to postpone a shipment of product. Also, this is not sponsored; I purchase these products with my own money.
Before getting in the shower, I brush out my hair with a wet brush so it’s not too tangled when I’m washing it. In the shower, I shampoo as normal, but I allow my conditioner to sit in my hair for about five minutes per the instructions on the bottle. Since it’s essential for my wavy hair to avoid brushing after it’s been washed (it encourages frizz), I finger comb the knots out in the shower while I’m rinsing out my conditioner.

Once I’m out of the shower and toweled off, I immediately part my hair where I want it (in the middle for me) then wrap it up using a microfiber towel. I use these. I would recommend avoiding regular towels on your freshly washed hair whether you wear it naturally or not. From my experience, the texture is too rough and can result in frizzy hair. I usually let my hair sit in the towel for ten to fifteen minutes just till it’s no longer dripping wet. I don’t let it get too dry as it needs to be damp when applying product.
STYLE

After letting my hair sit in the towel for ten to fifteen minutes, it’s time to apply product. I use about two pumps per side and apply it by scrunching my hair. I like to really get in there and scrunch, scrunch, scrunch, all the way up to the head, not just the ends.
After applying product, I let it air dry. My thick hair takes a long time to completely dry – up to five hours in the winter. I tried using a diffuser to speed up the process, but it made my hair super frizzy. It could work for you though!
MAINTENANCE

Of course, my hair looks best on the day it’s washed after it has air dried completely as in the picture above, but I don’t have the time to wash it everyday. Many factors affect how long I can go without washing my wavy hair including the weather, when I worked out, how I slept, the phases of the moon…you get it. Usually I wash it every 4th or 5th day. My curls start to get more and more frizzy and untamed as the days go on.
I put it up into a ponytail with a silk scrunchie at night to avoid squashing the curls. Because the front pieces lose their curl fairly quickly, I will style my half up using a small claw clip on day two or three after washing. Later, I style my hair into a low bun when it starts looking too wild. When the weather is really dry, I will add a small amount of hair oil to my ends to keep them looking shiny.
SHOP THE POST
You may also enjoy these posts:
Merit Beauty Review
My Everyday Clean Beauty Makeup Routine
Self Care Ideas for the Stay-At-Home Mom