Wavy Hair Help Archives - Page 4 of 8

How Humidity And Dew Point Impact How To Care For Wavy Hair

May 6, 2023 by Emily Evert 1 Comment

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Why Does Humidity Cause Frizz?

When it’s humid, our hair absorbs water from the air. Of course, we all recognize that when we wet our styled hair by soaking it under the showerhead, this basically resets our style. When it’s really humid out, our hair will absorb water in different areas at different rates. The areas that absorb a lot of water will reset, while the areas of our hair that stay drier may not. This is why our hair can end up frizzy, losing its curl clumps, falling flatter/straighter and just looking more messy.

Is All Wavy Hair Sensitive To Humidity?

Not necessarily. Higher porosity hair is more likely to frizz up in humidity because it will take in water more easily, and has a raised or even damaged cuticle which can make it more prone to not staying sleekly clumped with nearby hairs.

How Does Dew Point Impact Hair?

It’s commonly understood that some people’s hair gets frizzier or curlier looking when it’s humid. Dew point isn’t nearly as commonly discussed, but it’s actually a bigger factor in how your hair is impacted by the weather than humidity is.

Dew point fluctuates depending on different factors, and a high dew point is 60 Fahrenheit or higher, and a low dew point is 35 Fahrenheit or lower. The “sweet spot” for dew point is in between those two.

Is Your Hair Actually Wavy Or Are You Forcing It? | Wavy Imposter Syndrome

January 13, 2023 by Emily Evert Leave a Comment

Is Your Hair Actually Wavy Or Are You Forcing It?

This question, or ones related to it, are really common to see in wavy hair communities online. After people find the curly girl method or test if their hair is wavy, they may even have others around them tell them their hair isn’t actually wavy. If your hair didn’t look wavy when you were brushing it after the shower and using no products…some will see it as ‘forcing it’ if you can use wavy hair techniques and get your hair to look wavy.

In this post I’m going to attempt to tackle various questions related to worrying if your hair is really wavy or if you’re just forcing it to look wavy. When someone worries about having ‘fake’ wavy hair this is often referred to as wavy imposter syndrome.

What Does “True” Curl Pattern Mean Anyway?

Before diving into specific questions I see posted about “is my hair is ‘really’ wavy if….” I think we need to address whether anyone really has just one curl type. Personally, I think anyone with textured hair is going to be capable of achieving at least two different curl patterns depending on how they style their hair.

For example, even someone with tightly curly hair were to wash their hair, brush it and let it air dry, they’d likely get looser curls and less definition vs if they applied gel, didn’t brush, and diffused their hair.

Also, many people will find that their hair varies in curl pattern depending on the humidity, or how long it’s been since wash day. For some, the farther they get from wash day, the looser their waves or curls will become. For others, as their hair gets dirtier or greasier their hair will curl up better thanks to that added grit or added moisture.

Many people also have uneven curl patterns, so even on the same day, they will have a range of curl patterns on their head. Even for the straightest hair type (1A) they are likely to be able to get their hair to 1B if they scrunch and use products with hold. Also, our protein and moisture balance can make a difference! Many people will see their hair get straighter if their hair is in need of protein.

My larger point is that curl tightness varies for most anyone/everyone. So rather than having one “true” look to your hair, maybe we should all try to think of our hair as having a spectrum of possibilities. This isn’t unique to wavy hair…but perhaps it’s more confusing with wavy hair if the spectrum of possibilities includes some points on the straight spectrum and some on the wavy spectrum (Such as a range of 1C to 2B or something).

In my view, failing to remember that all hair has a spectrum of possibilities is what causes a lot of the confusion surrounding wavy imposter syndrome.

My hair on two different days where I used foam and didn’t diffuse.

If You Have To Diffuse, Is Your Hair Wavy?

Parting Wavy Hair & Cowlicks

November 19, 2022 by Emily Evert 1 Comment

If you used have straight hair but it became wavy with age, or maybe it was always wavy but you used to treat it like straight hair…you may find yourself confused about how and when to part your hair when styling it wavy.

With straight hair, you can part it whenever you want to, really. Many with straight hair find it easier to part it after it’s dry. With wavy hair, people usually use styling products and that locks in our style before it dries. As a result, parting your hair after it is dry is less effective. So when do you part it? You have a few options!

When To Part Wavy Hair On The Curly Girl Method

There are two main options for when to part your wavy hair. You can part your hair in the shower when you have conditioner in or after rinsing the conditioner out but before scrunching (or whatever else you do to assist with curl clump formation). This way, your part will exist before your curl clumps form which should ensure that your clumps don’t disrupt your part. This requires parting your hair in the shower though, which some may not find ideal.

If you prefer to part your hair when you aren’t in the shower, you can create (or “fix”) your part directly after getting out of the shower, or near the end of your styling routine. The downside of this method is you may have to separate some curl clumps while creating or ‘fixing’ your part.

Personally, I think you’re likely to get the cleanest part if you part your hair before working to form your curl clumps. However, I personally often forget to intentionally part my hair! My hair usually falls in roughly the same part if I don’t do anything. So the habit I’ve formed is to check my part after plopping but before adding my products and diffusing. Sometimes my hair has started to “set” in a bad part and I’ll rewet my hair and fix it. Most of the time, I just flip a curl clump or two and that’s it. I’m okay with having a “natural” part rather than a really intentional one with wavy hair…but that’s just me.

Hiding A Cowlick With Wavy Hair And The Curly Girl Method

Wavy Hair & Hard Water

October 21, 2022 by Emily Evert 1 Comment

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What Is Hard Water?

Magnesium and calcium are the most abundant metals found in tap water. When we talk about hard water it’s usually high calcium and magnesium. Approximately 85% of homes in the US have hard water.

Why Is Hard Water Bad For Wavy Hair?

Hard water is rough on hair in general, but it isn’t worse for wavy hair than other types of hair. Instead, it’s particularly bad for damaged hair.

Hard water can be especially hard on damaged hair because damaged hair allows hard water to bond to it better than healthier hair. It can also cause more trouble for fine hair that is prone to buildup, or hair that is naturally dry like curly or coily hair. Causes buildup which can lead to dry hair or hair that feels producty, and greasy while also feeling dry.

Hard water can do more damage if the PH level of your water is higher. The higher the PH, the more minerals can bond to your hair.

Hard Water Doesn’t Mean (Just) Well Water

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