How Much Product To Use On Wavy Hair

Does Wavy Hair Need a Lot Of Products?

Wavy hair does not require a lot of products to be styled well. In most cases, using several leave-in products will weigh down wavy hair rather than helping it look better.

Does Hair Type Determine How Much Product I Should Use?

How much of a product (like gel or leave in conditioner) you can or should use is impacted by your hair density. Whether or not you can or should use certain types of products (like protein treatments, curl creams, etc) is somewhat determined by your hair porosity.

I have a blog post designed to help you determine your wavy hair type if you aren’t sure what yours is.

Does Hair Type Determine What Type Of Hair Products I Should Use?

Hair texture (straight, wavy, curly or coily) can give you some really vague guidelines for how much products and what types of products you’re likely to use. For example, wavy hair is generally naturally more moisturized than curly and coily hair so it doesn’t need as much moisture, and it’s easily weighed down. It also often needs more support from a product with hold. However, these are really general rules of thumb.

Learning your hair type in terms of properties like strand thickness, porosity and density will give you more customized information about what products to use, how much of them to use, and how many products your hair can tolerate. I have a blog post designed to help you determine your wavy hair type if you aren’t sure what yours is.

How Do I Know If I’m Using Too Much or Too Little Product In My Wavy Hair?

Everyone has to experiment with different amounts of product to determine exactly how much product their hair does best with. You may find that it depends on the exact product you’re using. A pea-sized amount of one leave-in conditioner might be enough, while you may need a dime-sized amount from another brand.

To find your ideal balance, experiment with using more and then less of one product at a time, while keeping the rest of your routine exactly the same. Take photos and compare your results in different days to see how using more gel, less gel, more leave-in conditioner, less curl cream, etc impacts your results.

To some degree, how much is the ‘right’ amount will vary depending on the look that you want. Some prefer more definition and are likely to want to use more gel than people who want loose, beachy waves. However, there are some signs that you’ve used too much or too little of a product.

Signs That You’re Using Too Much Gel or Mousse:

Your hair is excessively stiff and crunchy, to the point of it being really difficult to get rid of the gel cast. You may find that your hair stays sticky even after the gel has dried and been scrunched out. You may experience a lot of ‘flaking’ from your gel. Your hair may stick to your scalp.

Signs That You’re Not Using Enough Gel

You don’t get a cast at all, or you only get a cast in some parts of your hair but not others. Your hair remains frizzy, poofy, puffy or fluffy. If you struggle with this, you may learn a lot from my why you aren’t getting a hair gel cast article.

Signs That You’re Using Too Much Leave-In Conditioner or Curl Cream:

You use enough gel or mousse but you still aren’t getting a cast. Or, you almost feel like you get a very light cast when using your leave in conditioner by itself, without any products with hold. Your hair feels heavy, slightly sticky, or unclean even shortly after you washed it. Your hair looks greasy or may even feel greasy shortly after you’ve washed it. Your hair looks really weighed down, meaning it’s flat at the roots and has more bounce towards the ends.

Signs That You’re Using Too Little Leave-In Conditioner or Curl Cream:

You aren’t seeing an improvement in how dry, tangled or manageable your hair is between washes.

How Much Product To Use When Starting The Wavy Girl Method

For shorter hair or hair that is low density (aka ‘thin’) I’d suggest using a pea-sized amount of leave in conditioner or curl cream, if you use any at all. If your hair is not prone to tangling and does not seem dry, you can skip leave in conditioner and curl cream as they are primarily intended to help condition and add moisture to hair. For longer and/or more dense hair, try about a dime sized amount of a leave in or curl cream – again, only if your hair type seems to need it.

For short, low density hair, try using about a half-dollar sized amount of gel for your entire head. For longer or denser hair, you may start with a palmful of gel. If your hair is really long AND dense, you may need to use a lot more. I use about 3.5-4 palmfuls for my very dense hair that is about midway down my back. This seems like a huge range, but people with dense hair can literally have 3x more hair on their head vs someone with low density hair, so it makes sense that they have to use significantly more product to get the same level of coverage.

How Often Should I Apply Product To My Wavy Hair?

There are no hard and fast rules for how often you can apply product to your wavy hair. My advice would be to apply product on wash day, and then each day in-between wash days, assess the look and feel of your hair in the morning and determine if you think your hair could use more product or not. If you’re losing a lot of definition or getting a lot of frizz, you may want to add more gel or mousse. If your hair is feeling rough, dry and is frizzy, you may want to add leave-in conditioner or curl cream. You may not need to use anything between wash days, or you may choose to add more product every day between wash days. It really depends on the needs of your hair, as well as the weather in your area. When the air is dry, your hair is likely to get dry a lot faster vs if you’re experiencing humid weather.

How Do I Adjust Product Amount Based On Humidity Or Weather?

Our hair tries to balance out its water content to match the air. As a result, our hair is dryer in dry environments and more hydrated while in humid environments. If you live in an area with a dry climate, you’re more likely to need to use a leave in conditioner to keep your hair from becoming dry and rough. In most regions, winter weather brings in more dry air than the summer, so you may find yourself needing more leave in conditioner or curl cream in the winter than in the summer. Some find that their hair gets flatter/straighter in the winter as well, while it curls up better when it’s humid.

What Application Techniques Help Me Use Less Product?

Emulsifying your products with water can help you use less. Emulsifying with water means to add water to your hands before squeezing the product into your hands, and then rubbing your hands together really thoroughly. This helps heat up the product and get it spread really evenly across your hands. Some products with foam up or suds up when you do this. Others will go from a clear gel-like consistency to more of a creamy consistency. This makes it easier to distribute a small amount of product across more of your hair.

A palmful of LA looks hair gel.

Does Wavy Hair Need Styling Products?

Sometimes people wonder if wavy hair really needs any styling products at all! I wouldn’t say that wavy hair NEEDS styling products, as in your hair won’t all fall out if you don’t use them, haha. However, for a lot of people with wavy hair, they find that using styling products is an essential part of getting a look that they feel good about. For me, my waves lack definition and are a lot frizzier if I don’t use styling products.

How Much Gel To Use in Wavy Hair?

How much gel you should use in wavy hair will vary depending in your hair length and density, as well as your styling preferences to a degree. If you are brand new to using styling products, you may be shocked at how much gel you have to use if your goal is to get a gel cast. If you have short, low density hair you might start off with a half-dollar amount of gel and then increase it if you don’t get a cast over all of your hair. If you have long and/or dense hair, you may start out with a palmful. My hair is about mid-back and my hair stylist has said I have an “insane” amount of hair – it’s VERY dense. I use about 4 palmfuls of gel to get a cast.

I’d suggest that your first time using gel, you style your hair when you have nowhere you need to be for a few hours in case your results are not something you’d want to wear out of the house. This way, you can re-wash your hair before going into public if needed.

A handful of hair mousse

How Much Mousse To Use In Wavy Hair?

How much mousse you need to use is going to vary depending on the length and density of your hair. If you have shorter and lower density hair, you might start with about a goofball amount for your entire head. If your hair is long and/or dense, you may start with a lemon size amount and increase from there.

I use about 4 handfuls of mousse on my VERY dense, mid-back length hair to get a cast.

How Much Leave-in Conditioner To Use In Wavy Hair?

If you have short low density wavy hair, try using a pea-sized amount at first. If your hair is longer or desnser, you may start with a dime size amount. Keep in mind that not everyone with wavy hair needs leave in conditioner, so if even a pea sized amount feels like too much, you can try going without.

How Much Curl Cream To Use In Wavy Hair?

For short and low density wavy hair, try using a pea sized amount of curl cream for your entire head. For longer or desner hair, try a quarter sized amount for your entire head, and increase on future wash days if you feel it wasn’t enough or that you may benefit from more.