My Wavy Hair Wash and Go Routine – Summer 2017

 

There are zero affiliate links in this post. Note that I have a more recent wash & go routine. Click here to see that, or continue reading 🙂 

I am SO excited but yet so nervous to post this. I have a few “hair troubleshooting” posts partially written for how I figured out my routine, but honestly I was getting too frustrated to post them! It felt like things weren’t working on my hair, and I really REALLY didn’t want to waste product. But I’ve found what my hair is loving – even in 100% humidity! I say that I’m nervous to post this because now I’m scared that my hair will go insane next time I shower.

Another great thing is that this wavy hair wash and go routine as a whole is budget friendly. There is one expensive product, but the super low cost of the other items balance it out. I will say, of the four items I use, only ONE is zero waste (the rest are at least in recyclable packaging). This is something I plan to work on, but for now I  just needed to get my hair to a place where I wasn’t a complete frizzball.

I have been showering in the morning which my hair seems to prefer. I don’t love this, but it seems to make a difference. That said, I haven’t yet tried this exact product routine at night. I’ll update on my Instagram stories if I try that!

Last before I begin: I think this could work if you also have normal-to-low porosity hair, and medium to thick hair that is 2A/2B/2C waves. It’s always worth a shot!

Step 1 of my Wavy Hair Wash and Go Routine: Low-Poo

• DevaCurl Low-Poo Original Shampoo – the only reason I get the “Low Poo Original” versus the “Low Poo Delight” is based on the scent. I cannot stand the scent of the devacurl wavy hair line (read that full review here). This is by far the most expensive hair item I use. $44 for 32oz. Ouch, but my hair loves it. Note: many wavy hair gurus swear that glycerin is the root of all evil in humidity. My hair does not seem to mind it when paired with everything else I mention, but it’s something to keep in mind.

How I use: I wet my hair completely and massage my scalp with water only to begin. Then I take a pump and spread all over my hands like I was washing them in the sink. Then I massage into my scalp. For whatever reason, I find this low poo does not “spread” over my scalp very well. If I put a handful onto my scalp, it stays wherever the product was applied. By spreading it onto my hands more first, the product gets distributed better and I don’t waste any. I repeat this until my whole scalp feels coated and massage in with my fingertips. Then I rinse out.

Step 2: Condition

• Yes to Carrots Nourishing Conditioner – I got this stuff on clearance at Target. I paid $6.99 for a 16oz bottle and so far it’s been nice! I would say it adds moisture without weighing down my thick hair. I don’t see anything “amazing” about this conditioner, but it’s the best performance for this price range that I’ve found so far!

How I use: I flip my head over and put the product into my hands. Then I finger comb (a bit roughly if I’m honest) through my hair. I typically get larger clumps this way. Often, I find that my clumps look “frizzy.” When this happens, I add more conditioner into my fingers and smooth the clump down. I repeat this on whichever clumps need it. I find that taking a little extra time in the conditioning (and styling) process goes a really long way. Once this is done, I flip my head back upright and scrunch up the product briefly. I go about my shower routine (body wash, face wash etc) to let the product soak in. Then, I rinse out the conditioner while scrunching the entire time. I finally flip over my head and am ready for the styling products (which I have right in the shower with me – this is key for keeping mess minimal)

Step 3: Curl Enhancer

• Homemade Flax Seed Gel (click here for the super easy recipe!) – The two items I mention before come in (recyclable) plastic, but this is completely zero waste and natural. I LOVE that about this. It’s relatively easy to make and inexpensive too! The one downside is that it must be stored in the fridge and has a short shelf life. Many people add in preservatives but I like mine simple. I make in small batches and it works for me. Click here for the recipe.

How I Use: At this point, my head is upside-down, and my hair is sopping wet. I take half a palmful and scrunch (squish) it into my hair. Similar to my conditioner, I find that some clumps look “frizzy,” so then I take dime sized amounts and smooth down a “frizzy” clump until it looks good. Then I give it a quick scrunch. I’ll do this to all the clumps that need it. At this point, my hair looks like it’s ready to be done, but I have one last step. Note: when I was traveling I didn’t bring flax seed gel because I didn’t want to worry about refrigerating it. I used a nickel size of DevaCurl Wavemaker and this worked well during this step.

Step 4: Defining Gel

• Aussie Instant Freeze Gel – This gel was the first gel I bought when going to the CG method. I found it for $2.77 and was super excited (especially since the DevaCurl gel I was considering was 10X the price!). At first, this didn’t work for me. My hair was dry and frizzy and a mess. I think the alcohol dried out my hair. Once I began using flaxseed gel (which is really moisturizing), this product started working amazingly well. This gives just enough hold but isn’t overly heavy. The price is right, and the product is great!

How I use: I squeeze a quarter sized amount into my palms, rub my hand together, then scrunch lightly. I scrunch for maybe 30 seconds max, because I’m impatient and this routine takes long enough as is for me.

To Finish My Wavy Hair Wash and Go Routine…

I IMMEDIATELY, with sopping hair, plop in a soft t-shirt for somewhere between 10-30minutes depending on the day. If I leave it up much longer it gets frizzy. Then, I let my hair down and try my best not to touch it. I notice that 100% of the time, the more I touch my hair when it’s drying, the more frizz I end up with. Sometimes I clip up little sections for volume, but I do this before my commute to work. Usually my hair is too wet for this to be effective so I often skip this step. I let dry completely (this takes a few hours and I really don’t care about it at work) and lightly scrunch out the crunchy pieces. There usually aren’t very many! I have thick hair that loves product.

Day Two and Beyond:

My favorite method for my wavy hair was and go “refresh days” is to spray with water/conditioner and smooth (or super lightly scrunch) in flax seed gel. The flax seed gel seems to really bring back my waves and add in moisture. I also think that DevaCurl Wavemaker works great for refreshing (and definitely is better when traveling), but flax seed gel is much more eco friendly and cost effective.

 

I hope you enjoyed my wavy hair wash and go routine! What do YOU use?! Do you have to diffuse? or do you prefer to wash and go too? I’m always curious about products. I haven’t tried very many, so let me know! I also have an updated routine as of March 2018, click here for that. 

 

-Rachel