Hi wavy friends! Ever since transitioning to “curly girl,” well over a year ago, and then loosening up the rules a tad lately, the best thing by far has been how long my hair stays looking nice. Even better? How I can refresh my hair so fast. Now, I know how to refresh wavy hair in 2 minutes, and it’s time for you to learn! I’ve done this method at my work office, at the gym, getting ready while my toddler brushes her teeth, and even while in the hospital right after having our second. I could do this method on a plane, on a train, on a boat, with a goat…you get the idea. It’s so easy. So now it’s time to teach you how to refresh your wavy hair fast too! Take back your mornings. Enjoy your coffee, try that full glam makeup look, watch some netflix, get the kids to school on time, or get to your own class or job on time (or both!)….whatever floats your boat. But quit wasting unnecessary time on your hair!
I will say that some of this ease comes from having ALL former heat damaged hair off. I was delusional thinking I could keep my length and that my hair would just recover from the daily heat styling. ‘sorry wavy friends, if you have “straight ends” even after months of repair…it probably just needs to be cut off :/ I tried to convince myself it was my “hair type,” or “wave pattern.” It wasnt. But I did three separate “chops”to take it bit by bit. So if you’re frustrated because you don’t see the results you want, it might be time to consider another haircut (don’t hate me! I understand becuase I’ve been there too!). Look out for a future post on that.
Anyways, here’s how the method…
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How to Refresh Wavy Hair with Mousse in 2 Minutes
Start with bedhead. Here’s mine.
Unless I’ve just washed my hair….I pretty much just let my hair go overnight. I’ve tried satin scarves, satin scrunchies, clips etc. And my hair looks the same if I just sleep normally. Okay, so I do one thing, but it’s because of my skin more than my hair. Since I have oily skin, the hair directly around my face can get a little oily overnight, so I clip my “bangs” back. I don’t actually have bangs, but that area around my forehead is what I pull back in a medium sized claw clip. But that’s it! You might be thinking, “but I toss and turn all night!” Me too. I also have to get up to feed a 6-week old baby! I will say though that my hair is halfway between my shoulders and chest. When my hair was much longer (between chest and belly button), it did tangle more. So keep that in mind, long hair wavy friends. But in my opinion, try to just let your hair go a few times and experiment. You might end up saving yourself a ton of effort in the long run.
Spray hair down lightly with water or refresh product
I use a mixture of ~8oz water and one pump of Devacurl B’Leave in. For the summertime I would recommend instead mixing in a dime sized amount of a hard hold gel. This is because of the humidity. I like this hard hold gel. The good news is that my favorite hard hold gel is 1/10th the price of B’Leave in. Also the spray bottle is from Target years ago. They have these similar ones for $1.50. No need to get anything fancy. Now this is important…okay, moving on to technique. I don’t get my hair “wet.” In fact, I barely get it damp. All I do is spray down frizzy sections. If any section looks okay, I leave it alone! “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.” I spray all sections that need it at once before moving onto the next step.
Use Mousse to refresh wavy hair!
A controversial product in the curly hair community, mousse seems to be much better responded to by wavies. And with good reason! Mousse is weightless but offers a bit of definition. I will say that for me, mousse doesn’t work as a stand alone product on wash day. (2019 Update: Actually it DOES – see my updated routine HERE after you finish this post!) But it’s perfect on refresh days because of how lightweight it is! I’ve tried refreshing with gels and the result is weighed down waves and more build up. In fact, when I use gel I end up having to wash at least a day earlier because of excess build up. The good news is that mousse doesn’t have the same effect. There are different types of mousse, and I’ve linked some of my favorites for this technique at the bottom of this post. Today I’m using Herbal Essence’s Totally Twisted. It’s under $3 and it’s actually awesome. If you can’t tell, I kinda like when budget friendly products work as well or better than high end stuff.
Start with a golf ball sized amount of works, and add more as needed. You can see the texture of this mousse in the photo below. If you are using a watery mousse (like this one), between 2-3 pumps is the equivalent to the “golf ball size” I mention. You can always add more, but you can’t take it back out of your hair easily. Adding too much can lead to unnecessary buildup as the days go on, and can leave your hair crunchy today. Usually, I will do about three of the golf ball sized bits total.
Scrunch hair a few ways to refresh
This stuff might sound technical, but really it’s just becasue I can’t figure out how else to describe it.
First, I start with what you probably think of when you hear the word “scrunch.” I take that golf ball sized bit of mousse and lather up my hands. I lift a palmful of hair and scrunch upwards. I do this around my whole head. This is when I use the majority of the mousse for my refreshing process. Why? My 2a/2b waves need a bit of encouragement, so this helps the bottom portion.
Next I more to my roots. It’s essential to do this next part with only a little bit of mousse. If you use a lot of product here, your hair will end up weighed down by the next day. Remember, I’m able to take my hair through at least four days without dry shampoo (and with it looking perfectly clean). When you use a teeny bit, you can repeat the process the following days and still have great looking hair. I do my roots with what I call the “S Scrunch” (this is only at my roots). At first I thought this was rope scrunching, but there is definitely a difference here. Let’s take a look, but first…this is really important for 2a/2b wavies who want more definintion at the roots. This technique may not matter so much if you’ve got 2C waves. My hair likes to lay super flat against my head, so this gives me a bit of definition. I’m going for just a little volume here. We aren’t going to get big volume like with root clipping because that just takes too long to bother with every day. Remember, this is the 2 minute refresh!
I call this technique the s-scrunch because you essentially work to form s-waves with your fingers. Only your fingers. My suggestion is to work with smaller sections of hair than with traditional scrunching. This will allow your fingers to give more of the S with the same amount of force than if you had a large section. Take your fingers and basically squeeze your fingers along the length of your hair (this is why I thought it was “rope scrunching” at first). I squeeze and hold for a second or two to encourage the definition. To help get a bit of volume, I will push my scrunched fingers towards my hair part. Again, try to use minimal mousse at this point! Do me a favor and let me know in the comments if this makes sense, or if you need more explanation. Thank you!
With anything left on my hands, I flip my head over and get the rest of the product off by applying to my base layer. Usually I don’t mind what the bottom layer looks like because no one really sees it, but it’s nice to have a cohesive definition. I then flip up and touch up.
Touch Up Time!
I then arrange my hair to lay how I want. Typically it stays pretty well, so taking this effort is worth it. Usually a little shake through the roots (very lightly or you will just create frizz) and smooth down on the lengths. Again, this is using minimal
A quick check. I THOUGHT I was done, but a pesky section wanted to stay straight. That’s a pretty common issue for wavy friends! Touching up isn’t too hard, so I’ll just show you a few pictures here. If you want a more detailed explanation on this please let me know.
All Done!
This is how my hair looks most days lately, and I’m totally cool with it. I rarely clip my roots because it just takes too much time. Cheers to you other lazy wavies.
products that work well with this method
I’ve used and loved each of these mousses for this method. I purchase these all on regular rotation based on sales/coupons/my mood etc.
I hope you enjoyed, and that this techniques help get you out the door and be less frustrated with your natural waves. Good luck! Let me know if you give it a try.
-AWH
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This post is consistent with the All Wavy Hair website disclaimer regarding affiliate links. These keep the site going, thank you!
I love your website. I’m at 2b-3a(if I diffuse). I’m very Low porosity my hair takes forever to dry. My refresh routine is close to yours. Since going c.g. I get frizz if I spray on water (or any mixture of leave in/gel I’ve tried). I use hands that are very wet and add a small amount of HE totally twisted mousse. I may want more curl so I may do a quick diffuse (30 seconds on each section). It needs to be SOTC I use an oil for that if I have time or just my hands. I have really liked kinky curl knot today and curling custard. Using the custard in summer I haven’t needed another hard hold gel. If I get a frizzy patch I add the HE mousse with wet hands.
Thank you! That’s lovely to hear. And that’s interesting about SOTC with oil. Which type do you like? I *think* that would weigh my hair down, but now I’m curious! Thats great! My hair seems to reaaaally not like the curling custard, which is a huge bummer!
Loved the post. I’m just starting out and I believe my hair is a 2a/2b. I tried the refresh this morning but the mousse left my hair kinda crunchy. Was it perhaps not wet enough? I’m rocking it at work regardless and I can’t wait to read through the rest of your posts 🙂
That’s a great technique! Would’ve never thought of using mousse for refreshing, but I tried yesterday with Devacurl Frizz Free Volumizing Mousse that I already had, and it worked beautifully! Thanks for sharing.
I’m so glad you liked it! It’s nice when simple techniques work!
I am so glad I found this! I’ve had short hair for years…I finally grew it out and it’s at my tailbone! BUT I never knew how to properly care for my wavy hair… I’m still learning. So, my question is, do you brush second day old hair or use your fingers to detangle it? Or do you just leave it alone?? My wavies tangle at the bottom but if I brush it, it’s a poofy mess and I wind up putting it into a bun. Thanks!
Hi Desi! I don’t brush my hair unless I’m about to shower (it goes CRAZY poofy!). For second day hair and beyond, I do my two-minute refresh method. You can read about that here: https://allwavyhair.com/2018/05/22/how-to-refresh-wavy-hair-in-2-minutes/ That’s all!
Thank you for responding! I’ve been using this method since my previous comment and I love it! I decided not to brush too unless it’s before a shower and it makes such a difference! Thank you again!
That’s so great to hear! Yes I’ve finally forced in some time to blog again so I plan to post more regular updates 🙂
I just started researching cgm and found your page while reading tips on how to deal with wavy hair.. I still have no idea which type am I. I’m thinking something between 2b and 2c..Is there someone I could send a picture to to help me figure that out?
Anyways, your tips sound like something that could be pretty useful to me.
In your text you say you rarely clip roots. What does that mean?
P.S. sorry if I said or wrote something wrong.. English is not my first language. I’m from Croatia and I have trouble finding the right products for my hair…and it’s even harder to find the right things for my daughter’s afro curls..(she’s mixed, my mother in law is from Guinea, Africa)
Hi Elena, welcome! Typically a 2b wave won’t go all the way to your roots, whereas a 2c the waves go all from root-to-tip of the hair. Hope that helps! I’m so happy you could join us from Croatia. What I mean by root clipping is to use small hair clips to help create volume. This is done to control where the waves set. You have to leave the clips in the whole time the hair dries. I need faster than that so I don’t bother. Hope that helps! -Rachel
I’m going to try refreshing with mousse next time! I would love to see a video of your S scrunch at the roots – i need root lift too but I’m not sure I know what you’re doing.
I would also like to see a video of the S scrunch. I don’t think I’m getting it. Thanks!
My hair became more poofy/frizzy as I got older and it’s just recently that I figured out its 2a wavy. I’m just learning how to care for my hair and I love how simple you’re routine is. The info from others was a bit overwhelming with all of the products and directions (lol) so thank you for sharing yours!
I hope it helps! Yes it can be a lot of info at first. Definitely doesn’t have to be complicated! 🙂 -Rachel
Can this be applied on damp hair? .. For refreshing on days 2 3, i just spray some water with conditioner and not make my hair fully wet..
Yes! That’s pretty much what I do here. My hair takes FOREVER to dry so damp works great! -Rachel
The NYM Blue Sea Kale mousse is my new go to! I really like a mousse with more hold on wash day but that one is so nice for refreshing because it’s water based and doesn’t leave a cast/too much buildup. I’m excited to refresh my hair this morning with some of these techniques 🙂
Love that one! It smells so good too 🙂 I hope this way works well for you! -Rachel
I love these tips! Do you sleep with your hair down when it is dry?
Thanks! I hope they help 🙂 It really depends on the day. Sometimes I sleep with it down/spread on my pillow, sometimes I pineapple in a srunchie. Not much rhyme or reason to it anymore haha. -Rachel
Thanks so much. Just found your site and love it. Are you planning on doing any videos of your process?
Thanks so much!! Video is something I want to add in, but currently don’t have the capacity for. It’s on my (never ending lol) to-do list! The most video I do is occasional Instagram stories, so be sure to follow the @allwavyhair account there too 🙂 -Rachel
I’m just starting to research the curly girl method. I always thought I had straight hair that dried slightly wavy and frizzy, as it weighed down throughout the day. But since having kids and moving to a more humid climate, I think I may have genuinely wavy (though very subtly so) hair now. I would assume I’m 2a since my wave is so subtle, but now I’m wondering if I can even consider myself wavy if your hair is 2a/2b. It looks so curly to me! Is that a result of using this method over a long period, or because of the styling products you use?
I’d say that there’s a great chance you’re a wavy! If I brush out my hair (while dry), it just poofs and has almost no wave to it. I think it’s a big combo of genetics, using these methods (especially minimal/no heat styling), getting layered haircuts, and the right styling technique at the right time of year. That sounds like a lot, but you build your knowledge as you go! So this site I certainly hope can be a helpful place to start for you too, so be sure to subscribe to the email list so you don’t miss any posts 🙂 I’d say go for it, and let us know how it’s going! -Rachel
Hi ~
Love these suggestions and product recommendations!! I have yet to truly dissect my waves. I know I’m beach and underneath I have ringlets. I’m curious as to the gel you added to the water. I could have totally missed the product. If you could let me know thanks
Robin
Hi there! This refresh doesn’t have any gel in it, but be sure to subscribe because I’m going to have a new post on how to refresh hair with a spray gel. -Rachel
Thank you for your amazing instructions on refreshing wavy hair! I shower in the mornings, brush my hair, and let it air dry. That’s the extent of my hair care routine. Because of this, I’ve found that once my hair dries straight, it stays straight. But if I let it go for a couple of days without washing it, I have some very nice natural waves that I’m dying to bring out more! But I have somewhat thick and long hair that gets pretty oily, so I have a hard time not washing it every day even though I know I probably shouldn’t do that. Do you have any suggestions on how to revive and build up my natural waves?
Hi McKayla! Glad to hear that this helped! We have a post all about “how to wash your wavy hair less often.” Hope that helps! I would also say use lighter mousse if possible.
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