Brushing wavy hair can be a challenge, especially if you want to avoid it becoming frizzy. From my experience, it’s crucial to follow the right techniques. Avoid using regular brushes as their bristles are often too fine and closely spaced, causing breakage and damage to your curls and waves. Instead, use a wide-tooth comb or your fingers. This method is gentler and helps maintain the integrity of your hair. Focus on detangling when it’s wet to prevent any unmanageable frizz.
When dealing with wavy locks, many tutorials and suggestions emphasize the point that using a suitable tool is important. Regular brushes with teeth that are too spaced or rough can get caught in your hair, making it difficult to safely detangle without causing damage. Keeping your hair healthy with simple and straightforward methods can make a million differences.
Don’t dry brush
Never dry brush wavy hair. It causes tension and disrupts the wave pattern, leading to damage and breakages. The best time to brush wavy hair is when it’s wet with a conditioner. Start by detangling with fingers before using a gentle hair brush or wide tooth comb.
Stop using a regular towel
Bad news: throw away your regular hair towel. Towel drying roughens the hair cuticle, which causes frizz and breakages. Instead, use a 100% cotton t-shirt or a microfibre towel. Microfibre towels absorb water with ease, so you don’t need to tug and pull. The smaller fibers prevent snags and tangles, leading to less friction and fewer breakages.
Using the wrong products
Your hair is only as good as the products you feed it. Cheap shampoos and conditioners with harsh ingredients strip moisture and natural oils, causing dryness and breakages. Don’t expect incredible waves. Instead, opt for high quality Merwave’s cleaning and styling products. They are free of sulfates, silicones, and parabens, and are created for wavy hair. These nourish and keep your hair frizz free, making your waves more defined and last longer.
Not protecting it overnight
Wavy hair is prone to dryness, the root cause of frizz. To prevent this, retain moisture. Regular pillowcases absorb too much, leaving hair limp and frizzy in the morning. Instead, opt for a silk or satin pillowcase. These won’t quickly absorb moisture and generate less friction. You could use a silk hat or tie hair in a pineapple with a silk scrunchie to protect your waves at night. If you’re wondering how to lighten hair dyed too dark, remember to use gentle methods to avoid further damage.
Avoid heat styling
Blow drying, straightening, or curling with high heat can ruin your natural hair pattern. It makes hair dry, thin, brittle, and dull. Over time, hair becomes damaged. To recover from damage, get a cut to remove split ends. This is a great way to start fresh. Air dry, use a microfibre towel, or a diffuser on low heat. Moving forward, layering hair adds volume and reduces weight, helping keep it healthy and frizz-free.
Cleansing
Whether you’re doing without shampoo or using it on a regular basis, you need to cleanse your waves regularly. Use a lightweight, gentle shampoo that is strong enough to get rid of product build-up but won’t weigh down or stretch your waves. Have a look at our top 10 shampoos and choose one that gets great reviews from fellow wavies.
Brush vs. Comb
Not all brush types are disastrous for wavy hair, but be careful. Avoid paddle brushes with stiff bristles. Vented brushes are fine for waves if used gently on wet hair. Alternatively, stick to a wide-toothed comb. It works well on damp hair and can be used delicately on dry hair without causing poof. From my experience, it depends on the hair type, from barely-there waves (2a) to practically curly (2c). Comb through for least impact on 2a and 2b types. Try styling with Korean air bangs for a modern look.
Conclusion
In conclusion, maintaining frizz-free wavy hair requires using the right tools and techniques. Avoid regular brushes and opt for wide-tooth combs or fingers, particularly when detangling wet hair. Replacing traditional towels with microfiber or cotton t-shirts, using high-quality hair products, and protecting hair overnight with silk or satin pillowcases can also help. Steering clear of heat styling and regularly cleansing with gentle shampoos further supports healthy, frizz-free waves. By following these practices, you can enhance the natural beauty of your wavy hair while minimizing frizz and damage.
FAQ’s
Why do my waves get frizzy when I brush?
Brushing dry hair is a no-no for curly or wavy hair. It lifts the cuticle, creating frizz. Friction from brushes and sleeping on a rough cotton pillowcase or vigorously towel-drying can also ruffle the layer and make hair prone to frizz.
How do I keep my hair wavy but not frizzy?
Now that you understand frizz for wavy and curly hair, here are tips to tame it. Avoid terry cloth towels. Dry with an air dryer, hood dryer, or diffuser. Wash 2-3 times a week. Steer clear of long, hot showers. Get a good haircut and use moisturizing conditioner.
How do you brush your hair to prevent frizz?
Always brush hair gently. Use a wide-tooth comb or a paddle brush to detangle instead of a regular brush. Make sure your hair is completely dry. If your hair is prone to frizziness, try a leave-in conditioner or anti-frizz serum before brushing.
How do people with wavy hair brush their hair?
There are two ways curlies and wavies can safely brush and detangle hair without causing damage or making it frizzy: combing with a wide-tooth comb or using fingers.
