The Five-Minute Wavy Hair Routine I Swear By As a Picky Beauty Director

Like many young women who grew up in the ‘90s, I had no idea I had textured hair until high school. My best friend had the type of stick-straight baby blonde hair that hung down her back with barely a whiff of frizz. I, on the other hand, tried to mimic her hairstyling routine (which consisted of brushing it before bed… and nothing else) and wound up with a poofy, cloud-like ‘do that levitated off my scalp. It took until I was firmly in the throes of puberty for the concept of using products to cross my mind, and it was still another year or two after that to understand that perhaps my hair would never be naturally straight—and to finally put down the flat iron. My hair was wavy and remains so to this day. 2B, fine, thick waves that require a little more love than the stroke of a boar bristle brush.

Now I’m incredibly grateful for my wavy hair. It emanates that bed-head Olsen twins vibe all on its own—no heat necessary—and only needs a handful of products to satisfactorily style. Finding the right products, however, has taken a bit of trial and error over the years. Thick creams, which are so nourishing for tighter curl patterns, are too heavy on my hair, but watery serums don’t pack enough punch to keep my S-wave texture smoothed and defined throughout the day. Luckily I’ve found a lineup of tried-and-true formulas to style my wavy hair and keep it looking its best from day to night. Even better? It takes less than five minutes to accomplish.

Start With a Hydrating Shampoo

Textured hair requires more moisture than straight hair, especially if you get regular highlights like me. I always reach for a hydrating formula to kick off the wash day routine, and follow up with the corresponding conditioner to replenish and restore.

Reach for a Leave-In Conditioner

It’s not enough just to use a conditioner in the shower with textured hair. That’s why I always start my styling routine with 3-4 pumps of leave-in conditioner (and comb it through) to keep my hair moisturized and defined before going in with more products. If I skip this step (the horror) because I’m traveling or just ran out of formula (as if) I can feel a noticeable difference in my hair—it becomes rather straw-like. Not cute.

Don’t Skip the Air-Dry Gel/Cream

I’ve yet to find a curly or wavy-haired person who only uses one singular styling product, and I’m very much the same. This step keeps the definition sleek and adds hold, before scrunching with the next product to bring out the full shape of each curl. These are usually lighter formulas meant for looser textures, like type 3A-3C hair, so keep that in mind if your curls are on the tighter side.

Befriend a Curl Serum

As I said, curl creams are too heavy for my texture, so I’m fully on team curl serum to keep my waves bouncy and weightless. I use a quarter-sized amount and divide it between my two hands, then scrunch it into my hair on each side. Then I lift at the roots and smooth any flyaways before tucking the front pieces behind my ears to air dry.

Smooth It Out

Flyaways are a fact of life with wavy or curly hair, and while I generally embrace them, I do try to smooth the seriously rogue ones at my temples so I don’t look like I’ve been electrocuted. A lightweight cream or oil can work here depending on how dry my hair is (I typically use a cream when it’s almost 100% dry and an oil if I’m running out the door at 50% dry).

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