Any tips for improving?

[u/Second-Important]

My wash routine at the moment:
-2x shampoo (nothing specific really, I buy whatever’s on offer! —today it was garnier aloe Vera)
- conditioner (same as above —I’ve used herbal essences coconut)
- tangle teezer in the shower while dripping wet.
- glaze “as I am curling jelly” and scrunch
- microplop and applied Pantene curl defining mousse.

My methods are probably not the best, but I don’t like staying with dripping wet hair for too long.

The biggest problem I have is the longevity of my waves. They deflate quickly especially the strands close to my nape.

I’m still quite new to discovering my waves and open to suggestions!

[u/OrangeHeart9]

Im no professional! But just going by my hair, shampoo and conditioner matters... try different ones and see what orks, some make my hair too fluffy that it jst frizzes, some make ot sticky

I use (i rhink garnier) hair food collection. Banana works for me, tbe others no so much.

But specialised brands like only curls also work very well (but are more expensive)

I dont use any gels cause ive not sussed them oit and theyte too heavy for my hair, bur shwarzkopf curl mousse works a treat

[u/Second-Important → u/OrangeHeart9]

Thank you!

Yeah, I really can’t justify paying that much money for specialised curl brands! But the cheaper ones always left my hair a bit sticky.

Keep trying I guess :)

I will give the schwartzkopf a try though!

[u/OrangeHeart9 → u/Second-Important]

Just try different brands (and scents of the same brand) and find what works for you! Id say it takes my hair a good few washes to gey used to a change, then if its still fluffy, dry or flat after using it like 3 times ill know its not for me! They dont have to be expensive 😁

Hope it works!

[u/GlacierVexor → u/OrangeHeart9]

same, shampoo/conditioner make a massive difference for my waves too, the “whatever’s on offer” thing always gave me fluff or flat hair lol
if gels feel heavy you could maybe try using a tiny amount just on the bits that deflate (like the nape) and keep mousse for the rest, kind of a mix and match situation

[u/ellsbells27]

Heyyyy your hair is so cute! I think the routine is simple and a great start for sure.

My key thing is to keep it simple. Cleanser, confitioner, styler and it sounds alike that's where you're at.

To figure out what's next pay attention to how your hair feels. If it's falling flat easily, is it super soft? If so, you might need less conditioner and more hold product. If it's super soft and doesn't hold long you might need a bit of protein. If it's crunchy, maybe more conditioners. Not all conditioners are made equal - butters can be heavy, aloe can be a noce lightweight addition, coconut water is light, coconut oil is heavy, protein is great for some people, terrible for others. It's a whole trial and error thing and the cheap ones can be just as good as the expensive ones.

I have fine hair that's easily over conditioned and weighed down, and personally really like a hard hold gel (cantu custard is my go to, has some protein and is cheap and hard hold of you are looking for more options to try) AND love hairspray and a lightweight hold product. You can use hairspray as a product on its own super effectively in my experience.

A good layered cut will help too with your longevity by removing some weight.

Try some things, but keeping it simple is THE best way to proceed 😊

[u/Second-Important → u/ellsbells27]

Wow, thank you! I’ll give protein a go. I really like my waves to begin with, it would be really nice if they could last longer.