Last Updated on March 17, 2017 by Diane Hoffmaster
These hair care tips have been sponsored by SheSpeaks and Aveda but all opinions expressed here are my own.
When my daughter was little she had the cutest little curls and I was so sad when I had to cut them off. Then, for years, she had stick straight hair. She had it styled in an adorable little bob that flounced when she ran and it was incredibly shiny and straight. Then she hit about age 10 and her hair started going wild. I have no idea what inspired these hair changes but now at almost 13 her hair is thick, wavy, slightly frizzy and nearly unmanageable some days. Hormones maybe? She spends most of her life with her hair in a pony tail because she is just sick of dealing with it. I have been looking for hair care tips to help control her ‘floofy’ hair for years (her words, not mine!). Some of the things we have tried work, others do not. If you are looking for hair care tips to control your own thick, wavy hair I thought I would share a few things that have worked for us.
Hair Care Tips for Thick, Wavy Hair
1. Don’t skip the hair cuts: We go get her hair cut fairly regularly and have them only take off the ends. Making sure all the dead ends are removed on a regular basis helps control the ‘frizz’.
2. Put it back at night: My daughter hates sleeping with her hair loose. She says she wakes up in the middle of the night and it is all over her face! You can buy silk wraps that will stay on at night to help cut down on the frizz.
3. Don’t wash your hair every day: We invested in a reusable shower cap so that she can shower daily without having to get her hair wet. Hair really doesn’t need to be washed every day!
4. Find the right cut: Wavy, thick hair really needs to be a little bit on the longer side. If you cut your hair too short, you remove the ‘weight’ that will help hold your hair down and prevent it from getting too poofy.
5. Turn down the heat: Do not use the hottest setting on your hair dryer or you risk damaging your hair and making it even more frizzy. Choose a lower setting and/or invest in a diffuser.
6. Choose the right products: The most important hair care tip I have found is to invest in the right hair care products. You want to find something specifically designed for thick hair. One that reduces frizz and cuts down on curl will help your hair lay more flat and be more manageable. Leave in conditioners are extremely helpful for getting your thick, wavy hair under control.
We were sent a selection of Aveda Naturally Straight products to try out on my daughter’s hair. Here is what we were starting out with before we used this product:
She has found that blowdrying her hair actually makes things a lot worse for her so the photo above was just after a normal wash/condition and she let it air dry. This is her ‘floofy’ look, according to her!
The Aveda Naturally Straight products are designed to progressively straighten curls with every use. So, the longer you use it, the straighter and more manageable your hair gets. As you blow-dry your hair, plant-derived fibers help create a locking layer to help hold your hair straight. Organic cassava root helps form a barrier against humidity to help you forget about frizz. That is very important here in the south! Here is how you would ideally use this collection of products:
Step 1: Wash hair with Aveda Smooth Infusion™ Shampoo and follow with Aveda Smooth Infusion™ Conditioner. Towel dry hair and comb through.
Step 2: Apply Aveda Smooth Infusion™ Style-Prep Smoother to damp hair, by working it through from the mid-shaft through the ends of hair.
Step 3: Apply Aveda Smooth Infusion™ Naturally Straight. Depending on hair length and thickness, start by using approximately a small coin sized drop of Smooth Infusion™ Naturally Straight styling creme on towel-dried, still-damp hair, applying it one section at a time.
Step 4: Blow-dry hair straight using the brush of your choice. Flat iron if desired.
We spent several days having my daughter use these products on her hair. I decided to try them out on myself as well since I definitely deal with a few of the same issues she does in terms of hair type. I loved the smell…very light and it didn’t linger too long. The shampoo had a nice lather to it and the conditioner was a great detangler as well. The Smooth Infusion™ Naturally Straight Style-Prep Smoother and Naturally Straight styling creme were both light and not greasy or heavy.
After just one day I could tell her hair felt smoother and less ‘stiff’. It definitely had less frizz as well. After 3 days her hair is laying much flatter, although we do still see a bit of a wave to it. It is MUCH more manageable though and I can see that the shine and texture has improved considerably. I am impressed with the product line and we will be using it for quite a while because she is so much happier with the way her hair looks and feels.
Aveda Naturally Straight retails for $26.00/5 oz., 150 ml and is available at Aveda stores and salons and online at aveda.com. Learn more about Aveda Naturally Straight and connect with them online at:
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This is amazing!! I am totally checking these products out!! Thanks for sharing!
As a “curly girl”, this kind of made me sad. Instead of learning we can get cuts and use products to enhance, improve, and show off our waves we are always being told we need to “tame” our hair, and get it to behave (meaning: be flat and straight) I get it, I do – I spent years dealing with my poof hair. Until I stopped trying to treat it like straight hair and learned to work with what I have and let the curls fall as they may!
I continue telling my daughter this regularly. I WANT her to embrace her curls, but she detests them with a passion. Just like my sister hates her thin, straight hair. I guess we always want what we don’t have. My teen daughter has fallen in love with her flat iron but I am hoping one day she learns to embrace her curls. Trust me, I keep trying!