My Morning Wash Routine
Got up today and jumped straight into the shower like usual. First thing: wet my short waves completely under warm water. Not hot, warm. Hot water just dries everything out, learned that the hard way last winter.
Squeezed a bit of my sulfate-free shampoo right into my palm – about the size of a nickel. Gently scrubbed it only into my roots using my fingertips. Didn’t rough it up! Rinsed it out super thoroughly. Left the conditioner on my ends for a solid 3 minutes while I washed up. Rinsed with cool water – kinda shocking, but my stylist swears it seals the cuticle.
Post-Shower Mane Mess
Stepped out and grabbed an old cotton t-shirt, not a towel. Regular towels make my hair look like frizz city. Patted and scrunched the water out gently – didn’t rub! Let it drip a bit while I got dressed.
While it was still pretty damp, I squeezed a dime-sized blob of leave-in conditioner between my hands and scrunched it upward into the ends and mid-lengths. Then, pumped one small puff of foam mousse. Scrunched that in too. Tried not to touch it much after that.
- Big mistake I kept making: Brushing it dry! Nope. Only combs in the shower with conditioner in it.
- Another screw-up: Using too much product. Made my hair feel like straw once.
Left it alone to air dry. Took ages, but I just watched some videos. Resisted the urge to scrunch while it dried halfway, that breaks up the waves weird.
Sleeping Without Wrecking It
Nighttime used to murder my waves. Woke up looking electrocuted. Tried a few things:
- Regular cotton pillowcase: Fought it every morning. Lost most mornings.
- Cheap satin one: Slightly better, less frizz.
- Real silk pillowcase: Game changer! Found one online. Hair slides, doesn’t rub. Wake up with the waves mostly intact.
Also tried putting it in a loose pineapple bun on top of my head with a soft scrunchie. Felt silly, sometimes worked. Mostly just stick to the silk now.
Keeping It Healthy & Trimmed
Getting those regular trims is key. I aim for every 10-12 weeks, max. Even if it looks okay, split ends creep up and ruin the shape. My stylist just snips off the dead bits, keeps the layers bouncy.
Heat tools are mostly banned. Blow-dryer only if I’m desperate, always with a heat protectant spray on soaking wet hair and the diffuser attachment. Low heat, low speed. Otherwise, it’s air-dry territory.
Learning to love my natural texture was the biggest battle. Less messing = happier, healthier waves. Still have messy days (hello, humidity!), but way fewer bad hair days than before!
