Hair has long been a topic of interest, particularly among women. While we spend countless hours at the hair salon and in front of the mirror, many people have questions about what actually gives them their unique styling, or even whether they should be able to style their hair on their own and magic sleek ruined my hair.
This blog post will clarify what wavy hair is and how it differs from other types of curly or straight hair, as well as provide some key tips for styling wavy hair with the best possible results.
1. What is wavy hair?
If you’re not aware, there are four basic types of hair: straight, wavy, curly and kinky. All ethnicities have all four types to varying degrees with some having one type more prevalently than others. What defines your specific type of hair, though, is whether it’s primarily straight or if it has a natural wave to it.
Wavy hair is typically defined by a wave that has a circular pattern and that occurs in at least 80% of the head of hair. This consistency helps define wavy hair as its own specific type rather than just defining the wave as part of two other categories (straight/curly).
Wavy hair is generally accepted to be the most common type of curly hair and tends to be produced with a combination of ethnic factors, genetics and environmental influences.
2. Why does wavy hair exist?
The natural formation of wavy hair is a result of the difference in humidity between your scalp and the environments that your hair travels through. The environment around you will either cause your hair to naturally curl or remain straight depending on the level of humidity that you’re exposed to, while scientists have ruled out the regularity of your birth-giving mother’s waterbirth as a source for why you are born with this specific condition.
The formation of wavy hair is basically a result of the way the environment affects your hair. If it’s humid, you’ll have frizzy, curly, wavy hair. If it’s dry and unusually cool and breezy, you’ll have straight, smooth and straight hair.
3. What is the genetic component of wavy hair?
While wavy hair is mostly attributed to genetic factors, there are also some environmental factors that contribute to the finish of your waves. The level of humidity in your surroundings and the chemical composition of the products you use on your hair will directly affect the level of waviness that you have in your head.
If you choose not to wash or dry-clean (and it doesn’t hurt, mind you) any of your hair products for at least six months at a time, this will help keep down the amount of chemicals and additives in your regular detergents and shampoos that could otherwise cause frizz.
4. What is the half-and-half rule for determining wavy hair?
While determining the level of waviness in your head can be difficult, there’s a simple way that you can tell whether your hair is purely wavy or if it has a combination of both waviness and curliness. If you can define a line from ear to ear that separates straight from curly, then you’re very likely to have 100% curly hair. However, if you have hair on either side (or both sides) of your head that has a wave to it and looks completely different from the straight portions of your hair, then you are likely to have some wavy styling.
5. What is the benefit to having wavy hair?
Wavy hair has a naturally smooth finish and works best for people who want an easy-going appearance. It can be styled to suit any occasion, but it does require some different styling products than you would use for other types of curly or straight hair.
6. What is the best way to style wavy hair?
The key to styling wavy hair is conditioning it properly so that you allow your waves to naturally form without any harmful chemical odor buildup that could cause damage over time. To style wavy hair, you should always wash it with a natural or organic-certified detergent every other day – never every day because this would remove the natural oils and moisture from your hair.
When you are washing your hair, you’ll want to use a deep conditioner that is free of sulfates and other harsh ingredients that can be damaging over time. Using a moisturizing shampoo will also moisturize and add hydration to the hair while aiding the formation of its waves.
The next step is to use a deep-conditioning treatment that allows your scalp to shed excess sebum (the oil produced by your scalp) without drying out the rest of your head as well.
After using your deep-conditioning treatment, you should use the same deep conditioner that you used for your scalp and apply it to the rest of your hair. This will help hold down frizz and make sure that all of your waves are hydrated and healthy.
Using a natural serum is important as well if you want to keep down the amount of frizziness in your head.
Lastly, you should use a styling product free of sulfates that only allows water to pass through, allowing it to dry quickly while preventing damage from harmful ingredients and excessive drying time. If you do this every day, you’ll get wavy hair with a smooth finish that’s perfect for any occasion!
