Have you heard of, “Refresh Today to Retain Waves and Curls Tomorrow?”
Nah?! Really!
Oh, then that’s my new tagline then. And I think I should copyright that. 🙂
Whatever your hair type – swavy, wavy, curly, kinky, coily, it needs some form of refresh to extend your wash results, texture, definition, volume, et al. My hair type is wavy, 2b-2c, low porosity, low-to-medium density and fine-to-thin hair and have some grey strands. So let me stay in my lane and talk about refreshing this kind of hair.
There is no one technique or method here, and there is no one-solution-that-solves-all problems here. But you would have to experiment with your hair a few times at least to get there. Let’s approach this topic in phases:
The No-Refresh Phase
I know this sounds like a myth. Come on, everyone needs to refresh textured hair to retain moisture and hydration. But stay with me, please. The no-refresh way proposes that you can get away with little or no refresh. Here’s how:
Prep for a stellar wash day such that there is minimum to no refresh on day 2/3/4.
A sincere request…Please wash your hair by day 4, even if it smells like a bed of fresh roses. You don’t want the heebie-jeebies of product build-up, flaky scalp, infections…yada yada.
Now that we have agreed that we will not extend wash days, let’s proceed to read further.
How to prep for a stellar wash day?
“Stellar wash day”, joke?! We can try…right?
- Don’t skimp on time required for the wash day – Follow all the steps: pre-poo (at least 15 minutes), cleanse, condition, deep condition (15-30 minutes), leave-in, style and wet plop your hair several times during the wash routine so that your hair is adequately moisturized. If you don’t know what I am talking about, watch my latest reel “Analysing a #washdayfail” to know why this is important
- Don’t skimp on products, especially conditioners – Moisturization is important, whether it is provided by your rinse-out conditioner or leave-in or curl-cream. Why so many products you ask? Well, these are all formulated differently, remember I told you, there is no one-product-that-does-all. At least, I haven’t found one like that, though I have tried a few multi-use products (TGIN cowash, Vaseegrahveda curly hair mask). But, if you don’t want to be bothered by some of the obvious curly-wavy hair issues – frizz or flyaways, losing definition, dry hair, etc., moisturizing via conditioners is key. I am not asking you to empty half the bottle of conditioner every wash, but work with a little more than you think your hair needs, because it is quite possible that you wash it out while rinsing or doing squish to condish (STC).
- Don’t skimp on hydration – YES! Please add that water while styling. Don’t be afraid of water washing away all your well-spent dollars, ahem rupees, when you add water. Most of the CG-approved conditioners are hydrating ones, as in, their first ingredient is Aqua/Eau/Water and formulated such that they emulsify well in water and can spread easily on textured hair. I have constantly been asked how my hair looks so shiny and here’s the secret – hydration and moisture gives me that shine and softness!
- Don’t skimp on the gel – Is it possible that you can OD your hair on too much gel? Possible, but not always. Too much gel can sometimes extend your drying time. But trust me, if you have followed all the above steps properly, the hydration in the previous step will help your hair retain the right amount of gel. Now you know why every curly/wavy blogger insists on the “squishy” noise while styling – the right amount of water pushes in the right amount of products required for your hair and pushes the excess out.
Disclaimer:
Please don’t ask me to explain how I know this, I am NOT a hair expert. But I know that the above steps work on my hair and I have observed these to work on most of the curly/wavy bloggers I follow.
So, if you have put in all these efforts along with planning your wash routine well, your wash day results will be a stellar one such that the refreshing needs are minimum. 🙂
Thanks to the MAP Method by Scott Musgrave, I have been able to work towards getting a stellar wash day. 🙂 But I am still learning and experimenting.
The Refresh by Night Phase
Well this is a thing, refresh hair by night so as to avoid refreshing the next morning. Think of it as a time-saver too. If you feel that your hair is feeling dry, or the curly/wavy definition is getting undone, correct it in the night rather than wait to see how your hair unravels the next morning.
Refresh in the night? Does this really help?
Yes! Hair feeling dry today means it is going to feel more drier the next morning. So spray in a mix of conditioner-infused-water or a moisturizing spray that can boost moisture into your drooping curls. Use very little of it, your hair should not feel damp, that’s the cue that you have overdone it. Cover hair with a silk/satin bonnet or scarf. As the hair dries through the night, the product works its charm and you can see bouncy hair in the AM.
Protect your hair to preserve your waves and curls
I can’t stress enough on protecting your hair as you toss and turn in la-la land. You know the obvious – hair in a pineapple, silk or satin fabric to wrap your hair, sleep on silk or satin pillowcase, that preserves the curls…yawn, let me not bore you!
The Refresh by Morning Phase
If you have come to this stage, you hair needs refreshing. Let’s not kid ourselves. Maybe your hair looks like a dream when you woke up ad removed the bonnet, but know this as the day progresses, there is higher chances of it getting dry and losing definition. Depending on how your hair feels you can now opt for a dry or wet refresh.
Dry (No-Water) or Wet Refresh: How to decide
| Steps | Observe | How to refresh |
| 1. | Is it day 2? Yes Did refresh by night? Yes Feel a little bounce when you stretch your hair? Yes | Try dry refresh. Dry refresh with a curl refresh spray, followed by smoothing in a few drops of your favorite oil can help revive your curls and waves. |
| 2. | Is it day2? No Did refresh by night? No. Feel a little bounce when you stretch your hair? Yes | Try dry refresh. Add a pea-sized amount of your styling cream (curl-cream) plus spray in some curl refresh spray, rub them together between your palms and scrunch it in your hair. Don’t fiddle with your hair much. Psst…by mid-day if you find that your hair is frizzing, a spritz of the spray should help again. |
| 3. | Is it day2? No Did refresh by night? No Feel a little bounce when you stretch your hair? No | Try dry refresh. You hair should feel dry actually. Dry refresh won’t work here. You should opt for a wet refresh. |
Wet Refresh: How ‘wet’ should the hair be?
| Steps | Observe | How to refresh |
| 1. | Is your hair fine? Yes Feel there is some hold (definition is visible) in your hair? Yes Do you feel that you can extend washing by one day? Yes | Damp refresh only with water. Refresh only with water – mist your hair lightly with water or you can wet your palms with water (warm water works better for me) and smooth down the frizz lightly. Water can reactivate the gel or products in your hair. If your hair doesn’t feel frizzy scrunch it in a bit. If it feels frizzy, wait until your hair dries up completely, scrunch it (SOTC) with a silk/satin fabric. Scrunching in a few drops of oil can also help control frizz. |
| 2. | Is your hair thin-medium/coarse? Yes Feel there is some hold in your hair? No Do you feel that you can extend washing by one day? Yes | Water refresh with conditioner. Mix your styling cream or leave-in conditioner in a spray bottle, shake it well to dilute thoroughly. Spray this in, slightly more than damp refresh. You may have to add product for hold here. Mousse, styling foam or light-hold gel should be added over the wet hair. Try not to detangle wet hair, simply smooth the styling product and scrunch. In this case, it is best to wait until your hair is completely dry or diffuse and then SOTC with a silk/satin fabric. Scrunch in a few drops of oil to retain the moisture. |
| 3. | Is your hair thin-medium/coarse? Yes Feel that your hair is dry or very frizzy? Yes Do you feel that you may have to wash the next day? Yes | Super-wet refresh with styling products. I call this the “repeat-wash day” refresh. Wet hair thoroughly, you can simply wet the hair under the shower or dunk hair in a bowl of water. If you don’t want your scalp wet, avoid the former. Your hair is wet enough to slightly detangle. Then repeat the styling products you used on your wash day: leave-in, curl cream and gel. Style your hair as per your regular way. Diffuse hair or air dry. SOTC with a silk/satin fabric. Scrunch in a few drops of oil to retain the moisture. |
Some Refresh Hacks
- Refresh with Dry Shampoo: If your scalp feels greasy or weighed down by products, refreshing the roots helps. Try a dry shampoo. This is a no-fuss, no-muss way to quickly refresh hair. This may not give you classy results, but it is good enough to put your hair in a pony or can jazz up the volume at the roots to get you through the day. If you are a workout buff and want to cut the sweat and greasiness at the roots, having a dry shampoo in your gym kit will give you the clean feeling.
- Refresh using only Gels: Sometimes you only need some gel to smooth out the frizz. Jessicurl Spiralicious Gel, Only Curls Enhancing Curl Gel are oil infused and can revive the curls immediately on application.
Products for Refreshing
Products & techniques that help to refresh my #2b2cwavy hair – please note that this may or may not work for your hair type. You would have to experiment and decide for yourself.
Also, none of these products were gifted or sponsored. All of these were purchased by me.
For Refresh by Night
- Smoothing a few drops of oil onto my strands:
- Vaseegraveda Herbal Black oil & Hair Growth oil
- Righteous Roots Rx
- Boheco Hemp Seed oil
- Melange Elixir hair oil and
- Mycurlstorie Nune, a recent addition
- Spraying in some curl refresh spray:
- Jessicurl Awe Inspiraling Spray
- Flora & Curl Hydrating Hair Mist (This product seems to go on and on and on, best value for money.)
- Hair protection: Silk pillowcase, Satin and Italian Silk bonnets and of course, silk/satin scrunchies, all from the Manetain Store. I also line my pillow sometimes with a satin scarf on nights when I do not feel like wearing my hair in a bonnet.
For Damp or Wet Refresh
- CurlSmith Moisture Memory Reactivator with CurlSmith Hold Me Softly Style Balm: They work like a charm to revive day 2 hair and add extra texture.
- Curls – Aloe & Blueberry Juice Curl Moisturizer: Not a spray (squirts as a stream), so spray some into hands, rub well and use it to smooth down the frizz
- Shea Moisture – Manuka Honey & Yogurt Hydrate + Repair Multi Action Leave-in: Works when your hair feels weighed down (more moisture), spray this into hands, rub well and scrunch it into hair. Hair bounces back immediately with the protein leave-in
- Bounce Curl – Alcohol free hair spray: Works best for day 2 hair to add volume, you need just 2-3 spritz on hair. Spritz some on your hair pick or spray some into your hands and scrunch your hair in. Avoid using too much as it can leave your hair feeling stiff/dry.
- Mielle Organics Brazilian Curly Cocktail Curl Mousse: Infused with oils and Babassu butter, this mousse works on dry, damp and wet hair. It’s best not to detangle hair, but lightly smooth mousse in sections and scrunch. Once your hair dries completely, SOTC with a few drops of oil to add shine.
For Wet Refresh
- Curl Keeper Original: Lightweight styler, can be used in your wash routine, gets revived while doing water-only wet refresh. Or use directly on wet hair as a one-and-done, gives slight hold on drying.
- Curl Keeper Original + Curl Keeper Gel: This combo works best in high humidity conditions and gives longer hold.
- Cachos Combing Crème: A multi-use product, works as a primer, detangler and curl reviver. I have used it during the humid monsoons, a little water can reactivate the product nicely and revive the curls.
For Dry Refresh
- Curl Keeper Tweek: This is a hairspray in a cream form. Apply this on dry hair to style and scrunch your hair.
- Innersense Inner Peace Whipped Cream Texturizer: You need a smidgen of this styling cream to add waves to your hair. Can be applied directly on dry hair, don’t go overboard with the cream.
- Innersense I Create Lift Volumizing Foam: A lightweight styler, works beautifully when paired with Innersense Cream Texturizer on dry hair, can also be applied on damp and dry hair.
- Cachos Low Porosity Hair Elixir: True to its name, this is a true elixir. Besides using this as hair oil and for SOTC, it works nicely as a quick refresh for dry hair and smoothing the frizz.
- Arata Hair Cream: (I have tried the old formulation.) This can be used for day 2 hair to smooth out the frizz.
- Enn’s Closet Flax Jello – a lightweight flax seed jelly with protein helps restore curls and fixes frizz when applied on dry hair.
For Roots Refresh:
- Innersense – Refresh Dry Shampoo: This is not powdery, pumps out as a semi-liquid foam. Emulsify nicely between fingertips and apply to roots. Best used on roots at night and allowed to dry. Next morning, fluff nicely to add volume at the crown.
Some of the curly haired bloggers whose refresh techniques you should check are:
- Mell – @manesbymell
- Marisa’s Curls – @marisascurls
- Lulu – @curlicue_lu
Like I mentioned at the beginning of this post, there is no one method or product that can work for you. Please experiment, you have plenty of options. Have fun trying a combination of methods and products and am sure, you will find out what works best for your hair.
In spite of all the frizz-fighting tips I have shared with you, please know that frizz is an essential-part of our textured hair. Let’s make peace with frizz and enjoy some voluminious hair-days also. 🙂
But, if you are really struggling with frizzy hair and unable to understand what’s causing it, here’s an article to help you. Let no curly/wavy hair blogger fool you that s/he has perfect hair days every day. They all refresh. 🙂
If you try these #chitrawavytips and it works, please tell me how it helped you, leave a comment here.
If you have any other method to refresh your hair, please do share, you will help a lot of curly-wavy friends to have frizz-free hair and have awesome mornings. 🙂
Thank you.
Making Waves Easy 