Need tips for styling 3A curls into beach waves

CurlyCowgirly · 03-07-2010, 01:43 PM

I like to wear my hair straight every now and then to change up my style, but it's so damaging, so I thought waves may be a good alternative. I'm not sure how to achieve them though.

Does anyone have any tips on how to non-chemically relax their curls into beach wavy hair? If so, how do you go about doing this? (I can relax my curls by gently combing them out, but this makes my hair poofy and a little frizzy/dry looking.)

TIA!

CurlyToast · 03-07-2010, 03:34 PM

This is actually how my hair is most of the time, since it's easy and I'm lazy. All I do is, before bed, detangle with brush or wide tooth comb and then go to town with a boar bristle brush for a few minutes. After that, I palm through some hair oil (Better Botanicals Herbal Hair Oil is a personal fave), shake out the roots upside down, and go to sleep. I wake up with moisturized, tousled waves that will stay intact until I get them wet. Repeat the process each night for as many as you and your hair can stand until you have to wet/wash/CO wash.

Because my hair is short (above the shoulders when curled) I find it impossible to get good second day curls, as sleeping mooshes my hair into strange positions. When it's brushed out and greased up, however, it just mooshes into messy waves. I've gone up to 4 days just doing this over and over each night. And it's big and full and messy, which is how I generally prefer my hair. If you're looking for less mess, I'd just use a little more oil or a light styling cream the next day to wrangle it.

wavyblonde · 03-07-2010, 05:22 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by CurlyToast

This is actually how my hair is most of the time, since it's easy and I'm lazy. All I do is, before bed, detangle with brush or wide tooth comb and then go to town with a boar bristle brush for a few minutes. After that, I palm through some hair oil (Better Botanicals Herbal Hair Oil is a personal fave), shake out the roots upside down, and go to sleep. I wake up with moisturized, tousled waves that will stay intact until I get them wet. Repeat the process each night for as many as you and your hair can stand until you have to wet/wash/CO wash.

Because my hair is short (above the shoulders when curled) I find it impossible to get good second day curls, as sleeping mooshes my hair into strange positions. When it's brushed out and greased up, however, it just mooshes into messy waves. I've gone up to 4 days just doing this over and over each night. And it's big and full and messy, which is how I generally prefer my hair. If you're looking for less mess, I'd just use a little more oil or a light styling cream the next day to wrangle it.

I love this idea! Can you post a pic of your hair done this way?

curlypearl · 03-07-2010, 05:57 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by wavyblonde

Quote:

Originally Posted by CurlyToast

This is actually how my hair is most of the time, since it's easy and I'm lazy. All I do is, before bed, detangle with brush or wide tooth comb and then go to town with a boar bristle brush for a few minutes. After that, I palm through some hair oil (Better Botanicals Herbal Hair Oil is a personal fave), shake out the roots upside down, and go to sleep. I wake up with moisturized, tousled waves that will stay intact until I get them wet. Repeat the process each night for as many as you and your hair can stand until you have to wet/wash/CO wash.

Because my hair is short (above the shoulders when curled) I find it impossible to get good second day curls, as sleeping mooshes my hair into strange positions. When it's brushed out and greased up, however, it just mooshes into messy waves. I've gone up to 4 days just doing this over and over each night. And it's big and full and messy, which is how I generally prefer my hair. If you're looking for less mess, I'd just use a little more oil or a light styling cream the next day to wrangle it.

I love this idea! Can you post a pic of your hair done this way?

Do you do this after washing/drying your hair - no scrunching in curl creme or gel? Just wash/dry/condition and then your method? Thanks for explaining.

CurlyToast · 03-07-2010, 08:25 PM

It generally starts with a normal (wet/wash) day -- i.e. I'll get up in the morning and go through my whole production of leave-in, gel, scrunching and diffusing to get my curls going. And then that night, I just brush it all out. So the only product that's in my hair, typically, is the leave-in and gel from the morning, then whatever oil I put in after hitting it with the boar bristle brush.

I took a late shower today, so I don't think it will be dry enough to do the brushing thing tonight. But I'll post pics Tuesday or Wednesday

wavyblonde · 03-08-2010, 03:28 PM

Tried this last night! It definitely has potential. I couldn't wear it like that today, b/c I was already on 3rd day hair and had a lot of experimental product in it. I really liked the wavy look it gave me, and the volume, too! I think it'll look even better if I start with particularly clumpy hair.

curlypearl · 03-08-2010, 06:11 PM

I'm trying this tonight, but I'm already on 2nd day (which doesn't look good) so I may have to do a better test later this week on a first day.

wavyblonde · 03-09-2010, 10:09 PM

Tried this today/last night! I brushed through it with a boar bristle brush (but didn't put oil on it) and slept on it. Then I scrunched a little water and FSG into it, and voila! Big, pretty awesome hair! It did have a little less definition and a little more frizz, but I think I'm okay with that. I like it to look a little messy.

RenaissanceRinglets · 03-29-2010, 04:50 PM

Hey!

I have 2c hair with 3a tendencies.. but sometimes I love to wear my hair with big long waves.

My method is:

Wash hair, apply creme/gel but instead of scrunching to create curl, I smooth it downwards and distribute evenly with a wide toothed comb to get loose clumps. Then when my hair is not soaking wet, but sort of damp, I divide it in two parts.

For each part: I twist my hair tightly into one big coil with my hands so that its all wound-round, and then carry on twisting it until it starts to curve, then either spray it with some spray (in order to define the curve) then pin it with clips to my head.

Then you can either just lightly blow dry it, or leave it natural (which ever you prefer), keep it for as long as you can (a couple of hours for optimum results) .. and then take out the hair clips/pins and untwist it so its basically in two big loops, then just lightly divide it with your fingers and smooth some more gel into it.

(I have no idea if that makes sense, I tend to be very unclear in explaining things lol).

But yeah, I dunno if it will work for others, it works for me, but then again I do have 2c/3a hair so its not too difficult.

Naturalista · 03-31-2010, 01:46 AM

I would put some light gel or mousse in my hair and either do 2-4 braids or 2 bantu knots (think Princess Leia from Star Wars), tie it down and sleep on it overnight. Wake up and release. Gives me waves everytime.

I also found a video that I had to do more than one of those (what she did) in my hair to make it work, but it worked reasonably well.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LijD9...eature=related

She also did a braiding vid if interested...to do the beach waves as I previously mentioned
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z-Kq4...eature=channel

HTH.

CurlyCowgirly · 04-06-2010, 08:04 PM

wahhh! Thanks everyone!!!

I've got some experimenting to do

I'll let ya know how it goes!

TinasArk · 04-06-2010, 08:43 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by CurlyToast

And then that night, I just brush it all out. So the only product that's in my hair, typically, is the leave-in and gel from the morning, then whatever oil I put in after hitting it with the boar bristle brush.

Thanks for reminding me about that boar bristle brush I bought months ago and haven't successfully used! I'm going to try your "before bed brush out" method, starting tonight. I only did it a few times (bent over with my head hanging down and brushing from nape forward), but it felt oh-so-good.

Again...Thanks!

CurlieTop · 04-26-2010, 04:00 PM

Another idea to try (probably for loose 3A curls only, on a CG routine):

Last night I just low-pooed and deep conditioned with MopTop Deep Conditioner. I didn't put any stylers on. This morning I woke up, brushed my hair gently with a paddle brush, and smoothed on some DevaCurl Set it Free, and I've now got shiny big waves with very little frizz, and it looks super cute with a headband. There are still some stubborn ends that are trying to curl, and it may not hold up well in wind, but overall I think it's a nice alternative to lazy days when I don't feel like rewetting my hair and working at picture perfect curls

I think the trick is to keep your hair *super* conditioned which is why the deep conditioner is so important.

abritta3 · 04-30-2010, 11:00 PM

I would also recommend curl formers from Sally. They're a tad pricey but they are easy to use and non-damaging!!
I put the curl formers in my almost dry but still a tad damp curls and the curls come out more relaxed than our regular 3a curls
You may also buy the curl formers in different sizes!

CurlyCowgirly · 05-01-2010, 07:54 PM

I've tried the boar bristle brush out method posted here as well as the braiding method. I haven't tried the coil-and-pin-to head method b/c I have a feeling it will produce the same results as braiding.

Nothing's really working for me...I think my hair is just too poofy to do waves. (No matter how much I moisturize my hair and give it protein, it remains dry looking and feeling. I think because my curls are utra-fine I'll never achieve that 'sleek' hair look.) The poofier I make my hair, the drier it looks.

I also have some pretty disobedient curls at the top sides of my head that like to lie flat and then poof out at my ears if I don't watch it. So when I did the beach wave techniques, it was even more prominent. I don't think I was meant to have waves.

UNLESS...
I have heard something about using sea salt to achieve a beach wave look....anyone know anything about this?

CurlyToast · 05-01-2010, 08:52 PM

Yeah, the brush-out: definitely *not* sleek. Definitely a tousled, messy, wavy thing.

If you don't like the poof that the brush out gives, then I'd recommend maintaining pretty low expectations for the sea salt method. It's typically a bit drying, and definitely embiggens my hair in an even more non-sleek way.

I also gave up on any sort of sleekness. Years ago. And now I really like my messy, eternally frizzy, Very Large Hair. I think, once I stopped trying to force it to have a texture that was *never* going to happen routinely outside of a salon blowout,I had no remaining reason to be frustrated.

wavyblonde · 05-02-2010, 12:13 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by CurlyCowgirly

I've tried the boar bristle brush out method posted here as well as the braiding method. I haven't tried the coil-and-pin-to head method b/c I have a feeling it will produce the same results as braiding.

Nothing's really working for me...I think my hair is just too poofy to do waves. (No matter how much I moisturize my hair and give it protein, it remains dry looking and feeling. I think because my curls are utra-fine I'll never achieve that 'sleek' hair look.) The poofier I make my hair, the drier it looks.

I also have some pretty disobedient curls at the top sides of my head that like to lie flat and then poof out at my ears if I don't watch it. So when I did the beach wave techniques, it was even more prominent. I don't think I was meant to have waves.

UNLESS...
I have heard something about using sea salt to achieve a beach wave look....anyone know anything about this?

Before I discovered that I had a fair amount of natural curl to work with, I used to spray my hair with John Frieda Beach Waves spray and roll it in pin curls until dry. It did look really good, and resulted in bigger spirals than I get naturally. You could also try the salt spray and braiding or bunning?

WurlyLox · 05-03-2010, 02:16 PM

TinasArk, I love the hair in your avatar - is that you??

CurlyToast · 05-26-2010, 08:45 AM

Finally just snapped a picture (I've been putzing with my hair and so have not been using my boar bristle/grease technique :P ).

This is boar bristle + unholy quantities of coconut oil + 8.5 hours in bed. It looks a little stringy in places because I used so much, but my hair has been crazy dry so I've been OD'ing it at night. I've elected to disregard my perpetual halo of frizz. Meh. :P

youngcurledgirl · 07-11-2012, 01:14 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by CurlyToast

This is actually how my hair is most of the time, since it's easy and I'm lazy. All I do is, before bed, detangle with brush or wide tooth comb and then go to town with a boar bristle brush for a few minutes. After that, I palm through some hair oil (Better Botanicals Herbal Hair Oil is a personal fave), shake out the roots upside down, and go to sleep. I wake up with moisturized, tousled waves that will stay intact until I get them wet. Repeat the process each night for as many as you and your hair can stand until you have to wet/wash/CO wash.

Because my hair is short (above the shoulders when curled) I find it impossible to get good second day curls, as sleeping mooshes my hair into strange positions. When it's brushed out and greased up, however, it just mooshes into messy waves. I've gone up to 4 days just doing this over and over each night. And it's big and full and messy, which is how I generally prefer my hair. If you're looking for less mess, I'd just use a little more oil or a light styling cream the next day to wrangle it.

Do you leave your hair out while you sleep?