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Learning to care for your hair is a lifelong journey. You may notice that your hair looks different day-to-day – its health and texture can change depending on the weather, your nutrition and any treatments or products you’re using. People have been using heat to smooth and curl their hair for years. But not to fear, there are curl enhancers for wavy hair.
You can also enhance your hair’s natural texture by using the right products and feeding your hair the right nutrients. If your hair is super straight, you’ll probably have to stick to the curling iron. However, people with wavy hair can enhance their natural curl with the right products. Here’s everything you need to know to enhance the natural spiral of your wavy hair.
Assessing Your Hair
Before you can build a hair-care routine that enhances natural curl, you need to assess your hair’s type, elasticity, porosity, protein and moisture levels. Everyone’s hair is different and the choices you make for products, treatments and nutrition can affect your hair’s texture and overall health.
- Hair Type
First, consider what type of hair you have. Hair is divided into four distinct types, numbered one through four. Type one hair is straight, type two is wavy, type three is curly and type four is kinky or coily. Each type is further divided by how much your hair strand curls – types a, b and c go from straighter to more curly.
To determine your hair type, separate a single strand of clean, unstyled hair. Is it perfectly straight? Does it wave like an s-shape? How close together are the waves? Hair type matters because it can help you choose the best products for your hair.
- Hair Health
Elasticity refers to hair strength. You can check elasticity by separating a single strand and holding it with both hands. With your fingers close together, try gently pulling in both directions. If your hair breaks, it has low elasticity. When it stretches and rebounds, it has medium elasticity. If it gets very long and then breaks, it has poor elasticity.
Porosity means how easily your hair accepts and retains moisture. To check porosity, try spraying water on a lock of clean, unstyled hair. If the water beads up, your hair probably has low porosity – each strand is tight and doesn’t accept or lose moisture. If your hair gets wet, it has medium porosity. Hair with high porosity will accept a lot of water but doesn’t retain moisture well.
- Hair Balance
Hair needs a balance of protein and moisture to be the best version of itself. If your hair has too much protein, it may be dull, crunchy or frizzy and break off easily. On the other hand, hair with too much moisture is limp, soft and has no definition. Hair that’s well-balanced will be shiny, soft and have high definition.
If your hair has poor elasticity, it probably needs more protein to balance out the moisture. Low elasticity hair needs moisture but not much protein. If your hair has high porosity, it will need more care and special products to help keep moisture in and protein levels stable. Hair with medium elasticity and porosity is the easiest to care for.
Best Curl Enhancer for Wavy Hair
After you’ve gathered information about your hair, you’re ready to look for products that will enhance your hair’s health and natural curl. It’s important to check on your hair frequently, as its need can change over time. If your hair has been colored or bleached, you’ll need products that are safe for treated hair.
Try to balance the amount of protein vs. moisture you’re using across your whole hair-care routine. For example, if your shampoo and conditioner are rich in protein, your curl enhancer probably doesn’t need to be protein-rich. Of course, this all depends on what your hair needs at the moment. Here are five of the top-rated curl enhancing products for wavy hair.
- Moroccan Oil Curl Defining Cream – $36 from Sephora
- Amika Curl Corps Defining Cream – $26 from Amazon
- Ouidad Advanced Climate Control Featherlight Styling Cream – $26 from Ouidad
- Miss Jessie’s Quick Curls Cream – $16 from Target
How to Apply Curl Enhancers
Most cream curl enhancers for wavy hair should be applied to wet or damp hair. If your hair is wavy or curly, you may not need to wash it as often. Less washing can help preserve your curls and keep your hair healthy. This means that when you do have a wash day, you can take your time and create a routine that means your hair will look beautiful for days.
After you shampoo and condition your hair, separate it into locks. Then, work the curl enhancer into your hair with a scrunching motion, starting a few inches below the roots. You can let your hair air-dry or speed up the process with a blowdryer and diffuser. Always read instructions, as some products may need to be applied differently.
Enhance Your Waves
Like all self-care products, you may need to experiment before you find the best products for your hair. However, assessing your hair’s health can help you significantly shorten this process. It’s especially useful to pay attention to how much protein vs. moisture your hair needs.
The next step is to choose products that nourish your hair in addition to naturally enhancing its ability to curl. Although curl enhancers won’t turn wavy to curly hair overnight, they can bring definition and smoothness to your natural hair texture.
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