The wash and style method is primarily used to maintain your 360 waves without the excessive brushing and compression. This method is going to be a MAJOR key in getting the progress that you want faster and more efficiently. It is used by every single elite waver in the game and not only helps to train your wave pattern, but also leaves your hair clean and healthy. This article will cover the 360 waves wash and style method step by step to help you reach your full potential!
What You Will Need:
- –EveryWaver Mobile App (Click here to download)
-Comb
-Medium and Soft brushes
-Wave Cap/Stocking Cap
-Durag (Preferably thin or mesh in order to let water flow through it while rinsing)
-Shampoo
-Conditioner
– Moisturizer
-Towel
How To Wash and Style Your Waves
1. Comb IN THE DIRECTION OF YOUR WAVE PATTERN using the wider side of the comb to detangle, lift and loosen your wave pattern all around.
2. The Wash – This is key part of the method. You will have separate shampoo applications.1st Shampoo Application (The cleansing/wash) Thoroughly wash your hair by scrambling the shampoo all over to remove all grease, build up and dirt. Brush out the shampoo in your desired pattern then rinse allowing the water to just run through to remove whats left. If after the first wash you feel your hair is not cleansed repeat once more.
3. The Style – Once hair is washed and clean you will now style your hair with the shampoo in it. Apply the shampoo to your hair with the grain of your patter and continuously rub in the rotation of your pattern Your hair should then begin to smooth out and foam up. Once shampoo is everywhere take your hard/medium brush and brush your pattern. Your pattern should form very easily with the shampoo in it. While brushing your pattern you will also notice the shampoo being brushed out. This is also a key time to position your crown!
4. Lock It In – At this step your wave pattern should be brushed into place with the shampoo still in it. You will then immediately rag up to hold your pattern in place. A thin durag or mesh durag to allow water to flow through fluently and make the drying process a lot faster! Rinse your hair for a good 5 minutes while rotating your head consistently to remove excess shampoo.
4.5 – Strength and Conditioning – Washing your hair with basically any kind of shampoo strips away a LOT of moisture out of your hair. We HIGHLY recommend following up your styling with conditioner. It seems that this step is often skipped in most of the wash and style tutorials that we have seen on YouTube. If you want to get the best results and get that shine of a true elite waver, conditioning is critical. Rinse ALL of the shampoo out of your hair with warm water. Be sure when you’re pushing the shampoo out of your hair that you’re just kind of “rubbing” it out of your head in the direction of your pattern. While your hair is still damp, apply your conditioner of choice and basically repeat step 4, but obviously this time with conditioner rather than shampoo. You’ll want to use a good bit of conditioner. During this step, I usually brush my conditioner in with a soft or soft-medium brush. Focus on laying down your hair the way that want. Brush for about 5-7 minutes, and rinse with COLD WATER. Rinsing with cold water locks in the moisture from the conditioner.
(BONUS STEP): After brushing in conditioner, put on a plastic cap and let your hair soak up as much of that conditioner as possible. I do this sometimes for another 10-15 minutes after brushing in the conditioner. Waves always come out BUSSIN right after everything is complete. Adds a ton of extra moisture to your hair. THEN hit the cold water rinse.
5. Drying Phase: Once all shampoo and conditioner has been rinsed out you will now take your towel and pat dry your head while the durag is still on.. Leave your durag on until hair is fully dry. Depending on how thick your hair is the durag may dry first. Going outside while it’s hot will cut drying in half! When your hair is dry, the durag can then be removed. Allow your hair to uncompress (5-10mins) and then style as needed. We recommend this method for wolfing or if you have a hard time after your wash session bringing your hair/pattern back to form. The cleansing step is very important to make sure your hair is fully cleansed before styling and putting on your durag. Your pattern should lock in and dry naturally.
6. Moisturize and get back to work: Once you’re all dry, it’s time to unrag and see the results. Your hair might not look totally in place, but that’s why we want to brush at this point. Since your hair is fresh off of a wash, it’s very important to add some kind of moisturizer before you jump back into brushing. Any good water based moisturizer is great for waves. Add your favorite and get back to brushing!
Using the EveryWaver app to log your wash sessions
The Progress Log feature within the EveryWaver app supports hair washing activities such as wet brushing, wash and style, and plain washing. Keeping track of when you washed your hair and what method you used can be a great tool to keep you on track of your wave journey. Wavers are busy people, and sometimes we focus so much on brushing that we forget to wash and style. Seeing your recent washes in your log will help you to remember when it’s time to hit the shampoo!