The Best Wavy Hair Products to Simplify Your Styling Routine (2024)

The Best Wavy Hair Products to Simplify Your Styling Routine (1)

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Long gone are the days of crunchy wavy hair of the mid-aughts. Beauty brands have finally created the best hair products for wavy hair filled with moisturizing and frizz-fighting ingredients. But with thousands of wavy hair products across the digital beauty aisles of Amazon, Sephora, and Ulta, it can be overwhelming to know where to start. To help, I tapped a few of my go-to experts for their go-to products for wavy hair.

The Best Products for Wavy Hair

How Is Wavy Hair Different From Curly?

Before diving into the best hair products for wavy hair, let me lay out how wavy strands differ from other similar textures. Wavy hair is identifiable by its loose S-shape, similar to the hair of stars like Shakira and Lorde. According to Ancestry.com, research shows that your hair’s wave or curl is passed down genetically. How much wave though is determined by how many curly hair gene variants you inherit.

Another way to ID your natural hair texture is to simply wet it! After shampooing and conditioning, apply a leave-in conditioner, then scrunch hair upside down to get the excess water out. Next, wrap your mane in a hair towel and let it air dry. “This process encourages the natural wave in the hair, and when you take it out of the towel, you’ll see if it is curly, straight, or just wavy,” says Bailey Englert, a hair stylist at the Fekkai salon at The Mark Hotel in New York. She adds that when wavy hair is air dried, it can feel like fluffy straight hair.

Common Concerns

Like all textures, wavy hair comes with its own set of challenges. For example, you might be dealing with dual textures where your hair in front is less wavy than in back. Wavy hair is also highly susceptible to humidity or inclement weather. According to Bradley Leake, a celebrity stylist based in Santa Monica, California, this is one of the variables that can make styling wavy hair a struggle. Poofy, frizzy hair is hard to smooth down no matter what anti-frizz serum you use, and bangs can feel impossible to maintain.

Since wavy hair tends to be finer than other textures and tangles more easily, hairstylist Raven Hurtado at Maxine Salon in Chicago recommends investing in a reliable volumizing shampoo, like the BondiBoost HG Shampoo, as well as a detangler, such as the Oribe Priming Lotion. More details on both of those products below.

How to Shop for Wavy Hair Products

👍 Look For

Read the ingredient labels first. Leake and Hurtado prefer naturally hydrating ingredients like aloe vera, coconut oil, and shea butter. The Fekkai Shea Butter Intense Mask features, yup, shea butter along with monoi oil to reduce frizz and prevent split ends.

Miami-based, board-certified dermatologist Dr. Anna Chacon, M.D., adds that hyaluronic acid, grapeseed extract, glycerin, as well as castor and jojoba oils are all excellent for wavy hair. She’s also a fan of argan oil, which is found in our best overall pick: Kérastase Elixir Ultime L'Huile Original Beautifying Hair Oil.

👎 Avoid

Our experts advise steering clear of parabens and sulfates because these chemicals can irritate the scalp, strip hair of its natural oils, and even cause possible hair loss. Also avoid products with formaldehyde because this hair-straightening chemical can damage your wave pattern and potentially cause long-term hair damage.

Ready for a great hair day? Give these best products for wavy hair a whirl, and be prepared for thicker, shinier, and salon-worthy waves at home without the luxury salon price tag. All of these expert-approved products are available on Amazon and collectively boast thousands of impressive five-star ratings.

1

Best Overall

Kérastase Elixir Ultime L’Huile Original Beautifying Hair Oil

The Best Wavy Hair Products to Simplify Your Styling Routine (2)

The Best Wavy Hair Products to Simplify Your Styling Routine (3)

Pros
  • The Best Wavy Hair Products to Simplify Your Styling Routine (4)Controls frizz effectively
  • The Best Wavy Hair Products to Simplify Your Styling Routine (5)Nourishes and strengthens hair
  • The Best Wavy Hair Products to Simplify Your Styling Routine (6)Provides a long-lasting, high-shine finish
  • The Best Wavy Hair Products to Simplify Your Styling Routine (7)Doubles as a heat protectant
  • The Best Wavy Hair Products to Simplify Your Styling Routine (8)Reviewers say each bottle lasts up to 1 year
Cons
  • The Best Wavy Hair Products to Simplify Your Styling Routine (9)Only available in one size on Amazon

Thanks to a slew of effective ingredients, Kérastase's hair oil surges your dry, wavy hair with much-needed moisture without a greasy feel. Leake loves that it’s made with marula and argan oils to soften, hydrate, and boost hair elasticity. There’s also camellia oil, a fast-absorbing emollient that imparts a beautiful, glass-like shine.

I also love two-in-one beauty products like this one because they save time and money. Since marula and argan oils are both antioxidant-rich ingredients, they help protect your hair from heat styling and the sun’s harsh rays.

Leake says: “One pump goes a long way when applied to damp hair and helps with routine styling maintenance. It has an incredibly smooth finish and spreads beautifully throughout the hair.”

Plus, thanks to a combo of violet leaves, freesia, mandarin, musk extract, and santal wood, this hair oil has an intoxicating woody-meets-floral fragrance.

More: Beyoncé Uses This $26 Amazon Product for Shiny-AF Hair

Key Specs

Size3.4 fl. oz.
Main IngredientsMarula, camellia, and argan oils
Pros
  • The Best Wavy Hair Products to Simplify Your Styling Routine (11)Sulfate-, paraben-, and cruelty-free
  • The Best Wavy Hair Products to Simplify Your Styling Routine (12)Made with natural and organic ingredients
Cons
  • The Best Wavy Hair Products to Simplify Your Styling Routine (13)Refreshing peppermint scent and tingle might be too overpowering for sensitive scalps and noses

Wavy hair tends to be finer, meaning this volumizing shampoo will be your new beauty BFF. This vegan shampoo—made with several clean ingredients, such as squalane, peppermint leaf extract, and jojoba ester—also contains several expert-loved ingredients, including olive oil and aloe vera.

Most importantly, Hurtado has tried and tested it, and she praises its very gentle and lightweight formula. “It helps to volumize and adds shine to enhance your waves,” she says. “Plus, it has biotin to support healthy hair growth.”

Hurtado especially likes pairing it with the Bondi Boost Thickening Therapy Hair mask that will leave your waves hydrated, silky, and soft with bounce that will last.

Key Specs

Size10.14 fl. oz.
Main IngredientsHydrolyzed jojoba esters and aloe vera

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3

Best Shampoo

Shu Uemura Urban Moisture Hydro-Nourishing Shampoo

The Best Wavy Hair Products to Simplify Your Styling Routine (14)

The Best Wavy Hair Products to Simplify Your Styling Routine (15)

Pros
  • The Best Wavy Hair Products to Simplify Your Styling Routine (16)Woody and earthy scent
  • The Best Wavy Hair Products to Simplify Your Styling Routine (17)Great lather
Cons
  • The Best Wavy Hair Products to Simplify Your Styling Routine (18)Relatively expensive for a shampoo

Chacon loves this wavy hair shampoo because it hydrates without weighing down your mane. Notably, Urban Moisture combines moringa and red algae extracts to cleanse, moisturize, and smooth strands. “These ingredients also help protect your hair against harmful pollutants and encourage hair cell regeneration,” she says.

And if you enjoy earthy scents, this is the frizz-fighting wavy hair product for you. It’s like perfume for your hair, boasting top notes of botanicals; middle notes of camellia, white freesia, and heliotrope; and a warm base note of powdery musk. Reviewers say the scent lingers on their hair, but never in an over-the-top, trying-too-hard kind of way.

Key Specs

Size10 fl. oz.
Main IngredientsRed algae and moringa extracts
Pros
  • The Best Wavy Hair Products to Simplify Your Styling Routine (20)Contains botanical ingredients
  • The Best Wavy Hair Products to Simplify Your Styling Routine (21)100% recyclable packaging
Cons
  • The Best Wavy Hair Products to Simplify Your Styling Routine (22)Skip if you don’t like the nutty smell of shea butter

“The Shea Butter Mask is my end-all, be-all for waves,” Englert says of this ultra-hydrating deep conditioner. She likes to leave the mask on for 5 minutes, rinse, squeeze the excess water out, and then apply more as a leave-in conditioner. “It helps set the wet hair with a smoother cuticle prep ready for styling with a diffuser or air dry,” she adds.

Another pro tip: Add extra volume to your wavy hair by rinsing your hair upside down in the shower to give the roots a bit of extra lift and to encourage that natural wave from root to ends.

Beyond nourishing shea butter, this deep conditioner contains monoi oil, botanical extracts, ceramides, and vitamin B-5 to help soften, smooth, and strengthen wavy hair.

Key Specs

Size7.5 fl. oz.
Main IngredientsShea butter, monoi oil, and vitamin B-5, aka pantothenic acid

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5

Best Detangler

Oribe Priming Lotion Leave-In Conditioning Detangler

The Best Wavy Hair Products to Simplify Your Styling Routine (23)

The Best Wavy Hair Products to Simplify Your Styling Routine (24)

Pros
  • The Best Wavy Hair Products to Simplify Your Styling Routine (25)Smooths the hair cuticle for a frizz-free finish
  • The Best Wavy Hair Products to Simplify Your Styling Routine (26)Defines wavy hair texture
Cons
  • The Best Wavy Hair Products to Simplify Your Styling Routine (27)Not ideal for fine hair

Wavy hair tangles easily, so using this sulfate-free leave-in conditioner will act as both a moisturizing treatment and a styling product.

“While this leave-in conditioner detangles, it also hydrates and moisturizes, and it gives you smooth waves,” Hurtado says. “I’ve had clients use this product, and it works amazing, but also, this product can be heavy if you use too much of it, work with a small amount and build as you need to.”

Pro tip: Apply it from the ends first, then work your way up to avoid weighing down your hair.

Key Specs

Size8.5 fl. oz.
Main IngredientsMurumuru, mango, cocoa seed butters

6

Best Wave Spray

Davines This Is A Sea Salt Spray

The Best Wavy Hair Products to Simplify Your Styling Routine (28)

The Best Wavy Hair Products to Simplify Your Styling Routine (29)

Pros
  • The Best Wavy Hair Products to Simplify Your Styling Routine (30)Certified Plastic-Neutral container
  • The Best Wavy Hair Products to Simplify Your Styling Routine (31)Non-flakey feel
Cons
  • The Best Wavy Hair Products to Simplify Your Styling Routine (32)Strong fragrance is not for everyone

Achieving a tousled, undone look is easier thanks to Chacon’s recommendation of this product, which she considers it a handy wave-enhancing spray. “It will help you achieve the texture of a more natural wave with a polished and matte finish,” she says.

She's not the only fan—more than 1,100 Amazon shoppers left glowing 5-star reviews. Notably, one reviewer spent 15 years searching for the best hair product for wavy hair, and once they discovered this spray, it met all of their expectations and more.

Key Specs

Size8.45 fl. oz.
Main IngredientSea salt

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7

Best Tool

Black Egg Boar Bristle Hair Brush

The Best Wavy Hair Products to Simplify Your Styling Routine (33)

The Best Wavy Hair Products to Simplify Your Styling Routine (34)

Pros
  • The Best Wavy Hair Products to Simplify Your Styling Routine (35)Distributes your hair’s hydrating natural oils
  • The Best Wavy Hair Products to Simplify Your Styling Routine (36)Made from cheap but well-made materials
  • The Best Wavy Hair Products to Simplify Your Styling Routine (37)Ergonomic handle for added comfort
Cons
  • The Best Wavy Hair Products to Simplify Your Styling Routine (38)Only available in one size

Hairstylist Samantha Gradilone of Fabio Scalia Salon says that, because wavy hair is prone to dryness, a boar bristle brush is one of the best investments you can make.

“The boar bristle brush provides great tension to grab on and pull hair sections evenly, distributing the natural oils from the root to the ends—the result is a more natural shine, a reduction in frizziness, and a much smoother blowout,” she says.

Naturally, she’s a fan of her salon's in-house brushes, but you can only purchase them IRL in NYC. Enter this simple but incredibly effective option.

The brush boasts super soft natural boar bristles that won't snag wavy hair, no matter the length or texture. A bonus: Each order comes with a mini wooden comb to help distribute styling products and hair masks.

Key Specs

Size9.02 x 3.07 x 1.85 inches

The Best Wavy Hair Products to Simplify Your Styling Routine (39)

Nicole Saunders

Beauty Editor

Nicole Saunders is the beauty editor at Best Products with over eight years of experience researching, writing, and editing lifestyle content. She specializes in breaking down complicated topics, like high-frequency wands and microcurrent devices, into easy-to-understand guides. Saunders takes great pride in heavily researching and testing featured beauty products, — such as hairdryers and foundations — on our site, and spotlights her all-time seasonal favorites in her quarterly column Best New Beauty. And she tests quite literally thousands of launches for our Best New Beauty Awards package. You can follow her on Instagram to stay in the loop on her product testing adventues.

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