Q&A With Lauren Olivia

My wash day routine always starts with coconut oil. I use it as a pre-shampoo treatment which does add that little bit of extra time to my routine but it is definitely worth it. It reduces mechanical damage caused by washing your hair. I shampoo this out, always with my hair forwards (I find I wash more thoroughly this way), and then follow with conditioner.

I use a microfibre towel to squeeze out excess water and then apply a leave-in conditioner. To me, this is the most important step!

Next, I scrunch in styling products and then I plop my hair for around 20 minutes. Finally, I diffuse until dry.

The right products will always help with frizz. My hair used to be really frizzy before I found the right curl creams. Also, don’t be afraid to use a light cream on your hair when it is completely dry to calm any frizz. Leave-in conditioners will help with tangles when styling.

Apply products to wet hair and then plop with a micro-fibre towel. If your hair has started to dry when you apply products, the waves won’t be as defined. Using a gel as part of your styling routine is another way to get amazing definition.

I wish I had known that wet hair is very fragile. I try to avoid manipulating my hair too much when it is wet. Brush-styling is often shown as the best way to define hair texture. I will do this occasionally but not every time I style my hair. Pulling a plastic brush through wet hair can cause a lot of damage to the structure of the strands, leading to an increased risk of breakage. I wish I had known this when I began experimenting with my wavy hair!

Click below to discover the products Lauren uses to awaken her waves.