6 Tips On How To Get 360 Waves

How To Get 360 Waves

Hair isn’t just hair to us. It’s our pride, our legacy, and our culture. 360 waves and 720 waves are a historically Black men’s hairstyle that reflect this. A lot of you want to know how to get nice waves in your hair. If you’ve seen people with waves around, you might be thinking to yourself “Is it because they were born with ‘good hair,’ or did they have to chemically treat their hair to get great waves?” The answers are no and no. First off, all hair is good hair. Second, with the right steps, anyone with curly hair can get dope waves. Check out this easy guide on how to get the best waves.

What are waves?

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Waves are basically curls that are laid and pressed down. Waving your hair is specifically something that people with curls are able to do. If you don’t have a tighter curl pattern (if your hair is not type 3 or 4), it's be more difficult but not impossible to have waves. The wave hairstyle isn’t usually something that you have naturally. Making waves is a process of brushing your hair and training your curls to stretch out and form “ripples” aka a wave pattern across your head. You can’t get waves in one day, but with a little work, patience, and dedication, you can achieve your perfect waves. Here’s how to get the best waves.

Remember these tips for the best 360 waves

You’ll need some things to get started on your wave journey. The most important materials you need for getting the best waves are a wave brush (at least one), durag (again, at least one), and a moisturizer of your choice. Once you have those things, you need to remember these steps if you want to get the best waves.

1. Get a Haircut

When first starting out, you will want to start with a low or short waves haircut. The cut will help your waves grow evenly. If you know how to cut your own hair, that is the best choice. Otherwise, you are placing your waves in the hands of your barber. If you do decide to go with a barber, make sure they are someone that understands and cares about the process that you are working toward to achieve your waves. 

2. Keep your curls moisturized for the best waves

No matter what you’ve heard, our hair is delicate and needs to be taken care of like the crown that it is. Since most curls grow up and out and don’t naturally hang flat down like straight hair, people with curly hair don’t get naturally greasy hair as much as people with looser hair types do. This is good for us because it means we don’t have to wash our hair every day. But it also means that our natural oils tend to sit on our scalps. This can cause dandruff and dry hair. Brushing helps to distribute our natural oils, which keeps our hair growing and our scalps healthy. On top of that, moisturizing is vital for healthy curly hair. But since everyone’s scalp type and hair porosity level is different, and your hair might have even more than one curl pattern, it’s important to know what you’re working with and what works for you. One type of moisturizer that works great for your barber or your cousin might not work for you. Too much or too little moisturizer can cause flaking depending on your hair type. We recommend learning about your specific hair type to find the right moisture products for you.

3. Protect your hair

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When you sleep, when you’re just hanging out, and as much as you can – always protect your hair. The easiest and the best way you can protect your hair and your waves is by wearing a durag. If you’re sleeping on a cotton pillowcase without a durag, your hair might be drying out faster, and it definitely won’t be able to maintain the style you want. Durags are a great way to lock in moisture because the silky fabric won’t absorb the product and moisture you have on your hair like a regular pillowcase would. If you're out and don't want to wear a durag, our Satin Lined Beanies give the same protection. In addition to that, the durag also shapes around your head and presses down your hair while you sleep, locking in the wave pattern by flattening and stretching your curls to enhance the results of your daily brushing routine. We worked hard to make sure that our durags secure your waves in each brush section, for the perfect wave preservation.

4. Brush your hair. A lot.

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How do you get the best waves? By brushing your hair. Brushing your hair every day is what teaches your curls to naturally relax and stretch out so you can get that wave pattern. How long should you brush your hair? At least 1 hour a day, especially when you are just starting out. If this seems like a lot, just remember why you’re doing it. Waving is a free method you can do at home, and the results are dope. Brush on your time. You can choose when you want to brush. Some people like to break it up and brush for fifteen minutes here and there throughout the day. Others might want to brush for half an hour in the morning and then another half an hour before they go to sleep. It might seem like a lot, but it is absolutely worth it – and the only way to do it – if you’re going for waves. Brush downward from the crown of your head and work around in a 360 pattern to cover all your hair. You can check out our designer wave brushes here.

5. Wash and Style Method

When you have waves, you have to change up the way you wash your hair. There are a couple of ways you can do this. One of them is the wash and style method. If you choose to go with this one, the first step is to choose a shampoo that works for you if you like using shampoo. You can pre-poo with conditioner before going in with shampoo to keep your hair moisturized, or some people choose to co-wash in between shampoo washes. Whatever your first step is, it’s important to clean your hair so you can start fresh. But make sure you aren’t stripping your hair completely of its natural oils. Squeaky clean hair isn’t healthy hair. Wash your hair as often as you need to. For some guys, this might be once a week. Others might only wash their hair with shampoo once a month.

After rinsing out the shampoo, it’s time to lock in your waves by brushing your hair in the shower. Designate a brush to use as your wash brush. Brushing your hair in while it’s wet makes it a lot easier to control but don’t be too harsh because you can break your hair a lot easier when it’s wet too.

After you've washed your hair with shampoo, you have to condition it. Conditioning your hair is a vital step to restoring the moisture that the shampoo washed out. Cover your hair completely in conditioner and brush it into your hair. A vertical brushing pattern from the top down is key here to maintaining your wave pattern. As you brush, make sure to get all sides, brushing your hair down in the back, and forward on the sides and front. Guide your waves into the pattern that you want as you are brushing. At the crown, you will want to make a swirl pattern and brush out from there. After you have brushed your hair and the conditioner feels like it’s been worked all the way through your scalp, you’re ready to rinse again. When you rinse out, try not to scramble up your waves with your fingers. This part is really important for maintaining your wave pattern. Now that you’re done washing, brush again around your entire head multiple times until your hair lays down and you see the waves you desire. Moisturize your hair with the wave product of your choice. Grab your durag and wrap your hair.

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6. Maintaining

Once you reach your perfect waves and it’s time to get a haircut, make sure you do not cut it too low. Keeping your hair nice and thick will help you continue to retain those waves after your cut. If you’re really serious – and this is only for the pros – consider wolfing. Wolfing is where, instead of getting a haircut every 2-4 weeks, you allow it to grow out longer between cuts, only going every 4-6 weeks. If you’re ready to try that, then make sure you’re getting all the way down to your scalp when you brush.


Final Thoughts

Waving is a serious commitment. It takes a lot of time, dedication, and work. But we think it’s worth it. Waves are definitely a style that will not go unnoticed. Once you get into a routine, you basically repeat and maintain. Waves are a classic style that has been around for a long time. They’re a fashion icon and don’t seem to be going anywhere any time soon. We hope this guide helps you on your wave journey.


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