How to Wash Wavy/Curly Hair + Mistakes to Avoid

If your waves and curls fall limp, flat, or get oily by day two—your wash and condition routine might be to blame. Let’s break down what actually works for wavy and loose curly hair and what doesn’t.

This is part of the wavy & loose curls series, and today we’re diving into one of the most overlooked parts of any routine—washing and conditioning.

Step 1: Detangle Before Shampoo (optional)

Have you ever shampooed your hair only to find it becomes a tangled, matted mess? That’s where pre-detangling can help; but is optional and may not be necessary if your hair doesn’t tangle easily. However, if your hair is long, damaged, high porosity, or prone to knots—especially if it’s fine or fragile—pre-detangling can prevent matting and breakage during washing.

You have two main options:

On dry hair: Apply a small amount of lightweight oil (like the Mongongo oil shown here) and gently finger detangle.
On wet hair: Wet hair, apply conditioner, and finger detangle with plenty of slip.

For those with more severe tangling, you may need to do both steps—first with oil on dry hair, then again with conditioner in the shower—to fully remove knots before shampooing.

The MopTop Mongono Oil is a lightweight option that is great for pre-poo detangling without weighing hair down.

MopTop Mongongo Oil
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Step 2: Use a Strong Shampoo

If your hair feels oily, gets weighed down easily, or struggles to hold its shape—even with stylers—it might be time to look at your shampoo. Many curly shampoos and co-washes are packed with conditioning ingredients that leave behind residue, which can build up on the hair reducing volume, definition, and longevity between wash days.

Instead, reach for a stronger shampoo to give your scalp and strands a fresh, clean slate. We’re not conditioning at this stage—we’re focusing on removing buildup and giving your hair the best foundation to hold shape and volume.

You have two main shampoo options:

Clarifying or Chelating Shampoo: Use this 1–2x per month to deeply remove buildup from product, excess oils, or hard water minerals.
Gentle Shampoo: Use regularly if it contains minimal conditioning agents (like oils or butters) but still provides a thorough cleanse.

MopTop Gentle Shampoo – regular use option with a clean rinse.
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MopTop Detox Shampoo – great clarifying option
Key Ingredient: Sodium C14-16 Olefin Sulfonate – a strong but effective cleansing agent.

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Both are free of heavy oils and butters.

Reducing the moisture in your shampoo—no matter your texture or porosity—is beneficial for achieving more volume, better hold, and longer-lasting wash results.

Your hair should feel like it doesn’t have any slip after shampoo- that’s how you know it’s clean. Don’t worry though, we’re going to restore softness right after with conditioner.

Shampooing Tips:

Emulsify the shampoo in your hands and apply in sections for even coverage/cleansing.
Take your time massaging and scrubbing your scalp, not just your hair.
Use a scalp scrubber to gently lift buildup and stimulate circulation.
Shampoo hair from root to ends. You can focus more on your scalp, but the lengths of your hair need to be cleansed, too.
Check your scalp. Before moving on to conditioner, run your fingers over your scalp—if it still feels greasy or waxy, go in for a second round.
Shampoo twice if your hair feels especially oily or has a lot of product in it.

Step 3: Use a Lightweight Conditioner (and Rinse Well!)

One of the most common mistakes I see—especially for wavy hair—is using a conditioner that’s too heavy. Even if your hair feels dry or frizzy, layering on thick, butter- or oil-heavy conditioners can actually weigh down your waves or curls and reduce volume, bounce, and definition.

Avoid leaving your conditioner in your hair, as this can over-moisturize your hair and impact your hold. Doing so can decrease the effectiveness of your stylers which causes your waves and curls to struggle to hold their shape.

Instead, opt for a lightweight conditioner that gives you just enough moisture without weighing down the hair shaft.

The MopTop Light Conditioner a lightweight, water-based conditioner that’s great for finer hair, wavy hair/looser curl patterns, or those who get weighed down easily.

While it contains 7 oils, most are listed toward the bottom—likely added for fragrance or a very small slip boost—so it still rinses clean and feels weightless. It contains amino acids which can help strengthen and condition the hair.

MopTop Light Conditioner
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Conditioning Tips:

Evenly distribute the conditioner through your hair, focusing on the mid-lengths and ends
If you have excess product on your hands, lightly glide the rest over your roots—this helps with frizz without overloading the scalp
Rinse very thoroughly—this is where a lot of people go wrong! Spend time rinsing until your hair feels clean and soft, but not slimy or seaweed-like
If even light conditioners still weigh you down, try skipping rinse-out conditioner and use a leave-in spray instead which are generally more lightweight.

Remember: conditioning is about giving your hair just enough softness and manageability—not weighing it down with loads of moisture. A clean rinse is key to volume and curl formation.

Step 4: Style with Lightweight, Strong Hold Products

To get definition that lasts, skip heavy, conditioning stylers—they’ll weigh down your waves and loosen your pattern. Instead, go for lightweight products with strong hold and some texture or grit.

Not Your Mother’s Curl Talk Leave-In Conditioner – very lightweight, with amino acids for strength without added weight
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Not Your Mother’s Curl Talk Flash Freeze Gel – strong hold and grit for lasting definition (this is my first time trying the updated formula, so I’ll be sharing how it holds up in this routine!)
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You could also use the Not Your Mother’s Curl Talk Curl Activation Mousse IN PLACE OF of gel to add that texture and grit which helps give volume with a firm hold.
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Want more on styling tips and techniques?

Be sure to check out Part 1 of this wavy series, where I walk through styling techniques for wavy vs curly hair step-by-step!

Additional Products Used:

Washing Frequency: Based on Your Scalp Type

A common mistake is not choosing a washing frequency based on your scalp type – especially if you have an oily scalp. Many people are told to stretch wash days as long as possible, but if your scalp is oily, this can backfire. Oil + product + sweat = buildup, which flattens your waves, causes itchiness, and makes refreshing harder.

Oily Scalp:

Needs frequent washing—every 2–3 days.

Waves and fine textures get weighed down easily, so skipping wash days often leads to limp hair.

If you’re trying to stretch your wash days too long, have already tried all my strong hold practices, and your waves and curls are still falling limp in addition to an oily scalp, then it may be time to wash.

Normal or Combo Scalp:

Can go 3–5 days between washes depending on your routine.

Use your scalp and roots as a guide—if it feels greasy or product is building up, don’t push it just to “stretch” longer.

Dry Scalp:

Might be okay washing every 4–6 days.

Still needs regular clarifying to remove product buildup and reset the scalp.

There’s no perfect schedule—your wash frequency should fit your scalp, not a trend. Build your routine around scalp needs first, then style second. If your waves are falling or limp, it’s not always a styling issue—it could be time to rewash.

For ways to refresh in between, check out the video I did in this series on Refreshing Limp, Loosened Curls.

Final Results

My curls were very clumped and defined, and I got great hold from the Flash Freeze Gel. I had a tad bit more frizz than usual, but it could have just been the higher water content in my hair when styling.

Overall, I was really happy with my results, considering it is a drugstore gel! I’ve used this gel in the past with the previous formula, and always got great results. I’m glad to see that the updated version performs the same.

I did a deep dive on the ingredient changes and confirmed with Sadie from Strandprint, who is a cosmetic chemist, that the updates to the formula were likely just to extend its shelf life since the added ingredients were preservatives. These do not have an impact on performance.

Day 2 Results

My day 2 results, without any refreshing, looked great. I had more frizz which is completely normal, but the curl clumps still looked great. This gel can also be reactivated with water to tame frizz. I will say, it doesn’t have any slip so if you do want to refresh, you’ll likely need to use the leave-in to soften it a bit. This is common with thick gels.

What do you think?

If this post helped you, make sure to check out the rest of my Wavy & Loose Curls series for more tips like styling, refreshing, and product recommendations.

Subscribe if you want to see more videos as part of this series. Please leave any requests below. I’m thinking my next one is going to be on styling wavy + curly combo hair.

And if you’re not sure what your hair type actually needs, take my free Curl Quiz to get customized guidance based on your unique hair! Both links are in the description below.

Gena Marie