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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
- Best Overall: Kérastase Elixir Ultime L’Huile Original Beautifying Hair Oil
- Best New Release: BondiBoost HG Shampoo
- Best Shampoo: Shu Uemura Urban Moisture Hydro-Nourishing Shampoo
- Best Hair Mask: Fekkai Shea Butter Intense Mask
- Best Brush: Black Egg Boar Bristle Hair Brush
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
Now 71% Off
Pros
- Controls frizz effectively
- Nourishes and strengthens hair
- Provides a long-lasting, high-shine finish
- Doubles as a heat protectant
- Reviewers say each bottle lasts up to 1 year
Cons
- 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
Size | 3.4 fl. oz. |
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Main Ingredients | Marula, camellia, and argan oils |
2
Best New Release
BondiBoost HG Shampoo
Pros
- Sulfate-, paraben-, and cruelty-free
- Made with natural and organic ingredients
Cons
- 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
Size | 10.14 fl. oz. |
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Main Ingredients | Hydrolyzed jojoba esters and aloe vera |
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Pros
- Woody and earthy scent
- Great lather
Cons
- 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
Size | 10 fl. oz. |
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Main Ingredients | Red algae and moringa extracts |
4
Best Hair Mask
Fekkai Shea Butter Intense Mask
Pros
- Contains botanical ingredients
- 100% recyclable packaging
Cons
- 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
Size | 7.5 fl. oz. |
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Main Ingredients | Shea butter, monoi oil, and vitamin B-5, aka pantothenic acid |
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5
Best Detangler
Oribe Priming Lotion Leave-In Conditioning Detangler
Pros
- Smooths the hair cuticle for a frizz-free finish
- Defines wavy hair texture
Cons
- 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
Size | 8.5 fl. oz. |
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Main Ingredients | Murumuru, mango, cocoa seed butters |
Pros
- Certified Plastic-Neutral container
- Non-flakey feel
Cons
- 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
Size | 8.45 fl. oz. |
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Main Ingredient | Sea salt |
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Pros
- Distributes your hair’s hydrating natural oils
- Made from cheap but well-made materials
- Ergonomic handle for added comfort
Cons
- 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
Size | 9.02 x 3.07 x 1.85 inches |
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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.