How to Refresh Wavy Hair on Day 2 and Day 3

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To refresh wavy hair, mist it with water until it's damp, scrunch in a small amount of gel, mousse, or curl cream, and let it air dry or diffuse it on low heat. Water loosens the shape your hair is holding, so it lets you scrunch flat or stretched waves back into place.

But second-day hair doesn't always need the same fix. Frizz on top, flat roots, and dented ends each need something a little different, and some mornings, a wash really is the better choice. In this article, we'll show you how to refresh wavy hair in 2, 5, or 15 minutes, fix the most common day-2 problems, and protect your waves overnight so there's less to fix in the morning. We've also built a tool that puts together a refresh for whatever your hair is doing today. Let's get into it!

Why Do Waves Fall Flat by Day 2?

When your hair dries after wash day, weak bonds inside each strand, called hydrogen bonds, set it in the shape it dried in. Water and humid air loosen those bonds again, and researchers have found that how well hair springs back into shape depends on the humidity around it (Zuidema et al., 2003). So a muggy afternoon, a steamy shower, or a sweaty workout can all loosen your waves.

Your pillow does the rest. When you sleep on your hair, the weight of your head presses your waves flat, and every time you turn over, your hair rubs against the pillowcase. That rubbing pulls your clumps apart, which is why second-day waves often look frizzier and less defined.

Oil plays a part too. The oil your scalp makes travels down straight and wavy strands much more easily than it travels down tight curls, according to a review of hair care research (Gavazzoni Dias, 2015). By day 2 or day 3, that oil can leave 2A and 2B waves flat and greasy at the roots. If that happens to you often, our guide on why hair gets greasy overnight explains what's going on.

What You Need for a Quick Refresh

You don't need a special kit to refresh your waves. Most wavy girls already have everything in the bathroom:

• A spray bottle filled with water. A continuous mister that sprays a fine mist works best, since big drops can weigh fine waves down.
• A styler you already use, like gel, mousse, or curl cream. Gel gives you the most hold and frizz control, mousse is lighter, and curl cream softens dry or stretched ends.
• A leave-in conditioner for dry ends and tangles.
• A few clips to lift your roots while they dry.
• A soft cotton T-shirt or microfiber towel to squeeze out extra water.
• A diffuser, if you want your hair to dry faster.

Use less product than you would on wash day. Your hair still has some of yesterday's product on it, and adding a full wash-day amount on top is the fastest way to end up with flat, crunchy waves.

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Find Your Day-2 Refresh

Pick what your hair is doing this morning, how much time you have, and whether your strands are fine, medium, or coarse. The tool will put together a refresh that fits, and it'll tell you when a wash is the better fix.

How to Refresh Wavy Hair Step by Step

If your waves look a bit flat or messy all over, this is the full refresh. It takes about 10 to 15 minutes, plus drying time.

1. Shake your hair out. Flip your head over and gently shake your hair at the roots to loosen it after sleeping. If you have tangles, work them out with your fingers before you wet anything. The same review found that wavy hair usually detangles with less pulling when it's dry.
2. Mist your hair with water. Spray it section by section until it's damp, not dripping. Focus on the parts that look flat, frizzy, or stretched out. For a bigger reset, wet your hair until it's soaked, which works like a mini wash day without the shampoo.
3. Add a little product. Rub a small amount of gel, mousse, or curl cream between your palms and smooth it over your hair with flat hands. Start with less than you think you need. You can always add more.
4. Scrunch upward. Cup your waves in your palms and scrunch them up toward your scalp to bring back their shape. If you soaked your hair, scrunch with a T-shirt or microfiber towel to squeeze out the drips.
5. Lift your roots. Slide a few clips in along your part and at your crown so your roots dry lifted instead of flat.
6. Let it dry without touching it. Air dry if you have time. If you don't, diffuse on low heat and low speed until your hair is completely dry. Touching your waves while they're drying is the fastest way to make them frizz.
7. Scrunch out the crunch. Once your hair is dry, gently scrunch it with your hands to soften the gel cast (the stiff layer some gels leave behind).

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For more detail on drying, see our guides on how to diffuse curly hair without frizz and how to plop your hair with a T-shirt.

How to Fix Common Day-2 Problems

Most mornings, you won't need the full refresh. Often, only one part of your hair looks off, and fixing just that part takes a couple of minutes. Here's what to do for each of the most common problems.

Frizz Control on Top

The top layer of your hair rubs against your pillow all night, so it's usually the frizziest part by morning. Rub a small amount of gel between wet palms and smooth it over the frizz with flat hands, then scrunch gently. If the frizz is everywhere, mist the top layer until it's damp first. Our guide on how to get rid of frizzy curly hair covers frizz that comes back every day.

Flat Roots

Flip your head over and scrunch your roots with your fingertips to lift them. If they're still flat, mist your roots with water, scrunch in a little mousse, and clip them up while they dry. If your waves are flat from root to tip every day, not just on day 2, our guide to limp curls can help you find out why.

Stretched or Stringy Ends

Ends that have been pulled straight overnight need water to get their shape back. Mist them until they're damp, rub a little curl cream or gel between your palms, and scrunch your ends up toward your scalp. Then let them air dry without touching them.

Dents and Bedhead

A dent from a hair tie or a kink from sleeping on one side only needs that one section fixed. Wet your hands, smooth them over the dented section, and scrunch it back into shape. If the dent won't budge, wet the section until it's soaked, add a little gel, and diffuse it on low.

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Tangles at the Back

The hair at the back of your neck rubs against your pillow the most, so it's where knots usually form. Work them out gently with your fingers while your hair is dry. Then mist the section, smooth in a little leave-in conditioner, and scrunch it back into waves. A leave-in made for curly hair can make your hair more manageable, but keep it on your hair strands and ends, not your scalp (AAD).

Crunchy or Flaky Product

If your hair feels stiff, rub a drop of light oil between your palms and scrunch your hair upward until the crunch breaks. White flakes on your strands are different. They usually mean you used too much product or it's building up on your hair. You can gently brush the flakes out of the top layer for today, but a wash is the real fix. Our guide on how to clarify curly hair explains how to get rid of buildup.

Do You Need a Curl Refresh Spray?

A curl refresh spray is a light leave-in that comes ready to spray, usually water mixed with conditioning ingredients and sometimes a little hold. It's handy if you're short on time, but you don't need one. For a simple DIY option, mist your hair with plain water, then smooth a small amount of leave-in conditioner over the dry areas.

If you have fine waves, go easy on refresh sprays and creams. The same review notes that leave-in products can make fine hair look oily and dull, so plain water and a little mousse are often all you need. Our list of the best products for fine wavy hair has lighter options.

Dry Shampoo for Greasy Roots

Dry shampoo is a powder or spray that soaks up oil at your roots. It can make greasy roots look fresh for another day, but it doesn't actually clean your scalp. The American Academy of Dermatology suggests washing your hair after one or two uses of dry shampoo, since skipping washes for too long can lead to seborrheic dermatitis, an itchy, flaky scalp condition (AAD).

To use it, spray a little onto your roots, wait a minute, and massage it in with your fingertips. If your scalp itches or burns afterward, stop using it. And if the itching hasn't cleared up after a few weeks, see a dermatologist.

When to Wash Instead of Refresh

Sometimes no refresh will bring your waves back, and that's normal. A wash is the better choice if:

• Your roots are greasy, and your waves are flat at the same time.
• You see white flakes of product in your hair.
• Your scalp is itchy, sore, or scaly.
• You've already used dry shampoo once or twice since your last wash.
• Your hair smells like sweat or smoke.

How often you should wash depends on your hair and scalp. The AAD says people with an oily scalp may want to shampoo every day, while people with curly or dry hair can wash less often, as needed (AAD). Wavy hair falls in between, so either can be right for you. If you'd rather wash more often, a co-wash or a gentle shampoo, followed by the steps in our wavy hair routine, is an easy reset.

How to Protect Your Waves Overnight

The less your waves get crushed and rubbed overnight, the less you'll have to fix in the morning. These are the habits wavy girls rely on most:

• Wear a loose pineapple or a loose braid. The AAD suggests a loose ponytail on top of your head, called a pineapple, or a loose braid to keep curls from rubbing against your pillowcase (AAD). If your hair is too short to reach the top of your head, a loose braid or a bonnet works better.
• Sleep on satin or silk. A satin or silk pillowcase or bonnet may help reduce friction and preserve your hairstyle (AAD). We compare the two in our guide to satin vs. silk for hair.
• Use soft, covered hair ties. Bare elastics snag and dent your hair. Choose a scrunchie or a coated band, and don't pull it tight.

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Whatever you choose, keep it loose. Pulling your hair into the same tight ponytail or bun again and again can cause traction alopecia, which is hair loss from constant pulling (AAD). Overnight styles can also pull on your hair night after night, which is another reason to keep your sleep style loose (Samrao et al., 2021). If your edges or hairline start to thin, see a dermatologist.

For more ideas, see our guide on how to sleep with curly hair. If you wash at night, we also explain how to sleep with wet curly hair without waking up to a flat side.

And if your waves fall flat by lunch on humid days, it may be the weather, not your refresh. Our dew point chart for curly hair explains how humidity affects your waves and checks today's humidity where you live.

We hope this helps you get a few more good days out of every wash day. Here's to waves that look great on day 3, too!

Frequently Asked Questions