I cannot overstate how thrilled I am that messy, wavy, undone hair is firmly in the beauty zeitgeist. It’s a look I’ve been rocking ever since I finally put down the flat iron my senior year of high school and resolved to learn the mystical, magical ways of styling my natural texture. That’s not to say it doesn’t take work—I would never claim that I roll out of bed with hair that’s ready to walk out the door. But after wash day and using my four go-to products for wavy hair (which help to define the texture, smooth frizz, and enhance my hair’s overall health) I can usually get away with at least three days of wearing my hair down before either washing it again or throwing it up into my signature slick-back bun.
The secret to perfectly imperfect day-three hair? Refining the shape, hydrating the ends, and sopping up lingering oils, especially in the summer when New York City is basically a concrete oven. But after 36 years—half of which I'm pretty confident I've spent with pretty great hair—I can safely say that no one ever suspects I haven’t washed or fully restyled my waves by day three. Here’s everything I reach for to keep my hair looking fresh and artfully undone.
