Once again, here is a common issue people seem to have when getting into the wave game.  They have been waving it up for a few weeks or months and people are starting to notice.  The ladies start to smile more.  They get compliments at work.  But something is still not right when they look in the mirror.

That damned right side won’t come in.

This is a common issue.  So don’t freak out and think it is just something you are going through.  Many many people have had problems getting waves on the right side and there is a reason why.  You see, when you brush you are using the muscles in your forearm, and if you are right handed you are naturally going to get tired faster when brushing the right side of your head than the rest of your head. Your right arm is not used to doing that motion for such a long period of time and you will end up spending less time on that side than the rest of your head.

So to combat this, you need to brush the right side of your head MORE.  I suggest you get a palm brush.  They don’t tire out your arm as much as the handle brushes will.  If you can find a palm brush definitely get it because one day you will need it, especially if that right side won’t come in!

I don’t know why, but many guys are obsessed with this topic.  You would not believe how often I am asked how to get shiny waves.  I usually wouldn’t post this, but there is a trick to it that you may have never heard about.

See, most people don’t get shiny waves because they don’t experiment with the pomades and greases they use enough.  If you keep on using the same old stuff, you keep on getting the same old results. Right? Of course it’s right!  So if you are not getting shiny waves using “spinning waves” hair grease why would you continue to use it? You have to try something different from time to time to get where you want to be.

With all that said here is the trick I would use to make my 360 waves look shiny.

Yes, that is Let’s Jam! Hair gel.  That is all I use.  I would brush my hair like normal, use a little pomade, then top it off with Let’s Jam! I used the brand that came in the container with the teal top.

The thing about Lets Jam! is that it is commonly used for young girls to make their hair look healthy and shiny.  And you know they want their hair to look good.  So it was a no brainer for me to try using it and it worked.  I don’t suggest you use it all the time, as it isn’t really for short hair and may be hair to wash out, but for special occasions it is fine.  It gives you that extra shine to your waves and it holds pretty nice as well.

Ok, let me explain this.  A lot of people are confused to exactly what ‘wolfin’ is.  Wolfing is when you grow your hair out to get waves.  Why do you have to grow your hair out to get waves? Because your hair is a coil and if the coil is not long enough there wont be enough ‘S’ shapes in the coil to create the wave effect when you brush your hair down.

So how is wolfing done?

You simply get shape-ups instead of a full haircut for about a month.  I would suggest 8 weeks if you can make it.  That will make your waves REALLY deep and defined when you finally get it cut.  While you wolf make sure you are stil brushing your hair down and wearing your wave cap so it doesn’t turn into a mini afro.

And a word on hair cuts.  When you get your hair cut, let your barber know you want it DARK.  At least a #2.  Some people can go down to a 1 and 1/2 guard, but I highly suggest you tell him use the #2 guard then judge if you want to go down a little more.  Remember: you can’t put the hair back once it’s cut!

So you are on your wave journey and you need to decide what is the best pomade to really get you spinning.  Well the thing is, you are in luck.  There are a lot of different choices to choose from and they all are pretty good!  Remember the bulk of the reason why you get waves is going to be because of how well you brush.  Pomades are just a bonus to the work you already put in, and keep you hair healthy.

So what pomade should you use for 360 waves? Like I said there are a lot. Let’s jump right in.

I always recommend beginners to start with pink lotion? Why? Because it is cheap.  You can get it at dollar general or any dollar store near you for $0.99.  You usually get a nice size bottle too, so always have some of this in reserve in case you go traveling you can afford to lose it.  It is nice and light and you can gob it on your head while you brush with no problems.

The next pomade you should invest in is carrot creme. It is a little bit more expensive than pink lotion at about $3-$5 a jar, and it is getting harder and harder to find across the country.  I once paid $7 for a container of it, and the store only had 2 left!  I’ve also seen other stores cut back on carrying carrot creme and increase their prices as well. Why? I do not know but it is some good stuff.  It smells funny but it goes in well and leave your hair nice and healthy looking!

The next pomades you are going to find are the olive oils.  I certainly do not recommend these, because carrot creme is so much better but it sadly is all most stores are carrying these days.  Olive oil smells better than carrot creme but to me it is a lot greasier.  It is also more expensive.

This is a common question that a lot of people ask when they begin to start waving their hair up. “What is the best grease for 360 waves?”  Well to give you the short version, there is no ‘best’ wave grease.  There are some that a lot of people like and some that a lot of people don’t like.  But all in all they are all kind of similar.

The kind you will most likely see if you have been to the store lately is Murray’s Hair Grease.  It comes in an orange can usually.  It is a thick wax that you have to knead with your hands before you can apply it to your hair.  Then you brush your hair into place and viola, it holds.  It is a very good grease although it is very thick.  Some people have a problem washing Murrays out thier hair.  At least I know I do.

The next kind of grease you will probably run into is called “Sporting Waves.”  Sporting waves is cool because it is made specifically for waves.  It comes in a black can last time I checked.  I usually don’t use grease at all, but when I do I use sporting waves.

That reminded me of the most interesting man commercial lol.  “I don’t usually use hair grease, but when I do I use sporting waves.”

The next kind that you will see is called Spinning Waves.  It is sold in Walmart.  It comes in a white plastic containter with a blue top.  This stuff is garbage in my opinion.  I once went out and bought all of “spinning waves” products and they were all very, very, very disappointing to me.  Spinning waves durags rip all the time, the grease smells funny and is too greasy and doesn’t hold well, and their pomade smells funny too. That is just MY opinion.

If I had to rank them this would be the order:

1. Spinning Waves
2. Murrays Orange Can
3. No grease at all
4. Spinning Waves

Before we get into this, let me tell you a bit about the wave game.  It has been along long before most of us have been alive.  The look of smooth, sophisticated 360 waves have been a staple of the black community for years.  Why?  Most of the time it is because waves are easy to maintain and don’t require a lot of money.  All you need is a brush, some grease and a stocking cap.  You can get fancy later but those are the bare essentials.

Often times when you look at older photos of black men they are all wearing waves.  I’m talking about after the 1960’s and the whole “black power” movement.  Back then brothers wore afros proudly.  I don’t knock afros.  It’s my second favorite look to 360s.  Im known to grow out a mean fro once or twice a year myself.  But getting back to my point.  After civil rights and everything, brothers decided that rocking afros really weren’t the style anymore and waves started to become a dominant hairstyle.  Along with the curl, fade, “mushroom”, the “gumby” and a host of other hairstyles that LOST the test of time.

So how do you get 360’s? First thing is first you need to get a low cut.  This is because you have to retrain your hair from the bottom as it grows out.  Your hair is already used to however you rock it now… you have to undo whatever you are rocking now.

If you are of African descent you know that your hair is VERY curly.  It naturally grows in a “S” pattern.  So when you grow it long each strand tends to get caught on other strands and they nap up.  Well when you wave up this problem kind of goes away.  Brushing your hair in the 360 wave pattern causes it to lay down, this laying the “S” pattern of your hair strand flat on your head.  When all of your hair lays down like this, it forms the waves.

After you get a fresh cut and brush you’ll want to add some moisturizer to your hair.  This helps your hair lay flat with your head and not nap up.  You can get a product called pink lotion or carrot crème for this.  Test both and see which one is the best for your hair.  If your hair is thick like mine you may not be able to wash out certain moisturizers so it is important to test, test, test!

Last and final step, preserve your hairstyle. But how do you do that you ask? Two ways.  First is hair grease.  This is hard, wax that you can put in your hair to hold it.  I only recommend this for parties or special occasions as it is very annoying to have to wash out sometimes.  Finally, wear a wave cap or stocking cap when you sleep do you don’t knock your new hair pattern lose while you sleep!

For those of you that are lazy:

How to get 360 waves

1. Hair cut
2. Brush
3. Moisturize
4. Wear a stocking cap when you are sleeping

I hope that helped someone and please check back regularly for more tips and posts!

If you have been wondering how to get those smooth slick waves look no further.  Over the next few months we will be adding more and more articles to the site to teach you how to get waves in your hair.  If you have been struggling and looking for help, we can help you! Just keep coming back and check out articles out here at howtoget360waves.com!