For Science! Wavy Hair Experiments on My 2A/2B Hair

A few weeks ago, I got caught in a rainstorm while out and about for work. Like a full-on drenched rain goblin. And then I ignored my hair while continuing to do work stuff for a few more hours. And then when I got home and looked in the mirror… my hair looked fantastic.

What the heck with these beachy waves. There was NO effort?! And it turned out like this???

So that reminded me that I’ve gone through phases of wearing my hair wavy over the years and I wondered if I could use the ‘curly hair method’ or ‘wavy hair method’ or just the Reddit rabbit hole to find the perfect product that could recreate this look with little effort.

Before we get into all the science experiments, my typical hair routine is that I shampoo and condition it in the shower. Then, I put it up in a towel to dry a bit while I’m getting ready. Last, I use a wide tooth comb to comb it out. It is typically tangled from being up in a towel. I’ll sometimes stick a little product in there (maybe Potion 9 or Moroccan oil) and then just let it air dry. It dries mostly straight with a little body or waves. I wash it every 2-3 days, which my dry hair likes.

For my wavy hair experiments, I started with trying to figure out what kind of hair I actually have. Now, with the *wonders* of perimenopause… my hair texture HAS been changing. For the past few years, I suddenly have little curls at my temples and a full-on wave pattern at the back of my head. After a deep dive into hair type charts, I landed on a mix of 2A/2B hair, which is wavy, fine and easily weighed down. It’s not quite straight, not full curlicues, something in the middle.

Once I know what I was working with, I did some research, ordered a few options online, and went into full science mode…

Try 1: Mizani Curl Cream and the Bowl Method

Product link: https://amzn.to/4eQHPI7

For this try, I washed and conditioned my hair like normal and then combed it with a wide-tooth comb when I got out of the shower. Then, I did “the bowl method”, where you pat on your product with “praying hands” and then dip your hair into a bowl of water and scrunch it. And dip and scrunch. And dip and scrunch. And then I kind of scrunched the extra water out with a towel and let it air dry without touching it again.

The results were pretty darn close!

Lots of waves. Very similar to my rained on hair.

Try 2: Curlsmith In Shower Fixer

Product link: https://amzn.to/3Gt7x8W

This product got rave reviews on the Wavy Hair Reddit, so I immediately hit ‘add to cart’ and waited with baited breath for it to show up at my house. (Fun fact: I actually saw it at TJ Maxx for way cheaper afterwards). For this experiment, I washed and conditioned my hair in the shower. Combed it out while still in the shower with dripping hair. Then, applied the Curlsmith In Shower Fixer with praying hands and scrunched, scrunched, scrunched. I finished up by scrunching the extra water out with an old tee shirt and letting it air dry without touching it again.

Okay, so first of all my hair dried like Ramen (left photo). I “scrunched the crunch” out but I hated the texture of my hair. It felt super goopy and the waves were more ‘grown out 90’s perm’ for me (middle photo). Also, the next morning it felt absolutely disgusting and I had to immediately wash it out of my hair (right photo).

Try 3: Cake the Curl Whip Mousse in the Shower

Product link: https://amzn.to/44EAOW4

Here is another product that people loved on the Wavy Hair Reddit! I washed and conditioned my hair in the shower. Combed it out while still in the shower with dripping hair. Then, applied the Cake the Curl Whip Mousse with praying hands and scrunched it in. I finished up by scrunching the extra water out with an old tee shirt and letting it air dry without touching it again.

It gave me light waves and felt like no product at all , which I like (left photo). It was nice for a less aggressive wave situation. And the next day hair was really good too, not many waves but really good body and texture without feeling dirty (right photo).

Try 4: Sebastian Potion 9 – The Shower Method AND the Bowl Method

Shower Method:

Product link: https://amzn.to/4622BlQ

I have literally used this product since I was 15 years old. For this experiment, I washed and conditioned my hair in the shower. Combed it out while still in the shower with dripping hair. Then, applied the Potion 9 with praying hands and scrunched it in. I finished up by scrunching the extra water out with an old tee shirt and letting it air dry. When it was dry, I separated the curls a bit by running my hands through my hair. Results: soft waves, no gunky buildup and I can easily run my fingers through my hair. Next day hair still has some waves too.

Since we were doing this For Science, I tried this exact same set up again, but this time I used the bowl method to see if there was any difference.

And they are basically the same. The in shower method is a lot easier and less messy, but gives similar results.

Here’s bowl vs shower method:

Try 5: Mizani Curl Cream and the Shower Method

Product link: https://amzn.to/4eQHPI7

After the Potion 9 gave me similar results for both the bowl and shower method, I decided to revisit the Mizani Curl Cream. This time I washed and conditioned my hair in the shower. Combed it out while still in the shower with dripping hair. Then, applied the Mizani Curl Cream with praying hands and scrunched it in. I finished up by scrunching the extra water out with a towel and letting it air dry.

Comparison:

Hardly any difference and the shower method is easier and less messy!

What I Learned:

So after all my experiments, here is where I ended up…

  • Most Like Rained On Waves: Mizani Curl Cream
  • Less Aggressive Waves: Sebastian Potion 9
  • Few Waves, More for Body: Cake the Curl Whip Mousse
  • Bonus: Water spray bottle to reactivate waves for day 2 and day 3. (I love this one https://amzn.to/40KKAVr and use it on my plants too!)

And that’s my final data for my experiments into wavy hair. Of course, in the last week it’s too hot and sticky to wear my hair down without regretting all my life decisions, so I’ve been doing all the braids. However, next time I want to activate my mermaid hair dreams, I know what to do!

Disclosure: This post contains Amazon affiliate links. This means that clicking on a link may help me earn a small commission at no cost to you.

Halfway Through 2025: Thrift Winners & Losers

With half the year behind us, it’s time for my 6-month thrifting check-in! I started doing these a few years ago as a way to keep myself accountable. Even after years of thrifting, I still make the occasional “what was I thinking?” purchase. Looking back helps me recognize those missteps and celebrate the wins, so I can keep improving.

Let’s take a look back at my 2025 thrift winners & losers so far:

January 2025

Winners:

  • Cactus hat, $3.50
  • Stitch Fix sweater, $9
  • Homemade quilt, $15

Losers:

  • Merona Cardigan, $5.50

Time Will Tell:

  • Coldwater Creek embroidered jeans, $9.50
  • Banana Republic scarf, $6.50

All the ‘winning’ items from January have gotten some wear/use over the past few months. However, that Merona cardigan was almost an immediate re-donate. I don’t know what I was thinking when I bought it, but it looked terrible on me and didn’t play well with the rest of my closet. I’ve only worn the embroidered jeans once, but they seem nice. So we will see if they end up getting a lot of wear over the next year or so. As for the scarf, I haven’t worn it yet so it is packed away until next winter.

February 2025

Winners:

  • Land’s End cardigan, $5.99
  • Smokey Bear Bandana, $1
  • MCM California Pottery tray, $4.49
  • Nordstrom Rack linen dress, $14.99

Time Will Tell:

  • Soft Surroundings wrap dress, $19.99

Lots of winners in February and only one that I’m not quite sure about. Before wearing it, I removed the yellow beading from the neckline of the Soft Surroundings dress, and I feel like it was a big improvement. I wore it to work once and it is very cute. I’m not sure if it will be a long-term closet love:

March 2025

Losers:

  • Sage Collective joggers, $5.50

Time Will Tell:

  • Athleta cross-over top, $7.50
  • Lauren Ralph Lauren skirt, $23
  • Charlestown Shoe “Federal” Boot, $7.50

The joggers were new with tags and super silky soft, however; after wearing them a couple times they are just too big. By the end of the day, I’ve got ‘dumpy butt’ and I’m not a fan. If these haven’t already made their way to the re-donate bag, they will be there in the fall when I dig them out again.

For all three of the other items, they have to fall under ‘time will tell’ because I haven’t worn any of them yet! The Athleta top is more winter weight, the skirt is screaming FALL at me and the booties also feel more autumnal.

Spring Break Arizona Haul – April 2025

Winners:

  • Zara skirt, $3
  • Vintage skirt, $7.29
  • Vintage shirt, $9
  • Everlane sweater, $7
  • Acme cowboy boots, $25

Lots of vacation thrifting winners! I’ve worn all five of the items and LOVE them all. Perhaps I need to go on more vacations for thrifting…

April 2025

Winners:

  • Striped + Floral skirt, $7.79
  • Loft cardigan, $9

Losers:

  • Pure Jill Kimono, $9

Both the skirt and the cardigan fit well into my closet and have already been worn to work. I thought the kimono was cute in the store, but after wearing it as a topper at home a few times, it just feels frumpy. This exercise helped me pull the trigger and this one just went into the re-donate bag.

May 2025

Time Will Tell:

  • Talbots 100% silk pleated skirt, $9.99

This was a relatively recent purchase and I haven’t worn it yet.

June 2025

Winners:

  • J.Crew Tulle skirt, $3.59
  • Lou & Grey shorts, $4.12
  • Pleated running skirt, $8.24
  • Linen dress, $6.74
  • Gap top, $4.87

Time Will Tell:

  • Vintage Allison Smith skirt, $7
  • No tag dress, $9
  • Embroidered top, $7
  • Bailey 44 joggers, $6

So far, I know the tulle skirt, shorts, running skirt, linen dress and Gap dress are winners. They have all been worn, and in the case of the shorts and linen dress (turned top), they’ve been worn a few times over the last few weeks. I haven’t had a chance to wear the vintage skirt yet, but finger’s crossed that it’s adorable. I did chop the ‘no tag’ dress into a tank top, but the jury is out on whether it will be put into heavy rotation.

The embroidered top will become a pillow when I have time. And those joggers are most likely a win, but I won’t wear them until the weather cools back down!

Total Spent:

Just to hold myself super accountable, let’s total up all the thrifting purchases from the last 6 months. According to my handy dandy excel spreadsheet that I pulled the info into, my total for 6 months of thrifting was: $281.60, which equals out to about $47 per month. The total is lower than last year by over $60, so that’s nice!

While my thrifting total/monthly breakdown is not an insignificant number, this is my main ‘fun money’ I spend on myself. I very rarely buy books (I use the library and my kindle religiously) and make 90% of my coffee at home, and most importantly… our budget can afford it.

Overall Favorites:

And now my absolute favorite part, looking at all my thrifting purchases over the past 6-months and picking my favorite items!

Home Decor Favorites:

  • Homemade quilt, $15 (January 2025)
  • MCM California Pottery tray, $4.49 (February)

I love both the homemade quilt and the pottery tray that I found earlier in the year! Finding a huge quilt that had been made with love was an absolute score… and having it priced so low at $15 was incredible. I will cherish it for many years to come and it is currently in my sun room for ease of dog snuggling. As for the yellow pottery tray, it has moved around my house to a few locations so far. I love how bright and cheery it is!

Clothing Favorites

  • Everlane sweater, $7 (Vacation Thrift, April 2025)
  • Acme cowboy boots, $25 (Vacation Thrift, April 2025)
  • J.Crew Tulle skirt, $3.59 (June 2025)
  • Lou & Grey shorts, $4.12 (June 2025)
  • Linen dress, $6.74 (June 2025)

I am OBSESSED with the Everlane sweater, even though I only had one chance to wear it before the weather got too hot. It is the perfect chunky knit, 100% cotton and slightly oversized. Love, love, love it! Those vintage boots were an iconic Sedona Arizona find! The tulle skirt is so pretty and twirly and fits great. The Lou & Grey shorts are already my favorites for summer. And that linen nightgown looking dress turned into an absolutely fabulous linen top that I have been wearing on repeat!

The first half of 2025 has brought some great thrifting finds, I can’t wait to see what is around the corner!

My Style: June 2025

June flew by in a haze of end-of-school-year craziness and work. It was also a weirdly temperate month for Maryland weather and we didn’t have to turn our AC on until the end of the month… which I loved.

Let’s take a look at June style…

Office Style

Lots of the three-piece easy outfit combo of blouse + skirt + cardigan this month. What can I say, it just works for work. I enjoyed all my office outfits this month, but the absolute winner is that new red and white embroidered skirt!

I took a gamble when I bought it off Poshmark knowing that the waist was way too tiny for me — but a little snip, snip and some hand-sewing of a new waistband and I’m so thrilled at how it turned out. The fabric is a nice weight cotton with heavy embroidery and it just feels and flows so nicely. It absolutely put a little extra pep in my step for a busy workday and work event!

Weekend Style

On the left is my comfy outfit that I wore for yoga with the alpacas. I do want to highlight that fabulous belt bag — it’s from PopFlex and I love it so much. On the right is what I wore for dinner with my siblings. Those Rothy’s espadrilles are easily becoming a summer favorite, because they’re comfortable and look so cute with everything!

New vs Secondhand Tally

This month, I count 7 items that I purchased retail and 14 items I purchased secondhand!