Wavy hair spent years without a name of its own. It was either straight hair having a bad day or curly hair that had given up. In the 1990s, the stylist Andre Walker created a hair typing chart that gave it a place, type 2, split into 2A, 2B and 2C, from loose S-shaped bends to defined waves that are nearly curls. In 2001, Lorraine Massey's book Curly Girl pushed the idea further, teaching people to stop fighting their texture. I also put together Best Curl Products for Wavy Hair: Cleanse, Define and Hold.

The main thing wavy hair needs from shampoo is to be left alone. Waves are easily weighed down, so heavy, rich shampoos made for curls can flatten them, while harsh ones leave the ends dry and frizzy. The best shampoo for wavy hair cleans the scalp well, rinses light and leaves some moisture behind. I went deeper on a related idea in Shampoo for Wavy Frizzy Hair: Wash Day Shampoos and Conditioners.

For regular washing, I lean toward volumizing shampoos, because they are built to be light. Amika's Big Hit is lightweight but still hydrating. Bumble and bumble's Thickening Volume shampoo removes buildup and gives soft, movable volume. Crown Affair's Volumizing Shampoo is a gel made for oily, flat hair, and BondiBoost's Thickening Therapy lifts at the roots. Kérastase's Gloss Absolu shampoo is the one for frizzy waves, gently clarifying with up to four days of frizz control. If you want to keep going, A Nurse, a Kitchen Table and Mielle Shampoo: How One Founder Built a Hair Empire is the one I would read next.

Once a week, clarify. Styling products build up on waves faster than on most textures, and buildup is what makes them droop. OUAI's Detox Shampoo uses apple cider vinegar, K18's Peptide Prep Detox removes buildup and sebum while staying color safe, and Olaplex's No. 4C is a weekly clarifying wash that restores shine.

Conditioner is where most people with waves go wrong. They use too much, too close to the roots, and wonder why their hair hangs flat by noon. The fix is a light formula applied only from the middle of your hair to the ends.

Verb's Ghost Conditioner is made exactly for this, with moringa oil for fine hair that weighs down easily. Moroccanoil's Extra Volume Conditioner adds body and shine to fine, limp hair, and Amika's Big Hit conditioner matches the shampoo, light and hydrating. Bumble and bumble's Thickening Volume conditioner plumps each strand for a fuller look, and Crown Affair's Volumizing Conditioner is a gel formula for oily, flat hair.

BondiBoost's Thickening Therapy conditioner uses biotin, vitamin B5 and hyaluronic acid to make strands look thicker. For thicker or damaged waves, OUAI's Medium Hair Conditioner is color safe and fights frizz and breakage, and Olaplex's No. 5 is concentrated and strengthening, better for medium to coarse hair.

Here is a trick many wavy-haired people swear by. Leave a little conditioner in, rinse only partially, then scrunch your hair upward with the water still in it. The waves clump together and form before you have even picked up a styling product. Detangle in the shower with your fingers or a wide-tooth comb while the conditioner is still in, and never brush waves once they are dry, unless you want a cloud.

Styling is where waves really come alive. The goal is to encourage the wave that is already there, with hold light enough to move.

Wave sprays are the easiest. Dae's Hibiscus Wave Spray is lightweight, for soft waves, and IGK's Beach Club is a salt-free texture spray that adds volume without drying hair out. Oribe's Dry Texturizing Spray builds volume and grip at the roots on the second or third day.

For more definition, mousses and foams give hold without weight. Verb's Curl Foaming Gel has the definition of a gel with the light feel of a mousse, and Pattern's Curl Mousse gives weightless volume and touchable hold, lovely for 2C waves that are close to curls.

Creams are for frizz and thicker waves. Moroccanoil's Curl Defining Cream and Fenty Beauty's Homecurl both define and fight frizz, and JVN's Air Dry Cream is the one to use if you want soft, touchable waves without any crunch.

Apply styling products to soaking wet hair, then scrunch. Let it dry on its own or use a diffuser on low, and do not touch it until it is completely dry. Once it is, scrunch again to break any stiffness, and the waves will stay soft and separate for the rest of the day. Layering a spray over a cream is fine, but start with one product and add the second only if the first is not enough.

Most wavy hair looks best on the second day, once natural oils have settled in. Washing every two or three days, with a clarifying wash once a week, keeps it clean without stripping it. On the days in between, a little water and a scrunch revive the waves.

Sleep on a silk or satin pillowcase, or loosely pile your hair on top of your head, to keep waves from getting crushed overnight. And swap your bath towel for a cotton T-shirt, which absorbs water without roughing up the hair. Small changes, but they add up to waves that look like they happened on their own. And if your waves change with the weather, that is normal, so keep a lighter and a richer product on hand. If you want to keep browsing, I also put together Curl Cream for Wavy Hair That Will Not Weigh Waves Down and Best Shampoo and Conditioner for Frizzy Wavy Hair.