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Let’s talk about how to get 360 waves faster, the process for deep “spinnas”. You’ll get EVERY trick and tip that gets you spinning faster with the 360 hairstyle that makes you more attractive to women.
This hairstyle is very suitable for coarse, kinky and coily hair types. It can be mixed with other hair cutting techniques such as fades and tapers with crisp surgical lineups.
Depending on your hair’s texture and if you have a good Black hair care regimen for men, getting waves can take as little as a week or up to several weeks.
STILL THOUGH:
After we give you a clear understanding of the right methods for the 360 wave process, you’ll only need commitment, and a little bit of patience to get the dopest 360 waves on the block. We’re going to go over everything you need to know about how to get waves, including preparation, wolfing to train your hair, and how to maintain your 360 waves look in this complete guide.
After we teach you how to get 360 waves we’ll get into the best 360 wave products like pomades, wave creams and top-notch wave brushes. Before we get to the best hair products for Black men though, let's stick to the “how to” side of the game…
The first step is preparing your hair for 360 waves. Preparing your hair is crucial if you want to get the best results, so make sure to take care of the following steps before you start.
Address Any Issues With Your Scalp
A healthy scalp is a MUST to getting 360 waves, which is why you need to make sure your hair and scalp are in optimal condition.
You should address any issues such as dandruff or dry scalp before starting the 360 waves process. Many anti-dandruff scalp healing shampoos sold online can help eliminate these problems.
You’re also going to want to make sure your hair is healthy. Invest time in repairing dry, damaged hair so that you have the perfect canvas to build your 360 waves.
Get A Haircut
Another part of creating the perfect 360 waves canvas is getting the right haircut. Go to your barber, tell him or her that you’re trying to get 360 waves and ask for a short cut. A good rule of thumb is that you should have a close cut, but it shouldn’t be short enough to see your scalp because brushing a bald scalp will hurt and start to feel raw. You get 360 waves from brushing the hair, not the scalp.
We also recommend getting an edge up since it enhances the wave style when they appear.
Be Ready To Commit
Achieving the 360 waves results you want is a matter of training your hair, and this process requires daily effort. The most critically important part of learning how to get 360 waves is to understand that there’s a commitment involved.
Make sure that you’re ready to invest some serious time in training and styling your hair; otherwise, it’s going to be impossible to get the 360 waves results that women go crazy for.
Once your hair and scalp are healthy, your hair is cut, and you’re ready to commit to getting 360 waves, it’s time to get down to business: it’s time to train your hair. You train hair for 360 waves by brushing your hair to make it lay down, when you’re not brushing it to lay it down you’ll be locking it into a laid down position by tying on a durag or wave cap.
The goal is to make your hair lay down as it continues to grow into your wolf stage.
Wolfing for 360 waves means abstaining from a haircut for extended periods of time while forcing your hair to grow in a laid down state.
During the wolfing period, it is imperative that you go even harder with your brushing, moisturizing and tying down regimen. If you leave wolfed hair loose too much the 360 wave process will fail.
Most wolfing periods last somewhere between 4 to 6 weeks. Watch this video on how to wolf in the 360 wave process…
Brush Your Hair
Brushing is the most critical part of the whole 360 waves process, as this is what trains your hair to create the 360 wave pattern. It’s also the most involved part of creating waves.
A lot of 360 wave experts agree that the best time you should brush your hair is when it’s moist. Keeping that fact in mind, blot your freshly washed hair dry with a towel, and start brushing.
The brushing technique involves starting from the crown of your head, brushing both down and out to make that 360 wave beehive.
For the hair on top of your head, you’re going to want to brush it toward your forehead. For hair on the sides of your head, you should brush forward and down, as if going toward your chin for the 360 wave beehive look.
Work section by section, making sure you don’t miss any part of your head. The whole 360 waves process, when done correctly, can take fifteen minutes or you can go for longer.
If you’re planning to brush after shampooing and conditioning your hair, continue to the moisturizing step below. If you haven’t started with this step, however, you need to put a hot towel over your head.
Soak a towel in hot water, rinse out any excess liquid, and put the towel on your hair for a few minutes, applying pressure.
Repeat this process on all areas of your head.
Even if you have already shampooed and conditioned your hair, you may still want to put the hot towel on your head after brushing.
Doing this helps your hair absorb the moisture from the rag and become softer.
Moisturize
As you can see, there’s a lot of brushing involved in getting the 360 waves you want. Over time, this practice can be pretty damaging to your hair follicles, so throughout the 360 waves training process, it’s vital to keep your scalp moisturized.
Moisturizing has traditionally involved lots of 360 wave pomades, but pomades contain heavy petroleum that gives hair a dense, gooey feel.
Frequent pomade use can block your pores and cause acne, so we recommend using it sparingly unless you have very coarse hair that needs an extreme hold. Instead, look for lighter moisturizers with shea butter and essential oils.
Though moisturizing is a critical part of keeping your scalp healthy, you don’t want to overdo it either. Limit your moisturizing sessions to once or twice per week max if your hair is healthy, and up to three if your hair is dehydrated.
Once you’ve brushed your hair comes the most critical part of the 360 wave process: the durag. Anyone who is trying to get 360 waves should be using a durag or wave cap, no questions asked.
A durag serves a couple of purposes: it protects your 360 waves from the elements and seals in moisture.
When should you wear it? The most hardcore 360 wavers will say that you should always wear your durag, but that’s not necessary, you should put it on nice and tight for atleast thirty minutes after brushing.
Also, you should always wear a durag for 360 waves while sleeping at night, as it will hold your 360 waves in place.
The type of durag you choose is up to you. Satin is one of the more popular fabrics, because it helps keep moisture in while preventing breakage.
Polyester is another common kind of 360 wave durag material, and velvet—though it can be hard to find—is popular at the moment.
Regardless of the type you choose, you should repeat the conditioning, brushing, and durag process faithfully until 360 waves appear.
And if you need some help learning to tie your durag in the NO KNOT METHOD, here’s a video with some helpful pointers to help you avoid durag headaches.
Unfortunately, the hard work isn’t over once your 360 waves have appeared. 360 waves require dedicated upkeep, so don’t let your effort go to waste and follow these steps.
Keep Brushing Your 360s
The primary way to maintain your 360 waves is to keep brushing. Even though you’ve achieved the look you want, that doesn’t mean your brushing days are over. You should continue doing your 360 waves brushing regimen, as well as using a durag at night, which will keep your style intact.
If you notice that you’re having trouble either getting or maintaining the 360 waves style, most of the time, this issue comes down to a lack of brushing or being lazy with tying your 360 waves down. You should be brushing three times a day to keep your waves intact.
Keep Up With Your Haircuts
Haircuts remain an essential part of the 360 waves process especially after a long wolfing session, though you should probably get them less frequently than when you don’t have 360 waves. Aim for somewhere between every two to four weeks, depending on how long you want your hair to be. Your hair will likely be longer than you’re used to, but that just means that your 360 waves will be deeper.
When you go to get your haircut, make sure your barber knows what your 360 waves goals are. The barber should avoid cutting against the grain, or against the direction of your 360 waves.
Avoid Washing 360 Waves Too Much
Less is more when it comes to washing 360 waves. You can rinse your hair as much as you need to, but shampooing should be reserved to just once a week. Always follow your shampoo up with a premium hair conditioner like this one that's infused with biotin.
Speaking of high-quality hair conditioners, let’s transition into talking about the best 360 waves products on the market…
You’re in the right place for finding the best 360 wave products, we’ll point you to some of the best 360 pomades, 360 wave creams, 360 wave brushes, durags, wave caps and more…
There are several shampoos specifically for men who want to get waves. These shampoos are nice to have, but they’re not a must. It’s still possible to get waves using a regular shampoo; depending on your hair needs you can go with an herbal shampoo, a moisturizing hydration shampoo or protein shampoo for damaging high porosity hair.
Here are some of the best 360 wave shampoos…
Concerning how frequently you should wash your hair, you do need to wash during the 360 wave process, but less than normal. Shampoos strip the essential oils out of your hair, so it’s best to only wash once per week at a maximum. Make sure to always use a high quality conditioner after.
Some guys opt for a co-washing method, which means that they skip the shampoo and just use conditioner. This method keeps the essential oils in your hair, and you can still rinse your hair every day.
Here are some of the best 360 wave deep conditioners…
Here are some of the best 360 wave regular conditioners…
Some prefer 360 wave creams over thick pomades because wave cream allows your hair follicles to breathe and promote healthy hair growth. The non-greasy build up allows for everyday use.
Some of the best 360 wave cream ingredients are Shea Butter, Beeswax, Moroccan Oil, Castor Oil, Sweet Almond Oil, Vitamin E and more…
Here are some of the best 360 wave creams…
Here are some of the best 360 wave pomades…
So you might be wondering, why can't I just use a regular brush to get those 360 waves? Well, the reason is twofold. For starters, the bristles in a wave brush are specifically designed for wavy hair and not straight hair.
The bristles are much more coarse so they can withstand the thick hair. The bristles help to also detangle those hair strands without much pulling or tearing.
The next reason is that wave brushes are designed to be long enough to reach the scalp. See, to master the 360 wave hairstyle, your hair must be long enough.
A good 360 waves brush helps you get in there and really rock that 360 waves brush pattern which creates waves.
A common problem many buyers face is that regular brushes are too short in length. Lastly, wave brushes are designed in a way that they create a circular pattern on your hair and provide an even distribution across the scalp. Regular brushes DO NOT do that.
Here are some of the best 360 wave brushes…
Answer: No, you can’t get waves if you have straight hair. Typical 360 waves are coily curl patterns that are stretched and laid down in waves. Many so-called “straight hair wavers” actually have loosely wavy hair instead of fully straight hair. When they put wave styling products in it helps enhance the appearance of the waves and makes them look crisper.
Wondering how long it takes to get 360 waves? The answer depends on your hair's texture and takes into account how much time and effort you put into your 360 waves. The 360 wave process can take anywhere from a couple of weeks to up to six weeks, which is probably the average time it takes to see 360 waves.
ANSWER: The difference between 360 waves pattern and 720 waves pattern is the direction hair is brushed. For a 360 waves pattern, you brush the hair from the crown to the hairline. The 720 wave pattern is swirled sideways in a clockwise direction from the head's crown.
ANSWER: In simple terms, 360 waves (180 waves & 720 waves too) are formed by laying down coils and curls. This 360 wave hair pattern is most commonly seen on Black men and dates back as far as the beginning of the civilization among Egyptians. Waves can be formed by constant wolfing with a hair brush.
ANSWER: 360 waves will last for as long as you maintain your brushing and keep the 360s laid down every night. Wearing a wave cap or do-rag nightly after achieving 360 waves will make them last. Repeat brushing after removing the cap or rag. If you follow this 360 wave process for 10 years your 360 waves will last 10 years.
The maintenance and styling of this mesmerizing 360 waves hairstyle are not so easy as you can see, it takes work and consistency. Overcoming frizzy and tangled hair that refuses to lay down is a difficult job but it isn’t impossible. Time and dedication are needed for good “poppin” 360 waves.
Never underestimate the value of wolfing sessions and using proper wolfing techniques for faster 360 wave results.
Quick Tips For 360 Waves Process
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Melissa Lee
Melissa Lee is a Contributing Editor to NHP and a former owner of the BlackhairOMG website. She formed 4C Trichology Growth Services, LLC., a US based hair care consultation service. She has also contributed as a writer and consultant for various hair and beauty websites. Melissa can be followed on Twitter here.