Waves (hairstyle)

Short 360 Hair Waves (often shortened to waves or "360 waves") is a hairstyle, generally worn by men. The hair is cropped short to the head in the styling of a Caesar cut. There are brushing techniques that will result in the resemblance of "oceanic waves" in the hair. Frequent and repeated brushing (along with adequate moisturizing) is the only way that this hairstyle is maintained- although the amount of brushing may vary from person to person as the type of hair changes. "360 Waves" are the result of curls of hair that unfurl, allowing natural "rows" of roots to be exposed. As the hair lengthens in a process called wolfing, the waver can achieve "deeper" waves by allowing the hair to grow out; preferably 4–10 weeks.

An African-American male displaying a traditional "wave" hairstyle.

A young African-American male displaying the 360 waves hairstyle.

History

There have been similar styles of this haircut dating back to the late 1970s, but the current "360" style of waves rose in popularity in the late 1980s when rappers and R&B artists were seen wearing the hairstyle. Rappers such as Drake, Meek Mill, and Diddy have had waves

Styles

"360 waves" is a style in hjvb which the hair is laid down all around the head in a wavy pattern. For some, "360 waves" are hard to obtain because the style requires a lot of brushing and care, and many people's hair grade ranges from nappy to silky straight and curly. The appearance of waves differs from person to person depending on the texture of their hair and how long they've been maintaining their waves or "waving." Through a popular process called "wolfing" (refraining from getting a as long as possible while constantly brushing your hair in order to train it to stay down and "wave") the wave pattern in your hair will become more defined and pronounced. When finally getting a haircut the "waves" may come out deeper depending on the time spent "wolfing" and the type of haircut you get. Although if people grow their hair out without training it or if the barber cuts hair un even or too low, the waves may disappear. Wolfing takes times and dedication and you cant get your hair cut after 1 week you should at least do 3 weeks.

In the 1950s African American males would straighten their hair with a homemade lye relaxer or one from the barber shop and have a texturizing cream put in for a wave pattern. This was commonly worn by young men in Doo-wop groups. While not involving the use of chemical relaxers, the "wave" style, commonly worn by young African-American men and teens today may be considered to be a new version of the conk, in that the natural hair is artificially waved through use of pomades and pressed [formed] into place using a du rag.

Waves are maintained by daily brushing, weekly washing and conditioning, and wearing a do-rag at night. The more the hair is brushed, the better the waves are. Waves can also be obtained by letting soap dry in the hair, preferably white bar soap.

The steps to obtaining a wave hairstyle are:

1. Get a hair cut
2. Wash hair then dry it and wait for about an hour
3. After an hour, wet the hair with hot water (depending on the hair type) causing the hair to curl up or show its natural wave pattern
4. Brush the hair with a soft or medium brush in desired wave pattern, usually done with the top and back going down and the sides on a 45 degree angle (brush sides more than top and back as waves come slower on sides)
5. Add a moisturizer, although wave greases and products can cause hair to fall out at old age, it would be smart to use something natural and has no additives, for example olive oil which is a good choice for waves. Apply the moisturizer or the olive oil into hair by getting a quarters worth, rubbing it in palm and patting it down on hair the same way hair was brushed evenly on all sides, (this will allow the hair to lay down and give it a good shine).
6. Put a wave cap or a do-rag on, make sure its tight on all sides for at least one hour.
7. Repeat process anytime you like and if done properly, in a matter of 3 months a full flawless 360 pattern will be attained,(depending on hair type).

There are also other processes which can be used to achieve the 360 wave style naturally, such as using shea butter or hair food.