Mine never worked before either, but at the age of 47 I finally discovered that just doing a complete wet down in the AM I can go 3-4 days without a full shampoo. So none of this "light misting" nonsense, you need to spray the heck out of your hair with water and reapply some product and air dry or diffuse all over again. I've noticed that for me, the volume increases each day until I shampoo again.

Anonymous wrote:For me the answer is using a lot of product on a wash day (enough that it is crunchy when it dries- then I scrunch it out.) That seems to lock in the curl better so it lasts longer.

I do this, too. And 2nd/3rd day, I lightly spray with water and scrunch to reactivate the gel and cast. Then scrunch again if it dries crunchy.

For me the answer is using a lot of product on a wash day (enough that it is crunchy when it dries- then I scrunch it out.) That seems to lock in the curl better so it lasts longer.

A bonnet is the answer. I know it seems goofy to sleep with a hat, but this is the only way to get decent curls on day 2,3, etc. I don't often use one, but I'm OK with a bit of frizz and my curls being a bit wonky. As another poster noted, a shag haircut is very forgiving.

Anonymous wrote:OP here,one of the reasons I ask is so I can have a good hair day in the early morning when needed for an event, without giving a crazy amount of time to dry. Diffusers and I don't get along.

So I need a solution when it needs to be nice and dry by 9 am or earlier.

Spraying with a bit of water should dry pretty quickly. My hair takes longer to dry on wash days.

I'd figure out the diffuser. You'll get much better results. I usually diffuse to about 80 or 90% dry and then blast some heat in my car on the way to work to get out any remaining damp.