If you’ve spent any time on TikTok lately, you’ve probably seen a girl with impossibly bouncy, golden waves scrunching her hair in front of a bathroom mirror. That’s Greta Wilson. She basically single-handedly convinced half the internet that they don't actually have "frizzy straight hair," but are just one bowl method away from a masterpiece.
Honestly, it's kinda wild how one person’s morning routine can launch a thousand "I tried the Greta Wilson hair routine" videos. But here’s the thing: most people mess it up because they skip the weird parts. You can't just slap on some gel and hope for the best.
The "Sopping Wet" Rule You’re Probably Ignoring
Greta is very specific about one thing. Your hair has to be dripping. Not damp. Not "towel-dried for five minutes." We are talking "just stepped out of the shower and haven't even looked at a towel yet" wet.
Why? Because water is the ultimate primer for wavy hair. When your hair is saturated, the water helps the curls "clump" together. If you wait until it's damp, you’re just inviting frizz to the party.
Most people make the mistake of drying their hair slightly so they don't drip on the floor. Greta? She does the whole routine right there in the shower or leaning over the sink. It’s messy. It’s wet. But it’s the only way to get those defined spirals without the fuzzy halo.
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The Viral Product Stack
She isn't super gatekeepy about her products, which is refreshing. While she’s done a massive collab with Not Your Mother’s, her core "OG" routine usually involves a very specific layering system. You can't just use one product; it’s about the chemistry of the stack.
The Foundation: Curl Cream
She often reaches for the Not Your Mother’s Curl Talk Defining Cream or sometimes the Ouai Curl Crème. You rake this through the mid-lengths to ends. It’s basically the "lotion" for your hair. It keeps the moisture locked in so the next steps don't turn your hair into a haystack.
The Volume: Mousse
This is where the magic happens. Greta has used everything from the Pattern by Tracee Ellis Ross Mousse to the NYM Curl Talk Activating Mousse.
The trick is the "scrunch." You don't just rub it in. You cup your hair in your palms and push it up toward the scalp. You’ll hear a "squelch" sound. If you don't hear that sound, you need more water.
The Shield: Kinky-Curly Curling Custard
This is the one product Greta rarely swaps out. It’s a gel-custard hybrid that looks a bit like slime. It’s "the scariest step" because it feels heavy, but it’s what creates the "cast."
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A cast is that crunchy feeling you get when your hair dries. Most people panic and think they ruined their hair. Don't. You need the crunch. The crunch is a protective cocoon that keeps the waves from falling apart while they dry.
The Scrunch and the Plop
Once the products are in, she doesn't just walk away. She uses a microfiber towel or a cotton T-shirt. Regular bath towels are too rough; they have tiny loops that snag the hair cuticle and cause frizz instantly.
- The Microfiber Scrunch: She uses the towel to squeeze out the excess water after the product is in.
- The Plop: Sometimes she "plops" her hair—basically wrapping it in the towel on top of her head for 10-20 minutes. This helps the roots get some lift so they don't dry flat against her head.
Stop Air-Drying Everything
A lot of "natural" routines tell you to avoid heat like the plague. Greta? She’s a fan of the Dyson Supersonic with the diffuser attachment, or the Shark HyperAIR.
The "hover-diffuse" technique is key. You don't jam the dryer into your hair immediately. You hold it a few inches away and let the air "set" the gel cast. Once it’s mostly dry, then you can go in and "scrunch" the hair with the diffuser bowl to get that 2026-level volume.
SOTH: The Final Step
SOTH stands for Scrunch Out The Crunch. This is the "Aha!" moment. Once your hair is 100% dry—and I mean bone dry—it will feel stiff. You take a tiny bit of hair oil (she often uses Olaplex No. 7 Bonding Oil) and you scrunch your hair one last time.
The crunch breaks away, leaving behind soft, bouncy waves that actually hold their shape. If you do this while the hair is even 5% damp, you will get frizz. Patience is the hardest part of the Greta Wilson hair routine.
What People Get Wrong
The biggest misconception is that this routine works for everyone. If you have truly pin-straight hair, no amount of Kinky-Curly Custard is going to give you Greta's waves. It’s designed to enhance what you already have.
Also, the "weight" of the products matters. If you have very fine hair, using a heavy cream plus a mousse plus a gel might weigh your waves down until they look like sad noodles. You might need to skip the cream and go straight to a light mousse.
How to Handle Day Two
Nobody wants to do this whole song and dance every single morning. Greta usually "refreshes" by misting her hair with water to reactivate the products already in there.
She also sleeps with her hair in a "pineapple"—a very loose ponytail on the very top of her head—using a silk scrunchie. This keeps her from crushing the waves while she sleeps.
Actionable Next Steps:
- Check your porosity: If your hair takes forever to get wet, you have low porosity and need lighter products.
- Buy a spray bottle: A continuous mist bottle is a lifesaver for refreshing waves without soaking your whole head.
- Start with the basics: If you're on a budget, get the Not Your Mother's Curl Talk trial kit. It has the cream, mousse, and gel for under $20.
- Focus on the "Squelch": Next time you wash your hair, add product while it's dripping and listen for that wet, squelching sound. That's the sound of a successful routine.
By the time you finish your first "scrunch out the crunch," you'll probably realize your hair had a lot more personality than you gave it credit for.