I had waves when I was a kid, but I started getting treatments as early as 10 years old (I’m not exactly sure what age, but it was around that time).

I got a keratin treatment last December, but I decided to try bringing my waves back since my hair doesn’t respond well to heat styling—it just becomes extremely poofy and frizzy. I started a routine with only a few products last week (1st picture). I used the Maui Moisture Hibiscus shampoo and conditioner, the NYM leave-in, and Gatsby medium hold gel. After doing some research, I tried a new set of products (2nd picture): NYM leave-in, Aussie Instant Freeze gel, and NYM medium hold gel.

The waves only show up when I diffuse or plop and micro-plop with a towel, but barely come out when I scrunch with my hands. My hair looks waviest right after diffusing, but after SOTC and a few hours, it starts to flatten—especially the inner parts (3rd and 4th pictures were taken 6 hours after wash day).

I live in a very humid country. I used to treat my hair like it was straight, and even tried styling it with a thermal brush and straightener, but it always ended up frizzy and poofy.

Am I just “forcing” my waves, or is my hair still damaged from all the treatments I’ve done? Do you think there’s potential for my waves to improve over time with the routine and products I’m using?

Second pic is my hair when I was a kid.

What’s my hair type