Hi! I’m trying to figure out how to properly style and take care of my natural hair texture, and I’d love some advice from people who know more about wavy/curly hair than I do.

I’ve always brushed my hair out and treated it more or less like straight hair, but recently I’ve been experimenting with styling my natural texture. I’m not really sure what my actual hair type/pattern is, or if I’m getting the most out of it.

I included photos of my hair brushed out/not styled as well as after styling it with my current routine.

My current routine is:  
Olaplex leave-in  
Aussie mousse  
Aussie Freeze gel  
Scrunching

I have a few questions:

1.	⁠What does my natural texture look like to you? Am I styling it correctly, or is there anything obvious I should change?

2.	⁠Is there a way I could get my waves/curls to look more defined or have more volume?

3.	⁠Are there any products you’d recommend for my hair specifically?

4.	⁠Does my hair look damaged/overprocessed and could that be affecting my texture?

I’m also considering going darker and stopping bleach because I’d like to improve the health of my hair, so I’m curious whether that might help my natural texture over time.

Any advice is appreciated! I want to learn how to work with what I naturally have rather than force my hair to be a different texture. 

Advice on styling my natural hair