Despite not being a morning person, I’ve developed enough of a solid routine to make it somewhat more bearable so that I can go about my day. At least two things give me some semblance of joy when my morning cortisol is spiking: a hot cup of coffee and the five-ish minutes I get to zone out and style my hair for the day.

I’ve been blessed with a thick, luscious, full head of hair, and for years, I’ve cycled through various hairstyles—fringes, side parts, slick backs, etc. These days, I’ve settled on a bit of a longer cut, pushed back, up, and off of my face with longer slicked back sides and just a tad of wispiness at the nape of the neck. Not quite a mullet, but if I were to enlist, those stragglers surely wouldn’t fly. Keeping all of those strands in place is heavy work, especially considering the weight and density of my hair. A product that’s too light will make my hair go flat, and anything that’s too heavy will weigh my locks down. Through my search for a hair product that actually works for me, Moroccanoil’s Texture Clay pulled its weight to shimmy its way into the leaderboard of hair styling products for me. Now, if you have five minutes to spare and enough fuzz on the dome, here’s how I style my hair as part of my AM routine.

Step 1: Wet the hair

You’re always going to want to start with damp hair. So if you just hopped out of the shower, you’re already off to a great start. Otherwise, dampen that hair and dry it just enough so you’re not sopping wet. It’s important to start with slightly wet hair so that it’s easier to manage and gives you a clean base to play with.