How to Achieve Beachy Waves
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Over the past few years, the tousled beach wave look has proven to be much more than a passing trend. It’s a hairstyle with staying power, possibly on its way to iconic status. Inspired by that perfectly mussed-up state our salt-infused hair gets in after a day at the beach, the look is seemingly unfussy, effortlessly chic. But, the truth is — much like the no-makeup makeup look — if there isn’t a massive body of saltwater on hand, achieving this style actually takes some effort.
My attempts at doing my own hair have successfully failed time and time again, and although I have many products in my beauty cabinet, none of them seemed to do the trick. I have fine hair and was most likely using products for different hair textures unknowingly. Shu Uemura although not cheap, really has some great products.
I found a few products and a system that works for me to achieve beachy waves. Follow along.
Apply a drop of oil. I like Moroccan oil because it smells like the beach. My stylists tell me it weighs down thin hair, but it works for me. It helps with the tiny frizzes.
Once your hair is dry, take angled sections rather than ones that go straight across (this makes the hair lay softer and more natural) and add a wave with a wand. I recommend this one by Hot Tools. For shorter hair, use a one-inch barrel and for longer locks, a wider barrel will give a looser wave. Wrap the hair around the wand, only from the middle to about an inch from the ends. After you drop the curl, lightly tug on the end to loosen the wave. If you want an extra tousled look, twist the hair before you curl it. Once your head is done, finish it off with a volumizing texture spray.I’ve always been a fan of that perfectly undone, quintessentially California girl look, and with a few new products I’ve been able to master it.
Lift Your Roots. If your roots feel a little flat or need a bit more edge, sprinkle some Kevin Murphy Powder Puff and massage through to add volume and dryness — just like you’d have during a day at the beach.
Protect your locks. These heat-protecting products. Too much of a good thing can’t be good.
Second Day Hair? No problem. I use this dry shampoo on the second and sometimes third day of not washing my hair to keep all the waves in tact.
Finish the Ends. Finish off the look with this light cream wax to smooth out the hairline and control any flyaways. I like the Shu Uemura wax as it holds my hair together. You can also apply it to the ends if you want a little more pieceyness.
How do you your hair? Fill me in in the comments below.
Photo: Lydia Hudgens
