One of my favourite summer hairstyle is beach waves. The tousled au-natural hair, with the sun shining through it. But, the real question, to the eyes of others, it looks natural, but they have no idea how much work you put into it. Beach waves is the same idea of a “messy bun” while it looks natural, it takes a while to perfect. In today’s blog post I will be teaching you a few tips and tricks on how to get the perfect beach waves, along with a few of my top summer hair-styling products.
When achieving the beach waves look, you can choose between small or big waves. The texture comes with hairspray. There are two ways of the perfect beach waves 1. Overnight, simply with the power of hairspray or 2. With heat. I find that using a flat iron is a bit easier than a curling rod, the result is a bit more tousled too. The overnight method is obviously less damaging to your hair, but this is definitely a time-limit choice, if you last-minute decide to go for beach waves.
- Overnight Method (IMAGE: http://www.gurl.com/2014/04/15/hair-hacks-tips-tricks-how-to-get-beach-waves-diy/)
So like I mentioned earlier, you will need to do this before bed for the full beach waves look. Another option is doing it with damp hair (in the case you desperately want beach waves in the middle of the afternoon); but it does not give you the full perfect look - in my opinion.So Step 1 is to twist your hair into chunks, just keep twisting! TIP: small and tight curls mean curlier the waves. So if you want bigger curls, don't twist too tight and use a bigger chunk of hair. The, step two, is the gather all the twists and pull it to the top.
Step 3, while holding the bundle of hair, spray with hairspray or salt spray (I will talk more about the products later in the blog post). Next, you scope all the twists and any hair strands remaining you twist it all together into a cinnamon bun. It doesn't have to look good or be perfect (you are going to be sleeping in it). Take a very stretchy hair elastic to hold it. Add one more coat of hairspray or salt spray.
Sleep time, now you wait. If you are doing this in the afternoon, let it dry. Once dried or when you wake up. Undo your topknot and using your fingers, comb through it. TIP: Do not use a brush. It de-wave you hair!
This method varies between how you want to twist your hair. Some people twist it in to a big bun, but over the course of time, some twist their hair into a headband, it may even be a bit more comfortable to sleep in. It really depends on how you like it, and it is all about experimenting with your preferences.
- With heat. So using heat for beach waves is not something I do often, or at least as often as I sleep with a twisted bun. I have tried using the curling rod a few times, but I always end up going for the flat iron as I find it much easier to handle.
First thing first, is making sure you hair is dry. I see so many people flat ironing their hair when it is still damp, and I can’t emphasize on how much that damages your hair. So blow dry it, let it air dry. Plus, using the flat iron for curls, it works best with your hair is dry. If it is soaking wet, the process would work out poorly. I use a 1 inch flat iron, I don’t think I have ever used a flat iron that is larger than 1.5 inch. The 1 inch ones are just easier to handle and adjust accordingly. TIP: Keep your heat on medium, it is less damaging and keeps you more flexibility in styling.
The next step is sectioning your hair. If you have thick hair, this part is especially important. It will help you with curling, but this process do take longer. Section your hair by using clips and pins to part it. As you curl, you section less and less.
As you start curling, start from 3 inches down your hair, this will avoid poof. Never start from the top. As you curl, fold the hair backward, away from the face and position for a few seconds to let the curl set. Then, fold forward and let it slide. Again, as you fold it forward, let it set. This is the typical process of making small curls. Continue this throughout the strands of your hair. I personally have very thick hair, so this process takes around an hour or so to complete. TIP: For thick hair, to avoid clumps, alternate between moving the iron forward first and backward first, this will give opposite direction curls.
Examine for missed strands, this is super common for me. And then tousle and spray with hairspray. If this is a look you want for the whole day, and your hair tends to de-curl quick, give you hair a good spray before you start using the flat iron.
VIDEO: check this out, I have seen lots of YouTube tutorials on twist and flat ironing it. I haven’t tried it yet, but definitely looking forward to this summer. Has anyone else tried it?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1hRRp2FzAwA
Products:
So, I only use one product for my beach waves to be 100% honest. I have tried others before and I always come back to renewing this one. The Mai Tais Spritzer Sea Salt spray by Dry Bar. This product is to die for, it smells like heave and it works so well. It keeps my super thick hair intact. It dries in a matte finish, so it doesn’t leave any crunch as I find hairspray somethings give that look. Even on a regular hair day, I would sneak it to give that matte, anti-frizz look. (IMAGE: http://www.sephora.com/mai-tai-spritzer-sea-salt-spray-P386473) Most of my hair products are from Dry Bar, their line is definitely worth trying out! Let me know what other products you use for your perfect beach waves! I have tried TreSemme’s sea spray just a few weeks ago, didn’t love it – pretty average. Perhaps it’s my thick hair that takes such a strong salt spray to keep it up. Ooh, one more product, unrelated to beach waves, but I use it every summer is John Freida’s lightening spray. My hair is like a medium to dark brown, I like a light glow in my hair for the Summer (when the sun reflects off of), this spray is amazing. Give me that little light glow, for a few months and then goes away. Such a gem find! Try it out! (IMAGE: http://www.johnfrieda.co.uk/ProductDetail/Hair-Care/Sheer-Blonde/Go-Blonder-Controlled-Lightening-Spray)