a beachy hair how-to
Unless you are part of the luckiest 1% out there–the tiny slice of the population whose hair naturally lends itself to beachy, princess-y, I-woke-up-looking-like-a-model-today waves–you’ve probably struggled with this quintessential summertime style. It’s been around for ages, and it appears not to be going anywhere. (Thank goodness!) From Brigitte Bardot’s iconic bedheaded soft curls, to Jerry Hall’s legendarily voluminous mane, right on through Blake Lively’s California-girl perfection, this look is gorgeous and surprisingly easy to do…with the right steps.
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Step one: Cleanse hair with a volumizing shampoo and conditioner if your hair is straight, or a texture-enhancing formula for you lucky wavy girls.
Step two: Apply a volumizing product to roots, and a texturizing cream or spray to the midshaft to ends. Blow dry upside down, without a brush. If keeping yourself upside down gives you traumatic schoolyard monkey-bar flashbacks, just tip your head from side to side, flipping your hair each time. Dry to 100% dry.
Step three: Let your hair cool down. To keep that volume you just created going strong, flip your hair a few more times, or clip it in a messy bun on top of your head and go about your business for a few.
Step four: Use a large-barrel curling or waving iron to grab medium-large sections, and wrap away from your face. For extra texture, do a few random curls that turn the opposite direction, so you get a slightly mussed look afterward. When doing this style, for a more easy-breezy feel, don’t curl the last 1-2 inches of each section.
Step five: Spritz all over with a texturizing spray (preferably a dry texture spray–you don’t want to wet the fab curls you just created!), and–only if your hair needs the extra hold–a medium-hold hairspray. Et voila!
Now, remember that because you’re taking larger sections than you ordinarily would for a typical curled style, the goal isn’t curly perfection, it’s slightly waved texture. Each piece of hair doesn’t have to be curled for the same length of time, or even in exactly the same places. Curl the pieces to the level you feel comfortable with. If that simply creates a slight bend in the middle? Fine! If you prefer a touch more polish and choose to go with a root-to-tip curl using those other steps? Great! There’s no wrong way to create your perfect beachy look.
