Master Beachy Waves No Matter Your Hair Type

Photo: MCV Photo.Summer is all about low-maintenance style and natural, barely-there beauty. The heat, humidity, and warm summer rays call for a beauty routine focusing on minimal makeup, a neutral palette, and unfinished, effortlessly-chic strands. My go-to hairstyle for summer is the beachy wave: Simple and quick, a little mess and frizz actually adds to the casual, undone look.



Perfect for warm weather, the textured, beachy wave doesn’t actually require a day of surf or sun. Here are my simple wet-to-dry steps to get the perfect tousled tresses for hair of every texture.



Straight Hair

Wash hair with a curl- or wave-defining shampoo and conditioner. Then, run a wide-toothed comb through your wet hair, and generously apply a wave spray all over, concentrating on the mid-shaft to ends (as opposed to the scalp). To create more volume for naturally straight hair, flip your head upside down and blowdry until it’s about 50% dry. Flip your head back over once hair is halfway dry and continue to blowdry. To create added waves and body, massage your hands throughout head as you blowdry. Don't use a brush, as straight locks will always gravitate away from holding a curl.



Once your hair is 100% dry, use a curling iron to create loose curls. For longer hair, I recommend a 1 1/4-inch barrel. And, for shorter hair, choose a curling iron with a smaller barrel, approximately one inch. If you want tighter waves, opt for the one-inch iron, and if you're looking for slightly looser waves, choose the 1 1/2-inch iron. When curling your hair, section off strands starting from the back first and moving toward the face. Take two-by-two-inch sections (or smaller sections if you have very dense hair, or want the waves to be tighter), and begin wrapping the hair around the curling iron, leaving part of the ends out. Make sure you wrap the hair in a motion away from your face. As a general rule of thumb, wrap your hair around the curling iron for just a few seconds — the idea is to get texture without completely curling the hair. After the waves are in place, flip your head over and run your hands through the hair with a pomade, wax, or paste. Scrunch the ends to separate the strands and create added texture.

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