Monday, March 10, 2014

Beachy Waves - Hair Tutorial

I have been asked many times, on IG, to do a hair tutorial on how I style my hair, so here it is.  I have never done a video tutorial before so I hope I make you proud ladies (and don't look too dorky)!

I will walk you through what I do, and what works for my hair, and hope that you can make it work for your hair too - whether it is long or short.  I have thick, long hair and it is fairly dry, it takes about 5 days before it gets oily and if it does, you really couldn't tell (just me).  It also holds curl really well so if yours doesn't, I would suggest a dry shampoo (I use Tresemme Fresh Start) or root dust (I use Bed Head Sugar Dust) just to make it a little dryer so that it holds the curl (before you start).

I wash my hair on Saturdays, after hot yoga, and use the following products:

I have never used the blue form of this L'Oreal Sulfate Free shampoo and conditioner but the main problem I have is hydration (frizz) so I thought I'd give it a shot.  I love these products and have tried all of the colors (by colors I mean packaging).  The smoothing Lusterizer from S Factor is my fav and I put it on my hair, after I've showered and towel dried it, before combing it out.  In the small bottle is "window cleaner" or "detangler/leave in conditioner" that my bestie made - Apple Cider vinegar and water - it is AMAZING.  Spray it on your hair after towel drying, before the smoother, and it smells horrible but leaves your hair silky and lovely after it dries (and the smell magically disappears!).

I wash my hair once a week (pause for shock!), yep only once a week and right after hot yoga.  I jump in the shower, shampoo twice (I read somewhere it's good for frizz) and then put conditioner in my hair and brush out all the tangles with a big, paddle brush.  Then I get out of the shower, towel dry my hair, spray with the "window cleaner" and then put up in a towel to hang out with Lemon.  Then I  take it out of the towel once it has dried a bit more, put in the smoother and brush it out, parting it on the side or in the middle (whatever I feel like for that week).

Right before I jumped in the shower - a ratty, tangled mess.

I let my hair air dry for the day (yoga is in the morning) and sometimes even put it up, and sleep on it that night.  The next day (Sunday), I style it.  I do not use a blow dryer and think that helps my hair.  If I'm in a rush, or have something fancy to do on Saturday night (and couldn't wash it Friday) I will blow dry it and then style it the same day, but that rarely happens.  It's just easier this way and breaks up the styling process - and gives me more time to spend with my muffin.  :)

After I've slept on it (and tied it back), kind of wavy on it's own but not in a cute way.

Here are the tools I use:

Hot Tools Ceramic Straightener and Hot Tools 1 inch Tapered Curling Wand (I don't necessarily like the taper and think I would prefer one that was the same width all the way down but this is the one I have for some reason).

I divide my hair in half (as if you were going to have low pigtails) and then start on one side of my head.  First I use the straightener to tame away the frizz - only going from my roots down about 3 inches.  Then I use the curling wand, about 6 inches down from the top, to make beachy waves.  Both heat up for about 20-30 minutes before I start and the wand isn't set on the highest setting, it's using about 2/3 of its full heat.

I start on one side and wrap one inch sections around the wand and just keep going, running my fingers through the waves as I go.  I only hold the wand on my hair for about 3 seconds, if you hold it there longer you will end up with curls instead of waves.  If a part does get too curly, wrap your hair around the wand going the other direction, or use the straightener and start over.

Here is an 8 minute video of the whole process:

And here is the finished product:

My hair this morning (after sleeping on it last night):

In a rush this morning, couldn't take a remote pic!  Also didn't have time to take my nail polish off!  Ha.

And today at work, after re-curling some sections:

Forgive my tired eyes (and more curls than waves), someone was up in the middle of the night for the first time in MONTHS so I was off my game this morning!

I won't brush my hair all week, just keep re-curling sections that come un-curled, and then maybe put it up on Friday for work, just because I am over curling it or it is kind of ratty by then.  Saturday morning I will wash it again and do the same next week (or try a different style).  This is usually the way I wear my hair, most of the time, because it's easy and requires very little maintenance, but looks like it takes a lot of effort.  :)

If you try beachy waves yourself, tag me in your pictures so I can see them!  Can't wait to see how they turn out!  :)

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  1. Hello!! I have always admired your stellar wavy hair and wasn't too sure how you got the look.. I cannot wait to try this!! I think our hair is very similar in texture so I am hoping I can pull this off! yay! I too live in AZ (Tempe) so I am hoping if I can pull this off it will save me from using my blow dryer when its 110 out!!
    Thank you so much for sharing! :)

    1. Aw Rachael, thanks! Let me know how it turns out! My bathroom is SO hot in the summer, I refuse to use my blow dryer!!

  2. You are gorgeous!! I do have a question for you. My hair is a little shorter than yours, does your hair ever get really tangled at the nape of your neck? I pretty much have the same routine you do, but find that I get "nests" at the nape of my neck if I don't brush it out every so often. I don't like to brush it b/c it takes some of the curl out, so I was just wondering if you have had this happen and how you fix it!

    1. Thanks girl! Yes my hair gets super tangled and kind of matted underneath. I run my fingers through it all day long, at school, and try to separate it and that helps a bit. You could also just brush it out and then re-wave those parts, I've done that before too. :)

  3. Woo I pretty much do the same thing with different products haha. But I have the Hot Tools 1.5 inch wand and it's not tapered, thank goodness! We have similar hair it seems :)

    1. Yay! I need to get a wand that's not tapered, for sure!

    2. And thanks for buying an ad, girl! I hope it brought you some visitors!! xoxo

  4. Yay! good tutorial! Recently since having babe #2 ive stopped blow drying. I usually wash at night and air dry then sleep on it (my hair can be crazy) so that helps flatten it lol. Then curl in am! Man i wish i could go 1 full week!!! lucky!! I can maybe do 3 days- with dry shampoo of course!

    1. Washing only once a week and not blow drying definitely saves time, even washing every 3 days! I'm all about saving time with a babe! :)

  5. Dear, your blog is fabulous! I like your photos & your style!
    Everything is perfect!

    would you like to follow each other?

    will be happy to see you in my blog!

    1. I followed you! Do you have a blog button? If so, we could trade buttons and swap ads. Let me know! :)

  6. you have the most amazing hair! i don't wash my hair very often either.. i use heat a lot on it and i feel like it helps with the damage? (or at least makes me feel better about it. ha.)

  7. Great tutorial! love beachy waves for spring/summer