Tips for the Best Beach Waves

Whether with long hair or short, I've always been a big fan of the wavy look but I've always struggled to achieve this beachy vibe. My hair is stubborn and has never held a curl well so it's taken me a while to find a routine that works well for getting the beach-y look and today I thought I'd share it with you in what I call 'The 3 T's' - treatment, tools and technique. I used to think I had to blast my hair with a ton of hairspray and weigh it down with lots of product but now I've found a routine that doesn't need that at all! Let's break it down...

Tip 1: The treatment

Beach spray has been an absolute game changer for my hair. I've been experimenting with a few sprays but the winner for me is Herbivore's Sea Mist. It smells incredible - like a coconut-y tropical dream, plus Herbivore is a brand that is all about using real natural ingredients and no chemicals. (Read a bit more about why I love them here). This spray is made from ingredients like Aloe Vera which is lightweight and moisturizing and Sea Salt to create a mist with the same salinity as sea water to naturally texturize your hair. I use this spray on my hair when it's damp and again after it's dry before I begin to curl.

Tip 2: The proper tools

Now if you have and love a diffuser for your blow dryer, this might be all you need but for me, I prefer to let my hair dry naturally to about 80% then I finish it off with a blow dryer. The next step is my curling wand. When my hair was longer I'd use a different wand but now that it's shorter, I've gone with a mini wand which does the trick just fine. 

Tip 3: The technique

Thanks to my girlfriend who does my hair I now know the secret trick to achieving more natural looking waves and that trick is to rotate the direction of your curl. I usually section my hair into thirds as I curl (lower, mid and top sections) then I work my way around starting by one ear and working my way to the other. I start my front curl and curl in an outward direction, hold for about 10 seconds then curl the next piece in an inward direction. By switching up the direction of your curl you achieve a messier AKA more natural look. When I finish I run my fingers through my hair, blast with another spray of my Sea Mist and I'm ready to go! Hot tip: this usually looks better the next day so I try to do this in the evening so I'm good to go for the next morning.