The beach holds a special place in our collective hearts. A day spent at the beach is something worth celebrating. As such, looking like you just came from the beach can be nearly as satisfying. After all, the beach look will always be in, and thats why beach waves hair is such a timeless style.
What Is Beach Waves Hair?
“Beach waves” is a popular hairstyle that has been gracing the heads of surfers, celebrities, and beach enthusiasts for decades. An ideal summer look (and just as striking when temperatures drop), beachy waves create a natural tousled effect of relaxed curls and simple texture.
Traditionally, this comes from the salty sea air of the coast seeping into the follicles, making the hair look thicker and more full of life. Is visiting the shoreline the only way to beach up your hair? Of course not!
Want to know how to get beach wave hair? we’re going to share four different ways you can capture the style of the beach — no matter how far inland you may be!
Beach Wave Hair Method #1: Curling Wand
Need relaxed, textured curls but don’t have a lot of time? A curling wand is a quick and easy solution for natural waves. Here’s how to make it happen:
- Start by washing your hair; follow up by applying a product with heat protection such as N°.9 BOND PROTECTOR NOURISHING HAIR SERUM which provides heat protection up to 450 degrees. Brush and blow-dry your hair to create a smooth, straight canvas on which to create your beachy wave masterpiece. This is especially important if you already have naturally wavy or curly hair. PRO TIP: For added body and bounce, apply VOLUMIZING BLOW DRY MIST to the roots before blow drying.
- Separate your hair into several thick sections, tying back the areas you are not currently working on and leaving one or two sections free at a time for you to curl.
- Using a one-inch diameter curling wand, curl one section of your hair at a time. Wrap the hair loosely around the wand (not too tight). Leave a few inches of hair at the end of each section uncurled.
- When you get to the hair on the top of your head, lift tease sections away from your scalp as you curl, and don't leave them in contact with the curler for very long.
- Go back and fix any sections that don't seem to have curled properly. Just remember, the goal here is to create a natural look, overdoing it can ruin the overall effect and make everything look too intentional.
- Finish by applying OLAPLEX N°.7 BONDING OIL and lightly running your fingers through your hair and gently shaking everything out to blend the different sections together and add a beautiful shine.
Beach Wave Hair Method #2: Flat Iron
For shorter to medium-length hair, you can get authentic-looking beach wave curls using a standard flat iron curler. Just follow these steps:
- Start by applying a dry shampoo like N°4D CLEAN VOLUME DETOX DRY SHAMPOO to remove any excess oil and buildup so you start with a clean canvas. As with the previous tip, use a heat protectant to protect your hair from excess heat — otherwise, the iron could damage your hair's keratin proteins and cause it to become brittle.
- Consider taking 1-2 taps (or about 10 milliliters) of hair oil such as OLAPLEX N°.7 BONDING OIL and working it into the ends of your hair for some extra shine. Don't apply the oil to your roots, as this can make your hair look oily.
- Separate your hair into mid-sized sections. One section at a time, grip the hair with your flat iron a few inches down from the scalp, twist it slightly so that the hair is wrapped partially around the iron, and then pull the iron slowly down along the length of the section. Release the section before you get to the ends of your hair so that they stay straight.
- Repeat the process section by section. Switch things up periodically, alternating between curing sections forward and curling them backward to create a more natural look.
- The flat iron is also useful for straightening out any ends that may have gotten overly curled during the process.
- Run your fingers through your hair to separate and blend the different sections together. Follow up with a little more volumizer. Add some hairspray to enjoy light beach waves that last all day!
Beach Wave Hair Method #3: Overnight Braids
Not too keen on heat-based styling tools? Not to worry! Beautiful beachy waves can still be yours without the risk of damaging your hair. The overnight braids approach takes a little more time than using a wand or an iron, but the good news is that you probably won't notice — you'll be asleep!
- Start by getting your hair damp. You can achieve this either by washing your hair and letting it air-dry until it's almost dry, or by lightly misting your dry hair with water.
- Apply a serum such as N°.9 BOND PROTECTOR NOURISHING HAIR SERUM throughout your hair to help provide definition to your air dried style.
- Separate your hair into sections. Braid each section, making sure to tug lightly at the braid's plait to keep it from getting too tight; this will help ensure that the final effect looks relaxed instead of crimped. Tie off the ends with small hair elastics. If your hair is naturally very straight, consider using some hairspray to help it set.
- Go to sleep and let the magic happen.
- When you wake up in the morning, remove the elastics from the ends of your braids and work from the bottom of each braid to gently unravel the plait. Don't rake your fingers through or your hair may end up looking more frizzy than beachy.
- Shake the hair out to blend it, and you've got beach waves without the heat!
Beach Wave Hair Method #4: Headband
For our final beachy hair approach, we’d like to share another heatless wonder sure to help you make some waves. The headband method offers all of the heat-free waves without the need to braid. All you need is a fabric headband, some elastics, and a little bit of prep time.
- Separate your hair down the middle into two semi-even sections. Lightly brush out any tangles.
- Place the headband over your hair around the crown of your head. Gently tug on the ends of your hair to keep it from bunching up around the headband.
- Starting at about ear level and working your way down, spray one section of your hair with water until it is slightly damp. Use your fingers to work the water into your hair and redistribute it to dry sections if you need to.
- Grab the damp section and start twisting it from the top until you've twisted a few inches of the section.
- Lift up the section, still twisted, and insert it into the headband from the top, pulling it down so that the twisted section is wrapped around the headband.
- Continue twisting the untwisted section of your hair, lifting and tucking it into the headband, pulling it through, and repeating the process until you've almost reached the end of that section of hair.
- Follow the same steps for the other section of your hair — dampen the hair with water, twist it, wrap it around the headband, repeat, and continue doing so until that entire section is wrapped up in the headband.
- Spray the wrapped-up sections with hairspray to help them set. Let your hair sit for at least an hour (you can also sleep on it) to let it dry and take shape.
- Check to make sure the hair is fully dry, and when it is, slowly unwind it from the headband. Remove the headband once you're finished.
- Use a small amount of OLAPLEX N°.7 BONDING OIL to complete the look and add shine.
- You can get different effects by using scrunchies, hair ties, etc. to wind and bind your hair before you shake it out — just be careful to avoid causing damaging tangles. Feel free to experiment to see what kinds of results you can achieve!
Catch the Wave with OLAPLEX
There are many approaches that you can take to achieve perfect beach wave hair. Whichever method you choose, you can create your healthiest-looking styles with the right hair care products. OLAPLEX has hair repair treatments and healthy hair styling products to help you achieve an effortless beach-front look, sans the sand.
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