The Basics
Step 1 – Starts with a wash
Begin by washing your hair with Elvive Extraordinary Oil Shampoo, which provides gentle care for your hair. Clean hair is key if you’re going to be layering on the styling products needed to create this look. In this instance, don’t apply conditioner. Your hair will need to be as light as possible so it doesn’t weigh down any curls you create.
Step 2 – Towel dry
Once your hair is washed, you’ll need to give it a quick towel dry. This step is important regardless of hair texture. You want to ensure that your hair is damp, rather than fully dry, and frizz-free so use a pat-and-scrunch drying method rather than a rubbing one.
Step 3 – Apply product
With damp, towel-dried hair, flip your head completely over and generously apply a salt spray. By flipping your head over, it’s much easier to ensure your ends are totally covered and your roots have been avoided. From here, you have a couple of different options.
For loose, natural waves, let your hair dry naturally. If, however, you’re ready for glamorous waves with full volume, you have a couple more steps to complete.
Step 4 – Rough dry
Lightly apply a heat protecting spray like Elnett Heat Protect Styling Spray. Using your favourite blow dryer on a high setting, begin to blow dry your hair. Run your fingers through your hair roughly to separate and give definition and volume. Using a brush will disrupt whatever definition you’ve already created, so always use your fingers.
Step 5 – Boost your curl
Turn on your curling tongs and section your hair as they heat. Once they’re hot, begin curling from the bottom by wrapping various-sized sections around the tongs, holding for 5-7 seconds each.
Step 6 – Finish the look
Once your entire head has cooled, you can leave your curls tight for a more event-ready, finished look or lightly run your fingers through them so they blend more seamlessly together. Either way, your go-to last step is a good hairspray like Elnett Satin for maximum staying power.
How to Get Beach Waves For Your Hair Texture
While the basic steps are the same, catering your beach hair routine to your hair texture is the difference between a style that lasts and one that falls flat.
For fine hair The amount of product makes all the difference for fine hair. If you get the urge to use spritz after spritz of your salt spray, back away. Using two sprays at most and only in the mid-section of your strands will help your hair stay light and bouncy all day long.
If you have fine hair, it’s also helpful to rough drying rather than turning to your tongs. Use your fingers to roughly blow dry until your hair is only 30 percent damp and then scrunch again and let the air do the rest.
For naturally wavy or curly hair With hair that’s naturally wavy or curly, the goal is to make your beach waves look intentional. To do this, you’ll want to go through the above steps but this time, when you apply product, use your fingers to run it down your strands – almost like you’re stretching your curls out. Then air dry or rough blow dry on a medium-to-light heat to avoid frizz.
For thick, straight hair Thick hair takes a little extra oomph to help give it the beach look. Adding a curl-ready mousse will help to give you the extra definition you need. Work it into your hair and then, using a medium to large barrel curling iron, wrap different sized strands around for a loose, natural-looking curl. Finish the look with Steps 4-6 above.
For coarse or frizzy hair The key to achieving beach waves with coarse hair is moisture. As with all other textures, the above will largely stay the same, but add moisture to your locks with a 3-4 pumps of your favourite hair oil, like L’Oreal Elvive Extraordinary Oil before you begin to curl.
