Elevate your warm-weather hair with these cool-girl beachy looks. Introducing the new ways to rock an après-surf vibe and get instant selfie-worthy hair.
MERMAID WAVES
This style may look weather-worn and messy, but it’s not just a case of dunking your head in the ocean and hoping for the best. There’s actually a bit of skill in recreating this look so it doesn’t end up as a salted tangled mess. Start by working a small amount of curling cream through wet hair from mid-length to ends. “This will prevent frizz and give the waves definition,” explains hairstylist Sarah Laidlaw, who created these looks. She suggests sleeping in tiny plaits so that when you go to the beach the next day you’ll have tight waves to begin with. Shake out the curls with your fingers and give the strands a good dose of sea salt spray until hair goes quite wet. “This will hold the curls for the day without being crunchy,” she says.
SAILOR’S KNOT
What’s not to love about a top knot framed by a halo of messy flyways? Think scruffy and unkempt but way cooler than a slick, glossy chignon. Laidlaw says the key to this look is all in the prep. “If your hair is too squeaky clean, it’ll just fall out the minute you put it up and lay flat to your head,” she says. Her advice for the best hair stack is to wash your mop the day before and let a day at the beach give you natural texture. Next, tip your head upside down and ruffle with your fingers, spraying in a texture spray as you go. “This’ll give it that matte, gritty look so that when it’s piled up high it will stay in place,” Laidlaw adds. Divide hair into two high ponytails, secure each one with a clear hair elastic, then tie them together by twisting up on top of your head. Secure in place with bobby pins, hiding the hair elastics as you go, and pull your hair down across your forehead to create a messy fringe. Fix any loose flyways with a hair paste keeping the overall texture fun and piecey.
ISLAND BRAIDS
This beach braid isn’t as tricky as it looks. Not only will it keep hair away from your face, however even after a dip, the salt will give it structure but keep the ends soft. First, damp down hair with a texture spray tousling it in with your fingers. “This will give it some grip for when you start to braid the hair,” explains Laidlaw. The braids are going to run across the top of your head from ear to ear, so start off by taking a small section of hair on the crown and braid it back, but only as far as the base of your head. If you have fine hair, don’t be afraid to experiment by weaving hair extensions within the plait. “It’s an instant way to thicken it up,” advises Laidlaw, who recommends using a lighter shade of hair to add a contrast to your own. Secure each braid with a bobby pin. To make sure that they’re concealed, pin them up and into the braid. Allow the rest of your hair to flow freely at the back of your head and spritz with a texture a spray to make sure that the overall look is tousled, fresh and oh-so beachy.
SURF SWEEP
There’s nothing better than disguising a bad hair day with a head scarf, especially if the man of tonight’s dreams has just walked into the beach BBQ. Start by spritzing a bit of texture spray on dry hair. “This’ll add instant body and give the hair that gritty, not-too-polished feel,” says Laidlaw, who created these looks. If your hair is super-fine and lacks body, she suggests tipping your head upside-down and spraying into your roots while tousling with your fingers “to lift the hair at the crown”, she says. Next, pull the top half of hair into a loose ponytail, but not pulling entirely though the hair tie so that it creates a ‘bubble’ of hair. Allow the front section to fall around the face. Pop a cute scarf across your forehead and tie it firmly underneath your ponytail allowing your locks to naturally fall out around the sides of the face. Finish off the look with some hairspray, pulling small, individual sections out to keep it feeling loose, carefree and undone.
