The hair craze when I was in middle school was “scrunching”. But for the past three years, that hairdo has evolved into something us basic girls like to call “beach waves”. I mean, who doesn’t want to look like a mermaid? But while I don’t have the kind of magical powers to zap you into a beautiful water-goddess, I do have a hairstyle for you that can get you one step closer, without the crunchy, hard hair that comes with scrunching.
Today’s hairstyle uses the most minimal heat as possible, because damaged hair is sad hair. What you will need is:
- A freshly-showered head of hair, still wet
- A comb
- A bunch of bobby pins
- Your regular hair care products that you would use when blowdrying or straightening your hair
- A light mousse, if your hair is particularly stubborn when it comes to curling (I will not be using this, USE SPARINGLY)
- Hairdryer (optional)
- A light hairspray (this is for the finishing touches; we are trying to avoid crunchy-looking hair, so go easy on the spray)
STEP ONE: Prepping the Hair
Step one is to shower so that your hair will be thoroughly wet. Then, apply whatever products are necessary in your daily routine. I use, and recommend, CHI Silk Infusion which keeps my hair from having split-ends, and Paul Mitchell Forever Blonde Dramatic Repair, which uses KerActive damage recovery. This is also the step that I would apply a light mousse. Use it sparingly, and just on the tips of your hair.
Make sure that you air-dry your hair until your hair is damp (not drenched, but not fully dry because the curls won’t set). This is, of course, time permitting. Today, I blowdried my hair on low heat and power until it was damp. If you blow-dry your hair, make sure you leave it damp.
STEP TWO: Curling of the Hair
This part is tedious, but worth it end the end. Using your fingers, you’re going to pick a piece of hair and twirl it around your finger, and then secure it to your head with a bobby pin. Repeat this until all of your hair is twirled up and pinned back. If you’re finding it hard to keep fly aways within a curl, don’t be afraid to get that strand of hair wet again.
You should look like this once you have finished pinning up your curls. Make sure that your curls are at least 95% dry all of the way through. The thicker curls will take longer to dry, so be patient. If you are on a time-crunch, don’t be afraid to dry them on low with your hairdryer (which I did).
STEP THREE: Taming the Finished Product
Once the hair is dry, unpin your curls and tousle them with your fingers. When you fix your hair to your liking, you can use a light-hold hairspray to tame some of the frizz. The finished product will look something like this:
(*Everyone’s hair is different, so every hairstyle will be unique!)
Viola! Your hairstyle is finished. Top it off with a cute half-up-half-down look, or just let those curls fly! Just remember you are ALWAYS fierce.