Catching the Perfect Wave

Hey everyone!!

So today's post is going to be about waves. Not ocean waves, but beachy waves you get after swimming in said ocean!

I know that many of us desire to have the perfectly messed up, wavy hair that the beach gives us, but unfortunately, most of us lack the luxury of living on the coast to be able to take a dip everyday.

To make up for that, I spent a week testing out different ways of waving hair, using different products and methods until I got the perfect beach waves.  

NOTE: I was able to get many different textures of beach waves. I consider all of these beach waves, but my goal was finding some perfectly messy, but still nice, fancy looking waves for prom, because I'm aiming towards a mermaid-y vibe.

Magazines and websites suggested home-made salt sprays, or $30-a-bottle salt sprays. Spending forever curling hair a certain way, or sleeping overnight in some wacky bun.  I tried all the methods that I was able to, (NOT the expensive salt sprays haha) and I'm here to share the instructions and results of each method.

Now, my original plan was to find ones that were as fast and easy as possible, and also I was really avoiding using heat because I don't like damaging my hair. But of course the tried and true method required a curling iron, but it's fast and easy, and doesn't require many products!!

Enough for the intro, here's the lineup!!


So this first method was using a homemade sea-salt spray. I looked up online a common recipe, and I found this one. So I followed the directions, adding some orange essential oil for scent. Afterwards, I used it on my dry hair, and scrunched randomly throughout the time it took to dry.  Here are the results of the spray:

front

Back

 So, it added some texture, but not what I wanted. 

Next up was trying the same spray, but on my damp hair, (also used a bit of leave-in conditioner and some sun-in) then blow drying it only a bit when it was about 80% dry while scrunch-scrunch-scrunching!
 Result:

Front, no back view.

I'll say, using it on damp hair worked much better! I had lots of wave and texture and my hair was still soft. Now the downside though, was near the end of the day my hair was SO stringy and gross looking that I couldn't go a second day without washing it. I'm not sure if I used too much conditioner, or what, but it just wasn't too pleasant then.


Next up is using braids and a flat iron!!
Start out with clean hair, air dried or blow dried, either way. Then I used a heat protection spray. (And i added sun-in because I'm lightening my hair still).

Braided my hair into about 5 or 6 sections

Then ran over each section a few times with a flat iron!

Let cool for a few minutes, then unravel!

Front

Back

I'll say this is good for if you want that look like you slept in your braids, but it was more of a crimp-like texture to me, and I didn't like it. Also made my hair quite fluffy, but not the fluffy I like =P


Next!!
This last method was a last resort because I really really don't like using heat, but I went ahead and, using a 1" curling iron, spend no more than 20 minutes creating this look.

 

Front

Back/side

Now this is exactly what I was looking for for prom!! Messy, but put together, and a smidge more curly than natural beach waves. So I went ahead and filmed a tutorial on how to achieve this look! I'll put the video down below. The trick is, even though it doesn't take long, being patient! Only grabbing TRUE 1" sections of hair, and no cheating by making them thicker or anything! Haha because I know I always try and do that, then the result isn't as nice.


Tutorial Here!Tutorial Here!

Well, I hope you enjoyed this post, and I really hope you found a method of beach waves that suits you and your hair!!

Let me know of any other methods, I'd love to try them!!!

Seeya!
Sophiiiee =)

www.youtube.com/sophieelizabeth07

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sophieelizabeth07@gmail.com