I’ve tried creating beach waves with all kinds of different techniques but was never able to really achieve my desired result. Either my hair was too tightly waved, so it looked like I was trying to go for a baroque hairstyle or the waves went limp in a matter of hours because they had no hold at all. The hair simply hung down limply, and it was neither straight nor wavy. I’ve tried salt sprays, twisting techniques and a curling wand. But I was only able to achieve my perfect beach waves with the help of a straightener.
Protect the hair from styling heat and make it more flexible
It is important to prep the hair right for this look. The hair has to be malleable and protected from the styling heat. That’s why I recommend the KMS Thermashape Hot Flex Spray. This spray increases the flexibility of the hair and makes it easier to hold a shape. The integrated heat protectant also helps to avoid heat damage and makes the hair smooth.
Chose the right straightener
Not all straighteners are created equal! If you make concessions when it comes to quality, your hair will suffer. Low-quality straighteners where you have to use very high temperatures to get good results damage the hair structure, which leads to split ends and breakage.
My tip: Remington Keratin Protect Straightener S8540. This hair straightener styles your hair to perfection without damage thanks to the Pro+ Setting, which ensures that a gentle temperature of 185°C is maintained.
Section hair off
The hair is sectioned in around 10 cm high sections. Start at the neck and work your way row for row vertically upwards until the upper head.
Leave the side parts for the end. Use a tail comb to section off the hair.
The right twist
The next step is to section of 5cm wide parts (depending on the thickness of your hair) and take it up with the straightener. Hold the straightener upside down for this and start with the straightener about 2cm from the scalp. Now bring the straightener down while twisting it 360°. It is important to leave out the ends of the hair and to always keep the straightener on tension pulling downwards (towards the floor). This should be one smooth movement. This keeps the hair length and brings beautiful movement to the hair.
In this way, you work yourself from the right to the left side (or vice versa) until the section is completely curled. After this, you section off a new 10cm high part and work your way through it again. Continue until you have reached the forehead and side parts.
Curl the front and side parts the right way
Curl the front and side parts the right wayRepeat the steps until you have reached the front. For the sections around the face, it is better to start the curling around ear height. This way you can achieve a natural look.
For the front parts, it is up to you, whether you want to curl them towards or away from the face. If you want the beach waves to wave towards the outside, you have to use the straightener upside down again with a smaller section (around 3 cm) and start at ear height with the 360° curling movement. This time towards the back of the head, instead of downwards. If you want the curls to fall into your face, you have to move the straightener to the front, as in, towards the mirror.
Lock in the beach waves
Lock in the beach wavesIn order to give natural hold to the beach waves, so that they will last the whole day, use a flexible hairspray. If you use hairspray with a strong hold, it can easily look “cement-like”. A good hairspray for this purpose is the Wella Performance hairspray. It provides a long-lasting, flexible hold and supports the natural movement of the hair. It should be easy to create beach waves with those instructions and keep the beachy, holiday feeling alive a bit longer.
This technique can be used for medium length and long hair to create easy beach waves – as long as the hair is long enough to twist around the straightener, the length does not matter! If you want to give more shine to your beach waves, you could use the Wella Eimi Glam Mist. This classic shine spray provides moisture and creates a glamourous finish with integrated UV protection.
