How To Get Dreamy Beachy Waves

The effortless, easy and essential hair style for this summer… beachy waves baby!

My hair is dead DEAD straight. If I leave it to try naturally I get a few waves, but then they drop. My hair is also VERY thick. So do to anything like curling it, takes a million years – hence why you rarely see my with curly hair. But alas… I have found my new favourite hair style… The Beachy Waves.

When I got my hair bleached back in October – one of the many times that I have – my hairdresser styled my hair in beachy waves using the hair straightener and HOLY MOTHER OF HAIRSTYLES it was lush. I have never been able to master even curling my hair, let alone get them god damn awesome waves. If I am lucky when I go to the beach and get my hair wet I will end up with some sort of half beachy/half ratty waves. But then because of all the salt you have to wash your hair and it goes. Not ideal if you want the look on an everyday basis… THATS FOR SURE.

My nifty greasy hair trick has always been to stick them in some French plait when my hair looks like someone has chucked oil over me. When you take plaits out that you have left in your hair has a wave to it. I also noticed that when I was my hair, dry it, and then pop it in a bun to do my makeup, I get that ‘hairband ridge‘… annoying I know. However combining these two ideas I decided to give something a try. Luckily it worked, so here is how to create perfect beachy waves!

Wash you hair.

You want to do this look with freshly washed hair. I know that clean hair often means the curls can drop quickly, but because of the way you do this look it shouldn’t be an issue. So just wash AND blow dry your hair as per, and I highly recommend using heat protectant because with the blow drying and heat you will need it.

Get your French plait game on.

Once your hair is dried, you want to pop it in French or dutch plaits. I have to be honest, I can’t do them on myself so I always get my mum to do it for me. However if you don’t know what they are then get googling. But they are pretty simple to do once you get the hang of it. Basically you want to start plaiting at the top of the head and with each section you braid you want to pull more hair into it.

Sleep on it.

One little thing… I very much recommend washing your hair and plaiting it in the evening before you go to bed. Then you can sleep with your plaits in and get the hairstyle for the next day. You can do it during the day for an event in the evening though! I just found the first option works best!

Get the straighteners out girl.

The here is where I think the real magic happens. If you don’t like using heat on your hair then you can take the plaits out. BUT you won’t get the same effect. By going over your plaits with straighteners the heat will ensure the waves stay in all day long, and they will be a bit more defined.

I have tried this method a few times now and I have also picked up on a few tips and top tricks to make sure you get the most perfect waves!

1. If you are prone to fizzy hair after wash your hair, use a frizz controlling serum. I didn’t in these photos (I had run out) and they make your waves a big more like a lions mane. But don’t worry if you don’t have any serum because the frizz does drop leaving your beaut waves.
2. Don’t take the plaits out straight after straightening them. You want your plaits to cool done COMPLETELY before taking them out or the waves won’t set and will drop.
3. Salt spray will help. I used a bit of salt spray in my hair before drying it, so the waves stay in and look extra beachy. I prefer this than hairspray because it feels a bit nicer on your hair.
4. Tight plaits will work better. If your use looser plaits then the curls won’t be tight and will drop almost instantly. The tighter the better.

You can always have a scroll over on my INSTAGRAM or if you wanna tweet me then find me at @EMILYCBEAUTY!

Or if you wanna catch more of my posts you can subscribe via WordPress or email to your right (or below if you are on your phone) or even over on BLOGLOVIN’.