There’s not much some tousled or smooth waves can’t solve. And each style comes with its own super powers. Big, bouncy waves leave us feeling glam in a matter of minutes, soft, beach waves give a relaxed Sunday vibe, while glossy hair ‘S’ waves are the perfect match to fringe styles, choppy layers and blunt bobs. And all do a good job of showcasing your hair colour - whether it's black, red, blonde or brown hair.
Getting from A natural hair to B perfect waves can be a challenge, but one we're willing to take on. That's why we all too ready to invest in the ‘perfect wavy hair’ styling tools and products. But even with the best accessories in the business, without the right skill set and pro tricks to hand, kinks can threaten our natural-looking curls and flyaway hairs and frizz can quickly mess up our scrunched waves. Luckily, we have a few tips that can help ensure best results, regardless of your wave style.
Ready to get waving? Let’s break down three popular styles into easy to follow, step-by-step wavy hair tutorial. We’ve even called on the Josh Wood Colour pros to show us their salon tricks with some ‘how to get wavy hair’ videos. Beach waves, glam waves and ‘S’ waves, we’re ready for you to work your magic, but first up the first step is all about the prep...
Start with sectioning
To hit every inch of your hair with waves, Nicholas Hardwick, stylist at the Josh Wood Colour Atelier suggests sectioning your hair into a “hot cross bun” shape. “For those who don’t know what this is, it is a parting through the middle right to the nape of the neck, to section the hair in half, and then doing the same thing from ear to ear, creating a hot cross bun pattern,” explains Nicholas.
Prepare your hair
"Always prep with a spray to give the hair texture, it's also key to protect your hair from the heat," says Nicholas. Take the section you are going to style first, and twist the rest of your hair out of the way, securing with a clip. Kat De Rozario, stylist at Josh Wood Colour Atelier tells us to "Make sure the section you are about to style is smaller than the width of your styling tool."
Be thorough
‘If you are struggling to work on the back of your hair, just turn your head to the side and pull the hair out and forward,’ Kat suggests. Once your desired waves have been created on the first layer of hair, section out another horizontal layer to join the existing waves, and repeat your styling technique (with smaller-than-iron-width styling sections) until all hair has been waved.
Tips for tools
If you’re using straighteners to create your waves, always choose a tool with a rounded outer ‘barrel’, which will allow the hair to curve easily. Once the hair has been styled, Kat’s top tip is to drop the brush and use your hands. “Spray a tiny bit of hairspray onto your hands and comb them over the hair,” Kat advises. “This will get rid of any flyaways.” And as for those ends, “if you don’t want the hair to kick out at the ends, pull the hair through your tool right down to the ends," Kat says. The other option is to skip heat styling on the very bottom of your hair and just twirl the tips with your fingers for added texture.
How to create beach waves
- Take a small width of your already sectioned hair and - leaving a gap at the root for a more relaxed feel - position your irons horizontally and wrap hair away from the face.
- Gently clamp onto the hair for no more than 2-3 seconds. The length of time will depend on the texture of your hair and how quickly it responds to heat.
- Kat recommends holding the hair loosely as opposed to pulling it taut before clamping. “Just rest the hair in your hand, and don’t hold it tightly, as once you put the hair in and close the irons, the hair will shrink slightly” Kat explains.
- Work your way down the sections of hair, from the top towards the ends, making sure not to overlap any sections that have already been styled.
- Repeat until all the hair has been waved.
- Finally, when working with shorter face framing layers, Kat recommends you “Avoid going too close to the root, and clamp the irons a little bit lower to frame the cheekbones.”
How to create ‘S’ waves
- Take a small width of your already sectioned hair and clamp your straighteners towards the roots.
- Keeping the straighteners pressed together, tilt them away from the face, pulling outwards slightly, so the hot iron creates a curve in the hair. "Working this way for the first wave will help to create a touch of lift at the roots," says Noemie Renvoize, Principle Stylist at Josh Wood Colour.
- Release your straighteners, then clamp below the first curve and tilt the straighteners towards your face, to create a bend in the opposite direction and "Create the modern ‘S’ shape in the hair" says Noemie.
- Repeat down the hair length, alternating directions of curves until you reach the ends of your hair.
- Repeat on each section until all the hair has been waved.
- Finish with some texture spray such as Easy Up-Do by Sam McKnight into the roots for a touch of volume and then a shine spray through the lengths for gloss and definition. Here, Noemie uses Apres Beach Wave and Shine from Oribe.
How to create glam waves
- Start with a small width of your already sectioned hair and clamp your straighteners towards the roots.
- Working quickly, twist the straighteners so your hair loops once around the ‘barrel’, then, holding this position, pull the straighteners down towards the ends, keeping them clamped until you reach the ends and the hair is naturally released. Watch Noemie's technique below.
- She says, "Make sure you curl all hair in the same direction for this style to balance the side-parted style".
- Work over the next section of hair and repeat until all the hair has been curled. Then create a deep side parting, and brush through your curls with a paddle brush.
- Noemie adds Redken Quick Tease 15 Backcombing Finishing Spray into the roots for lift and says 'volume is key for this look'.
- Smooth hair into shape, tucking behind the ear on the parted side, adding a few more sprays of the product for "a flexible hold that still has movement."
