Waves 101
If you don't follow me on Twitter or Instagram you might have seen me talking about having my hair cut. After having relatively long hair [nearly to my belly button at one point] for 18 months or so I decided to get it chopped back to just past my shoulders and it feels SO much better. I no longer have to battle with my hairbrush every evening because I've got a dreadlock from wearing a coat. And the best thing is that I can finally style it the way I've wanted to for months but was always too scared to get it chopped so I could. So here is a little 101 guide to my favourite effortless [but a lot of effort] waves and some of my favourite hair products at the moment.
DAVINES SHAMPOO & CONDITIONER*: I spoke a little bit about Davines not too long ago and I'm completely smitten with the brand. I've been using the OI shampoo and conditioner every time I wash my hair and it's giving me exactly what I want from my products. It's incredibly nourishing but it doesn't weigh down my tresses down at all which can often be the case with anything hydrating. As well as making my hair feel baby soft and silky it also adds body throughout the lengths. There are plenty of products that can add temporary volume in the root but there are barely any that can make the hair actually feel thicker and weightier. The price tag is quite steep and if you don't care to invest in your haircare I would suggest something like the L'Oreal Elvive Volumising range as that is a great budget option for similar results. But if you don't mind paying the extra pennies, the OI shampoo and conditioner are truly wonderful. And you only need to use a small amount to reap the benefits of it as it's so rich.
PHYTOVOLUME ACTIFVOLUMIZING SPRAY*: I'm always after a good volumising spray to help lift my sad flat to my scalp hair. Phyto is a brand that I've seen for years around the blogging world and everyone is nothing but positive about it. The Intense Volume Spray is aimed towards fine hair and promises to give lift at the root and provide a bounce to your tresses. Which is exactly what it does and it doesn't make the hair feel sticky or tacky which is a common issue I've found for anything volumising, the Bumble and Bumble thickening hairspray is particularly bad for doing this. In the instructions, it says that it's a heat activated product but I never blow dry my hair and it still gives a considerable amount of volume so I imagine with the added addition of heat it might be even better.
MARIA NILA CREAM HEAT SPRAY*: A heat defence spray is something I believe that you're either a loyal user of or something that you don't believe in at all. I've always been militant with using a heat defence as even though there is no way that anything can ever truly protect hair from being damaged from heated appliances it's a little bit of a safety net at least. Although there are many amazing options on the high street I've really fallen for the Maria Nila Cream Heat Spray. Like the name suggests, it's a cream so it makes the hair feel nourished and soft as well as protected but you do have to be careful not to get overzealous with your application.
WAVES 101
TOOLS
- A curler of your choice, I use the Enrapture Totem Styler.
- Heat protectant.
- Wide toothed brush.
- Hairspray.
- Clip to layer the hair.
STEPS
- Spritz on your heat defence of choice.
- Brush your hair throughly to get rid of any knots.
- Section your hair off, I find 3 layers works well to achieve maximum volume.
- With the pieces of hair that frame your face curl them away from you.
- Then curl the hair in alternating directions.
- Grab different size pieces of hair to create a more lived in look.
- Hairspray the curls when your done and when they've cooled brush through to create soft waves.
- And you're done! I find this style works better with dirty hair as you can a lot more volume and hold. It's also a hair style that gets better the more it falls out as I have to overcurl my hair to get it to really hold, fine hair girl problems....
