Ever since I chopped my hair I’ve loved being able to style it different ways. It just feels so much lighter and better than my long locks. I’ve grown to really love my curling iron and use it almost daily to achieve my everyday beach waves.
It’s super simple and really works for any length hair. Even when I had really long hair, I still used this same technique. Sometimes also with my larger barrel curling iron.
My waves or curls are the one thing I get asked about the most so I thought I’d finally show you how I do them. You can also see my updated tutorial with longer hair here. But like I said, this works on any length hair pretty much and gives you that perfectly tousled waves.
Beachy Waves Hair Tutorial For Short Hair
The Tools I Use To Create Beachy Waves On Short Hair
1 inch curling iron or wand (I use a GHD 1 inch but also like this more affordable option)- Working Texture Spray
- Powder Play by Big Sexy Hair
- Hairspray
- Blow dryer
- Straightener (only if your ends get out of whack, if not, you can skip this one)
Keep scrolling to see the step by step guide.
HOW TO CREATE BEACHY WAVES STEP BY STEP
Step One
Start With Straight Hair
Start with straight hair. This is actually way more important than you’d think. I blow dry my hair and since I have a bit of a wave to it, I actually take a flat iron to my ends only to make sure they’re stick straight. You’ll see why this is important shortly. But if you can get a good blowout and keep your ends straight, you can skip the flat iron.
Step Two
Start With One Inch Sections & Leave The Ends Out!
Take the 1 inch curling iron (I love my ghd one) and grab about a 1 inch section. Wrap your hair around the curling iron leaving the bottom 1/4 out and then clamp it shut.
It is KEY to leave these chunks out and not curl all the way to the bottom of your section. This is what gives it that effortlessly tousled look with the ends being a little straight.
Step Three
Alternate The Direction & Continue To Curl
Curl the rest of your hair interchanging from away from your face and towards your face. I get lazy with the back section and use the curling iron like you’re supposed to without wrapping. If you do this, just work the curl out immediately after you let go of the iron to loosen it up.
Step Four
Finish With Product
Add in your working texture spray for texture. For extra volume dust in Powder Play. This stuff is LIFE CHANGING. Add in hair spray if needed. There you have my easy everyday waves.
Note how I’m leaving the last inch of my straight hair out. This is essential for creating that loose beachy wave.
A game changer product for me. There are lots of options out there for volumizing texture sprays and powders, but this one is a personal favorite. Shop more options below.
A few tips I swear by.
Always curl your front section away from your face.
Embrace product. I recently started going crazy with the product and it makes a huge difference. Powder Play was life-changing for me. My hair is super thick and heavy (and very healthy/shiny) so adding in lots of texture products has become essential for me getting the looks that I want. I also love this dry texture spray.
For day two hair, rock a half top knot with your messy waves, you can see my tutorial here.
See more hair tutorials here.
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You can also check out my YouTube tutorial on how I get my beachy waves below!
photos by JNelly
