The most common question I get is, how do you curl your hair? I’ve done this post before when my hair was shoulder length. To be honest, the technique hasn’t changed at all.
I do use some new products that I swear by (Kristin Ess is QUEEN). But we went ahead and did some more detailed shots to see exactly how it’s done. You can also check out my wand tutorial to see how I also get the same look with a wand on any length hair.
Creating effortless, beachy waves on long or short hair is pretty much the same. Here’s how to do it.
How To Get Effortless Beachy Waves With Your Curling Iron
The Tools You Need To Get Effortless Beachy Waves
Curling Iron OR Wand
I recommend using a 1 inch curling iron, or a 25 mm wand. I think this size works for every hair length. If your hair is much longer, it’s probably heavier too.
So the smaller curl will allow it to fall a bit. Don’t be afraid of the tighter curl! You can also just run your fingers through your hair to break it up more.
Texture Spray
Hands down my favorite texture spray is my Kristin Ess Working Texture Spray. It’s available at Target, super affordable and smells amazing. I’ll show you how to use this in the tutorial.
Beach Wave Spray
In addition to the texture spray, I also like a good beach wave spray (which is just sea salt spray really). I also use the Kristin Ess one and love it.
Clip
To hold your hair up, duh.
Hairspray
I find I don’t really need this, but if you like hairspray, add this in at the end to set it all. I also sometimes finish with anti-humidity spray in the summertime since Georgia humidity is at 100% at all times.
Here’s How To Get Effortless Beachy Waves With Your Curling Iron
Step One
Prep Your Hair: You want to start with dry hair. Any leftover moisture from blowdrying may cause damage to your hair. Make sure it’s dry! I try to blow it out straight so that the ends aren’t flipping out too much by using a paddle brush.
I do this because I leave an inch or two out from the curling iron when I curl it. This heps to give you that beach curl look that feels very natural.
Step Two
Section Off Your Hair: Start with small sections. I end up doing my hair in about 4 or 5 sections as I have a ton of hair. I always start with the very bottom at my neck and work my way up to the top layer.
Step Three
Start Curling! I curl my front pieces around my face always away from my face. Then alternate them throughout my head. For this first section, you’ll see I wrapped it around the curling iron and left about 1-2 inches out at the end.
THIS IS THE SECRET! This is how you get the beachy look. The ends should be left out and not messed with for that undone look.
TIP: I personally start curling my hair at the top closest to my roots. I think this allows for a better hold. I usually clamp mid way up the section, then begin to curl and bring it up towards the root more. You’ll have to unclamp a bit to get your hair wrapped around it, but continue to curl and move your hair up through the curling iron.
MY BIGGEST TIP TO GET BEACHY WAVES WITH A CURLING IRON
Getting your ends straight so that it looks beachy is the true key to achieving this look. The way I like to ensure my ends are straight-ish is to first ensure a straight blowout.
But if you can’t do that, just pull the curling iron through the end that you left out. So you’ll see in these photos as I pull the curling iron out and begin to unravel the curl I pull out the last section while clamped.
It helps to straighten it a bit especially if you’ve blow-dried it with a round brush and it’s flipping in or out at the end. I feel like this gives you that true beach curl vibe, and not a perfect ringlet.
Step Four
Work Out Your Curls: Once you’ve curled your entire head, work your fingers through the curls. You want to break them up as much as possible. No one likes a tight curl!
You can see that I started with very tight curls and it looked pretty silly. Once you break it all up it’s a completely different look. The vibe is more of a beach curl which is what we’re aiming for.
I never work a brush through it because then you’ll get this look instead. And that is also why we switch up the direction of the curl.
Step Five
Texturize! Next, I finish with two of my favorite products. I use both of these for different reasons. The working texture spray should be used toward the root and middle section of your hair. It allows a dry matte texture and light hold. It adds volume (hence putting it in your roots).
Then I add the Kristin Ess Beach Wave Spray. This is sort of like a sea salt spray but is used on dry hair. It allows a little shine and separation of your waves. The combo of these two is what gets you the prettiest beachy waves.
TIP: To refresh your day old beach wave hair, I recommend using the Kristin Ess Working Texture Spray. It’ll revive your waves and provide some volume.
Getting Beach Waves Without A Curling Iron
You can also achieve a very similar look with both a flat iron and a wand. Flat iron curls are really easy to do. To make a flat iron curl, you’ll clamp your hair at the root with the iron fairly vertically, and then rotate it a full 360.
This will wrap the hair around the straightener. Then you’ll gently pull it down and away from your head to create a curl. I also really like flat iron waves which give a totally different vibe. And of course, you can always recreate this look with a wand! Here’s my tutorial on how get beach waves on short hair with a wand.
