Friday, January 28, 2011

January Favorites-Making Waves

I will be going over my January favorites over the next few days.  This is the first. Bear with me, I have a cold that just won't go away!

Wavy Hair-

It is the best remedy for the "my-hair-is-dirty-but-I'm-too-lazy-to-wash-it", and who doesn't experience that feeling every once is a while ? Well I have experienced that feeling too much recently a la my cold and the overall winter blah's, that I decided to go onto the quest of creating the perfect combination of Gisele/Victoria's Secret glamourpuss and vintage/beachy soft waves.  This was the result of my first real attempt.



Maybe I should review self-tanner next?! Sorry for the strange combination of flash and lack of human contact due to my refusal to go outside when they tell me it's 3 degrees out. But you get the idea....

All kidding aside, while I am not any of the Gisele or vintage pin-up inspiration, it was a pretty decent first attempt.  For those novices like me who want to achieve the perfect soft wave, I have a tip:


*Start with dirty AND straight hair-Even though I have a natural wave to my hair, I wait the day or so after I straighten and blow-dry it to do this. I think having the natural, ahem, "texture" in your hair the day or so after you wash it is necessary to get the curl to hold.  That in combination with the fact that I think you need to have soft, straight, shiny hair to get the curls just right.  Might seem silly or counterintuitive but I read an article interviewing Sara Jessica Parker's hairstylist years ago who lamented that the straightening and then curling is what gave her the shiny, gorgeous bounce to her signature curls.  I think he is right.  The cuticle just won't lay flat or have as much bounce or body in most cases if you start from wet hair. If you are having trouble getting that shine or volume in your waves, try this. 


 As far as what I used to create this look, I find that a clampless curling iron works best for me.  They are super easy to use and create a soft wave in a pinch.  I use an Enzo Milano one and it seems to work just fine, although I hear fabulous things about the Sultra "Bombshell" one sold at Sephora too. See below for my newest lemming.




Sultra Bombshell Clampless Iron
(taken from sultra.com)



After the clampless iron, I spray the curls with a bit of L'oreal Enett hairspray, a hairstylist's favorite. I absolutely LOATHE hairspray and want to most often pull out my hair than spray it on my head, but I found this step is a necessary evil, and with Elnett I must say your hair does still stay soft and touchable. 

Does anyone have any other tips for making the perfect wave? I would love to know!

xoxo 





1 comment:

glamour rouge said...

I have a conical wand & I think thay are fab for loose curls! If you want the 20s/40s style wave GHDs are great :)