It’s safe to say the messy bed head look is one of the most coveted amongst the fashionably fabulous. While we envy those born with naturally wavy hair (*ahem* the Olsen twins), those of us with naturally straight hair have more of a battle. Thanks to Byrdie Beauty and Jen Atkin, we have the how-to to get all you smooth strand girl’s that fresh from the beach look. Read on for your step-by-step guide on how to add texture to straight hair!
Before
Start with damp hair. Freshly washed is fine, but if you just lightly dampen second-day dirty hair, you’ll have a little more natural texture to work with.
How to Add Texture to Straight Hair, Step-by-Step
Step One: Part
Part your hair down the middle. Use the tail of a comb to get the most precise, straight part.
Step Two: Sea Salt Spray
Spritz sea salt spray all over, getting the roots through the ends. Jen is a fan of Sachajuan’s Ocean Mist ($31).
Step Three: Dry and Scrunch
Use a blow dryer to rough-dry your hair, scrunching the ends as you go.
Step Four: Smooth Dry
When your hair is almost completely dry, finish blow-drying with a boar-bristle hairbrush to evenly distribute the product.
Step Five: Add Bends
In small one- to two-inch sections, add horizontal bends down the length of your hair with a flat iron. Take one piece of hair and roll it under (towards your scalp) with the flat iron. Release the iron. Then, pick up where you left off, this time bending the iron in the opposite direction—up, away from your head. Continue this process, alternating directions down to your ends. Finish the ends by smoothing them straight down.
Step Six: Spiral Curl the Front
Wrap a few face-framing pieces of hair in the front around a one-inch curling iron. Hold the iron vertically to get the downward spiral. Leave the ends out, and don’t clamp down on the curling iron to get the most natural curl.
Step Seven: Fix and Finish
Lightly finger through the ends, pulling apart any sections that are stuck together or look too finished. Jen says you can scrunch in dry texture spray for more texture, or add a small amount of pomade to the ends for even more piece-y separation.
After
These steps work on any hair type and hair length. If you have long hair, the only difference is you’ll need to add a few more bends as you go down the length of your hair.
Photographer: Justin Coit // Hairstylist: Jen Atkin // Makeup Artist: Roxy // Producer: Jenna Peffley // Model: Corrie
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