Summer is a time for putting your feet up, basking in the sun, and occasionally participating in pool volleyball (but only in five minute increments, after which it’s time for a margarita). Daily hair washing and hair styling? Ain’t nobody got time for that, which is why knowing how to turn dirty hair into beach waves is a summer necessity.
Thankfully, getting beach waves with dirty hair is a pretty popular look. Once the days get long and the temperatures get hot, it’s easier than you might think to turn dirty hair into beach waves. You just need to know where to begin and have the right tools at your fingertips.
When it comes to a look like this, the first step is knowing what kind of hair you’re dealing with. Depending on your length, texture, oil production, and ability to stand up to the elements, you’ll have to personalize your tactics a bit to get that effortlessly messy hair look. Whether you’ve got thin, limp, and short hair, or long, coarse, and frizzy hair, below are all the hacks and suggestions you’ll need to make dirty hair look clean, tousled, and beautifully wavy. Okay. Let’s get beachy.
Clean, Hydrate, And Hold — All At The Same Time
Sun Bum Beach Formula, $15, Amazon
For hair that tends to get dry and damaged during the summer from all of the waves, chlorine, and sun, Sun Bum's sea spray is a hydrating and healing wave spray that’s filled with ingredients like coconut oil, banana extracts, sunflower seeds, and Hawaiian black lava salt. However, it’s paraben-free, alcohol-free, and cruelty-free, and because the lava salt works to pull impurities out of your hair, strands still have a clean-looking matte finish. Reviewers say this stuff smells incredible — like a fresh, tropical coconut — and is especially good for those who want to give a little extra hold to a day-old style.
Ease The Frizz But Keep The Waves
Herbal Choice Mari Organic Hair Gel, $14, Amazon
If you’ve got thick, frizzy hair that requires some serious smoothing, Herbal Choice's gel formula is the way to go. It’s made with entirely USDA-certified organic ingredients that soften, hydrate, and purify (like olive oil, apple cider vinegar, green tea, sage herb, and primrose oil). However, it also produces a strong hold without any crunching or flaking. It comes in a classy glass jar that helps to preserve the integrity of the high-quality ingredients inside of it, and because it leaves a glossy, semi-wet looking finish on your hair, your beach waves will look smooth, effortlessly tousled, and frizz-free.
Re-Hydrate Dry Beach-Damaged Hair
Pura D’or Organic Pure Argan Oil, $17, Amazon
For actual, genuine beach waves right from the shore or pool, you’ll need something to moisten and rehydrate strands, as the combination of sun, sand, and water can be particularly drying and damaging for hair. After briefly rinsing hair, take a small amount of Pura D’or's argan oil, and run it through your ends before scrunching with it. This argan oil is 100-percent pure and organic, which means that instead of damaging pesticides, fillers, fragrances, sulfates, and parabens, you’re getting nothing but the oil’s fatty acid- and vitamin-rich healing properties. It penetrates your hair strands to moisturize, rejuvenate, and promote growth from the inside out, which is why people are calling it an amazing solution to all your beauty needs. Plus, this one comes in a glass bottle with a convenient pump, so it’s great for on-the-go.
Get Salty With This Organic Wave Spray
Organic Mermaid Sea Salt Hair Spray, $16, Amazon
The company that makes my go-to dry shampoo just came out with this organic sea salt hair spray, and I’m psyched about it. For those of us who like to go straight to the source, what better way to look beachy than putting Pacific sea salt in your hair? It’s also got ingredients like aloe vera, sea kept extract, and rose essential oils. This one is especially great if you’re trying to stretch that wash to day three or four, because the salt works to purify hair and leave it feeling cleaner and more voluminous. It has a fresh, salty smell that people love, and because it leaves hair feeling soft and smooth (unlike other salt sprays, which produce crunch and stickiness), this one is must-have in your beach bag this year.
Tease Your Way To High-Volume Waves
Spornette Boar Bristle Teasing Brush, $5, Amazon
For those of us who want a little extra volume near the roots (especially by day three), there’s the Spornette Boar Bristle Teasing Brush. It’s especially slender, to reach way up toward your roots, and because it’s made with a combination of natural boar bristles and nylon, it’s great for effectively grabbing the hair and creating long-lasting body and volume. Reviewers say it’s ultra-durable, as the bristles won’t fall out after long-term use, and because the handle is sturdy, made of high-quality wood, and has a pointed tip for easy sectioning, this is your one-stop tool to creating a high-volume, beachy look.
Straight, Stubborn Hair Is No Match For This Beach Spray
Marc Anthony Dream Waves Beach Spray, $14, Amazon
When you’re dealing with hair that’s naturally straight and pretty stubborn with styling, your best bet is Marc Anthony's beach spray. Not only does it create beautiful, tousled waves, but it protects hair from sun damage while adding body and volume. Reviewers with especially thin and flat hair say that this is the only wave spray that’s given them the texture and hold they were looking for, minimal scrunching required.
Soak Up Oil Naturally For A Clean, Full Look
Acure Organics Dry Shampoo Powder, $10, Amazon
My hair gets oily ridiculously fast, so if I’m going to try to pull another day out of my wash and go the beach-wave route, I’m going to need something that’ll soak up the excess oil. It should also provide volume, without negatively interacting with the hold spray. Acure's dry shampoo powder contains absorbent (and pronounceable) ingredients like kaolin clay, corn starch, elm bark flour, argan stem cells, and essential oils to soak up any excess oil and leave your scalp looking and feeling like new. It gives hair fresh volume without a chalky residue, and best of all, it won’t affect the spray or gel you choose to use on the bottom of your hair.
Get The Beach Look With This Effortless Styling Tool
Bed Head A Wave We Go Adjustable Hair Waver , $28, Amazon
If you’re the type of person who needs to style their way to that no-style look, there’s Bed Head's adjustable hair waver. It’s one of the highest rated wave tools there is because it has multiple heat settings, an adjustable barrel for any size wave you want, an auto-off setting, a quick heat-up time, worldwide voltage, and ceramic parts to professionally and effortlessly style your hair. Even those who’ve had trouble with wavers in the past due to short hair say this one works on any length, and because it’s great at tackling frizz and it’s quick to use, the beach wave look becomes a 1-2-3 type of style-session.
Wake Up Looking Beachy With An Overnight Curler
GlamWaves Roller Head Band, $23, Amazon
Want to get this effortless look while you sleep? This GlamWaves roller head band is a comfortable and no-hassle way to wake up to perfectly-styled beach waves. Simply wrap your hair around the padded head band, spray with a light, salty holding spray, and go to bed. This tool is made with an anti-frizzing fabric and Velcro attachments to fit anyone, and because it stays secured during the night and has a pillow-like consistency, you won’t even realize it’s there. When you wake up in the morning, you’ll be left with loose, easy waves. Spray with another round of holding spray for a long-lasting style, and be on your way.
Bustle may receive a portion of sales from products purchased from this article, which was created independently from Bustle's editorial and sales departments.
Image: Fotolia (1); Amazon (9)
