Empty social calendars and the blur of Zoom calls have been godsends for our hair health, thanks to a welcome (and frankly long overdue) break from heat styling. There’s just one downside – even the best-air-dried bends and messy buns can’t compare to the pep and confidence boost a good hair day brings.
Whether you’re venturing into a new reality or just need to feel polished for a change, here’s how to zhush your hair with a wave technique that’s as effortless as it looks, and won’t compromise your diligent hair care either.
The Prep Work
Add volume to fine hair and enhance natural texture with a spritz of salt spray from mid-lengths to ends, and blow dry into hair with a diffuser for added hold and body.
Get Waving
To prevent heat damage and maintain hair’s natural shine, investing in a hair health-conscious straightener is crucial. Our pick is Dyson’s new Corrale, with three heat settings to cater to fine, thick and textured hair. Better yet, integrated sensors measure and regulate the temperature of the plates 100 times a second, so there’s no risk of accidentally singeing your hair.
Dyson Corrale, $699 at Dyson
The lazy-girl trick to undone hair is being picky with strands that need waving, so only seek out pieces that are just too straight or need some taming. For a natural-looking wave pattern, vary each section of hair between about centimetre and an inch. And don’t stress if a section is on the thicker side, Dyson’s first of its kind manganese copper alloy plates flex and gather hair as they move down your lengths, preventing unwanted tension, uneven heat distribution and missing rouge hairs.
For those who need a refresher course on waving hair with a straighter, here’s the lowdown: Start creating loose bends by closing the straightener close to your roots, then twist away from you and glide downwards to frame your cheeks, leaving the ends untouched for a more relaxed look.
If this technique feels tricker than you remember, celebrity hairstylist and Dyson ambassador Jen Atkin recommends pointing the base of the straighter upwards and keeping the device parallel to your hair, for a smooth, kink-free finish. If you still feel like a klutz, just keep practising – Dyson’s rechargeable Corrale provides cordless styling for up to 30 minutes, making mastering the technique easier and more graceful, with no tangles or too-short cords to tie you down.
Set & Forget It
To lock in your style, finish by misting and massaging a texturizing hairspray into hair to embrace natural movement. The best part about these waves is they just get better as they wear in, so doing your hair each morning (and the damaged, lacklustre hair that follows) is a thing of the past.
