Get Beach Hair

A lot of people are attracted to beach hair. It's beautiful and natural. Beach hair is sun-kissed hair with a lot of texture and messy waves. It look effortless and attractive. Luckily, it’s not hard to get. You can easily create beach hair at home without ever actually going to the sea.

Steps

Getting Beach Hair with Braids or Buns

  1. Braid your hair to create beachy waves. Braids are one of the easiest and cheapest ways to make your hair look like you just left the beach. When you take the braids out, you should have natural waves.
    • First, wash your hair and towel or air dry it, but not completely. Use a thickening shampoo that is designed to help define curls and waves, not to straighten your hair. You want your hair to be a little damp as you style it. [1]
    • Separate your hair into 8 sections (smaller braids will create tighter waves). Then, braid each section. You could use French braiding instead as it is closer to your scalp, but either approach works. French braiding is preferable, though, because it will curl your roots and upper hair as well.
    • Leave your hair in braids for about 5-6 hours. It’s even better if you leave it in overnight. Remove the braids. Finger comb your hair because a brush or even a comb will mess up the waves and could make your hair look frizzy. Add a little hairspray if you want but not too much.
    • For best results, your hair should be completely dry when you take out the braids. If you take them out while your hair is still wet, the waves will fall out.This method works even if your hair hasn't been shampooed. If you just washed it yesterday, dampen it thoroughly with a spray bottle full of water. It should be damp, but not dripping wet.
  2. Put your hair in a bun or multiple buns overnight. If you don’t want the kinks of braids, or you don’t know how to do them, or don't have the time, try a bun instead. It will give you a beachy look.
    • To use the bun approach, simply twist your hair on top of your head or low – either works – and then secure it with a scrunchie. As with braids, you want to put the bun into your hair while it’s still damp. [2]
    • Sleep overnight with your hair in the bun. Then remove it, and run your fingers through it, and use hairspray to set the style. You could also divide your hair into four sections and tie each section up into a loose bun. Make sure you don't brush it when you remove the buns. Use your fingers or a wide tooth comb.
  3. Use a headband. You can also create beach-style waves by twisting your hair around a headband. This approach is a bit harder to pull off, but it can also work.
    • Take an elastic headband, and put it over your head. It must touch your forehead. Then, grab a piece of hair, and twist it. Wrap the hair around the inside of the headband.
    • Repeat the process until you have most of your hair twisted. Apply hair spray, and then sleep on it. As with the other approaches, this method works better with slightly damp hair that you then sleep on overnight.

Using Sprays to Get Beach Hair

  1. Mist your hair with sea salt spray. This is one of the most common ways that people get beach hair, and you can find affordable sea salt sprays at stores that sell beauty products. They will probably only cost a few dollars. [3]
    • Sea salt spray will add texture to your hair that will mimic the look of the beach. Real beachy waves, the kind you get after taking a dip in the ocean, are caused by the salt in ocean water. The sea's salty spray causes hair to curl up a bit into natural-looking waves.
    • To replicate this look with the spray, separate your hair into three sections. Spray your hair with it, starting at the bottom section. Then ball your hair up in your hands, and twist it around.
    • Let your hair set for a few minutes, and then do the same thing to the other sections. Twist the front pieces of your hair around your finger before setting them so they frame your face.
  2. Make a homemade sea salt spray. Maybe you can’t find a product in the store. It’s pretty easy to make a spray on your own, and there are several different ways to do it. Although regular salt can work, sea salt works better.
    • You could make a homemade salt spray that is one part salt, one part coconut oil, and 5 parts water. Coconut oil is great for your skin and your hair; it adds shine.
    • Or you could make a homemade spray out of sea salt and warm water, and then scrunch that through your hair along with a gel or mousse.
    • Another approach is to take a small amount of hair gel or hair curl enhancing cream, and add that to warm water along with 2 teaspoons of sea salt. Put it in an empty spray bottle, and then spray your hair.
  3. Air dry your hair to keep it looking healthy. Putting unnatural heat on your hair – such as using a blow dryer or hair straightener – can cause a lot of damage to your hair. To truly have good beachy looking hair, you need your hair to look shiny and healthy.
    • If you use a blow dryer, make sure you attach a diffuser to the end of it to give yourself more curls. [4]Scrunch it again every few minutes to make sure it retains its waves.
    • Curl strands of hair around your fingers, then let them slip off if you want your waves to look more curly.
    • Add hairspray. You can get some beachy waves if you spritz your hair with a light hold hair spray. Make sure to give your hair a good shake before you leave the house. This will make the curls look less perfectly formed, which is essential for the beachy look.

Making Hair Look Beachy With Other Methods

  1. Lighten your hair with lemons so it looks like it was kissed by the sun. Using lemons is a natural way to add highlights to your hair, and natural products are a better choice than bleach or dye because the key to beachy hair is looking like you were really out in the sun.
    • Just wash your hair, cut a lemon in half, and then rub the inner part of the lemon up and down your hair. Make sure you cover all your hair. Then, sit in the sun.[5]
    • Be careful that you don’t dry out your hair. Make sure you use a good conditioner. It could take up to a week to see any difference. You could add a little bit of lemon juice to a sea salt spray bottle too and apply it that way. Again, put a little coconut oil in there too for shine.
  2. Spend time at the actual beach. If you are at the beach or ocean a lot, you’re going to naturally get beach hair. The sun will naturally lighten your hair color, too, giving you beautiful summer highlights.
    • Lay on the sand for awhile. Go near the ocean. You want the breeze and salty mist to settle into your hair.
    • You need to stay at the beach for awhile to get this look. Don't go underwater and submerge your hair. It won't look like beach hair when it dries that way; it will look messy probably.
  3. Don’t wash your hair every day or it will end up too silky for beach hair. Another way to get beachy hair is to not wash your hair for at least a day. It will help your hair have more of a texturized look. Freshly washed and conditioned hair looks silky, which is not the look you are going for.
    • When you do wash your hair, don’t use conditioner. Alternatively, you could put a dry shampoo on your hair. This will give it a voluminous, almost dirty look.
    • A good rule of thumb is to only wash your hair three times a week. You damage your hair each time you wash it because it produces natural oils that are essential to hair growth.
  4. Try a curling iron to create waves. [6]If you want loose, natural looking waves, choose a curling iron with a large barrel. Using a curling iron to create beach hair isn't the best approach though because the curls often look too uniform. The key to beachy hair is a tousled, natural look. [7]
    • Start with dry hair for this method, since applying a curling iron to wet hair can damage it. Separate your hair into pieces. Wrap a piece at a time around the curling iron at a 45-degree angle. Hold it in place for a minute, then gently loosen your hair and let it slip off the curling iron. Repeat with the rest of your hair.
    • For more control over your waves, curl each piece a section at a time. Start near your roots, wrapping the top of your hair around the curling iron and holding it in place for a minute. Wrap the middle part of the same piece of hair and hold that in place for a minute. Wrap the end of the same piece of hair and hold that in place for a minute. Repeat with the rest of your hair.
    • For a quicker curling session and looser waves, wrap large sections of your hair around the curling iron and hold them in place for two minutes before releasing. Tousle your hair. When you're finished curling your hair, use your fingers to tousle it so that the curls loosen a bit and become waves. Don't overdo it, or the waves may fall out.



Tips

  • If you make your own sea salt spray, add a drop or two of an essential oil like lavender, rose or peppermint to make it smell good.
  • This style looks more natural when you start with layered hair. Opt for long layers that frame your face, then use one of the methods to achieve the beachy wave effect.
  • Accessorize.Wear a flower in your hair. Or wear a shell necklace.
  • Get your hair trimmed about once a month. This will keep it looking healthy by removing split ends. You don’t want to trim your hair more than that, though.
  • Flip your hair to either the right or left side. This is a beachy look.
  • It may be harder to get beachy hair if your hair is really straight and heavy.

Things You'll Need

  • Wide-toothed comb
  • Hair ties
  • Lemons
  • Sea salt spray, either store-bought or homemade. For homemade sea salt spray, you need hot water, sea salt, coconut oil and a spray bottle, and possibly curl enhancing cream

Related Articles

  • Get Beautiful Waves With No Damage
  • Achieve Great, Messy Waves Overnight Without Plaits
  • Get Short Beachy Waves for Thinner Hair
  • Make Beachy Waves for Wavy or Slightly Textured Hair

Sources and Citations