Second day hair, model off-duty hair, tousled bed head… whatever you like to call it, it seems like everyone is trying to master those perfectly messy waves these days. (We’ll be the first to admit that we’ve tried all kinds of techniques — with mixed results.) When Senior Stylist Erica Rae of Roar Salon told us that she actually uses a flat iron to achieve this look on her clients we couldn’t wait to learn more. She calls the look “Parisian Waves” because it reflects the tousled hair common on the streets of Paris. “My clientele ranges from mid twenties to women in their seventies,” states Erica, “and when this look is paired with the right attitude one can’t help but exude the natural elegant style that French women make look so effortless. Maybe it’s the softness of the hair, or the volume that adds that bit of movement with every step, or both! Whatever it is, it’s a look that looks great on everyone.” Read on to discover Erica’s flat iron technique for creating perfect waves:
SUPPLIES:
- 1 1/4” Curling Iron
Flat Iron - Sectioning Clips
- Blow Dryer
- Texturizing products like:
- Maximista Thickening Spray by Oribe
- Lift Vertige by Kerastase
- Not Your Mother’s Beach Babe Texturizing Spray
DIRECTIONS:
- Prep hair with texture gel or spray.
- Blow dry hair in upward direction to create volume.
- Section the hair into four sections, determine where you want your part and clip away two sections in front and two sections in the back.
- Section by section, curl vertical subsections of the hair — but leave the ends out of the iron and keep the curls loose.
- Continue curling the hair all the way around the head.
- Grab a curled section by the end of the strand.
- Run your flat iron from roots to ends, gliding the iron with a consistent speed. Be sure that you don’t press the flat iron too hard, be light with your touch. You want to keep some of the curl in the hair.
- Flat iron the ends with a bit more tension to create more length. (this step is optional)
- Use a dry shampoo or a dry texturizing spay like Oribe’s Thickening Spay to create more of the lived in look and to add more grit.
Erica’s Pro Tip: Remember that this is a look that is supposed to look like you didn’t try too hard — so the messier it gets the better. If you wanted you could wear this look as a second day hair look. I would recommend sectioning your hair into two big sections and making large/loose braids while sleeping. This will also add a bit more texture but still have a similar style as the original look. Touch up the roots with a dry shampoo and don’t brush through your hair for an even more amazing second day look.
