Beachy, Summer Hair: My favorite products

I have hair that is naturally pretty straight, which is ordinarily a good thing. When summer comes, however, I inevitably become obsessed with the idea of beachy, deconstructed wavy hair. I’ve tried and tested a ton of products over the years, and there are three that I find to be head and shoulders (ha!) above the rest:

Bumble & Bumble Surf Spray – This gives a TRUE beachy hair look (I think it actually has seawater in it.) It’s a bit “rough” in its results, which can be a great thing; just depends what you’re going for.

Frederic Fekkai Wave Creating Spray – This is like a push-up bra for your hair; it’s great for creating waves where there are none. If you have any wave to your hair, it’s great for de-frizzing. I use it on the ends of my daughter’s curls on humid days.

Alterna Caviar Anti-Aging Color Hold Beach Spray – I love this one because it’s actually made for color-treated hair. Unrelatedly, it may be my favorite scented beauty product in the history of anything ever. 

In terms of product use, and how to get a nice beachy wave going, what works for me is towel-drying hair, and then letting it straight-up air dry for about five minutes (until hair stops being soaking wet), and liberally applying the product, twisting and scrunching it through your hair. I then twist my hair back in a loose, low bun, and run a blow dryer over it for about a minute. I then unpin it after about a half hour, and –voila! — gorgeous, understated, natural-looking waves.