If there’s one thing we love about summer, it’s skipping the
shower, shelving our straightening iron, and heading to the beach au
naturel. After a few hours of baking in the sun, we love shaking out
the wild, tangled mess of curls that seems to magically appear where our
straight-to-a-fault locks used to be. And for a night out, all that’s required
is a shrugged-on tank top, a slick of lip gloss, a quick toss of our hair — and
with that, we’re sun-kissed, beach-haired, and good to go.
With every naturally born look, however, there’s always the
possibility of imperfect execution. To make the most of our summertime good
hair days, we checked in with Agostino Lombardi, co-owner of Studio
for Hair (464 Comm Ave, Boston, 617.262.2029). Lombardi suggests
pre-treating locks for optimum results. For those with fine hair, he recommends
Graham Webb’s Untangler Detangling Spray ($12), which not only adds texture and
smells great, but also protects tresses with a UV sunscreen. “A lot of my
clients, they carry it in their beach bag,” he explains. “You can put it on as
many times as you want, even after you get out of the water.” For
thicker-haired ladies, Lombardi’s pick is the line’s heartier Silk Repair Silk
Protein Leave-In Conditioner ($16), best applied just once, in the morning, to
damp hair. While you’re on the sand, a couple of quick braids or knots twisted
into wet hair and left to dry can help lend it that ropy texture. Says
Lombardi, “That night before you go out, you shake them out, and you’ve got
perfectly loose, wavy hair. The sun will actually bake that wave into it a
little bit, so it will last you all night.”
Melissa Nelson-Yu, a senior stylist at A. Quinn Hair Studio
(5 Arrow Street, Cambridge, 617.354.5354), chimes in with a few thoughts of her
own. “My favorite look for the summer, for all hair, is on top of your head. Be
it straight, curly, wavy, whatever, there’s nothing that says summer-beachy
more.” Nelson-Yu, who suggests dividing a high ponytail into two and wrapping
both halves into a makeshift bun, also sings the praises of a product by Ouidad
called Curl Quencher Moisturizing Gel ($22). “A lot of those products have
something like salt in them,” she explains, “which will dry out the hair.” This
gel, which maintains its hold and texturizes without leaving that crunchy
feeling, also keeps hair hydrated. On the same front, a dab of Moroccan Oil
($43) goes a long way to add shine, which is key since salt and other build-up
can cause beach hair to skew a little dull.
That effortless beachy ’do doesn’t actually require
a day in the sand — though let us note for the record that we much prefer it
that way. At home, Lombardi suggests working Sebastian’s Mousse Forte ($14; for
fine hair) or Taming Elixir ($18; for thick hair) into damp locks, then blowing
them partially dry with a diffuser or allowing them to air dry all the way. If
there’s extra time, a few passes with the curling iron through dry hair can
take the style to the next level. And finally, Velcro rollers, while skewing a
bit more high maintenance, do impart a great wave, only with the volume that
straight-up beach hair sometimes lacks.
Now, if only the finicky New England seasons allowed us to rock
this look all year long … we’d never touch another flat iron again.
