The Lazy Girl Trick for Styling Glamour Waves in 4 Steps
When we close our eyes, we can’t stop seeing the glamour waves that dominated the Emmy Awards red carpet. We mean, they’re straight-up dazzling, not just because they look so perfectly done, but also because the curvy texture is so far from the rolled-out-of-bed locks we’re used to seeing/wearing these days. Heart-eyes emoji aside, we started to think: Does this mean that, just maybe, lazy-girl hair days are coming to an end? Nope, we would never let that entirely happen, you guys. Obviously, we had a way up our sleeves to get the same starlet-level look in just five minutes flat.
The key with this hair hack is knowing how to manipulate *your* curls. The second thing is making sure you use the right products to get that sleek, streamlined look. Those factors will vary between hair textures, but I’ve narrowed it down to some of my go-to techniques and products that have worked on every hair type I’ve used ’em on so far.
What award-show looks do you want us to break down? Tell us what styles you’d like to see us DIY in the comments below.
Prep: Set the Wave
Whether you have curly or straight hair, use a curling iron to either emphasize the shape of the curls you already have or to curl your locks. To get this Old Hollywood look, big barrel curls are best (just pin ’em with duckbill clips and remove them once they fully cool). TBH, you can get the same glammed-out look with any size or shape of curl — messy crimped waves, tight springy curls or loose beach waves — just make sure your style is fully set and follow these four easy glamour hair hacks.
Step 1: Place Extreme Side Part
Use a comb to gently brush your hair over to one side of your face.
Step 2: Shape Your Curls
The wave pattern is already in your hair from the set you did, so now you just need to reinforce the shape by manipulating the curls a little. Do this by using your fingers to gently comb through the curls, allowing the shape to almost take on a life of its own. You can use a fine tooth comb to gently comb through the outer layer of your hair to get that smooth, chic finish.
Step 3: Amp Up the Softness + Shine
With this style, you want both a solid hold and touchability. I love EVOLVh Super Finish Polishing Balm Smooth ($32) for this type of styling — it’s lightweight enough that it won’t weigh your curls down, but strong enough to hold the shape you need with a little bounce. Apply a dime-sized amount to the palm of your hand and rub together to create a thin even coating of product on both hands. Then carefully go over your waves to polish, give shine and hold the shape of your curls.
Step 4: Use a Finishing Spray
Finish the look with a flexible strong holding hair spray like Kenra Professional Volume Spray 25 ($17). This product will leave you with a nice shine but not that crunchy hairspray hair.
Two words: Bomb. Shell.