How To Give Yourself Beach Waves Without Applying Heat

Achieve stunning beach waves, without the use of heat.

Wanting to style your hair, without applying heat? Michelle Finlayson from Schwarzkopf shows you how through a technique reminiscent of a technique used in the Victorian era called “rag curls”.

Instead of rags, use a bathrobe tie – and it’s easy! Here are the steps:

  1. Place the middle of the tie at the centre of your part (make sure it hangs evenly on each side, and is as long as the length of your hair).
  2. Apply a light spritz of setting spray or water throughout the lengths to prep it before wrapping.
  3. Wrap the hair around the tie starting at the top front (wrap away from the face – over to the back, then under to the front).
  4. The thicker the tie, the looser the wave so if you want a tighter curl you can use something thinner like a silk scarf. Make sure to keep the sections smooth and tight as you wrap, and add another section of hair as you come to the front each time.
  5. Secure the tips of the hair to the tie at the very bottom with a small elastic.
  6. Twist the entire section again away from the face up to tighten it up then secure by wrapping into a bun using the end of the tie or a scrunchie.
  7. Leave it in at least 3-4 hours – or overnight.
  8. Snip the elastics and remove the tie, gently one section at a time and style it.
  9. Loosen up the curls and add some texture spray and hairspray to finish.

Here is a video to show you step by step.

The curls will relax a bit after a day or two – depends on your hair type and how much spray you used.

Before:

Michelle’s hair after 1 day:

After 2 days: