Air time: how to embrace those beachy waves by letting your hair dry naturally on holiday
Of all the brilliant things about being on holiday - the endless free time and lunchtime drinking aside - it’s pretty damn great not to have to blow-dry your hair. But it’s not everyone who finds this a pain-free process. Witness Friends’ Monica Geller on the beach in Barbados.
Yes, while that fresh-off-the-beach look is a brilliant one, add a shower and heightened humidity and your salty, carefree waves are all in a frizz. Clearly it’s not as straightforward as walking out of the house with wet hair. Rather, the trick to maximising the joy of the air-dry lies in packing the right essentials.
“If you think that without using styling products your hair will air-dry and look incredible, it won’t,” says Michael Lendon, Aveda’s advanced master creative director. “Whether your hair is prone to frizz, it requires hold or you have curls that need some encouraging, only products will really make a difference - and be prepared to use more than one product, as they do different jobs.”
The right cut is also the foundation for great air-drying. As hairstylist extraordinaire George Northwood points out: “A really solid haircut that relies on styling to look good is not best for air-drying, but a choppy, looser shape will air-dry in a more natural and cool way.”
The right climate is also key. “Don’t air-dry on really windy or blustery days or you’ll end up looking like you’ve been pulled through a hedge backwards,” advises Northwood. “It’s best for hot, still days.” He also acknowledges that it may not be the best solution for control freaks. “It does give you quite a wild, undone look, so if you like a more polished finish then it will be a challenge,” he says. “If you like soft, wavy, natural hair, then it will work for you.”
It may sound obvious but a thorough towel-dry when you step out of the shower is the best way to start your air-dry. But there’s a right way to do this too.
“Gently squeezing excess water out of the hair and patting it dry will really help to speed up the process,” says Lendon. “It’s important not to rub the hair, though, as this will create unwanted frizz.”
Now for the products: crucially, avoid formulas which are heat-activated as they will be useless without a hot blast from a hairdryer. Bumble and Bumble’s Don’t Blow It (H)Air Styler (£12, bumbleandbumble.co.uk) and Shu Uemura’s Wonder Worker Air Dry Primer (£22, shuuemura.co.uk) are both designed to smooth flyaways and give hair a natural, textured tousle without the need for heat styling, while O&M’s Surf Bomb Sea Salt Spray (£19, selfridges.com) requires little more than a good scrunch for creating envy-inducing beach waves.
If your hair is naturally curly, boost bounce with Philip Kingsley’s Curl Activator (£19, philipkingsley.co.uk) before piling hair on top of your head and wrapping in Bouclème’s Curl Towel (£25, spacenk.com) - an innovative wrap made with moisture-absorbing bamboo fibres to help soak up excess water and encourage curl formation.
As for fine or straight hair types, skip the styling products in favour of formulas that smooth and nourish. Morrocanoil’s original treatment oil (£31.85, moroccanoil.com) has long been a cult favourite for keeping dry tips hydrated in the heat, while a touch of Percy & Reed’s Volumising No Oil Oil for Fine Hair (£14, percyandreed.com) through the lengths will provide mirror shine. Lendon also recommends a thickening agent - such as Aveda Thickening Tonic (£20, aveda.co.uk) - to help mimic the volume usually powered by a hairdryer.
Finally, finish with a good blast of Redken’s Wind Blown Dry Finishing Spray (£13, redken.co.uk) to give your air-dry a weightless, windswept zhush.
Embrace those beachy waves and let your hair dry naturally on holidayGeorge NorthwoodMonica GellerShu UemuraEscaping the daily blow dry routine can be a holiday in itself