Over the years I’ve spent my fair share of time attending one of summer’s greatest rituals—the outdoor music festival. It was always the highlight of my summer, and even though it was hot, crowded, and dirty (oh man, was it dirty), it was always fun and worth the effort. Unfortunately, the humid conditions and lack of electrical outlets meant that my sleek, flat-ironed hair was a thing of the past (at least until the week was over), so I would spend hours trying to figure out the best way to control the frizz and still look cute. What I needed was an easy way to create a look that didn’t require electricity and actually got better with hot sun and humid conditions. That’s where this hairstyle comes in!
I’ve been doing this style of hair in the summer for a while, but I recently started to use a homemade sea salt spray to see if it improved the process, and I’m absolutely crazy about the results. My hair does have a natural slight wave to it, but I would certainly never refer to it as curly. So don’t give up until you try it even if you have pretty staight hair! It’s definately worth a shot since I didn’t know my hair could do this until I tried it myself…here’s how to make waves of your own:
1 cup warm water
1 teaspoon coconut-scented conditioner
1/2 teaspoon coconut oil
1 teaspoon sea salt
small squirt of gel
Pour the warm water into a small spray bottle (you can find these at almost any drugstore), and add the conditioner, coconut oil, salt, and gel. The warm water will help dissolve the salt and the coconut oil (if it’s not already melted), but you’ll want to give it a few good shakes to make sure it all dissolves and mixes together.
Spray the mixture onto damp or dry hair. If your hair is sopping wet, wait a bit or towel dry until it’s damp before spraying the mixture (more of the spray will stay if your hair is partially dry). Once you feel like your hair is evenly saturated and coated, scrunch your hair up towards the roots several times with both hands. Allow your hair to air dry while continuing to scrunch the hair from time to time. I would suggest being outside for as much of the time as you can while it dries. I find that if my wet hair dries indoors where there is air conditioning, the results aren’t nearly as good. The hotter it is and the faster it dries is usually the best result for me.
Once your festival waves have dried and set in, you can use a teasing brush to tease the roots at the top of your scalp to add a bit more volume to the crown area. If you have access to electricity, you can also touch up any strands that didn’t dry quite as curly with a small curling iron, or you can simply just spray that strand again and give it more scrunching attention as it re-dries. Once I’m done with that, I spray some spray wax (Sexy Hair Play Dirty spray wax is my favorite hair product ever!) onto my fingertips, and I lightly run my fingers over the waves, scrunch the hair again, and twist the ends of the strands with my fingers. This will give the waves more definition, and you can finish with an anti-humidity spray if you like.
Feel free to experiment with the amount of ingredients in your sea salt spray. If you need more hold, add more gel; not wavy enough, add more salt. If your hair gets too dry, add more coconut oil and conditioner. Keep experimenting until you find your perfect combination.
Another festival-friendly thing about this hair is that it actually gets better if you don’t wash it for a couple of days. Just dampen your hair with the sea salt spray again the next day, scrunch periodically until dry, and you’ll refresh the waves good as new again (or if you like how it looks once it’s been slept in, just leave it alone and you’re good to go). You may have noticed in our recent Cost Rica vacation pictures that this is also my go-to beach hair (or pool hair) when I’m in need of humidity-proof hair waves.
This look is definitely one of my faves, and it comes in handy when I’m traveling to an outdoor summer show to watch my husband play, or just attending a summer pool party. Think you’ll give it a try for your next outdoor event? xo. Laura
Credits // Author: Laura Gummerman. Photography: Laura Gummerman and Sarah Rhodes. Photos edited with Stella and Autumn from The Signature Collection.
141 Comments
Adorable hair and cute outfit too! I soak in a sea salt bath for a half hour almost every day to clear my energy field and I achieve the same effect. It always makes my hair look amazing after 🙂
Sincerely,
Laurali Star
http://www.thesecretsurprisinista.com/
Love the tutorial! Your hair is so pretty.
You look stunning Laura! Thank you for sharing that tip. Some of the homemade recipes I’ve tried in the past have been quite drying – I need to try it again!
Shannon
Now if I can control my wispies, my naturaly wavy textured hair could do this! 🙂
that is a great tip, thanks so much! i’m a big festival girl, but flatiron my extremely curly hair, which usually just turns into one big frizzy mess. i’m definitely going to try out this spray this summer!
xo, cheyenne
What a cozy home! Love it!
Your hair is basically summer perfection.
Much Love, AnnCates xx
anncates.blogspot.com
Ok, I love ALL the ABM gals, but being that I am vegan and adore her vegan-friendly recipes, and the fact that she is just plain cool and adorable, I think Laura is one of my favorites. I greatly look forward to her posts. <3
Great tutorial! And a quick question I’ve been meaning to ask for a while: Laura, where did you get those sun glasses? 🙂
Beautiful! Love this look and will have to try this sometime for sure!
Such effortless beauty!
Hope you all are having a great summer!!
Bella xxx
Great suggestion. I love the coconut conditioner, I bought it for my son’s long hair… and I like the smell 😉
Enjoy the festival season.
Thanks! They are from Forever 21 🙂
Laura
Thank you for sharing, I can’t wait to try this! I have tested thousands of curly hair products but have never found my go-to, so I look forward to testing this one out 🙂
This is so cool!! beach hair is so sexy!
Xo, Belen
A Hint of Life
That looks great! It’s very natural looking. How long does it last? My hair is awful at keeping curls or waves in, and soon goes pretty flat. But I’ll give this a go and see how it works out!
Thanks!
Victoria, x victoriachapman.co.uk
Great tutorial! Thanks for sharing 😀
http://dindaloysia.blogspot.com
So easy and love the result. With my curly and untamable hair I’m going to give this a try. By the way, love the whole look, especially the top!
Your hair looks perfect and these tips are flawless!
http://juliettelaura.blogspot.com
Love the hair and the outfit!http://sadityinthecity.com
Looks great! What lipstick are you wearing??
I cannot wait to try this look on my vacation next week, thanks for sharing! Oh and I love your top!!!
Makes you hair look absolutely gorgeous. I have to try it!
Laura
http://simplyeasierliving.blogspot.com/
I love the idea of making your own sea salt spray…there are so many expensive ones on the market! And I like how this one is customizable 🙂
http://everydayingrace.blogspot.ca/
Love the festival hair AND outfit! I use a sea salt on my hair, but it never looks NEARLY as good.
<3
http://www.RitaMaesShop.etsy.com
That’s perfect!!
Wow, I love this hair and the outfit is fab. I also love the pink lip! I’ve been looking for some good humidity spray for a while I’m going to have to check that one out. Thanks!!
http://katikonfidential.com
Super cute! This sounds like a good combo of salt and moisturizing. However, it should be noted that adding additional water to formulations without upping the preservative (the salt won’t act as a broad spectrum preservative unfortunately) will increase the likelihood of nasty bacteria, mold and fungus. Maybe make small batches so this is less likely to happen? And/Or keep it in the fridge? ;-P
That sounds great and your hair looks really good!
I loved this look and more importantly, I loved her top! I think I will try some festival inspired hair this weekend!
awesome! just last night I was searching on pinterest for a sea salt hair spray, thanks! can’t wait to try!
Love this, just curious is your hair naturally wavy/curly?
I can usually sleep on it for a few days of wear, but every person’s hair is different!
Laura 🙂
You truly look amazing! I will try that too!
I love this tutorial! I love sea salt hair sprays, so I think that I’m gonna have to try out your homemade version! 🙂
Good thinking Mokhe! Thanks for the tip!
Laura 🙂
It is slightly wavy (mostly just frizzy) if it air dries indoors. It holds straight and curly pretty well, but I definitely wouldn’t call it naturally curly. Naturally slightly wavy would be the best description 🙂
Laura
This is amazing! My hair goes crazy curly at festivals, but without the volume or shine. Defo going to mix up this concoction next time I head to a festival 🙂
Thanks for another amazing post Ladies
x tink x
allabouttink.co.uk
Does your hair have a little wave to it naturally, or does it dry fairly straight when it air dries?
Great idea, your hair looks great!
This is SO good! Such a great tutorial! Thanks so so much for sharing!
http://sometimesgracefully.com
She is just the cutest! I will definitely give this hair potion a try…
Does this work if you don’t already have curly hair?
Seems like a bit of a process. I’m lazy but I still might try it. How long does the mixture last in the spray bottle? Can it be stored for a while if I don’t use it often?
My hair gets so frizzy and tangled in the summer… but this spray is perfect because then it means I don’t have to brush my hair, right? 🙂
Can’t wait to try this spray!
What type of hair do you have naturally, though? I have very fine straight hair by nature and these types of treatments do not work. It would be helpful if you added some information on that. For those who are not familiar with their own hair, this could be a costly and time consuming experiment that falls flat… pun intended!
I love the top! Where did you get that? I’m shopping for my festival look!
Love this style of yours, gorgeous waves.. homemade sea salt spray is perfect, will try this on my summer vacation which starts tomo!
xo
Holy guacamole your hair looks excellent. It’s almost too good to be true. :] // http://www.itscarmen.com ☼
Love! Would this work well with cury hair too? I wonder? I guess I might have to try this out. Thanks
http://prettypiecesshop.com/
I love your fringe top! Where is it from?
I love this. This will be very useful for me and my thin, lifeless hair! 🙂
x
Courtney
http://www.nikitaandvesper.com
You’ve got to be kidding me? This is exactly what I’ve been looking for in terms of summer hair! I rarely ever heat style my hair in the summer time. There is no particular reason for it, it just happens. But I hate my naturally plain washed hair. When I brush it, it just looks not too put together and messy.. sloppy. I’ve tried scrunching gels and sprays but each one had a con I couldn’t get over. I’m definitely going to try this, its super enticing that it can be customized to my hair and gets better a few days after applying. I’m super excited about this!
You should wear your hair like this all the time, it’s gorgeous!
Kristina does the Internets
So cute! I have similar hair to yours, but I love your color. Do you mind sharing if you foil your whole head or just a partial highlight (tops and sides maybe)?
Love it! I’ve always loved the way my hair is after a day of swimming, so will have to try this at home! Thanks for the tutorial 🙂
I must try this! I’m always looking for easy hair styles during the summer since it’s so humid here on the East Coast!
x Sara from awildroseblog.com
It is slightly wavy (mostly just frizzy) if it air dries indoors. It holds straight and curly pretty well, but I definitely wouldn’t call it naturally curly. Naturally slightly wavy would be the best description 🙂
Laura
My hair is usually pretty straight but it also has some waviness to it when it air dries so it can go curly or straight. This may be difficult to get if your hair won’t hold any curl or texture at all, but you never know! Give it a try!
Laura 🙂
I would use in within a day or two or mix and mix up new batch after that just to be safe (so maybe start with a half batch if you don’t know how much you’ll need the first time).
🙂
Laura
My hair is usually pretty straight but it also has some waviness to it when it air dries so it can go curly or straight. This may be difficult to get if your hair won’t hold any curl or texture at all, but you never know! Give it a try!
Laura 🙂
It’s from Forever 21 🙂
Laura
It’s from Forever 21 🙂
Laura 🙂
I’m pretty sure my blonde is a partial, I love my hairdresser!
Laura 🙂
thank you so much for sharing this! i’ve been in search of a good sea salt spray, and i love the idea of making your own. i even already use that exact conditioner, so this should be easy 🙂
xo jac
thesunshinedistrict.blogspot.com
love the hair! xo
http://www.hikinginheels.co.uk
This look really easy! I love the beach hair look x
http://www.thetelephonebox.blogspot.co.uk
I love the look that this gave your hair, definitely giving that sea salt spray DIY a go 🙂
http://emicphany.blogspot.ca
Super cool post… love the pictures
http://secretsofmissdaydreamer.blogspot.in/2014/07/how-to-survive-bad-haircut.html
I definitely should try it this summer! 🙂
This looks really easy and great. I love this beach-look:D.
This looks great! The salt doesn’t dry out your hair too much?
yay! these tips are fan.tas.tic. Thank you! I do have a question, though….how long does this mixture last? Do we need to dump the mix after a few days, or is it good until the bottle runs out? Thanks!!
I’ve been crushing on your hair since seeing pictures of it from Costa Rica and I am so happy that you shared your secrets!! I’m definitely trying this out this weekend!
xoxo
Taylor
This is a brilliant idea! I love the idea of having beach babe waves but with pretty naturally straight hair I find it difficult to get, especially at a festival where I can’t curl my hair. I’m so going to try this, your hair looks fab.
Love Alana xxx
Alana Says…//www.alana-says.blogspot.co.uk//Fashion and lifestyle blog
most important thing for a woman: her hair!….
Hi Laura! Quick question – do you find that you can keep this solution for a few days in the spray bottle if you don’t use it all up in one go? Or should you re-make fresh each time.
Thanks!!
Great tutorial!!
Rxx
http://www.peppermintdolly.wordpress.com
Bee You Tea FULL! Love the waves, and the fringed crop top!
xo
K
Thanks! I’m going to a musical festival this saturday and will have to try this look!!
Best
http://www.theluxylady.com
Great idea! I have been using a sea salt spray that I bought, but I didn’t realize how easy it was to make myself.
I would give my big toe for this hair. My hair is stick straight no matter what the weather or humidity level. I would kill for the occasional curl…or a wave for that matter! I am totally jealous.
literally cannot wait to do this, it looks amazing!!
http://mumswearlipstick.blogspot.com.au/
Love this!! I’ve been looking for a solution for this humid Florida air. Thanks Laura!
xxKristina
battleskn.blogspot.com
Great tutorial, Laura! Your nail polish is the perfect pink I’ve been looking for! Which brand/color is it? Thanks!
This looks great Laura, really gorgeous. I suffer from curly but frizzy hair, its quite dry naturally so not sure how i will go with this, i am sure it won’t look as beautiful as your lush locks! I just bought a flat iron to straighten, but mainly to add definition to my curls. I have seen a curling iron tute katie did awhile back, but would LOVE a tute on how to use a flatiron to curl??
So I tried this “recipe” last night, and the coconut oil melted in the hot water perfectly, however this morning when the mix was cold, the oil has solidified again…
Does that happen to you too? If not, what’s your secret?
Thanks for sharing ! (Perfect timing by the way, I was contemplating the possibility to buy salted water for my hair…)
XO from France
Oh wow: I have beachy hair all year long. Can’t believe I never thought of this myself! Am mixing things up in a spray bottle as we speak, THANK YOU!!!!
I love wavy hair for the summer and especially for festivals. It looks lovely on you!
http://www.thoughtsinstyle.com/
You look bloody beautiful. Wish I’d read this before Glasto – my hair looked like a rat had crawled into it and made a happy home by the end! (Still not sure I’d have looked as good as you though!)
The perks of being a hipster
Love this look! May I ask where your top is from?
I love your hair!
Did you already say where you got that hat? If so I missed it…so, where did you get that fantastic hat? 🙂 Thanks!
I love this look, but my hair is so thick and I usually add wavy curls with a curling iron. The summer heat tends to make my hair really frizzy, too. I always sit inside to let my hair dry as well. I have been sitting in front of a fan so I don’t have to use my blow dryer. I never thought that air conditioning would be a problem, but as you mentioned above, you achieve better results when your hair dries outside. I wonder if that would work for me… Anyways, I definitely want to give this spray a try. I have the coconut oil in that same brand as the coconut milk in your photos. It is AMAZING.
gorgeous and so festival chic! I will most definitely be giving this a whirl. Thanks for sharing this hidden little gem of a secret 🙂
Your hair looks perfect! I’m going to try this!
I am definitely going back to the old sea salt trick for festivals! Thanks for the tip 🙂
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Love the tutorial! What lipstick are you wearing? It looks great on you!
Nope! That’s what the conditioner and coconut oil help with 🙂
Laura
I would make small batches (however much it takes to do it once or twice) and make a new mixture after a day or two 🙂
Laura
I would make smaller batches if you don’t use the full amount on your hair in one sitting (however much it takes to do it once or twice) and make a new mixture after a day or two 🙂
Laura
You’re in luck! We’ve actually already done one:
http://abeautifulmess.com/2012/03/how-to-style-flat-iron-curls.html
Laura 🙂
It’s from Forever 21 🙂
Laura 🙂
Do you have any tips for keeping it looking good the next day? Mine looks great day of and then turns into a giant frizzy mess overnight
Whre did you get that fantastic hat? it suits you well-
AMAZING! It works like a charm! Thanks!
Hey ladies! This post is written as if this style would miraculously work for all women of all hair types. It would be helpful to know what Lauren’s hair looks like au natural to give the reader some perspective. As in, make the post more user-friendly so that readers don’t have to scroll through the comments to find out that her hair is “slightly wavy (mostly just frizzy)”.
I just had a thought! I would be super interested in hair tutorials that include photos of all the ABM ladies’ hair styled using the same method, to actually show variation in results. From the trillions of photos I’ve seen I think my hair is most like Emma’s, so I would love to see her hair styled like this (for example).
Great Idea, i have to try this but wont the hair get sticky with the consitioner in the mixture?
Greetings from Berlin, Germany
I tried to do the mixture. But the conditioner doesn’t mix with the other substances. There are so many pieces of conditioner which did not dissolve. I shaked the bottle with the mixture about 20 minutes. But they are still there. Does anyone has an idea?
Thanks for your help and for sharing this beautiful pictures.
It’s from Forever 21 🙂 – Jacki
Well, it really depends on your hair. Mine is usually pretty ready to go the next day, but if it gets too frizzy overnight you’ll probably have to renew it each day by dampening your hair with the spray and letting it dry again. You may not need to totally wet your hair again though, just dampening it may do the trick and it won’t take as long to dry if you don’t soak it the whole way through 🙂
Laura
Hi Dee!
You are right, not all hair tutorials will work for every individual so most any hairstyle will vary from person to person depending on their hair type. I know I can never know for sure if a style or product will work for me until I try it on myself.
Emma would look great with this hair, but then again she looks great pretty much in any hairstyle. Thanks for the suggestions!
Laura 🙂
It shouldn’t! It just made my waves a lot softer than if I went swimming in only salt water 🙂
Laura
Hi Friederike!
You can either try another conditioner if you don’t think it’s getting dissolved (make sure the water is pretty warm when you mix it all together, that should help). But even if there are still some pieces that aren’t dissolving, it’s still getting mixed in with the water and I would try spraying it anyways. Or you could try it without the conditioner and see if the coconut oil softens your hair enough on it’s own 🙂
Laura
Thank you for the advice! Gonna try it
http://annasafron.blogspot.ru/
love! my hair is fine and straight so i always have a hard time doing anything with it! I’m going to try this for sure.
I like your hair, it looks so gorge <3
http://ranosalman.blogspot.com
I always try to get this look with my stick straight hair…can’t wait to try this!
ahhh i love this! those waves are perfect!
xxoo,
nikki
http://www.dreaminneon.blogspot.com
I’d love to know where you got that fringe top or if its handmade!
You look stunning Laura! Love the tutorial!
Greetings from Romania
http://www.scamp.ro/
definitely could’ve used this when I camped for a music festival a few weeks ago! at least the dirt in the air soaked up any grease in my hair (gross!)
http://gifsandgarb.blogspot.com
Thank you for these tips! I absolutely love your hair and I really wanted to get this hair look! Thank you!
Thank you for these hair tips! I absolutely love your hair!
It’s from Forever 21 🙂
Laura
Naturally my hair dries stick straight (not really complaining)so I was interested to see if my hair could hold these waves….It did! This spray is my new favorite thing! Thank your sharing!
Love the hair! I’ve always wanted to do scrunchy hair but can never figure out how to do it.
Your hair looks awesome but that top you have on is AMAZING, I really want one like it!
I like your idea to make festival hairstyle. But I like to give thanks for you
have made nice style on your photography. Thank you.
I was wondering if it cuold work w/short hair? I´ll tryyour recipe.Thx 4 article.
I will definitely be trying this in the future! Your entire outfit looks perfect by the way, those sunglasses are so fun!
http://wethinkthereforewecreate.blogspot.com
I thought that it’s about http://openhair.pl/ 🙂
Your hair looks amazing! I will try the DIY spay. I love the smell of coconut in summer!
x Nina
http://trendsurvivor.com
Your hair/style/lipstick is amazing! Love this idea for my hair. Hello Lollapolooza!
http://girlonset.blogspot.com/
http://girlonset.blogspot.com/
Perfect festival hair for sure. Love the cut as well. Great recipe for homeade sea salt spray. I’m so going to use this. Thanks so much for sharing!!!!
How to get awesome festival hair:
Step 1. Go to a music festival.
Step 2. Stop trying.
😉
Great tutorial, your hair looks fabulous… if you are ever on Long Island and looking for a new york hair salon, check out Tomy B Salon. They are the best hair salon on long island with custom formulated hair color and hand painted highlights (no bleach, no ammonia, no parabens and no ppds! ) http://tomybsalon.com/reviews-tomy-b-long-island-hair-salon-2/
These are beautiful photos, Laura. You are gorgeous!
Ronnie xo
Just came back from my last summer festival! I will definitely try this next time 🙂
http://justsem.wordpress.com
Your lipstick looks amazing! What kind is it?