The fact of the matter is, there is nothing effortless about creating “effortlessly un-done tousled” hair. Then again, with the right recipe of products and techniques up your sleeve, things can get a whole lot easier in the search to obtaining that infamous sexy, lived-in texture. So without further ado … my very own foolproof recipe of products and secret weapon to building volume and texture…

On a recent shoot with actress, stage-siren and friend Erika Heynatz, I had the opportunity to put my techniques and personal recipe to the test. Creating volumes of touch-able, lived-in waves for the Australian beauty during a cover story shoot for Body & Soul. It definitely goes to show that with the right tools and techniques at hand, anything is possible.

See below for my full step by step tutorial and the un-covering of my secret weapon to building texture and volume from the roots down.

Prep

Spray O&M Surf Bomb from roots to ends of freshly washed (preferably damp) hair before combing through to make sure it is as evenly distributed as possible. The Sea Salt works perfectly as a prep encouraging any natural volume and texture out of the hair.

Lift

The key to maximising volume is making sure your volumizer is working your volumizing products into the roots. I use Kerestase’s Spray Volumifque as I can roughly section the hair using my fingers and evenly distribute the products across the roots with the spray nosel. Once all the roots have been covered it is imperative you flip your head and massage the products through making sure all the roots have been covered.

Defuse

Using GHD Air Diffuser over the end of your dryer not only maximisers a longer-lasting volume but effortlessly builds a automatic lived-in texture starting as deep as the roots – which I think I can safely say is every girls dream situation? The trick to pulling this off with ease is to flip your head upside down, and using your flingers, massage and lift the roots away from the scalp. Tip; The secret to freezing the volume in place, is to turn the dryer on cool and blasting the hair with cold hair before turning your head back up!

Tong

Depending on how much of a natural wave you managed to develop when you were defusing your hair in the previous step, you may need to pick-up 1-3 inch pieces of hair and wrap it around your tong. I only used H2D Curling Wand as they’re super light-weight when it comes to travel and using the tong itself – but also comes in a set of 3 interchangeable barrels depending on how long or how curly you want your hair. Genius right? The ceramic technology helps in the hold and sealing down the cuticle repelling moisture and humidity. Tip; I always wrap the hair around the tong going away from the face so hair will sit on the forehead and open up off the face. The trick to keeping the hair looking un-done is to NOT wrap the ends of the hair round the tong, rather stopping a couple of inches short. This makes the hair look more textures and effortless. Bam!

Texturize

Maintaining the same texture and volume through the mid-length and ends to the roots is crucial when finishing your style. The key is to use a product that is going to give you texture while maximising your volume, and without weighing down your hair ruining all your hard work. I have recently updated my recipe of products with a new ‘super star’ that does all of this and more! Oribe Apres Beach Wave & Shine Spray applied through the mid-lengths and ends creates the ultimate in sexy, touch-able texture, that has a sophisticated shine to keep flyways to a minimum and give a more luxe finish. Tip; Flip your head and spray from under the hair first – this is key for boosting volume – and always spray product starting from the ends working your way up the shaft. This ensures you don’t over load the hair. Note; LESS IS MORE!

Special thanks to Body & Soul Magazine – to see full editorial click here.

Photographer; Nigel Lough @nigelloughphoto, Model & Super Star; Erika Heynatz @erikaheynatz, Hair & Makeup; Max May at DLM