How to Get Beach Waves with a TYME Iron
A beach wave is not a curl that has been brushed out. It is a wave that was never a ringlet to begin with, and the trick is almost entirely in two things: how far you rotate, and which direction you rotate each section. Get those right and it takes about ten minutes.
The short version. Use the 1.25 inch. Big sections. Half the rotation you would use for a ringlet. Start an inch or two below the root, never at the scalp. Alternate the direction on every section. Let it all cool completely, then break it apart with your fingers.
Which iron to use
The 1.25 inch curling iron is the beach wave iron. It is the versatile one in the range: the same tool gives you a tight ringlet or a loose beachy wave depending entirely on how you angle and rotate it. For waves, you simply rotate less. It works on any hair type and any texture.
The 2 inch is a different job. It is built for volume and movement rather than for waves, so use it before or alongside if your hair is flat, but do not expect a defined wave from it.
If your hair is coarse or thick and you also want to straighten with the same tool, the Iron Pro and the Iron Air both handle that texture well and both wave beautifully once you have the motion.
Step by step
1. Dry hair, brushed, heat protectant on
Fully dry. Mist a lightweight heat protectant through the mid lengths and ends and let it dry. Skip oils and heavy creams entirely: a beach wave lives on texture, and oil flattens texture.
2. Start on the lowest heat setting
Always. Turn it up one setting only if the wave is not holding, and stop as soon as it does. Texture and density vary enormously between people, which is exactly why there is a range of settings rather than one. Nobody needs to start at 400F.
3. Take bigger sections than you would for curls
Two inches wide is about right. Big sections are what keep the wave loose. If you section like you are making ringlets, you will get ringlets, and no amount of brushing afterwards turns a ringlet into a proper wave.
4. Start below the root
This is the main difference from curling. Begin an inch or two down from the scalp and leave the roots straight. Waves that start at the root read as a set, not a beach day. Flat roots with movement further down is the whole look.
5. Rotate half as far
A quarter turn, not a full one. You want a bend, not a spiral. With a TYME iron the rotation is what controls the size of the curl, so this single adjustment is what turns a ringlet into a wave.
6. Alternate the direction on every section
One section rotated away from your face, the next rotated towards it, and keep alternating all the way around. This is the detail almost everyone skips, and it is the difference between a beach wave and a blowout. Waves all facing the same way look styled. Waves facing opposite ways look like the wind did it.
7. Glide slowly and leave the last inch
Slow glide, loose tension. When you get near the ends, let the last inch or so slip out of the iron straight. Straight ends are what make a wave look lived in rather than curled.
8. Cool completely, then break them apart
Hands off until everything is cold. Then run your fingers through from underneath and shake the waves loose. Fingers, not a brush: a brush turns waves into fluff. If you want more separation, a light mist of lightweight hairspray after you break them up, never before.
Getting the texture right
For more volume at the root
This is where the 2 inch earns its place, because volume and movement are what it is actually built for. Otherwise, flip your head over and shake once everything is cold, or mist a volumizing spray at the roots before you start. Do not wave the roots to get volume, it does the opposite.
For a softer, undone wave
Even bigger sections, even less rotation, and break them up more aggressively with your fingers.
For a more defined S wave
Slightly smaller sections and a half turn instead of a quarter. Keep alternating direction, and resist the urge to break them apart as much.
On short hair
Same iron, start closer to the root because there is less length to play with, and keep the alternating direction. Short hair holds a wave beautifully.
On coarse or thick hair
Smaller sections than you think, and go up a heat setting only if the wave is dropping. The Iron Pro and the Iron Air are both particularly good on this texture if you find the curling iron is working hard.
Why your waves are not working
- They look like ringlets. Too much rotation, or sections too small. Cut both roughly in half.
- They look like a blowout. You rotated every section the same direction. Alternate.
- They fell out by lunchtime. You touched them before they cooled, or your products are too heavy. If neither, go up one heat setting.
- The top of your head looks flat and the bottom looks curly. You started too far down at the back and too high at the front. Keep the starting point consistent.
- They look crunchy. Hairspray went on before you broke the waves apart. Always after.
How long they last
Two to three days is normal if you let them cool properly and keep the product light. Sleep in a loose bun on top of your head, and refresh the next morning with dry shampoo at the roots rather than reheating the whole head. The less you reheat, the healthier your hair stays.