There’s one look that never goes out of style on the red carpet: retro glam. Like that pair of blue jeans that’s right for every single occasion, vintage waves are the celeb equivalent of a homerun. On a recent award show red carpet, model and body-positive feminista Ashley Graham wore wet-look waves that slayed us, courtesy of stylist and educator Shelley Gregory of Square Salon.
Graham might’ve worn everything from waist-length extensions to pixies with her dark brown hair in the past, but she settled on a trendy middle length with a deep side part and a fresh-out-the-shower texture. She wore a dramatic metallic dress with a deep V and bronzy makeup, so the simple hair was a refreshing touch.
"We wanted to achieve a wet look with it still looking glamorous and chic," Gregory explained. "We had to take into account that it was for a TV shoot that would be seen worldwide and keep the shiny wet texture we wanted, all while filming."
To create the look, Gregory started by curling Graham's entire head with a 1.25-inch iron, alternating directions for the most natural finish. Once the curls were in place, she worked in sections to spray the hair with water before applying L'Oréal Professionnel Tecni.Art Beach Waves. Wondering how Gregory got that dreamy, straight-outta-the-ocean texture? She layered in L'Oréal Professionnel Tecni.Art Extreme Splash Gel in sections at just the root, spreading the product downward in each section so that there was barely any product by the time she reached the root.
Although the look was mostly intact, Gregory finished off the look with two final steps: First, she used a diffuser on low to help reactivate Graham's curls. Then, she set each curl with a pin and coated the whole head in L'Oréal Professionnel Tecni.Art Infinium 3, then a the brand's Shower Shine spray.
Want to copy Graham's style but not sure you can pull it off? Gregory recommends the look for anyone hoping to step up their hair game.
"I think [retro waves] can look good on any woman as long as the hair looks shiny and healthy and you choose a style that complements your face shape.
Save these images as inspo for the next time you want to add a little glam to your life!
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