The night before any special occasion, your group text is bound to be lit. As you and your friends fire off texts deciding what you’re going to wear and what time you’re going to meet, there’s always one question that stops your right in your tracks—How are you going to style your hair?
It seems like a simple enough question. You do your hair every day. But there’s something about coming up with a hairstyle to perfectly match the occasion that can cause your mind to draw a blank. You could opt for your everyday style, but you know an occasion this special deserves a hairstyle that will turn heads—literally. If you’re still stumped on how to style your dark brown hair or ash blonde strands for your next big event, we’ve got you covered.
Whether you’re attending a wedding or receiving an award, a special occasion deserves a glamorous hairstyle. We teamed up with Spencer Henry, Redken brand ambassador and stylist, and Instagram influencer Ami Desai (@amidesai) to create flawless texture and movement.
Start with a spray.
For this look, you’ll want to start with clean, recently blowdried hair. Start at the back of your head, working with 2-inch sections of clean, dry hair. Spray each one with a heat protectant like Redken’s Iron Shape 11 before wrapping around a 1-inch curling iron. The lightweight spray protects your hair from flat irons and curling irons up to 450 degrees while adding shine and reducing frizz.
Get curly.
Hold or clamp each section of hair until just heated through, approximately 30 to 60 seconds. Continue curling 2-inch sections of your hair until you’ve completed the back and sides.
Think big.
To create extra volume at the crown of your head, give yourself a deep side part and continue curling the hair at the top of your head in 2-inch sections with a 1-inch curling iron.
When you’re finished curling each section, roll the curl up and use a hair clip to hold it in place instead of allowing it to hang loose down your back. Letting your hair cool down while the curls are pinned to your head helps create more volume and bounce at the root of your strands.
Brush away.
Once you’ve curled your entire mane, use a boar bristle brush to gently brush out all of your curls (except for the pinned curls at the crown of your head), until you achieve your desired S-shape wave.
Sweep everything to the side.
Sweep all of your hair over your right shoulder and place several bobby pins on the left side of your head to keep the hair in place. Remove the pin curls from the crown of your head and use a comb to comb out your curls to create voluminous S-shaped waves gently.
Backcomb.
Gently backcomb the ends of your hair to create a voluminous final look and set your style with a firm hold hairspray like Redken’s Forceful 23 Super Strength Anti-Frizz Hairspray.
Now you have a hairstyle that’s just as glamorous as you are.
Looking for a glamorous hairstyle for your next big event? Use our salon locator to book an appointment at a salon near you.
