Brazilian supermodel Gisele Bündchen is known for her beachy waves and her highlights, both created by celebrity hairstylist Harry Josh, who also works with Kate Bosworth, Rose Byrne and Miranda Kerr. He spilled all of his secrets for an authentic-looking surfer-girl style.

Brazilian supermodel Gisele Bündchen is known for her beachy waves and her highlights, both created by celebrity hairstylist Harry Josh, who also works with Kate Bosworth, Rose Byrne and Miranda Kerr. He spilled all of his secrets for an authentic-looking surfer-girl style.

First things first
Josh says the right cut and hair colour are key to a good beachy wave. “The haircut has to be long and layered with thinned-out ends,” he says. “You can’t have a one-length style with blocky ends.”

Next, highlights of some kind are ideal for the hair to read as textured and wavy, even if you’re a dark brunette. “Think models Miranda Kerr and Lily Aldridge,” says Josh. “They don’t have a whole head of highlights, but they have just enough so you can see the dimension.”

Style at night
If you can, Josh recommends styling this look at night, when you’ll have more time to carefully curl each section and make sure it sets. Then, you’ll sleep on it and have a little bed head in the morning. “If you want lived-in waves, live in them,” he says.

If you have fine hair and worry it will look oily in the morning, spritz it with dry shampoo at the roots before you leave for work, leave it for five minutes, then massage your scalp. The dry shampoo will soak up the oil.

The Steps

1. Mousse it up
Use a pliable noncrunchy mousse to coat dry or damp hair from roots to ends. Josh suggests separating your hair into quadrants and using an egg-size ball of mousse per quadrant (four eggs in total). “Product application is everything,” he says. “That way, you won’t overapply in any one area.”

2. Tousle-dry
Blow-dry your hair in quadrants, one at a time. If you have tight curls, smooth them with a brush before adding waves. Otherwise, you can tousle-dry with your fingers.

3. Add body
To enhance volume at the crown, take a big section of hair at the top of your head, hold it straight up and blast hot air at the roots. Once the hair is nice and hot, blast it with cold air. Next, roll it into a large cylinder (as though it’s being wrapped around a Velcro roller) and pin it in place.

4. Curl your hair
Take one-inch sections of hair and, holding a clip-less curling iron (or a regular curling iron with the clamp open) vertically, wrap the hair around the iron, starting at the root. Hold the end of hair out as your hair sets. Curl the pieces around your face back so they don’t fall forward into your eyes. For the rest of the hair, alternate curling it to the front and to the back for natural-looking curls. Once you’ve curled the entire head, allow it to cool for five minutes, which will help set the curls in place.

5. Rough it up
You should have a full head of ringlets, which is not the look you’re going for. Remove the curl cylinder at your crown, flip your hair upside down and brush it. “The curls will not fall out,” says Josh. Shake your hair out and flip your head back up. Move your fingers through it to separate any tangles.

6. Finishers
If your hair feels dry, add a drop of polisher or serum. Then, finish with a spritz of hairspray, which will smooth the hair a little and make it look more hydrated, but it won’t remove all of the texture. “This look works with flyaways, tangles and bed head,” says Josh. “It’s not meant to be that perfect wave.”



Toolbox:
1. John Frieda Luxurious Volume Volume Building Mousse, $12, well.ca.
2. John Frieda Frizz-Ease Secret Weapon Flawless Finishing Crème, $12, well.ca.
3. Klorane Dry Shampoo with Oat Milk (Gentle Formula, all hair types), $15.50, klorane.ca.

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