How To: Mermaid Waves, Curls, and Nails

Yes, I'm still in Beach Week mode around here.

I thought I'd include some class summer hairstyles.

Enjoy!

fishtail + t-shirt scrunch

M E R M A I D  W A V E S

• A simple braid won't cut it. You'll need something tighter. I recommend 1-2 french braids or 1-2 fishtail braids. See fishtail tutorial here.
• For the tutorial, I did one fishtail braid down my back, but it's way easier to do a side fishtail. Braid wet hair and let dry. Spray with your favorite sea salt spray. See my Sea Salt Spray recipe here. OPTION 1
• HOWEVER, your hair is most fragile when wet, so if you have damaged hair, you might want to avoid that. I braided my hair dry, sprayed with the sea salt spray & let dry. Then I added more spray and scrunched with a t-shirt. It keeps hair from getting frizzy & is my little secret to great waves. OPTION 2

mermaid waves

M E R M A I D  C U R L S

• For defined, less-messy curls, spray hair with heat protectant and plug in your 1 in styling wand.
• Wrap 1 in sections around the wand, leaving space between hair--meaning you can see the wand barrel. This avoids tight, ringlet curls. 
• Curls too tight? Pull the curl while hair is still hot.
• Let curls cool & set with your favorite spray.
• Options: Add a little styling paste to define pieces, glossing cream or oil spray for glossy hair (my hair is dry, so this is what I used), or styling cream to smooth frizz if desired.

mermaid curls + optional products

M E R M A I D  N A I L S

• Ok, this really isn't a tutorial, but I painted my nails these two colors that make me think of the sea, mermaids, and their scales. Is that weird?
• I painted Distant Memory as a base coat and then I added the gorgeous shade Use Protection on my accent nail. This glittery color is gorgeous but needs a base coat or several coats. Both were $1.50 by Spoiled, purchased in drugstores.

so much prettier in person!

So tell me, are you a Mermaid Waves or Curls kinda girl?