Thomas Hills, Director, TH1 Hair talks us through how to achieve this delux curl creation.
When it comes to curls, these are, without doubt, super-polished deluxe waves. This was my model’s own hair, no extensions required – which provided the perfect blank canvas for me to create what I call a ‘non-uniform’ texture. I’ve been playing around with different textures within an individual style for a while now, and I love how simple textural changes can completely transform a look, updating it and giving it a truly modern edge with a definite touch of luxe. I like to call it curl power!
The texture within this image was dictated by my model’s own natural texture, and the movement and shape already present within the hair. When adding curls, and particularly when creating a look that is so intricately full of texture, it’s important to work with, rather than against, the models’ own hair. Prep work was crucial – with so much dimension and structure within this look, I couldn’t simply add texture, it was essential that I embraced it, created it and layered it into the style from scratch. To make sure the look was modern, I kept the waves straight at the top, breaking up the very ends of the curls, so they lost a little of their pristineness. The end result combines contemporary polish with old-fashioned retro glamour for a look that’s incredibly high-end. Here’s how it was achieved:
1) I pre-loaded hair with Revlon Professional Amplifier Mousse for volume, which I dried in slightly, before reapplying. I wanted the hair to grow and ‘pop’ with movement.
2) I then blow-dried the hair with a large round bristle brush to help encourage additional volume.
3) Blow-dried locks with then prepped with American Crew Boost Powder (a weightless powder to help me create dramatic, gravity-defying texture) for guts and hold. This product also helps retain the natural moisture of the hair, while softening it, too, which allowed me to work the movement throughout.
4) This look is all about defined, deep, old-school waves, so to help me create these I used both the BaByliss Pro Titanium Expression Deep Waver and Medium Barelled Tong – essential to help me nail the glamorous vibe I wanted. It also allowed me to create supersized waves with gloss and volume, while allowing the hair to fall loosely, with no real uniform. I started from eye level, working the movement by reversing each section and pinning the curls until they were cool for maximum hold.
5) Once waves were cool and released, I used a glossing spray to finish, focusing on the mid-lengths to ends.
This style has an undone appearance yet manages to look ‘finished’ – which differentiates it from naturally occurring waves. I also wanted to create a dichotomy and contrast of texture (while there is gloss to the curls there is also a matte finish to the ends) the perfect juxtaposition to the polished yet free style I was looking to create – resulting in curls with an unexpected texture and finish.
Thomas Hills, Director, TH1 Hair
