80s Malibu Mermaid Hair Tutorial

March 02, 2017

80s Malibu Mermaid Hair Tutorial

Hello!

Today I thought I would try something a little different. Beachy crimps/waves reminiscent of the 1980s. This is one of my favorite ways to wear my hair, as I am of the philosophy that the bigger the hair, the better! It's sorta like young Julia Roberts meets mermaid Barbie, which I'm all about!
It's not particularly hard, it just takes a little while, especially if you have long hair, like myself. You will need a hair crimper of some kind. I believe mine was the cheapest option available, and it works fine.
I also took the pictures on two different days, hence the clothes change.

Things you will need:

-Hair crimper (like the one bellow)-

-Heat protectant of some kind-

-Clips to divide your hair-

-Sea salt spray (optional, but I think it really adds to the whole untamed vapor wave mermaid aesthetic)

This step is optional, but as I have pretty fine hair with not a lot of natural wave, I like to braid my hair the night before to give it some texture. This also helps you to not have to hold the crimper as long on a section, as the piece already has some waves, which helps you avoid heat damage. If you already have wavy hair, or aren't worried, then you can skip this step.

The morning after I slept on the braids

I feel like this really represents me as a person

Also this

As you can see, the braids gave me some waves, but it's still kinda flat on the top, which I'm personally not into

Next, apply your heat protectant, and section you hair. I just clip all my hair off to one side, and pull out sections as I go.

Taking about one inch sections, start from the top, and slowly work your way down. Holding the crimper on for a shorter period (about two seconds) gives you a softer wave, while holding it on longer (five to six seconds) gives you more of a defined zig-zag. I personally like to do a mixture of both, as it makes it look a little more irregular, which I like.

Side by side comparison

Continue taking horizontal sections out of the clip, slowly working your way up. The time will vary depending on how long and thick your hair is. My hair is to my waist, but it's not particularly thick, and it took me about 40 minutes.

Close up

When you are all done, your hair should look something like this

Now you can totally leave it like this, but I usually like to make it a little more textured and defined. To do this, you will need a texture spray, preferably one with sea salt. I personally like the "Not Your Mother's Beach Babe Sea Salt Spray", as it's pretty cheap, doesn't have a bunch of chemicals in it, and doesn't make my hair super gunky, but use whatever kind you like best for your hair.