Get the Look for Less: The Soft Half Up Curls I'm Obsessing Over

Now that the summer is drawing to a close, I’ve been craving more structure and plan for my beauty routine. I think it might be the result of a carefree summer, full of time in the pool with my girls. While I love swimming in them (and I really do swim, I’m not the mom doggy paddling with my head above water), the time in the pool means that I haven’t spent much time doing real “styling” of my hair. If I’m going to be wet in a few hours, why spend an hour curling my hair?

So, less time in the pool now means I’m breaking out my curling iron and styling products! The style that I’ve found myself craving the most is this one. It’s pretty simple, but the look is a bit softer than I’ve done my curls in the past. I’ve also been pulling back my bangs area, so it’s more of a half up style.

This look is great for the transition to fall’s cooler temps, and it is really versatile! I had it while running errands and working from home, but it’s also great for work or going out.

Here’s what I used to get the look:
• Suave Sea Mineral Infusion Shampoo
• Suave Sea Mineral Infusion Conditioner
• Suave Luxe Blow Dry Spray
• Suave Luxe Volume Mousse
• Suave Luxe Volume Hair Spray

I started with freshly washed hair. I love the Sea Mineral Infusion products because while they are hydrating, they’re also really volumizing! My hair is really pretty silky at baseline, which makes it harder to hold a style. This shampoo and conditioner duo seems to add just a very small amount of texture (less than a sea salt spray), without weighing down my hair at all. It’s just shiny, full of volume and easier to style.

Because I want volume and hold for this look, I prep my damp hair with these products before I dry it. The Blow Dry Spray helps to protect my hair from heat damage, prevents frizz and adds some volume. The Volume Mousse is great for hold and keeping volume in my hair throughout the day.

You can see that I actually use a pretty decent amount of mousse in my hair. I have long hair, and enough for about 4 people on my head. So, I distribute this amount through my hair, from the roots to the ends. It doesn’t feel sticky at all, but it does add a lot of hold and helps keep my hair from weighing itself down, it tends to go flat as the day goes on.

Once I’ve prepped my hair with product, it’s time to blow dry. I roughly blow dry my hair most of the way with just my fingers, with my head upside down (hence, no picture of this). When my hair is about 90% dry, I flip back over and I smooth it out in sections, using a big round brush.

Once my hair is dry, I pull the top parts up and secure it using 4 bobby pins. I’ve found that my hair pulls back (and looks smoother) if I do this before I dry it. I curl the pulled back hair when it is already back. It doesn’t need to be perfect, since I brush it out a bit later it will blend in.

When pulling back my hair, I use pretty heavy duty bobby pins. The wavy side goes down, and you should overlap the pins so they lock together.

I use a 1.25″ curling iron to curl sections of hair. When I pull each one out of the curling iron, I hold the curl up a bit and sometimes twist it a bit with my fingers until it cools down a little bit. I’ve found that this helps the curl hold more.

I finish up with the Volume Hair Spray, which is a touchable, flexible hold. I spray all over, and then use a paddle brush to brush out the curls a bit. This helps that area I pulled back blend into the rest of my hair, and it softens the curls quite a bit.