‘Bent waves’ is the beachy, natural hairstyle we’re all asking for in salons. Here’s how to get it at home

This has truly been the year for mastering the art of DIY hair. No, we don’t mean bleaching your hair at home or cutting your own bob, which FYI, we don’t recommend.

We mean perfecting at-home styling. As we have all spent more time at home this year, with salons across the country sadly in and out of lockdown, many of us have had more time to experiment with our hair styling tools and products. And if there’s anything 2020 has taught us – aside from baking the perfect loaf of banana bread and tie-dying our old tees – it’s the confidence-boosting importance of an Insta-worthy hair style.

That’s why we were delighted when hair stylist to the stars Larry King decided to share his easy at-home guide for the style of the moment, using the new Dyson Corrale™ cord-free hair straightener, which gives you up to 30 minutes of cord-free styling*.

“Call it the ‘Emily in Paris effect’ or this year’s ongoing desire for a low maintenance look, but we’ve seen customers speed dialling the salon for preppy Parisian cool-girl waves,” says Larry. “These ‘bent waves’ are a bit looser and more ‘bed-head’ than traditional wavy blow-outs, with the shape leaning more towards buckles and bends than regular curls.

“What is key is keeping the hair in great condition, so that the buckles and bends really pop with healthy shine,” Larry explains. “I love the range of temperature options on the Dyson Corrale™ because it allows me to help reduce damage and frizz.”

That’s exactly why the Dyson Corrale™ is the ideal styling tool for this trend, as you can choose between three precise heat settings – 165°C, 185°C and 210°C – to cater to all hair types. And thanks to its intelligent heat control, the temperature is regulated 100 times a second, so you know it’ll never exceed your chosen temperature. Not only this, but the Dyson Corrale™ is also the only straightener to use flexing copper plates that shape to gather the hair, giving you more control when styling than typical solid plates.

This extra control means you can achieve the same style but with less heat, which actually results in half the damage**, reduced frizz and fewer flyaways***, because you’re not putting your strands under so much strain.

For that undone, beachy look that makes this bent waves style so on trend, get creative with your Dyson Corrale™. It’s engineered for balance (with weight balanced in the hand to help give maximum control while styling), meaning you can get your hair-styling juices seriously flowing. “Choosing a range of techniques gives a more natural look, so rather than adding consistent ringlets, add the bends at different points in the length and use different twisting techniques throughout the sections so that it’s not too repetitive,” explains Larry. “This will lead to a more natural and chic finish.”

Here’s Larry’s expert step-by-step guide for achieving bent waves at home. To watch him demoing the look on his daughter Elsie, check out the ‘Beauty Pro’ section of our Instagram Story Highlights.

1. With your hair wet, take your Dyson Supersonic™ hair dryer and apply the Styling Concentrator nozzle. Dry your hair as normal and separate with your hands, directing the air flow in the way you want the hair to sit when you finish. This is just a rough dry to get your hair into position.
2. Once you’ve rough dried all of the hair, you’re going to start creating some buckles and bends using the Dyson Corrale™ to achieve that soft, undone, but really cool hair style.
3. Elsie’s hair is a bit coarser and more curly, so for that I used the medium temperature range. For finer hair, you would probably sit at the 165ºC temperature whereas if you’ve got thicker, more coily or curly hair, you might go up to 210ºC. It’s really about identifying your hair type, then letting the flexing copper plates of the Corrale™ maintain the condition of your hair.
4. Next, you’re going to take the hair and place it between the Corrale’s flexing copper plates, bending and twisting through in the opposite direction to create that ‘bend’ – but not taking it all the way through.
5. By not taking the hair all the way through, you’re creating that more ‘bent’, undone vibe, so that you’re just leaving the ends to sit, curling between your fingers to finish the wave. If you want a tighter finish, simply use the Corrale™ to touch up the ends.
6. If the wave is too tight, gently shake or separate with your fingers while still hot for a messier style.
7. Repeat all the way through your hair until you have that nice, soft wave with plenty of buckles and bends.

The Dyson Corrale™ special gift edition is available to buy at boots.com for £399.99****, which includes a Dyson-designed detangling comb and paddle brush; heat-resistant travel pouch; magnetic 360˚ charging cable; and charging dock.

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*Exact run time depends on your hair and styling habits
**Thermal damage measured by hair strength, when creating an equivalent hairstyle. Tested on flexing plates vs solid plates
***Direct image analysis vs untreated hair
****While stocks last