If you follow me on instagram, you might have already seen that I recently had my hair lightened up for the summer! I went to Matrix Celebrity Colorist George Papanikolas for his Glow lights technique, his new take on the classic Balayage, using Matrix Light Master to create the radiant Glow lights look. So many of you commented about how you loved the blowout they gave me; if only I had a professional stylist to do my hair, every day! But since I usually add a little texture and wave to my hair, they sent me home with some products to try:

For this textured waves hair tutorial, I used the three above: their New Style Link Minerals Airy Builder, Style Link Texture Builder from their Style Link collection, and New Style Link Minerals Grip Definer . The Airy Builder adds volume and makes my hair more workable, Texture Builder sets the waves without making them stiff or glossy (think of this as a perfect hybrid of dry shampoo and hair spray – it’s matte and lightweight), and Grip Definer gives just the right amount of definition to the ends, keeping them from looking too messy. Want to know how to recreate this look? Follow the step by step instructions, below!

 

1. If you’re starting with clean, damp hair, add New Style Link Minerals Airy Builder to your roots and work through to the ends. Give yourself a rough blow dry – I like to flip my hair upside down, then let cool before I flip back over. It gives maximum volume! If you’re already starting with dry hair, you can still add the Airy Builder foam (it works on dry hair, too), or you can spritz with dry shampoo to give it a little oomph.
2. Hold your curling iron or wand vertically, and wrap small sections of hair around it from root to tip, away from your face. For reference, I’m using a 25-32 mm Theorie curling wand, and I usually divide my hair half up/half down and curl the bottom half of my head, first. If you have more hair than me (mine is pretty thin), you can section it off with clips.
3. Curl the remaining sections of hair.
4. Comb out the waves with your fingers, to loosen it all up.
5. Spritz all over with Style Link Texture Builder. To ensure it’s evenly distributed, lift and fluff as you go.
6. Tease a couple of sections at the crown, to give a bit more volume.
7. Use a small amount of New Style Link Minerals Grip Definer to define the ends of your waves. This will keep it from looking too messy, and will help you guide the ends in the direction you want them to stay. Done!

That’s it! I hope you enjoyed my textured waves hair tutorial. Thanks to Matrix for partnering with me on this post, and to George Papanikolas for my lighter new hair color!