After an seemingly everlasting rain season, the weather is finally getting better in Singapore -meaning less time indoors and more time outdoors! I've been living and looking like a hermit during the heavy downpours, so it's time to dig up tweezers and a brush and face the mirror again. Not minding my hair for weeks as I barely went out anyway, not even for groceries, made me more or less forget about the eternal unruly mess on top of my head - the enemy that every Caucasian female in the tropics seems battle daily. What to do again? Work with it, not against it, is my hair-mantra in Singapore. Crucial products: Redken's Windblown 05 Dry Finishing Spray and OUAI's Wave Spray.
When I set foot in Singapore more than 2,5 years ago, I was immediately introduced with one of the less spectacular sides of living in the tropics: the fact that your hair will start a life of its own. One day it's super curly and the next day completely flat and lifeless, something that completely drove me to despair. I know - 1st World problems, but still. Luckily, the past 2,5 years I learned to work WITH my hair in hot and humid tropic conditions instead of AGAINST it. Meaning that I quit trying to tame my tresses and save myself from all the frustration of forcing sleek 'do's that won't last a minute in the climate around the equator.
Just forget the left hairdo in the tropics and go for an effortlessly chic mess instead!
My solution is to embrace the mess and work with it: go for effortlessly chic, undone hair. There are two products that I particularly love to create these kind of hairdo's - the fact that it LOOKS effortless doesn't mean it IS effortless - which are Redken's Windblown 05 Dry Finishing Spray and OUAI's Wave Spray.
REDKEN - Wind Blown 05 Dry Finishing Spray
This volumizing & texturizing dry finishing hairspray helps to hold an airy, windswept texture. The '05' indicates Mild Control, meaning that this hairspray is perfect for giving hair just the right amount of texture; it creates a weightless volume and flexible fullness and gives the hair a soft-matte finish. I love that it neither gets hard and crunchy, nor greasy and limp. The scent is great, reminds me of tropical flowers with a subtle whiff of coconut, mixed with an expensive perfume.
Some inspiration; the more mess and volume you want, the more teasing you will need. If desired, fixate with bobby pins and a whiff of Elnette.
HOW TO USE: Shake well and mist on dry, styled hair (loose, half or full updo) to simply hold an airy, windswept effect. Mist the spray from a distance of 8 to 10 inches (20-25 cm). I personally like to use it at my roots as well, hence on hair that is still in the process of styling. For va-va-voom volume, tease some 'lower' layers (i.e. not the ones that are visible) at the roots and mist the finishing spray right where you teased. Repeat this with a few layers and comb the 'top' layers of your hair through the teased layers with your fingers. Works well with (half) updo's (use bobby pins and/or a whiff of Elnette); if you let your teased hair loose without any further styling, you'll end up looking like Tina Turner in the 80ies.
Redken Wind Blown 05 Dry Finishing Spray, 235ml
Price: around 30 SGD
Available? Sparsely in Singapore. After a long search, I found Redken Singapore's website through their Facebook page, which isn't more than a salon locator for the little Red Dot, but alas. Unfortunately they don't answer the phone nor respond to FB messages. Luckily you can order overseas through Lookfantastic (free shipping to Singapore above 150 SGD) or stock up when visiting Europe, the US or Australia - I usually bring back at least 5 pieces when visiting Europe...ah the fear of running out...
OUAI - Wave Spray
OUAI, whose Dry Shampoo I absolutely adore (read my review here), offers a weightless texture mist for effortlessly chic, undone hair. It is infused with rice protein to add hold and memory for that "just got out of the ocean and my hair dried perfectly" look. It's free of parabens, not tested on animals (yay) and has the same divine scent as the brand's other hair care products.
Some inspiration; always a good option for the tropics in a side braid; less hot than loose hair sticking in your neck, fool-proof and with the use of some bobby pins (secure some loose strands of hair) it stays in place a seriously long time.
HOW TO USE: Shake it up. Mist damp or dry hair from a distance of 8 to 10 inches (20-25 cm) for easy, undone texture and enhanced natural waves. Leave it that way or style it further into a (half) updo; for the latter I always use bobby pins and finish with some Elnette hairspray for some extra fixation. Works well for a messy bun as well, which is often my preference in hot hot Singapore.
OUAI Wave Spray, 150ml
Price: 39 SGD (also available as Deluxe Travel Size 50ml for 18 SGD)
Available at Sephora
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