If there’s a woman who has mastered the art of dream girl hair, it’s hairstylist Ashlee Rose. You may have seen her work in the For Love and Lemons lookbooks or photographed by Zooey Grossman, but with an Instagram profile that boasts misty eyed beauties and perfectly tossled bed head, we had to wonder, what exactly makes dream girl hair? Ashlee was kind enough to open up to us her secrets about perfecting the art of this covetable cool girl wave and bend.
“I think what makes dream girl hair so appealing is because it looks effortless, a little grungy, and a little sexy without thought. It’s the girl we follow on Instagram who looks like she just rolled out of bed to go down the street to grab her favorite coffee but still looks put together in an undone way. I luckily get to work with brands that set out to capture that girl in our shoots. I like to think dream girl hair is a step away from the beachy wave. It’s the beachy wave’s rebel sister – a little more free and undone.
I like to achieve this with my blowdryer and flat iron, as well as my 1″ and 1 1/2″ curling irons. With every look I use one or all four of these tools, depending on what I’m going for. I would have to say the beginning blow dry is the most important step for me. Starting wet or dry, I add root boost onto the crown and front fringe area. My favorite these days is the Paul Mitchell root boost, – it’s lightweight but does the job really well. I blow dry the front section of the hair from side to side using a 413 brush. I then blow dry the crown area forward to help put in the body needed.
After the blow dry I start at the back of the head, take a section, and then take my iron and wrap the hair around the barrel alternating the direction of the wrap. I always leave the ends out as well as using my flat iron on pieces here and there to add a different texture. With my flat iron held horizontally to the head I add in texture with a back and forth wrist motion (think revving a motorcycle). I continue up the head until I get to the front and sides. I always put in texture to move away from the face.
When I’m done adding the curl and texture I like to take some of the curling iron wave down with my flat iron – straighter is better for this hair style. After my ideal texture is in, I like to use the Oribe Dry Texturizing Spray all over, breaking up the texture with my fingers and shaking it out a bit. Perfection is not key in this hair style. I also like to add dry shampoo, my fave is Psssst – it’s cheap, doesn’t go on the hair too white, and it’s lightweight. And you can get Pssst at CVS or Walgreens, so it’s always easy to find. I also like to add a pea size amount of Bumble and Bumble’s Brilliantine to the ends.
Then my last step is to add Redken Mattifying Texture Powder to the crown section to help get the “fuzz”. The fuzz and the undone texture is key to getting the dreamy girl look. Don’t be afraid to take the palm of your hand and rub the top of your head in a circle motion. Give yourself a good ol’ fashioned noogie!
This hair just gets better with wear. Put it in an bun, a pony, sleep in it…add dry shampoo and repeat!”
What do you think of dream girl hair? Sound off in the comments, and be sure to follow @ashleeroseboots for more #manespiration.