4 Steps to A-list waves

Get the secrets of bendy texture from the celeb stylist who gets it perfectly right.

Call it ‘sexture’ or messy, just-rolled-around hair. It’s soft, shiny, nuanced – and more often than not, it’s the work of celebrity hairstylist Adir Abergel, who has used his trademark wave technique to create Rosario Dawson’s perfectly undone strands, Marion Cotillard’s piecey bob and dozens of other ’dos. See the variety on his Instagram at @hairbyadir. His rule: “Have a blown-out parting and more textured areas” rather than uniform waves all over. Here, how to get a look that’s “beautiful, but not overdone”.

Step 1 Start clean

Start with freshly washed hair. “You can’t get fullness and volume if you have oily roots,” says Adir. To avoid heaviness, only use conditioner from mid-length to ends. TRY Tresemmé Beauty-full Volume Pre-wash Conditioner (R85.99).

Step 2 Build volume

Mist damp roots with volume spray. Apply a drop of lightweight oil on ends. Rough- dry, then blowdry with a round brush on top only. For flat hair, apply mousse after drying, like Moroccanoil Beach Wave Mousse ( R385).

Step 3 Add curls

With an iron, like ghd Curve Classic Curl Tong (R2 299), make waves 5cm from the roots. Alternate between S-clamps (small sections rotated into S-shapes, then clamped) and wave clamps (sections twisted around the barrel leaving the ends out).

Step 4 Now scrunch

Use a light hairspray for gentle hold. Add a drop of finishing cream to the ends for piecey separation. TRY Schwarzkopf Osis+ Mess Up Matte Paste (R229). “Scrunch it through the bottom,” Adir says. “It breaks everything up.”