Summer Hair Styling Routine - Beachy Hair

I recently had my hair trimmed a little. It was almost down to the waist and horribly damaged - you can still see in the above photo that I have some damage left. But I'm very attached to my hair and I just couldn't bear to have it all chopped off! I did get about 15 cm trimmed, though - my hair is so much more manageable. I wear it in a ponytail a lot, but I've also found now that I can actually style it, as opposed to before, when it was so long it was just too heavy to do anything with it. I don't like using heat tools, because my hair is prone to breaking and I don't want to damage it too much. So I've discovered two products which help me achieve the beachy, mermaid-like hair we all seem to crave come summer.

I start off by washing my hair with Garnier Fructis shampoo and conditioner. I find that it is literally the only combination that does not wreck havoc on my hair recently. I posted about some John Frieda products a while ago, but I really have to say they stopped working for me. Garnier seems perfect for my locks! I dry my hair about 75% with a blow dryer, or if I'm not in a hurry, I just let it air dry. My hair is naturally completely stick straight, so I'm on a neverending quest for waves and texture.

When my hair is dry, I like to apply the Schwarzkopf got2b Big Volume Push Up Volume Refreshing Styling Powder (why the long name? Ain't nobody got time to remember that). This is a texturising spray which adds tons of volume and I really love how big my hair is when I use it. It comes out slightly white/gray, but I can easily comb it out. You could also use a dry shampoo or something from Oribe, but that brand is ridiculously expensive. This only costs around 6€, and is really awesome.

Then I use my second product. It's the Percy & Reed Wonder Balm. Please don't throw random hair products at me in rage, because I did initially include this in my Disappointing Hair Products Post. I have to swallow my words because I've actually found a way to make it work. I feel horrible! So this one got a second chance. I apply it to dry hair, the smallest amount does a lot. It adds beachy waves to my hair. This costs around 25€ on ASOS.

If you want to, you can leave your hair like that. You'll be left with piece-y, mermaid waves. But I really like my hair soft and combed through, because if I don't brush it, I'm left with horrific tangles by the end of the day. So in the photo, you see what it looks like after brushing it out. The hair has loads of volume and pretty waves as well (well, they're waves to me, since otherwise my hair looks like it's been flat ironed). I hope you enjoyed this!

How do you wear your hair in the summer?