Hairstyling is in Luke Hersheson’s DNA. The son of legendary hairdresser Daniel Hersheson, he has been crafting the effortless, bouncy waves favoured by red-carpet regulars since the age of just 19. Over the years, Hersheson has honed a signature that feels both modern and timeless – his artfully undone, beachy waves have become his calling card. If our collective obsession with the perfectly imperfect style has an origin story, chances are it begins with him. And, as Hersheson tells it, it traces back to an unlikely source: Topshop.
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“We launched blow dry bars back in 2006 in Topshop when it was the coolest shop in the world. At that time, when you went to a salon, you got a standard blowout. Nowhere could give you really cool, undone Kate Moss waves. So we wanted to give that to everyone, and it stuck with our brand for years. Everyone wants to look like they haven’t tried too hard.”
At London’s Savoy Hotel, the expert walked me through how to achieve the look and the tools to have in your arsenal. According to Hersheson, “There’s no hard and fast rule for which one you use. I’m into using an iron, a chunky tong or a triple barrel waver that creates a really nice, slightly fairy-esque wave to it.”
From prep staples to his top styling tools and tips, read on to replicate the ethereal – and importantly long-lasting – waves of your dreams.
Much like you would layer on a primer to give make-up staying power, the same is true for hair. Hersheson says that the key is “Don’t wash your hair too often. I often find the best hair happens on day two. When we wash our hair, it becomes much softer, and you have to work hard with styling products to put back some of the grip that you’ve lost by stripping out the oils when you’ve washed it.”
He also relies on his brand’s Zhoosh Foam and Air Dry Spray as “the quickest way to get some oomph.” The former, the hairstylist reveals, goes on dry hair. “It’s not like an old school mousse that has to go on wet hair, and it goes a little crispy. You can put it straight on dry hair, and it’s got dry foam technology in it. The more you rub it in, the drier it gets, and the more zhuzh you instantly start seeing.” Apply onto the roots to give a dry shampoo-like texture. And you can even run through a fringe for immediate volume.
The next step in creating “effortless” beach waves is sectioning the hair. “I’m not a lover of taking exact sections,” says the hairstylist. “I think they should be fairly rough, and they should all be different sizes because you want all your movement to feel natural and believable. If you section it like a proper hairdresser, you’re going to get something that feels too done and too contrived.”
The amount of hair will depend on density and thickness, but Hersheson advises to “section your hair all the way down the middle and bring it all around. It’s much easier for you to work yourself when you can see the hair.” He believes “you don’t have loads of movement through the back, so it’s going to feel more natural if you’re bringing it in front of your face.”
A common mistake that he notices is the order in which most people style their hair. “People spend a lot of time on the underneath, and by the time they get to the top, they’re so over it they can’t be bothered, and you end up with all this movement underneath and then nothing on the top.” For this reason, he starts with the top and boosts the underneath if and when needed.
Hersheson likes to mix up his curling process using a range of tools. “I like using the flat iron on the sides and back and then the curling iron for the face-framing pieces to ensure that it doesn’t all look too samey or too manufactured.”
For his effortless beach waves, Hersheson uses the straightener in a different way than how I’ve curled my hair since my early teens. Instead of twisting the tool 180 or 360 degrees and pulling down the hair, he simply places the lengths between the iron and uses it to bend the hair, lifting as he goes for volume. He explains the process: “So I like to take a fairly chunky piece of hair – everyone’s is a little bit different, depending on how thick your hair is. I bend this way and that, alternating it all the way down, and you get a nice, gentle wave.” He stresses that my previous method is not totally redundant. “If you want something to look really believable and natural, it’s good to mix the technique. That way, the whole thing looks more like it hasn’t been touched by the hand of a hairdresser.”
For coarser hair, he recommends first using the iron to smooth the locks. He compares the process to my fine locks. “Whereas I’ve been quite gentle, you might need to press it in longer with coarser hair. Use more tension to pull some of the frizz away and leave that heat on a little bit longer – but ultimately it’s the same technique.” The same is true with coily locks. He says, “You probably need to blow it out first. And I think the best way of doing that is wet, using your hands like a comb, so pulling out all the curl and then gently running it through with a round brush, so you almost create a fairly smooth, straight-ish base before you then put the texture back in.
Dyson
Corrale Cord-Free Straighteners
- Why this is a Vogue top pick: The Rolls-Royce of straighteners, the Dyson Corrale tool is expensive but well worth the price. Promising half the heat damage of normal straighteners, expect hair to look glossy, frizz-free, and effortlessly straightened in seconds thanks to flexing plates that gather the hair seamlessly in their smoothing grips. Three heat settings (165, 185, and 210 centigrade) allow you to choose the level of heat that is delivered to your hair, and it will also work independently of a plug for up to 30 minutes.
- Key specifications:
- Plates: Flexing copper plates
- Cord Length: 3.2 metres and cordless
- Max Temperature: 210°C
- Automatic shut-off time: 10 Minutes
- Warranty: Two Years
ghd
Chronos Hair Straightener
- Why this is a Vogue top pick: The GHD Chronos is the speediest hair straightener I have ever used. The high-performance tool will drastically cut down styling time with its one-stroke to silky lengths capability. The brand's most advanced tool to date, it styles at the optimal – according to GHD – 185°C to protect the strands, using heat-adjusting technology to prevent breakage, while a gloss coating on the plate enhances the ease of gliding from root to tip, combating frizz and maintaining shine. The heat-up time is also only 20 seconds.
- Key specifications:
- Plates: Ceramic floating plates with a gloss finish
- Cord Length: 2.7m
- Max Temperature: 185°C
- Automatic shut-off time: 10 Minutes
- Warranty: Three years
Using a curling wand is ideal for the front of your hair especially, the hairstylist tells me. “I like to take a large, chunky tong, and curl the front bits away from your face. You want to get some nice movement that frames your face.” He stresses starting an inch or two away from the root, always placing the curling iron on the top of the hair, wrapping loosely and leaving out the ends – “the ends should always feel a little bit more fluid and a little more undone.”
The biggest mistake often made? “Using a curling iron that’s too small so you end up with a corkscrew, prom curl look.” To avoid this, invest in a barrel that’s 28 to 32mm (the one used by Hersheson in the tutorial is 32mm).
“I love it because you get a really soft, ribbony, fairy-like soft wave,” Hersheson says of the triple-barrel attachment to his Multi-Tasker hair tool. “If you’ve got super long, one-length hair, this S-shape works beautifully.” He uses the soft wave creator over the top section to bring more definition and to give a hippie feel. “You start around the mid lengths, leave for a couple of second and the next place you clamp is literally where the last one finishes. Because it’s quite big and chunky, it doesn’t have to be super exact.”
- Why it’s Vogue-approved: Perfect for styling a bob cut, this curler’s small size lends itself well to shorter hair. It’s also easy to travel with, leaving plenty of room in your suitcase for the rest of your essentials. Its appeal lies in the ionic-coated barrels, which smooth frizz as they style to keep your hair damage-free, shiny and sleek. “I’ve been looking for a tool that gives me a wavy-not-curly finish for years, and the Mermade waver ticks all the boxes. Easy to use and offering the perfect wave pattern, it’s ideal for giving natural-looking texture to my bob-length hair.” — Joy Montgomery, commerce editor
- Key Specs:
- Barrel type: ionic ceramic barrels
- Temperature: adjustable up to 226°C
- Cable length: 2.5m swivel cord
- Features: ionic barrels, temperature display
A heated thermal brush is a handy tool for refreshing bangs. “You roll the heat around it, and it gives height, a nice lift and smooths.” This goes for whether you have a full fringe or are looking to create a 70s-inspired sweep away from the face.
According to Hersheson, heatless curls work best for those with “coloured hair that grabs heat.” Otherwise, you may find that the styles lack lasting power, especially those with “long, one-length hair that doesn’t have any layers or shape. It just tends to drop out quickly.”
To ensure the longevity of your style, “Spritz a little bit of Air Dry Spray over the top of the texture to lock it in and stop it from dropping so much.” It is formulated with sugar, reminiscent of the 80s punk era. “It’s like a surf spray without the salt and instead using a little bit of sugar, that gives you that hold without it feeling dry.” You can then apply a layer of hairspray – and the stylist says you can’t beat L’Oreal’s Elnett Hairspray.
For longevity, he recommends a silk pillowcase – “they cause a lot less friction with the hair” – as well as sleeping in a loose bun to maintain the movement, ideally a “silk scrunchie, nothing too tight.”
- Why it’s Vogue-approved: Lilysilk’s silk pillowcases come in a wide array of colours and sizes — from avocado green to classic navy — and can be personalised with monogramming for an extra-special touch. Clean, classic and breathable, they’re designed to help you sink into a truly restorative night’s sleep.
- Silk: 19 momme mulberry silk
- Colourways: 15
- Lovely finish
- Luxurious quality
- Range of colours
- Zipper closure not as premium as the rest of the construction