This Three-Step Overnight Hair Hack Is All You Need To Create Effortless Beach Waves

As a certified beauty junkie, I am diligent about certain things: I use the two-finger rule to apply SPF everyday, I wash my make-up brushes regularly and I gua sha nightly, but my high-maintenance approach stops at my hair. I wash it twice a week (and would do it less if I could), I avoid heat styling where I can, and I keep product use to the bare minimum. You won't find any fancy scalp exfoliants, bond builders or gloss-givers in my bathroom cabinet. My lazy-girl approach isn't for everyone, but it's helped me to discover fool-proof hacks that save time and require minimal effort, all while maintaining hair health. In fact, I've recently come to rely on a simple three-step hack that lends the kind of beachy look that will see me through summer. All you need? Two products and a plait.

For context, I have thick, medium dense, XXL strands that fall into the category of type 2 waves. My low-fi approach wasn't always so, for years I had masked my natural texture with straighteners and hair thinning cuts to make things appear more 'manageable' and 'put together'. Stumbling upon the Curly Girl Method in 2019 gave me all the confidence I needed to shift my mindset. I adopted specific wash days, used curl activators and gels, and bought a diffuser; my type 2C S-waves flourished like never before. But in the end, even that became too laborious. I thought I met my match with heatless curlers, but the effort of intricately and evenly weaving my hair around a satin rod, which always left my roots looking a bit funky, felt bothersome, too.

My new three-step routine is the happy medium and it starts with freshly washed hair. Post-evening shower, step one sees me towel-dry my hair before applying Fable & Mane's MahaMane™ Leave-In Conditioner, £28, which is without a doubt the best leave-in product I've ever used- trust me, I've gone through five bottles of the stuff since it launched in 2023. The all-rounder detangles, protects against heat and UV, and nourishes with a cocktail of moisture-boosting aloe vera, antioxidant-rich amla and elasticity-enhancing red hibiscus extracts, which together condition, strengthen and soften hair to prevent breakage. The milky mist provides ample hydration without weighing roots and lengths down, and scents hair with a warm blend of saffron, rose damascena and sandalwood, to create the perfect base for natural styling.

Step two introduces oil into the mix. Applying oil to damp, towel-dried hair allows the product to penetrate into the hair shaft effectively while helping to lock in moisture. It's also great for detangling and sealing over cuticles for a smoother look. I use this step to treat my hair and reach for Virtue's Healing Oil, £42. Pouring a few drops into my hands before warming between my palms, I apply the oil to the mid sections and ends of my hair. The clever oil combines the brand's patented bio-identical keratin protein Alpha Keratin 60ku , which can directly bind to damaged areas of the hair to repair, with antioxidant vitamin E, strengthening Tahitian gardenia flower extract, and environmental damage-shielding Kalahari melon seed oil. While rich and hard-working as far as ingredient quality in concerned, the oil is super fluid, featherweight and glides over lengths for a glossy-never-greasy finish that always helps my waves to look lustrous by morning. Continuing the theme of good smelling haircare, this oil is infused with a functional fragrance blend of creamy coconut and tropical yuzu extracts, which tend to hair while making it smell delicious.

The final step requires two braids and I'm not talking fishtails, French or any other type of complex braid pattern. Just two very simple pigtails. I part my hair down the centre and tie either sides of my hair into two separate plaits. Once tied, I go to bed with ever so slightly damp hair. Come morning all that's left to do is unbraid, run through with my fingers and go. Consider this hack lazy girl-approved.

Shop: Everything You Need For Easy Waves

Sameeha Shaikh is Grazia's beauty writer, covering all categories to bring you insights on the latest trends, industry news and the products you need to know about, viral or not (most probably viral).