How To Do Finger Waves?

Finger waves are the first to pop up whenever thinking of elegant hairstyles. These well-defined S-shaped waves first got hyped in the 1920s and 1930s. Primarily, they were associated with the Jazz era’s flapper style, but now these waves have become a sleek choice for formal and casual gatherings for anyone trying to embrace retro or vintage vibes. The best part? This hairstyle suits all hair types and lengths.

Honestly, finger waves aren’t the most beginner-friendly hairstyle to create and rock on a big night. Rather, it requires patience and attention to detail to craft those perfect waving patterns cascading over the shoulders. However, with the right products and the guide we offer, you can ace these waves without any hassle. So, without any further ado, let’s get straight to the how-to guide!

What Are Finger Waves?

Finger wave is a hairstyle that usually creates sleek and "S-shapes" hair on your scalp with the help of styling tools, holding products, and your fingers.

We can always see this hairstyle on short hair and they are indeed one of the popular hairstyles for women with short hair, but that doesn't mean you can't style it with longer length hair, you can get inspiration from recent years' celebrities' long finger wave hairstyles.

Things You Will Need to Create Perfect Finger Waves

Here is the list of tools and products that you must gather before hopping in front of the mirror to create finger waves:

Mousse: It’s the secret weapon for getting smooth yet well-defined and hydrated wave patterns across the hair.

Hair Gel: This product is a must-have for creating structure and hold, ensuring the waves last without falling out or frizzing.

Rat Tail Comb With Fine Tooth: This comb will help smooth out flyaways, gel, and mousse through your hair and make perfect S waves.

Big Clips: These clips will help hold the hair in place while you do waves on a single section to avoid any mixing of sections.

Blow Dryer with Diffuser: It will help quickly dry out the hair. You can also air dry your finger waves if you have enough time.

A mirror(optional): Help you to see the back hair shape

A head scarf(optional): Warp your hair and wait for drying

How to Create Finger Waves as a Beginner On Short Hair: Step-by-Step Guide

By now, you have explored what things you require to create waves, let’s now hop onto the step-by-step guide.

Step 1: Begin with Clean and Damp Hair

Damp hair is easier to style and mold into the waves. So, grab your spray bottle and moisten your hair. Also, ensure to begin with clean and conditioned hair for the best results.

Step 2: Apply Styling Products

This is one of the most important steps, smooth your hair with styling products. You can only apply mousse or gel, or apply both of them. The styling gel you use must be strong enough to hold the waves in place. and mousse is used to hydrated your hair and ensure the wave patterns clear. Otherwise, you will end up being frustrated.

Comb your hair to saturate the styling products evently and smooth your hair.

Pro Tips: If you have an oily hair type, your styling gel must feature a lightweight and water-based formula with a matte finish. However, if your hair is more towards the dry side, prefer a lightweight, moisture-rich gel featuring ingredients like aloe vera and argan oil.

Step 3: Part your Hair

First of all, part your hair with the end of your rat tail comb, you can do a side part or a off center part. Once done, create vertical sections in both the top and bottom main sections.

Mostly, you need at least four to six of these sections – around one inch wide. Here's the key: the more the sections, the more intricate and smaller your waves will be. So, decide based on how you want your waves to appear.

Step 4: Create Vintage-inspired C-shape Waves with your Hands and a Comb

Grab one of the vertical sections and use a comb to shape the section into C-shape waves. Simply pinch the hair at the base of the C and use your fingers to create perfect C-shape waves for the entire length of the section. Ensure that your waves face the other direction so they look like a backward C.

Step 5: Use a Duckbill Clip to Secure Waves if You Have Thick Waves (optional)

The best thing about the Duckbill clip is that it leaves no crease when offering a good hold. Once the waves are formed on one section, place the clip diagonally across the wave, keeping the flat side against your head.

If you have very short hair or thin hair, you can also skip this step.

Step 6: Repeat the Same Process with Each Section

Now, repeat the same process for all the vertical sections you have made throughout your head.

Step 7: Dry your Hair Well

Once all the waves are made and clipped, let your hair dry. If you want to speed things up, use a blow dryer with a diffuser. Otherwise, let your waves air-dry while you do makeup or the rest of the things.

Step 8: Give Final Touch-up

Once your hair is well-dried, carefully remove the clips and use your fingers to separate the waves and give them more definition. Finish off with a light mist of hair spray for more hold.

What’s the Ideal Hair Length for Finger Waves?

Finger waves have long been considered ideal for styling short hair and pixie cuts. However, you can rock them with medium to long hair lengths, too. All you will need is a robust holding spray, strong gel, more duckbill clips, more time, and more effort.

Wondering if the effort will be worth it? Hear us shouting yes, those wavy patterns will look even better on medium to long hair lengths when cascading like a waterfall. A key tip is to leave the clips in for more time and tie a scarf around the top of your head while drying your hair. This will help reinforce the shape while setting the waves.

How Long Do Finger Waves Last?

Generally, finger waves last three to five days, depending on your hair type. However, with proper use of styling products and nighttime protection, you can make these waves last up to a week. Using a satin or silk scarf while sleeping can help minimize friction and keep your waves intact for longer. Ultimately, the longevity of your waves depends on the effort you put into maintaining them.

Tips for Styling Finger Waves

• Make all things sleek before creating "S" Shape finger waves, and if you plan to do a part, make it clear also.
• Make sure your hair is moist enough, dry hair won't work on finger waves, it will turn back quickly.
• If you are a beginner, don't try to create too many "S" shapes, it can be challenging for your first time.
• A mirror is necessary to check the back shape.

Wrapping It Up!

Finger waves are one of the most interesting and hyped retro and vintage-inspired hairstyles. Everything from their definition and perfect C-shaped pattern let the wearer make a statement look. Though these waves have been in the beauty scene for too long, their hype hasn’t been reduced. The best part? You can rock them whether you have short, medium, or long hair length.

However, if you feel like styling these waves, ensure you have the right products in your vanity because the way your waves turn out, in the end, depends entirely on the quality and quantity of the styling products you use. Additionally, your hair type and the aftercare efforts will determine how long your waves will last. Hope you find this information worth reading. Stay tuned for more.