This is a complete lesson from Bliss Fundamentals, free to watch above, exactly as our students see it. The style it teaches is one of the most requested finishes in occasion work: soft, brushed-out waves with the front sections twisted back into a small half-up knot. It photographs beautifully, it suits guests and bridesmaids as well as relaxed brides, and every part of it can be practised on a mannequin head.
The written steps below follow the video's own narration, so you can watch first, then work through the text with the iron in your hand.
What you need before you start
- A paddle brush and a wide-tooth comb
- Sectioning clips
- A curling iron
- A flexible wave-hold spray you can layer, plus a stronger hairspray and a shine spray for the finish
- Bobby pins for the knot
- A mannequin head, if you are practising rather than styling a client
The hair should already be prepared: clean, fully dry and detangled. Freshly washed, slippery hair will drop these waves quickly, so if you are working on just-washed hair, be generous with the wave-hold spray at each section.
Step 1: Detangle and set your first section
Work through the lengths with a paddle brush until the hair is completely knot-free. Waves built over tangles collapse into frizz, so do not rush this.
Then separate a horizontal section at the nape, about two to three fingers wide. Twist the rest of the hair up out of the way and pin it. From here on, you only ever work on one loose section at a time; everything else stays pinned. That discipline is most of the secret.
Step 2: Spray, brush, and wave the first section
Apply a wave-hold spray to the loose section and gently brush it through so the product is distributed evenly rather than sitting in one wet stripe.
Divide the section into two smaller parts. Wrap the first part around the curling iron and hold it for 30 seconds. Now the detail that separates a lasting wave from a two-hour wave: when you release the curl from the iron, catch it in your hand and hold it coiled for five more seconds before letting it drop. Hair sets as it cools. Those five seconds are the setting.
Repeat with the second part of the section.
Step 3: Work up the head in sections
Release the pinned hair and take a new horizontal section, again two to three fingers wide. Pin the top out of the way, spray, and brush through as before.
This section is divided into four smaller parts rather than two, because you are now on wider parts of the head. Each part gets the same treatment: 30 seconds around the iron, released into your hand, held for five seconds, dropped.
Keep moving up the head the same way. The rhythm is always identical: section, pin the rest, spray, brush, divide, curl, cool. It feels slow the first time; with practice on a mannequin head it becomes automatic and quick.
Step 4: The crown sections, curled and pinned up
When you release the final part of the hair, spray and brush it through, then divide it into two sections and pin one temporarily.
Curl the loose section for 30 seconds, and this time do not let the curl drop at all. Release it from the iron and pin the whole coiled wave flat to the top of the head. Then release the other section and do exactly the same: curl, and pin the coil to the top.
These crown sections carry the visible shape of the finished style, so they get the longest, coolest set of all. While they sit pinned, the wave inside them is locking into place.
Step 5: Release, soften, and smooth
Unpin both coils at the top of the head and let them fall. Take a wide-tooth comb and work through the waves gently to soften and organise them; the comb turns separate ringlets into one continuous, expensive-looking wave.
Apply a light spray of hairspray and follow it with the paddle brush, brushing softly to smooth the surface of the hair without pulling the wave out. This brushed-out finish is what makes the style read as soft rather than crunchy.
Step 6: Twist the half-up knot
Take those same two crown sections and twist them back together gently, forming a small half knot. Do not pull it tight; the knot should sit relaxed, with the waves flowing out of it.
Secure the knot with bobby pins, placing them so they lock the twist against the head and stay hidden inside it. Check it holds when the head moves.
Step 7: Finish for the whole evening
Apply another pass of hairspray for durability. Then brush the underside of the lengths to open the waves so they have movement rather than sitting in stiff ribbons, and brush out the loose end of the knot so it blends into the rest.
Use a finer comb to organise and align the very tips of the waves. Finish with shine spray and a stronger-hold hairspray to lock everything in for the rest of the day.
Adapting the finish to different hair
On fine hair, the risk is the wave dropping. Use a slightly smaller section size, be religious about the five-second cool in the hand, and consider a light texture spray at the roots before you start so the pins in the knot have something to grip. Go easier on the shine spray at the end; too much weight flattens fine hair fast.
On thick or coarse hair, the risk is the opposite: waves that stay too tight and read as ringlets. Keep the sections at the full three-finger width, let each curl cool fully, then spend longer with the wide-tooth comb and the paddle brush at the end. The brushing-out stage is where thick hair turns from crunchy to editorial.
For a bride rather than a guest, everything stays the same except the pinning: double every pin in the knot, and finish with the stronger-hold spray in two light passes rather than one. The style has to survive a veil going in and coming out.
Common mistakes with this style
- Skipping the five-second cool in the hand, so the waves drop within hours
- Taking sections wider than three fingers, which the iron cannot heat evenly
- Brushing out the waves before they have fully cooled
- Pulling the half knot tight, which flattens the crown lift the pinned coils created
- One heavy blast of spray at the end instead of light layers throughout
Practise it properly
Watch the lesson once all the way through, then work along with it on a mannequin head, pausing at each step. Repeat the full style until you can do it without the video. That repetition, not talent, is what makes your hands reliable on a real head.
This lesson comes from Bliss Fundamentals, our beginner course: over 30 tutorials like this one, for 拢99, with 12 months of unlimited access, a certificate on completion and a 7-day money-back guarantee. If you would like this lesson inside your own account first, you can claim the free lesson with just your name and email. And when you are ready to specialise in updos, Chignon & Buns picks up where this finish leaves off.