Once Upon a Time may not return to ABC until this fall, but we’re already counting down the days—and we’ve got just the hairstyle to work on perfecting while we do!
We got the lowdown from Richard Kohlen, the mastermind behind all the fabulous looks seen on Once Upon a Time, on how to recreate the wild, romantic waves and braids actress Meghan Ory sports as Red Riding Hood. Here’s the step-by-step on how to do it:
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1. Start with clean, dry hair and spritz White Sands Liquid Texture thermal styling spray all ($19, whitesandsproducts.com) all over your head.
2. Next, work your way around your head in rows, hitting up one-inch sections of your hair with a one-inch curling iron to create alternating spiral curls. Alternating which direction the curls twist give both fullness and a more natural look than you get by creating them all running in the same direction. When you complete a row, give the whole thing a spritz of White Sands Infinity hairspray ($21, whitesandsproducts.com) to set the curls for lasting hold.
3. For an extra long, extra wild look, you can clip in a few extensions. For Meghan’s Red Riding Hood look, Richard uses 24” extensions; for an everyday look, though, you may want to skip ‘em. Totally your call.
4. Next step: The braid. Richard uses an inverted braid extension piece clipped from ear to ear; if you’re feeling ambitious and happen to have really long hair, though, though, you can braid your own locks for the same look. Grab a one-inch section of hair from behind your left ear and start braiding, wrapping it up and around the top of your head as you go. When you get to the end, tie it off with an elastic and pin it behind your right ear with a bobby pin or two.
5. For the finishing touch, apply a little White Sand Orchids oil ($25, whitesandsproducts.com) to smooth out any frizzies. Voila! Sexy storybook hair to rock on your next night out.
Lucia Peters is BettyConfidential’s senior editor.