Prepare to turn heads at Stagecoach 2023 (and beyond) with these fun looks.
Hairstylist Sarah Potempa—who frequently works with Camila Cabello, Emily Blunt and Lea Michele—broke down three cute, fool-proof hairstyles to rock at the country music festival, which kicks off April 28 and runs through April 30 in Indio, Calif. or at your next summer soirée.
"When it comes to hair-styling, relaxed beach waves are iconic and seen everywhere, as it's the perfect look for dancing the night away," Sarah told E! News in an exclusive interview. "With the addition of colorful accessories, boho braids and fishtails, this is one of my favorite seasons for hair."
As the Beachwaver founder noted, this is the time to step out of your comfort zone.
"Festival season is the perfect opportunity to take risks with your hair and your style," she shared. "Even if you aren't the best at styling your hair, colorful extensions, hair jewelry or glitter can add a little something extra."
And if you're worried about what people might think if you push the beauty boundaries, Sarah offered encouraging words of wisdom.
"With festivals, everyone is just having a great time," she said. "There is no judgment for what you wear or how you look, and it really is great to be bold, creative and change up your style for a weekend."
Now, that you're armored with the confidence to push the envelope during Stagecoach and other events this season, Sarah shared a step-by-step tutorial of the three hairstyles worth trying. And best of all? You don't need to be a pro to nail these looks, as they're fun, fabulous and, most importantly, fuss-free.
Bubble Braids
One hairstyle Sarah recommended in the video demonstration is the trendy bubble braids look. All you need is a pointed brush to part the hair in the middle, a flat iron to straighten out the strands and a handful of colorful elastics.
To start, Sarah smoothed the hair with her brand's Coast Pro Ceramic Flat Iron. She then sectioned the hair in the center and also separated two front strands (where she later tied the elastics). "You can see we're creating a small, little ponytail," the hairstylist said. "And in between each [elastic], we're going to do about one inch."
When it comes to how many bands to use in each ponytail, Sarah explained this is where you can get creative, wrapping around as many as you want.
Once you finish placing the hair ties, you'll want to "gently pull out the sides of the ponytail so it starts to bubble." And then you repeat the same steps for the other side. "The reason why I love this look for festival season is that if you're dancing all night, it's going to last, it's going to be super fun and it's going to have a lot of movement."
Beach Waves With Oversized Accessories
The second hairstyle is even more simple than the last, as it involves curling the hair into effortless waves and dressing it up with a few look-at-me clips. The beauty mogul summed it up, saying, "An accessory as easy as an oversized, colorful barrette like the Neon Beaded Clip 3-Pack from Beachwaver can transform your look in seconds."
Before grabbing the hot tool, she suggested sectioning the hair first. "To create a side part, I always recommend you go for the arch of your eyebrow," she shared, "and go straight back from there."
Because the accessories are oversized, Sarah placed the first barrette right above the ear, adding the other two accessories on top. This not only kept the hair in place but allowed for the part to still have some breathing room.
Half-Up, Half-Down Braided Twists
For the final 'do, Sarah pointed out this could be an easy look to rock on the last day of the music festival. For one, you could keep your beach waves from the previous days (spraying them with a touch of dry shampoo) and jump right into the styling process—which consists of creating a half-up, half-down ponytail at the base of the hair and then braiding two front pieces.
After first doing the half-up, half-down part, Sarah then sectioned out the hair—in the same way she did for the bubble braids—taking two small sections in the front and applying her brand's Braid Balm to give it a nice grip.
"I'm going to show you how to do a simple braid," Sarah said, holding one side of the front pieces. "For this one, I'm actually going to take two fingers, and I'm going to go right into the middle of the section and that is going to give me three, perfect pieces."
After you've braided it down towards the ends, secure it with an elastic. Repeat the same process on the other side, and then separate the braids to "pancake" them out, creating volume and texture. Next, tie both braided pieces together and cross-cross them afterward (it should look similar to an infinity ring shape) to "bring the ponytail through."
And voila! Three fabulous but fool-proof styles to help you march to the beat of your own drum this festival season.