Boho Hairstyle Tutorial

Learn how-to create this perfectly boho hair Style for weddings proms and festivals.

Danielle Downes is going to give us the lowdown on this boho hairstyle. Pretty, intricate, relaxed and popular. It's easily customized to your guests features. This boho look will fit many formal and casual events, making it the perfect wearable salon look.

This blog is an educational breakdown of features on Matt Becks YouTube channel FreeSalonEducation check us out not only for hair styling but - cutting, color, social and all things hairdressing related. Your one stop for online education.

Kit! Things you need to create this look!

1" Curling iron
Bobby pins
Large open pins
Hair spray (Paul Mitchell Hold me tight)
Firm hold hair spray (Paul Mitchells Awapuhi Firm hold spray)
Spray wax (Paul Mitchells Spray Wax)
Clips
Pin tail comb

Curling and prep for the boho hairstyle

We have used a 1'" curling iron to create classic loose curls.

We have then clipped the curls in barrel curls on the top to set in volume. The curls on the crown are working horizontally and the curls up front are barreled vertically. Kind of like a victory roll technique, which gives the movement a great 's’ pattern and an ability to pull and expand the curl shape. Check our screenshot below for a clear visual.

Freeform styling.

Work with the hair and its form, boho = relaxed.

This curl prep and set works with the boho look because were working freeform, were letting the curls do their thing draping them over our basic hairstyle shape. Think working naturally, not too much forcing or precision, more celebrating the work from the prep. The look is sprayed with Paul Mitchells hold me tight flexible spray for hold after curling.

Beginning the boho.

We start hair in the back and work our way upwards.

Separate the nape area under the crown and clip away. Craft your own bungee by taking a hair elastic and sliding two bobby pins onto it. Loosely gather the hair where you want it to sit – we wanted to go low. Slip a pin in the pony and wrap around the base. Pin in the other end to secure.

TIP- A pony creates a great base for the pins to go into and hold. Using a pony as a starting point is common to give hair ups secure beginnings.

Rouche that hair

Once our pony is in, we need to rouche the hair section above.

We release the middle section and sides. Our rouching only needs to be light. Nothing dramatic. Just enough to create padding and lift. This gives our boho look a nice gentle volumized shape. Once happy with the balance and lift, softly smooth and pin in place above the pony. Criss-cross pins for extra security.

TIP – combing over backcombing needs to be subtle enough to keep the work in. Skim any sections you smooth over with your comb angled with the spine facing down.

Anti-committal pinning.

We don't like working too fixed with our hair styling.

With our pony hair, we gently twist in the same direction, push and pull to find our shape and decide to pin in place. Our pinning in place isn't permanent because we use the large open pins. These, we insert half way, meaning their easily removed and we can be flexible with our approach.

TIP- keeping our look flexible doesn't just mean we don’t have to commit to our pinning, it also means if we feel like more texture or expansion halfway through our look the look it loose enough to detail.

The crown area of the boho look.

This is one of the zones we are using to cover the hair rouching.

Danielle likes to use a light spray wax on this section to give an extra grip and a very slight rouche. Once draped in place, she uses the bobby pins to secure the look. Looking for 'dips’ in the curls helps disguise the pins. Then, with the ends of the hair that are left out molding and twisting around the bun area and securing with open pins.

TIP- Always check for balance and use your tail comb to adjust if necessary.

She made a hair oopsie! (We all do it)

Now Danielle works on our right side, at this point, something isn't right.

She begins to twist this section and pull across the top of the bun area. She pins it in place with open pins but comes to understand that she's missed a section out she was meant to do first!!! So – This is a perfect example of why our open pins are important. She removes the pins and comes back to working on the top.

Back to the top of the hair style.

Working on this top section prior to our sides is the order we were aiming for.

Up top we are going to first drop our curls. Pinching the ends were going to stretch the springs down to our low bun area. Pin with open pins. Creating a loose texture still with the form of a curl. This lays the foundation for texture through our middle section.

TIP – you can use your pins as tools to manipulate how they look; they can be used to close gaps or create separation in our look.

TIP - don't over-spray the hair whilst you're working. We don’t want stick stiff hair, and it's not easy once the build-up of product is on your hands. Take it easy on the sprays.

Back to the sides.

Take your right side and twist and pull.

We're working these sections across the middle of the look. They beautifully frame our bun and give a new element to the style. Expand loosely and pin across with your open pins. Then Twist the left side tease and pull across in the opposite direction. Always check and be mindful of balance.

TIP- When expanding texture on curls pinch and tweak at the ridges, elaborate the form, helping create a more 3D effect.

Time to commit.

Once your shape is in place and your happy - it's time to replace those pins.

Working through replace the open pins with bobbies to give security to the hair up. Don’t open your pins unless you are securing large sections – This can create flat points. We want our look to be light and airy looking. Then use a Firm hold spray to secure.

TIP - Use a large pin to pull some areas and spray. This gives more dimension to the look.

Our final work on this hair style is up top.

We need to decorate shape and marry the curls to make them appear less regimented.

First of all, check your balance, if it's out-of-whack re adjust by lifting with your tail comb and spraying with short bursts. Use your open pins to join the gaps and marry curls until they are dry. Use your spray wax and pet flyways back.

Blow-dryer magic.

We spray our front section with a firm hold hair spray.

We then grabbed our neuro grip on low and cool and dried the hair from the underneath. This avoids flattening the height. It also Sets our hair in place with the spray and heat. Utilizing your tail comb, we place it in to give extra memory to the shape. Finish with a firm spray and a shine spray and voila! You should have something like our image below.

Have a go and let us know!

We would love to see your version of Danielle's boho hair up.

Please take pictures! Get interactive, we want to know what you think. If you have questions ask Danielle herself on Instagram @thehandsdownes We love seeing this hair up with fantasy colors and cannot wait to see your creativity!

Happy Styling.