Top hairdressers explain how to easily style your hair like Love Island's Molly-Mae
16 July 2019, 17:20 | Updated: 14 August 2019, 17:07
Some of London's top salon-owners and hairdresser have told us exactly how to get tresses like Molly-Mae
Molly-Mae is undoubtedly the Love Island villa's resident hair unicorn and she always looks amazing.
We spoke to one of London's top hairdressers, Lisa Whiteman, owner of the trendy Whiteman Soho Salon, which is situated in the Ham Yard.
She's broken down some of Molly-Mae's most iconic looks and explained exactly what tools and products you'll need for them.
THE GO-TO HIGH BUN
The 21-year-old loves to slick her hair back into a high bun, and it's a quick and easy style that look super chic.
Lisa explains: "For this look, you'll need a comb, a hair band, bobby pins and some texturising spray".
1. Comb hair into a tight high ponytail
2. Backcomb your ponytail, as it gives the hair more texture and volume
3. Smooth the top section and wrap your hair into a bun around the base of your ponytail
4. Pin the bun in place with bobby pins
5. Spray with texturizing spray, the VO5 Dry Texturising Spray is amazing for this.
VO5 Dry Texturising Spray, £4.40 from Boots - buy here
SLEEK AND STRAIGHT
If you're after a sleek look for a night out, a poker-straight glossy look is a great option, and one that Molly-Mae absolutely nails every time.
For this look you will need a paddle brush, heat protection spray, serum, straighteners and a light hold hairspray.
1. Blow dry hair using a paddle brush until completely dry, the Dyson hairdryer is amazing (albeit pricey).
2. Using heat protection, spray all your hair in section starting from the back to the front
3. Using straighteners, start at the nape taking 2cm sections and glide the straighteners from roots to ends until you finish the whole head. ghd have a festival version of their incredible Platinum+ straighteners which would work perfectly for this look.
4. Apply 2 drops of serum to the palm of your hands and apply to mid lengths and ends for a smooth finish.
5. Spray a light hold hairspray to finish and a touch of anti-humidity spray.
Dyson Supersonic Hair Dryer, £299.99 from John Lewis - buy here
ghd platinum+ festival collection styler, £175 - buy here
KMS Hair Stay Anti-Humidity Seal, £21 from Feelunique - buy here
ADORABLE MILKMAID BRAIDS
Lisa explains that for this cute look that the islander wore early on in the series, you'll need a "silicone hair band, some bobby pins, a brush and some sectioning clips."
1. Comb through your hair and put your parting where you desire (middle/ side)
2. Section off the hair you want to braid, clip the rest of the hair out of the way.
3. Grab three small sections right by the parting, cross the section closest to your forehead over the middle section
4. Take the unbraided section and cross that over the section now in the middle. Repeat the cross over process adding hair from each side you cross over.
5. Keep repeating until you reach the end of your section.
6. Secure the end of the braid with a silicone band and pin up using bobby pins.
Pack of 100 no more snags hair ties, £3 from ASOS - buy here
FISHTAIL PLAIT
A fishtail braid is one of those styles that aren't actually tricky to do but take some time and patience.
Lisa notes that when doing this look you should remember that "the smaller the strand you take the finer the plait will look."
1. Brush your hair completely using a paddle brush such as ghd's one.
2. Part your hair down the middle
3. Take a small strand from the outside of the left section and pull across to the right section
4. Repeat on the right side till you reach the end of your section
5. Secure the end with a silicone band and finish with a hairspray. VO5 have a great one which has a lovely tropical scent.
VO5 Flexible Hold Hairspray, £3.99 from Boots - buy here
GLAMOROUS WAVES
When she headed into the villa during her slo-mo shot, Molly had styled her hair in the very glamorous wavy look with one side slicked back behind her ear.
This look requires a bit of effort but it's a perfect glam style for a night out or a date.
1. Wash and dry your hair & brush through making sure your hair is tangle free.
2. Spray heat protection spray all over each of your sections. Lee Stafford's Moroccan Argan Oil spray is amazing for this.
3. Starting at the back on your left side, use a wide-barrelled curling tong and take two inch sections and hold the iron vertical wrap your hair around the barrel away from your face in an anti clockwise direction.
4. Hold for 10 - 15 seconds then gently release the hair keeping the curl formation and leave to cool down. Continue till you complete all the left side.
5. Repeat these steps on the right side wrapping to hair clockwise away from the face.
6. Once the hair cools down using a bristle flat brush, flip your head over and brush through your hair then flip back and style your curls to your desired shape.
7. Spray a medium-hold hairspray for hold and spritz with a hair perfume for an added boost of fragrance.
Lee Stafford ARGANOIL from Morocco Heat Defence Spray. £8.66 from Boots - buy here
VO5 Style Edit Tropical Paradise Hair Perfume, £5.99 from Superdrug - buy here
T3 Whirl Trio Convertible Styling Wand with 1", 1.25" and 1.5" barrel, £165 from NET-A-PORTER - buy here
THE EXTENSIONS
Molly-Mae's been very open about the fact she has hair extensions done, and has even admitted in one of her YouTube hair tutorials that they were "very expensive".
Her thick, flowing locks can be achieved using a number of different techniques and extensions, and we at Heart have tried out and LOVE the celebrity extension brand Great Lengths for a completely fresh, Love Island-esque look.
Their extensions come in a number of lengths, shades (a whopping 58!) and methods, including their GL Tapes, which are great for a quick and easy update and last from six to eight weeks taking only an hour to apply.
For a more long-lasting and undetectable look, much like Molly-Mae's, there are keratin pre-bonded extensions, which can take a couple hours to apply but are totally worth it.
The hair provided by Greath Lengths is 100 per cent human hair, and is ethically sourced as well as being medical grade, hypo-allergenic and non-toxic.
They'll last you a whopping FOUR MONTHS if you look after them properly, and will add some serious length and volume.
We had the hair fitted by extension expert Hadley Yates at Hershesons in Harvey Nichols, who's been in the industry for nearly 15 years, and together opted for 16inch extensions to transform a tired blunt bob into long, flowing locks.
