‘Sterling Point’s’ Easy Waves Are the Perfect Late Summer Hair Inspo

Here’s the thing: Sterling Point really is as good as everyone says it is. As someone who will watch anything people are talking about, I can tell you this does not happen all the time. But somewhere in the Muskoka region of Ontario, Canada, magic was made. Behind the camera, in the writer’s room, and in the hair and makeup trailer.

“I think that approaching the hair on this show with a very relaxed and collaborative attitude was super helpful to creating a look that implied that the cast skipped the hair and makeup trailer all together and naturally wake up that gorgeous and perfect,” the show’s hair department lead, Chrystal Lotz, tells Byrdie. “My team and I often asked they cast how they would wear their hair in situations, which gave us a jumping off place to start.”

Keep reading to discover everything there is to know about the Sterling Point inspired natural hair trend, and get some insight into capturing the look yourself.

The Hair on ‘Sterling Point’

I hope you’ve watched Sterling Point. If you haven’t... what are we supposed to talk about? (Just kidding, I’ll happily give you a rundown. Then we can catch back up in eight hours when you’ve finished Season 1.)

The new Amazon series focuses on Annie, a darling if not a little high-strung almost-18-year-old New Yorker who travels to a remote Canadian Island after learning her estranged grandfather left her some property. She doesn’t know how to drive a boat, but she does know how to rock her dark curls and quickly connect with some locals who have equally blessed manes. One of these new friends just happens to be her long-last sister, Ramona, and though they’re not related biologically—just watch, you’ll understand—good hair does seem to run in the family.

While there is truly no kid on the show with a bad head of hair (I’m team Ellis, but Rory’s part is something to behold), it’s the older girlies who really change the game. Alongside Annie and her aforementioned curls, Ramona wears her blonde strands extra-long and slightly wavy. Then there’s Oona, whose curly honey shag steals the screen from its first appearance.

Why It’s Trending

Besides the fact that these beautiful girls have beautiful hair that’s simply fun to look at on a screen, there’s a sense of ease communicated by their hairstyles that really transports viewers into the world of the show.

You know how some people claim “Instagram face” takes them out of a period piece? This is the opposite of that. I fully believe that somewhere up north there are hot teens running around with heads of hair that flow just so and air dry to perfection every time they climb out of a lake.

How It Came to Be

As mentioned, Lotz and her team were in conversation with the cast about how they made use of their hair in their day-to-day lives. If those looks appeared natural, it’s because they were.

“Then we would take into account things like camera angles and weather to decide if the hair needed to be secured back or contained completely,” she explains. “An example is on the boat when Annie and Ellis are searching for Ramona, it was a super windy day and we wanted to be able to see the fear and hurt in Annie’s eyes without struggling with changing wind directions. So, we decided a lived-in ponytail would give us what we were looking for.”

As for those ever-present middle parts...

“As a millennial you can pry my side part from my cold dead hands, but as a hairstylist, trends are always cyclical and the middle part is back!” says Lotz. “I’ve also been seeing the little bump in the front with criss cross pins to hold it online, which is very exciting for me as I was a big fan of that one myself back in the day. Gen Z loves a middle part!”

Y2K poofs for Season 2, anyone?

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Get the Look

If you don’t have some fresh water to dive into before letting your hair get wind-whipped on a boat trip, or a sister nearby to braid your strands while you catch up on your whole entire lives, there are some tricks to getting the look at home wherever you are.

Ultimately, this is an air dry situation. Why take the time for anything else when there’s girl time to be had? After showering, towel dry before raking a good, hydration and texture-supporting product through your strands. Lotz recommends a leave-in conditioner (her favorite is Virtue’s) and an air dry cream or curl cream (the Roz Evergreen Styling Cream!) “to give a little hold and shine without the crunch.”

Or, if your hair is already dry, grab something like Rōz’s Wave Texturizing Spray and spritz it on before scrunching to enhance and define your natural texture.

“I also love a sea salt or non aerosol texture spray—my two current favorites are the Evo Salty Dog Salt Spray and Roz Air Thickening Mist,” adds the artist.

It doesn’t matter if you’re an Annie, a Ramona, or an Oona—your strands are beloved here exactly as they are. That’s (partly—watch the show so we can discuss!!) why they should never, ever sell that island.