How Stranger Things Star Sadie Sink Gets Her Impeccable Beach Waves

Her go-to hairstylist, Tommy Buckett, shares his secrets.

Words by Jamie Wilson

Photo by Emma McIntyre / Getty Images for MTV

Stranger Things Season 4, Volume 1 finally bowed on Netflix late last month, and the buzz isn’t slowing down anytime soon. And while this latest installment finds the OG crew split among California, Russia, Nevada, and the group’s hometown of Hawkins, Indiana, it’s Sadie Sink’s character, Max Mayfield, who has captured our attention—and is the reason you have Kate Bush on repeat.

Although Sink plays a brooding teen this season (we’re biding our time until July 1, when Volume 2 is released)—her IRL style is more lighthearted. Especially her iconic beach waves, which just so happen to be the perfect look for summer.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by tommy_buckett (@tommy_buckett)

BAZAAR.com speaks with Tommy Buckett, lead stylist at The Marie Robinson Salon in New York City, to get the details on styling those signature beach waves. Buckett has been working with Sink on everything from press events to editorial shoots since her Stranger Things debut in Season 2. “Her iconic red hair is definitely something that everyone loves,” he says.

When it comes to inspo, he explained that Sink, who has naturally wavy hair, prefers her look on the ethereal side. For this, Buckett creates a mix of flat-iron waves and curls. But the key to nailing her look, he says, is always keeping it brushed out. After going in with a light hair oil, he seals it with a touch of hairspray. “It’s just a lot of playing around and working with her texture,” he says. “I always try to let any actress I ever work with go with their signature style. I’m just here to help make it for them.”

Here’s how you can make Sink’s beach waves work for you this summer.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by tommy_buckett (@tommy_buckett)

HOW TO GET THE LOOK

Create a Mix of Textures. “Take a large barrel curling iron and a flat iron. I use a Harry Josh curling iron and a ghd flat iron on Sadie. Separate a couple of sections and create loose waves with the curling iron. Then, take the next few sections to make waves with using the flat iron. You have to mix up these two wave types all over the hair.”
Make It Airy. “Then, I grab my Christophe Robin bristle brush, and I brush it out. I keep going until it feels big and airy.”
Add More Volume. “Using Oribe Dry Texturizing spray, I spritz the roots of her hair to make it fuller.”
Separate the Waves. “I go back in with the brush before adding some Virtue Healing Oil to the mid-shaft and ends of her hair for some shine. I like how it pieces up naturally.”
Seal the Deal. “To finish it off, I just add a little Serge Normant hairspray. The whole thing about this hairstyle is to always keep it brushed or keep your fingers in it. Keep it messy. It kind of reminds me of early Carrie Bradshaw hair from Sex in the City.”
Or, Try the Cool-Girl Wave. “Sometimes, I do a series of braids—two to four loose ones. Then, I clamp a flat iron on them to heat them up and let them cool before taking the braids out. I brush the waves or use my fingers to break them up for a more natural look. I call it a cool-girl wave.”