'Summer Hair' Is Back: Show Us Your 'Beachy Waves'

I come out of the water looking less 'Birth of Venus' and more Tangled Pale Person.
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If you read a lot of women's magazines like I do, there are probably things you've come to love and hate about them. Often excellent writing from seasoned writers? Love. So many ads that it's hard to find that writing? Not ideal. The fact that Lucky keeps me from having to shop for myself? Really love. Airbrushing? Problematic in too many ways to discuss here.

I have to confess that I have a very specific pet peeve when it comes to lady mags, one I encounter only at this time of year. Every year, it's all over the newsstands:

beachy waves

luckyedited

I am so confused by this. What, exactly, is Summer Hair? What makes it different from Winter Hair? And why, in the spreads on how to get it, is every hairstyle one that cannot be constructed without the use of multiple products or survive outside a well-air-conditioned salon?

Based on my research, the holy grail of summer hair is the Beachy Wave. You know, that straight-out-of-the-surf, tousled, sun-bleached look that happens when a model gets styled for two hours, then is deposited on a beach to have the end result photographed by Steven Klein.

beachy waves top

beachy waves

I don't know about you, but I come out of the water looking less "Birth of Venus" and more Tangled Pale Person. When a pool is involved, there's a greenish tint to the tangles. And you know what? That's fine. I get a lot more out of my beach and pool time when I'm not worrying about how I look. I bet you do, too.

So, in an effort to balance out all that aspirational Summer Hair (see below) -- which actually enjoying your summer probably makes impossible to achieve -- we'd like to see your real summer hair. Send a photo of your "beachy waves" -- what you look like after a swim -- to women@huffingtonpost.com. It would be great if you could also share what you remember about the place where it was taken and what you loved about being there. I'm guessing Summer Hair was the last thing on your mind.

LOOK: Lucky's Version of Summer Hair

'Supreme Shine'

Summer Hair

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