Water Waves Style
By Elle Turner
HAIR TRENDS
Last year we saw mermaid waves rising up the ranks to steal the top styling spot from beach waves. But for 2022, water waves are making waves (see what we did there), offering a more relaxed and natural-looking reincarnation.
Water waves are the low-key twist on mermaid hair (and Zendaya and JLo are fans)
So, what's the difference?
Where beach waves are inspired by wind-swept, salt-licked strands featuring lots of movement and oomph at the crown, mermaid waves tend to be longer (think waist-length with wispy ends), wavier (think loosely crimped kinks rather than bouncy twirls) and are supposed to channel that just dipped texture of hair that's been drenched in the sea, then dried a little in the sun.
But, as with all top hair trends, we love to see new interpretations and a look that dials up he chill factor up even more, are the loose water waves we spotted on hair pro Amy Baines' instagram. This takes the mermaid look, then adds a little worn-in texture.
The style is the “I woke up like this” step-on from mermaid hair with a soft bed-head texture that looks like you've just let a damp plait loose – hence: water waves. And, we're not the only ones jumping on board. We've seen the style spotted on JLo, Lizzo, Zendaya, Christina Aguilera, Shay Mitchell, Megan Fox and Kylie Jenner.
“For this look I use a straightener, angled down the hair and hugging the face, then a lift off at every bend," Amy told GLAMOUR.
If you cba with styling, the good news is that this look can be as laidback as its name suggests, depending on how perfected you like the finish. “You can totally achieve this style by sleeping in braided damp hair,” explains Amy. “When you wake up, run a straightener over the braid [to slightly intensify and set the kinks] and undo it for a wavy look.”
Or to keep things even simpler, “you could also just twist your hair and run a straightener over the twist to achieve a similar style,” Amy. adds
Cool-girl water waves that are an absolute breeze to do? We'll be keeping this look in our locker.
For more from GLAMOUR's Beauty Editor, Elle Turner, follow her on Instagram @elleturneruk
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