Last year saw the rise of mermaid hair on Instagram and TikTok—the hashtag had millions of views—and it’s such a fun, easy style, especially in the summer. Beachwaver Co.’s Midnight Rose 3B Waver is the perfect tool to create the look, and if you’re a fan of the OG Beachwaver like I am (it essentially curls your hair for you and it’s won a NewBeauty Award multiple times), you know brand founder Sarah Potempa doesn’t mess around when it comes to designing hair tools that really deliver on their promises. Here’s why this waver is one to try. (You can snag it in this week’s installment of BeautyPass’s Free Gift Friday. Click here to sign up for BeautyPass if you haven’t already).
My Hair Type:
I have long, fine, color-treated hair—it doesn’t always look fine because I have a lot of hair, but I promise it is.
The Benefits:
This is such a fun hair tool to master the mermaid hair trend that’s perfect for summer, and works on all hair types. It’s a modern take on the ’90s crimped look and can create a more polished wave with more volume rather than sleeping in wet braids (though you can sleep in wet braids and then use this over top to finesse the look; one of our editors uses this method and says the result makes her feel like Carrie Bradshaw).
It only takes about 30 seconds to warm up—you can see the temperature rising on the digital screen; you can adjust from 265 degrees up to 430—and it’s super easy to use, though its triple-barrel design may look intimidating. Each barrel is 0.75-inches wide and the length of the tool is 5.5 inches, so it does suit longer hair better, but one of our editors has just-below shoulder-length hair and loves it too. After trying it, she texted me this: “I always tried to accomplish the S Wave with a straightener and could never figure out! And now there’s no need! It gave me the perfect S Wave and saved me SOOO much time!”
How to Use:
Grab a small section of hair—smaller sections work better with thicker hair, but I can go a little larger because my hair is fine—and clamp the iron horizontally, holding it in place for a couple seconds like you would a curling iron, and then release. (Pro tip: Start a couple inches below the root line rather than right at the root to avoid a puffy look at the crown of your head.) Then move down to the middle section of that length of hair, right below where you previously clamped, and clamp down again, holding. Repeat with the last section at the bottom, leaving a tiny bit of hair out at the end for a piecey look. I can do my whole head of hair in less than 10 minutes, and it’s more than halfway down my back.
The Bottom Line:
I’ve tried several wavers, and though they all look pretty much the same, they’re not made equal. This one is foolproof, and when I want to switch up my style and look like I really spent a long time on my hair (but in fact it was less than 10 minutes), this is the tool I grab.
Price/Where to Buy:
$99, beachwaver.com (use code NEWBEAUTY for $30 off!)
