How to Create Mermaid Waves

I think of all the hair possibilities that are out there, my favorite hairstyle is a wavy, loose curl look. While I like that it feels soft and feminine, the curls are loose so it’s not as dressy, and you can wear it with jeans and a t-shirt as well.

 It’s like the perfect cross between beachy waves and the signature Victoria’s Secret hairstyle, and it’s probably what I get asked about most around town or online. The secret is that it’s actually a really easy hairstyle to achieve (lucky you!). So you can totally recreate it yourself at home.

1. Start with your “best loose wave” hair. By that, I mean, whatever kind of hair works best for you to hold a loose curl. If I curl freshly washed hair that hasn’t been straightened, I will get curls that hold the wave really well, but they are actually “too curly” for this look.

You want loose waves, not ringlets. So I usually do this style the day after I wash my hair so it won’t hold the curl as tightly.

2. Pull up in a bun or clip the top 2/3 of your hair so just the bottom section remains. Hold a 1″ curling iron downwards and wrap a 1-2″ section of your hair around the barrel starting near the handle and wrapping down towards the end of the curling iron.

Curling wands are actually best for this since we don’t use the clip on the curling iron, but you can use an iron and just hold the clip open while you curl. Wrapping your hair this way instead of clamping the curling iron on the end of your hair and rolling up will give you a totally different result and more of a wave throughout than a ringlet at the bottom. 

3. Repeat the process through the bottom section of your hair.

4. Pull down the next 1/3 of your hair and curl that section the same way, and then finish with the top 1/3. When curling the top section, start your curl around 6″ from the top of your part so it’s not curled all the way to the root.

5. Lightly tease under your top section of hair to add a little volume.

6. Finish your look by spraying some spray wax or texturizing hair spray on the tips of your fingers and run your fingers lightly through the roots and tips of your waves to give a more textured piecey look.

If your hair takes the curl “too well”, try sleeping on it for a night and that should loosen out the waves a bit for a tousled look in the morning.

You may even want to try this look on hair that’s clean and again on hair that’s a little dirty to see which gives you a better loose wave, but once you get the hang of curling your hair like this (if you haven’t already), I think you’ll love it too! xo. Laura

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Credits // Author: Laura Gummerman, Photography: Janae Hardy.