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The 9 Best Hair Wavers for Effortless-Looking Mermaid Hair, Tested & Reviewed

 

Get beachy hair in minutes.

For a long time, those of us not blessed with naturally beachy hair had two options: attempt to create waves with a flat iron or curling iron or commit to a beach-waves perm. But hair wavers, a relatively new hot tool, has made loose, effortlessly romantic hairstyles possible, even if we’re unskilled at styling and unwilling to make a lasting change.

Instead of crimping irons that have plates with sharp angles, hair wavers have rounded barrels or plates (like the ones on curling irons) that create an S-shaped wave, also known as a “mermaid wave,” explains Valery Joseph, a celebrity hairstylist and the founder of his eponymous salon in New York City. “Hair wavers are great to have in your at-home styling kit since they’re easy-to-use tools that can quickly style strands with little room for error,” he says. “Since the waves created by these tools are more on the loose and beachy side, they don’t require much precision or practice.” Many versions of these hot tools exist, so we tested them and found the best hair wavers worthy of your investment.

Best Overall

BaBylissPRO Nano Titanium Ionic Deep Waver

 

Why We Love It: This hot tool was lightweight and incredibly easy to use. With a simple design similar to that of a flat iron, it gave us cascading strands without the fuss of a clamp or multiple barrels. We especially love the design because it made it very hard to burn ourselves—only the plates heat up—and never created creases in our hair. The longer the hot tool clamped our strands, the tighter the waves it created. Quick passes through the waver gave us looser waves. For the price and usability alone, you can’t beat this tool.

Who It's For: This hair waver is for someone who’s new to the concept of hair wavers—or hot tools in general—and is wary of a multi-barrel styler. Simply plug it in, allow it to heat up, and clamp the tool over your hair to create waves. It’s also perfect for someone who just wants to tidy up naturally curly or wavy hair. As you experiment with this tool, we recommend leaving your texture as is and using it solely on the top layer of your hair for a polished finish.

Barrel Size: Not listed | Heating Settings: 5 temperature options up to 430 degrees

Best Budget

Bed Head Jumbo Hair Waver

 

Why We Love It: This waver’s design features a broad clamp that completely prevented any creasing in our hair and heated up quickly to add a beachy texture across our entire head in just 30 minutes. It was straightforward to use with a sleek, vibrant design that was easy to hold. And of course, there’s the price. Few heat stylers are this budget-friendly.

Who It's For: If your hair holds texture easily, you’ll love this styler. We found that our stubborn strands sagged a few hours later, but it’s possible that a heavy-duty hair spray would’ve prevented this effect. Regardless, we didn’t mind much—the tool’s affordability, design, and features (including a long swivel cord and a heat-resistant glove) impressed us.

Barrel Size: Not listed | Heating Settings: Customizable temperature control up to 410 degrees

Easiest to Use

Amika Deep Wave Crimper

 

Why We Love It: This hair waver heats up to significant temperature ranges to accommodate a variety of textures, from fine and thin to thick and coarse. While many wavers can feel heavy in your hand, this one was surprisingly lightweight and comfortable to wield. It created quick, sleek waves without needing multiple passes over the same sections, and it didn’t leave obvious creases in our strands. We also appreciate the design of the buttons on the handle. At no point did we accidentally adjust the temperature or turn off the device while styling (a common gripe of ours while using other hot tools).

Who It's For: This comfortable-to-hold device is ideal for someone who wants classic waves, regardless of their hair texture, and is new to using hot tools. Its straightforward design works well, with a clamp that doesn’t snag strands. The low end of this waver’s temperature range also makes it a nice option for those with fine, damaged hair that want some texture.

Barrel Size: 0.7 inches | Heating Settings: Customizable temperature control up to 390 degrees

Best Jumbo

Amika Deep Waver Jumbo

 

Why We Love It: We generally find that the larger our waves get, the less likely they are to hold, but this jumbo styler gave us loose, beachy waves that stayed intact well into the next day without any touch-up sessions. The tool is also well-constructed. The clamp didn’t create any harsh creases or snag our hair, and the device features a little kickstand that allowed us to set down the styler in between sections without scorching our bathroom countertops. As an added bonus, it also comes with a heat-resistant glove for even easier styling.

Who It's For: This hair waver is for someone who’s experienced using hot tools and wants large, loose, and long-lasting waves in their hair. The barrels’ large size makes this device a little more challenging to use, especially on the back of the head. Also, the clamp is very wide and may be a bit tough to open and close if you have small hands.

Barrel Size: 1.25 inches | Heating Settings: Customizable temperature control up to 390 degrees

Best for Straight Hair

Beachwaver Co. Midnight Rose 3B Waver

 

Why We Love It: This styler’s smaller barrel size (0.75 inches) was perfect for our naturally straight hair. It gave us tight waves that lasted a long time and added significant volume to our fine strands for a plush, romantic look. The tool’s settings are very easy to navigate, and the device reached our desired temperature in under a minute. The clamp offered the perfect amount of tension, never creating harsh lines or creases in our strands. Also, the compact styler fit really nicely in our gym bag, which was an added bonus.

Who It's For: This styler is best for someone with straight strands who wants tight waves that hold (and those with straight hair know how challenging it can be to find an effective hot tool!). It’s also great for people who travel regularly, as it’s smaller (5.5 inches long, to be exact) than most other hair wavers we tried.

Barrel Size: 0.75 inches | Heating Settings: Customizable temperature control up to 430 degrees

Best for Beach Waves

Bondi Boost 32 mm Wave Wand

 

Why We Love It: Despite its large size, this jumbo styler was easy to manipulate through our hair. It features a clamp that never snagged or left creases on our strands. It also opened and shut without any struggle, which surprised us since we often need to really stretch our small hands to reach most wavers’ clamps. Its extra-large barrels created a texture similar to our natural wave pattern, but without any frizz, which is likely thanks to the device’s tourmaline-ceramic coating. It’s also surprisingly affordable.

Who It's For: This tool is best for someone who wants big, beachy waves but doesn’t need a styler with super high heat. Although this wave wand offers a pretty broad heat range, it may not get hot enough to create a sleek, silky wave in very coarse or curly hair. It’s also fairly budget-friendly for a hot tool, so it’s great for those looking for an affordable option or those who don’t want to make a big investment.

Barrel Size: 1.25 inches | Heating Settings: Customizable temperature control up to 410 degrees

Best Interchangeable

Drybar The Mixologist

 

Why We Love It: This multitasker features three different attachments, including a waver with 0.75-inch barrels, to help you create your ideal style. It heated up practically instantly and glided beautifully over our hair to create dreamy, loose waves that lasted overnight (a serious feat with our stubborn strands). We also really like the 9-foot swivel cord, as the extra length made the styler even easier to maneuver.

Who It's For: This interchangeable tool is a must for someone who wants multiple heat stylers. Hair wavers are a fairly niche hot tool, so it’s lovely to have an all-in-one tool with waver, wand, and curling-iron attachments—all with different widths—to create a variety of styles with just one purchase.

Barrel Size: 0.75 inches (waver), 1 inch (wand), 1.25 inches (curling iron) | Heating Settings: Customizable temperature control up to 450 degrees

Best for Defined Waves

Insert Waves Here The Waver

 

Why We Love It: This styler gave us texture that bridged the gap between wave and curl. It was a more defined, sleeker version of our hair’s natural curl pattern, and we absolutely adored it. We also appreciate that the settings were very easy to navigate, with the digital screen showing the temperature rising one degree at a time until it reached our desired level. The tool wasn’t very heavy and had a comfy clamp that opened easily, didn’t slam shut once we let go, and left our hair smooth without obvious creases or lines.

Who It's For: Those with naturally wavy or curly hair will likely appreciate this styler, especially if they have sections that could use more definition or chemically- or color-processed damage. This hot tool enhanced our natural texture, creating waves in areas of our hair that don’t always look consistent without multiple steps (for example, using a flat iron and then a curling iron), which saved us time during our standard styling routine.

Barrel Size: 1 inch | Heating Settings: Customizable temperature control up to 450 degrees

Best for Hair Types 1–3

l'ange Le Vogue Waver

 

Why We Love It: This waver’s shape and style really set it apart from others we’ve used. It’s lightweight and petite in comparison to a standard three-barrel waver, with rounded edges that created perfectly smooth and sleek waves without snagging our hair. It didn’t create harsh lines on our strands, regardless of whether we tried it on super straight or curly pieces. We love this tool so much that we shared it with our friends while testing it, and one of them has already purchased it.

Who It's For: This device is ideal for people looking to add waves to their hair (regardless of their texture), including those who have previously struggled with wavers with the standard three-barrel design. There’s no learning curve because of the tool's “see-through” design and smart timer. After 10 seconds, the device beeps to remind you to keep it moving. Plus, it comes with a heat-resistant glove and automatically turns off after 60 seconds, making it perfect for those who worry about forgetting to unplug their hot tools.

Barrel Size: 0.6 inches | Heating Settings: Customizable temperature control up to 450 degrees

What to Keep in Mind

• Barrel Material: Hair wavers’ barrels and plates (a.k.a. the heated areas) come in a variety of different materials. Three—titanium, ceramic, and tourmaline—tend to be pretty common across all devices. “Titanium is a metallic material that can heat up quickly and reach high temperatures, making it ideal for thicker or coarser hair textures,” says Joseph. He explains that titanium tools can make hair quite shiny, but they can also cause significant damage if you’re not careful because of how hot they can get (making a good heat protectant essential). Then there’s ceramic, which is much gentler on the hair. “It’s probably the most heat-protective plate you can use in a hair tool,” says Stephanie Angelone, a hair-extension specialist at RPZL in New York. For this reason, ceramic is a nice choice for those with very fine or damaged hair. It doesn’t get as hot as titanium, so it may not be strong enough for those with thick strands. Lastly, you’ll see barrels made of tourmaline, “a gemstone that emits negative ions and infrared heat, which helps reduce frizz and static,” says Rogério Cavalcante, a hair stylist and owner of The Second Floor Salon in New York City. Joseph notes that tourmaline can enhance both ceramic and titanium tools, so you can get strand-smoothing benefits plus the right level of heat for your hair.
• Barrel Size and Shape: Your hair waver’s design determines your finished look, and there are typically two variations: one that looks like a flat iron with wavy plates (similar to a crimper) and one that looks like a triple-barrel curling iron. The former tends to create tighter waves, whereas the latter usually creates more of a mermaid-style texture, but ultimately, the size of the plates or barrels is the most important factor. “Hair wavers with small barrels will give you a tighter wave with a lot of volume,” says Raven Hurtado, a hair stylist at Maxine Salon in Chicago. “Wavers with larger barrels give deep waves that are soft and flowy—a more beachy style.” Our experts note that you’ll want to consider your hair type before picking a hot tool. “If your hair doesn’t hold well and tends to drop, go with a smaller barrel,” Angelone says. Joseph recommends that those with shorter hair opt for a flat iron-style tool and those with longer hair use a triple-barrel device to cut down styling time.
• Temperature Settings: A hot tool’s temperature settings are an oft-neglected feature, but they’re essential to keep in mind. The heat level you choose depends entirely on your hair. “Hotter is not always better,” says Angelone. Too much heat can damage your hair, so start low, especially if you have fine, fragile hair or are new to hot tools, recommends Hurtado. “If you have damage-prone hair, I wouldn’t crank the heat higher than 325 degrees or 350 degrees,” says Angelone. Those with very thick, textured, or coarse hair may need higher temperatures for the heat to penetrate strands and create a lasting style. Generally speaking, our experts don’t recommend going above 400 degrees or so. No matter what, use a heat protectant and limit how often you use your hot tools to protect your hair from damage.

Your Questions, Answered

How do you use a hair waver?

Good news: Although hair wavers look intimidating, they’re actually quite easy to use and can style your hair very quickly, says Hurtado. To use one, divide your hair into sections, just as you would ahead of using a flat iron or curling iron, and separate one-inch-wide piece to work with. Starting at the root for a full-bodied look or further down the strand for a more relaxed style, clamp the hair with the waver. “I like to count between 10–15 seconds when using a hair tool,” says Hurtado. “That way, you know each section is heated up evenly and not overheating.” After releasing the clamp, glide the tool down your inch-wide section of hair and repeat. “As you move down, make sure to align the last curve with the first barrel for a seamless wave,” says Cavalcante. Continue until you reach the tip of the strand, and then move onto the next section. Even if you’re in a hurry, “don’t let the section be bigger than the waver,” says Hurtado. Doing so will create an uneven result. And if you want more defined, voluminous waves, Cavalcante suggests using the waver on thinner sections of hair.

Do hair wavers work on different hair types and textures?

Yes, everyone can use a hair waver, though those with kinky or coily textures may want to consider getting a silk press ahead of using this hot tool to help showcase the wavy style. Those with naturally smoother strands can just let their hair air-dry before styling. If you have straight hair that struggles to hold a curl, you may find that you’re delighted by the results you get from a hair waver, says Joseph. “Since you clamp down on strands rather than creating a spiral, it’s easier to create a long-lasting wave,” he explains.

What's the difference between a curling iron and a hair waver?

A curling iron gives you a more defined texture, whether you create tight or loose curls, and that definition tends to translate to a more structured, polished finish rather than the effortless vibe created by a hair waver, says Cavalcante. If you want true beach waves, Angelone say the only tool for the job is a hair waver. “No curl or twist will occur through your hair,” she explains. “The wave will just flow.”

Why Shop With Us

Emily Orofino is a beauty writer, editor, and consultant with more than a decade of experience in the industry. She can count the number of times she’s successfully gotten her stubbornly straight hair to hold a curl on one hand and dedicates part of every salon appointment to asking her stylist their secrets. For this story about hair wavers, she tapped the expertise of hair stylists Valery Joseph, Rogério Cavalcante, Raven Hurtado, and Stephanie Angelone.