Last year we saw mermaid waves rising up the ranks to steal the top styling spot from beach waves. After more than a decade out in front, beach waves are being switched up in favour of something a little less ‘done’.
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.
The flatter crown is a look that's been gaining momentum on its own as we've seen '70s centre-parted XXL Cher hair taking off. This takes that look, then adds in a little worn-in texture.
We've seen the style spotted on JLo, Lizzo, Zendaya, Shay Mitchell and Kylie Jenner. But, as with all Queen Bee hair trends, we love to see new interpretations and reincarnations and one look that we've spotted that dials the chill factor up even more, are the loose water waves we spotted on hair pro Amy Baines' instagram.
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.
“For this look I used 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