Wavy Hair Don’t Care! Say Hi to the Bed Head Making Waves S Waver

Wavy hair, courtesy of the Bed Head Making Waves S Waver

Yo, VIP…let’s kick it!

Last time I used a hair crimper — and that’s pretty much what the $34.99 Bed Head Making Waves S Waver is, albeit updated and newfangled — Ice Ice Baby was playing (nonstop) on the radio, and the 90210 Dylan-Kelly-Brenda love triangle was sending shockwaves through my high school. Snickers Bars were a bonafide food group, and I harbored dreams of Keanu Reeves asking me to the prom.

Oh, yeah. And wavy hair ruled the land.

The Bed Head Making Waves S Waver ($34.99), available now at Ulta stores and ulta.com

So, this doohickey is much cooler than the crimping irons I used back in the day. The surface area is markedly wider, so it doesn’t take anywhere near as long to get lots of great texture in your hair as you move down the shaft. Plus, I think the bigger waves look more modern.

The marketing mumbo-jumbo: the S-shaped waver barrel uses tourmaline ceramic technology!

In non-beauty jargon, that just means that it’s coated with crystals that help eliminate frizz. The waver also has multiple heat settings and a handy tangle-free swivel cord.

It does not, however, have an auto off switch.

Basically, all you do is slip a 1-2 inch section of hair into the waver, clamp down, then let it heat up your hair for…however long you want to keep it in there. I usually do from 30 seconds to a minute.

When you release the iron, that section of hair will have a deep S-shaped wave. Then you move the iron down the shaft, lining up the outermost wave from the previous section as you work your way down.

My hair falls past my shoulders and already has a little loose, natural wave to it, so I use the Bed Head S-Waver on the upper layers and a few sections of inner layers, but I don’t use it on every section because I prefer it when the texture doesn’t look overly uniform.

I guess I like having a bit of chaos both in my hurrr and my life.

First, the pros. It heats up quickly — just a few minutes — works fast, and the waves it creates last for days. If I “wave” my hair on Monday (and refrain from washing it), the style lasts till Wednesday or Thursday.

From start to finish, it takes less than 10 minutes to use, which is great. The fact that I can get a lot of texture that quickly is a big plus.

It’s not perfect, though (what is?). I do have a few beefs with it…

First, the smell. Not mincing any words here, but it’s janky. Jan-kaaaaay! When the iron heats up, it smells weirdly plastic and artificial, like sometime’s melting a whole mess load of Barbie dolls in a witch’s cauldron.

Not a fan. And it takes more than a few times using the waver for the smell to subside.

Also, it’s not easy to tell where the wave patterns end when you’re using it, so getting the waves to transition seamlessly into each other as you move down the shaft is a chore. There’s a bit of guesswork involved; I have to pay close attention, and seeing as how I’m usually doing this at the crack of dawn, that’s not ideal. Most of the time before about 9 a.m., I can barely even dress myself, but, ya know, I really do like how my hair looks when I’m done. We’re talking full-on mermaid princess.

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen