The desire and, let’s be real, motivation to spend time doing my hair has become more of a special-occasion thing lately.
They say good things always come back, and I believed it when I saw GHD launched their first-ever wave wand - and let me give it a whirl.
I’m all for an effortless look, particularly that wavy, volumised, natural kind of illusion.
But if we’re talking beach waves without actually having to dip in the ocean, then soz, the plaits just don’t cut it.
I’ll be the first to admit my frustration when it comes to styling my hair. Honestly, the lack of curl hold (without loading it with half a drawer full of product) has meant it’s been YEARS of straightening it to death.
But I was there for the mermaid wave obsession of 2020, and after testing out this triple-barrel tool, I don’t think I’ll be going back to a dead flat straightener anytime soon - let me tell you why.
As I’ve said, curls just aren’t my friend. They never last. But this trial not only survived, it thrived through hours of a windy, slightly drizzly outdoor gig and still gave ‘I just woke up like this’ the next morning.
Look, I won’t preach that it’s a time-saver - because it’s not. You’ll definitely need to set a good chunk of time aside, especially if you’ve got long locks like me.
It’s super easy to use too! There's no awkward twisting or curling technique needed. Just clamp, hold for about 8-12 seconds, release, and move down the section of hair, repeating the process.
I will say you do save a few hot minutes with the crease-free design, you don’t need to strategically align each clamp perfectly, so it’s super user-friendly compared to other tools I’ve attempted.
*FLASHBACK* to the time I got my hair stuck in the GHD blow-dry brush and had to call my mum and a fork into action to pry it out of the tool. Yeah, my user error on that one almost had me banned from hot tools for life!
You don’t even need to fiddle around with the temperature either. The GHD wave heats to the ideal 185°C – no more, no less – which means it gives you those lush, voluminous beachy waves without causing extreme heat damage.
Plus, the left a blinding shine that made it look like I’d just had a salon treatment.
GHD claim at least 2x less frizz, and while I wasn’t totally convinced on that side, the shine made up for it - and tbh, I’m going to blame the state of my strands for the lack of frizz maintenance while styling.
The only product I used to hold these waves in place was GHD’s Curly Ever After Spray, and much to my surprise, eight hours later they looked just as fresh while in the mosh of a DnB gig. Not even the winter elements - light sprinkle of rain or the wind - knocked these waves around.
And even waking up the next morning, they had noticeably dropped but still provided enough of a wave to give an even more natural look the next day.
Honestly, if you’re into easy, low-effort hair that looks polished but not too styled, this one might just be your new holy grail.
It’s on the spendy side at $310, but the results and the fact that you’re not frying your hair for this kind of result, it’s so worth it.
Long live the wave! Sophie was supplied with a GHD wave for the purposes of this review.
