When I find something good, I do not shut up about it. Ever since I tried the newly launched Amika High Tide Deep Waver a few weeks ago, I have been preaching the gospel of my new hair obsession (just ask my co-workers). Prompted or not, I would tell anyone who even glanced at my hair “It’s so easy to use—and I’m garbage with hair tools!” or “ I feel like I’m in Mamma Mia Here We Go Again.”

Let it be known that hair is my beauty weakness. I’m terrible with hot tools and usually just sleep on mine wet and come into work with bedhead that I think is cool in a sexy-but-not trying way, but probably just looks like I didn’t try at all (not in a sexy way). I’m also always running ten minutes behind, so I have no time to remedy it in the morning. So when I came into work and was actually getting compliments on my hair (which I was left and right), I knew I had found something good.

I’ve been obsessed with the loose, beachy wave look (think Aquamarine meets Olsen Twins) for forever and have tried tons of irons on my straight hair, but have never been able to get it right. They leave my hair too crimped and crinkly, and looking obviously “done.” I’ve even gone as far as getting a “beachy perm” in high school, but it left me looking more like a poodle than a mermaid.

The Amika Waver changed all that. It looks like a fairly standard waving iron with three barrels. The exception is this one is pretty large, about four inches across, which I think is where the magic lies. Because of the extra large size, it gives me big, loose waves, without a crinkle in sight. It doesn’t look like I’ve done anything to it, in fact several coworkers asked me if that was my natural hair all along.

Besides the mermaid hair, my favorite thing about the waver is that it’s so damn easy to use. I almost never leave the house on time, so I like to use it at night on soon-to-be second day hair. The fact that I can use it before bed and wake up with nearly-perfect tousled waves is truly game-changing. I usually just divide my hair into four to six sections, depending on how big I want the waves to be or how much time I feel like spending on my hair. Then I brush out whatever section I’m working with, and start clamping my hair between the barrels like a sandwich.

I start the wave at the top of my head (but not directly on the roots, think more a few inches down) and gently work my way down the section, holding each “clamp” in place for about five seconds. I’ve found I get the most natural-looking wave by not pulling my hair so tight that it’s straight, but instead by moving it along with the natural motion of the iron—sort of bending it like an accordion as it moves through the barrels. It sounds more complicated than it is, but I promise it’s super intuitive to use as someone who can somehow manage to eff up using a flat iron.

The only learning curve I’ve had is getting a dent on the top of my head where the waves start. Naeemah LaFond, Amika’s global artistic director, recommends holding the waver at a slight slant when working with the top layer of hair to avoid a harsh line, which I’ve found incredibly helpful for getting a natural wave. She also recommends going back over the roots with a flatiron to flatten the top of your hair down for a more natural look.

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