This was the photo that sent Aussie shoppers into a spin. Picture: Instagram / Tara Simich
This was the photo that sent Aussie shoppers into a spin. Picture: Instagram / Tara Simich
We've got Kim Kardashian to thank for the hair style of the moment — the "mermaid wave", a soft beach-inspired style that if our Instagram feeds are anything to go by looks easy peasy to put together.
Kim K and her flowing locks. Photo / Instagram
But don't believe it — this look is actually really hard to create at home with a traditional curling tong or classic hair straightener. Like, really hard.
It was so tough, Perth mum and businesswoman Tara Simich decided to fix the problem and created the "Mermade Hair Waver", a three-barrel curling wand that gives you lust-worthy waves Ariel herself would be envious of.
"I kept seeing Kim Kardashian with these really lush effortless looking waves, but the only way my hairdresser could achieve it was sitting in the chair for three hours with a straightener," Tara told The Beauty Diary. "With two kids, I just didn't have the time so I knew there was going to be some serious demand if I could fix this problem."
After doing her research, Tara created the triple-barrelled wand but said she had no idea how huge it would go.
"I never thought we would have one selling every few minutes," she said. "I posted a photo of my hair on Instagram and was instantly inundated with hairdressers asking how I got my waves. It was crazy! At that point I knew this tool was going to be a serious game-changer."
This was the photo that sent Aussie shoppers into a spin. Picture: Instagram / Tara Simich
While I don't doubt how great the waves look, I still approached this with a whiff of sceptisim. If you've been reading TBD for a while or are a member of our Facebook group, you'll know why.
My natural hair type is the kind hairdressers dread, especially when asking for a bouncy blow out, as it's super fine and struggles to hold curls. The only exception to that rule has been the ghd Oracle hair curler.
So would a mermaid inspired-wave be any different? There was only one way to find out, so Tara invited me to come and have a play with it and report back to you.
First impressions of the bubblegum coloured contraption were pretty funny. To be honest, it looks like a weird sex toy and I'm not the only one who thinks that — the brands Instagram feed is littered with hilarious comments about its X-rated appearance.
My natural hair is pretty fine and straight. So would it hold a mermaid wave like this influencers? Photos / Supplied, Instagram
My other observation was how large and heavy it was, especially to hold with one hand. However, the instructions seemed pretty easy to follow.
Clamp, hold for 10 seconds, remove. Repeat over all your hair and voila!
Sounds easy right? Urrrrm, not really. Not to begin with anyway.
You see, holding onto the hot tool takes a bit of practice as it's so big, which made my first go a little clunky.
Luckily, I had a professional on hand to show me the ropes. Enter the gorgeous Jackie, a hairstylist at Joh Bailey in Double Bay, NSW.
After sectioning my hair, he tells me to start from the back and not to get too close to my scalp which I was burning a little. Oops.
"Leave your roots straight and start clamping from the eye line down for a more effortless, natural wave," he said. "If your hair is longer than the clamp (which mine was) then just follow the grooves it leaves in your hair to know where to place the tool next."
Once the wave is in place, let it cool before touching or playing with it as this lets the style set in place.
"Then spritz all over with hairspray to lock it in place," Jackie said.
I'm not going to lie, I absolutely loved the finish of this product. It looked just like it did on Instagram and was also like nothing I've ever rocked before.
But the real test comes outside of the salon, seeing just how well it holds up with wind, sweat and real-life.
I was headed to the races — so it was the perfect place to put my waves under some stress. And I am thrilled to report back that after hours standing outside in the elements, the waves lasted. Even the next morning they were still locked in, albeit a bit looser and softer, something I was still digging.
I've tried a few times at home with the Mermade Hair Waver now too and while it's still not as easy as using a curling wand, it's getting easier.
If you don't have the same hair type as me, Tara suggests looking at the brand's Instagram pages for a tutorial.
"We have inspiration for every hair type, colour, texture, length," she said.
THREE STEPS TO THE PERFECT "MERMAID WAVE"
STEP ONE: Section the hair and spray with a good heat protector.
