Hair waving tools review - deep waver and boho waver

I have two hair wavers which I love. I purchased both nearly new on eBay after not being able to find any stockists in the UK. Now the trend for loose, beachy waves has really taken off and I feel I can finally post a review of my favourite hair tools, which make the look so effortless.

I know I have shown this picture many times before but this is the look that can be achieved with the Tony and Guy deep waver. For a while I could not find this anywhere in the UK, but I am really excited to see that it is on sale in Argos for around £35. I am assuming it is a similar model and I have no doubt eventually I will be going out and repurchasing one of these as a spare.

The deep waver differs from other wavers that are on the market which have three barrels, resulting in two waves in the hair for each section. The Toni and Guy model has one deep continuous groove which covers all the hair within a section.

It features a temperature dial so that you can adjust the heat depending on your hair type, having thick curly hair I always use any hair tool at the maximum setting. The waver is comfortable to hold and not to heavy, and the on/off mechanism is on the top of the tool so no risk of accidentally knocking it off, which I have done with other hair tools.

The second waver I own is by Vidal Sassoon. I don’t believe this particular model is available anymore but it is more like a traditional three barrell waver. The barallels on this are different sizes but I have not noticed a difference in the look of my hair compared to other three-barell wavers I have tried.

It is worth noting that I always use these on my curly hair. I feel it would be redundant to straighten my hair for the purpose of waving it! In my case it works well to revive my curls once they have fallen out in between washes, and to give a different look to my traditional curls.

In the case of both of these tools I can do my whole head of hair in 10 minutes if I am in a hurry by waving thick sections of hair at once. For nights out or when I have more time, I wave smaller sections at a time which gives a more defined look.

Finishing the style with hairspray the waves last all day, and if I tie my hair up at night correctly I might even be able to carry it over to the next day.

Babyliss Waving Wand The Review

If you have read my previous posts you will know I purchased the babyliss waving wand (look here). Having used it a number of times now I wanted to do a full review.

Overall I really love it, the look is very unique to a curling wand, essentially due to the shape of the barrel. Typically for curling wands these are round, or more recently you can find conical ones, but for this waving wand the barrel is oval shaped. Although other curling/waving wands claim that you can achieve a waved look from their product (which I have seen can be done), they seem to require a bit more of a technique that simply wrapping your hair around and I personally have not been able to achieve the look easily. With this product you simple use the same way as you would any other wand.

The styler is a deep purple colour and has a swivel cord which is always more convenient. It is actually surprisingly light, but not in a cheap way and of course this just means that your arm doesn’t ache half way through doing your hair! Aside from the on/off switch there are 5 heat settings depending on your hair type. I am able to use the 4th on my thick curly hair and achieve a long lasting result. Inside the box also came a heat protective glove, which is also worth talking about. I no longer use any gloves when I style my hair since I have got used to the products, but for a beginner these are a must. In the past however the gloves have been cheap and difficult to work with since they are always oversized and do not allow you to hold your hair firmly. The glove provided with this is much more fitting and lets you have better control.

Having curly hair I typically just take the strands as they are already separated, which means that I get different thicknesses and styles of waves. The thicker the strand of hair, the looser the wave. I personally like the mixed look, but you can of course make everything more even. I do not take any special care in making my hair all lay flat on the wand as I have seen done with curling irons, so essentially, grab the hair and wrap. I hold for approximately 10 seconds and release. For my entire head I needed about half an hour and I do finish off the style with a medium hold hairspray.

The wand itself heats up extremely quickly, within a matter of seconds. There is a cool tip at the end of the barrel which never heats up acting as an additional safety feature. Since the wand is ceramic from what I have understood you still need to use a heat protectant. Other handy safety features are an automatic switch off function after 72 minutes, incase you have forgotten. The function I think is very clever is the integrated heat rest, so you don’t have to think about heat mats or worry about ruining your dressing table.

The waves last a very long time. Having done my hair in the morning they lasted all day and through to the next and fell out to looser waves.

I rate this product very highly and cannot think of any negatives. Usually the price would count as a negative for a lot of styling tools but I managed to get mine for £21 online at Amazon and they retail for £30 in most other shops. I think it is great value for money, I have paid more for other styling products and have not rated them as highly as this one.

                                           

If you were in two minds about this tool, I can’t imagine you will be disappointed. Although I can’t speak for people with straight hair, I cannot see why it wouldn’t work just as effectively, and as for my fellow curly heads, it’s a great way of changing up your look.

Deep waver (toni and guy) launch? SS11 LOOK

I have just managed to get myself very excited and very disappointed in a very short space of time. I have only just read through an old copy of LOOK magazine (7th March) and came across this picture.

A DEEP WAVER. I love these, I own one. Having searched high and low on eBay and online I managed to get a second hand one and use it at least once a week. I love the look it gives me straight on my messy curls, in fact you will have seen this in a previous post.

I never chose to review the tool thought since I know they cannot be found. I thought Toni and Guy (or hair tool manufacturers in general) weren’t making them anymore, you can find them from US sellers but with the postage and duty as well as the need to buy a power converter it would end up being quite pricey. I even went as far as to email Toni and Guy directly over a year ago to ask if they had any and where, but I never got a response. So I counted myself lucky to have one and have my fingers crossed that mine does not break (I have actually broken the catch to keep it locked already).

So after I saw the picture in LOOK magazine I was really excited. There are no details as to when it will be launched, but there was a link to a video showing how to achieve the look, with the tool being used. What I found funny was that there is a list of products used to achieve the look which omits this most crucial tool! I have searched over the internet to find a link to a possible launch date, I don’t even know what it will be called, big crimper? deep waver? I can’t find anything up to date. Maybe a beauty or hair insider would know more but I do find it frustrating that LOOK have been so vague with it and yet featured it. I would be SOOOOO grateful to anyone who has any insight since I would be desperate to get my hands on another.

The link to the stylist look featured in the magazine is here. The LOOK Show SS11 Hair How-To Video: The Catwalk Crimp | Look I think I am the biggest fan of this hair tool so I hope that it does appear to buy soon!

Babyliss Waving Wand Look

If you read one of my previous blog posts then you would know that I ordered the Babyliss waving wand at a bargain price. Arriving this morning I tried it out immediately and these are the results…………..

I even felt inspired to model a bump-it and a flower headband with the look today.

First impressions…... I love it! The look is unique to that of a curling wand. I know I want to have more of a play with different thicknesses of hair etc before I give my final review, but so far so good.

** 19th March 2011 Please see here for full review.