How I get beach waves that last three days with a crimper

I retired the crimper after high school. Everyone did. Then the Latina baddies on this app started showing up with this soft, expensive-looking beach wave and I found out it was a crimper the whole time. Just not the one we grew up with.

The one I use is the Wavytalk Power Wave crimper. Every time I post about her, y'all sell her out. So here is the whole method in one place, because the video is 20 seconds and the questions in my comments are not.

Why does this crimper not give you lasagna hair?

The old crimpers had those flat zigzag plates. They left a hard, rigid line at the start of every wave. That is the lasagna hair everyone accused me of. People literally said it to my face.

The Wavytalk has an S-shaped plate instead. The wave is rounded, so there is no crease. It looks like beach waves, not like a 2004 yearbook photo. That one change in the shape of the plate is the entire difference.

How do I use a crimper for beach waves?

It comes with a little pamphlet that tells you the exact heat setting for your hair type. Read it. I know nobody reads the pamphlet. Read this one. Then here is what I do:

• Dry hair, brushed out, a heat protectant on every section.
• Start as close to the roots as you want. The plates do not get hot on the outside, so it will not burn your scalp. That is how you get the volume at the top.
• Six seconds on each section near the top of my head.
• Four seconds on my ends, because my ends are a little damaged and they do not need more.
• Move down the section so the next wave starts where the last one ended. That is what keeps it continuous with no hard line.
• Once the whole head is done, brush it out with your fingers or a wide brush if you like more volume. I do.

Do you see those blue lights on the tool? Those are negative ions. For my fine-haired girlies, that is the part that keeps it smooth and shiny instead of a frizz cloud the second you step outside in Miami.

Why does it last three days?

Honestly, it is the shape of the wave. A curling iron curl is a spiral, and gravity pulls a spiral out by dinner. A crimped S wave is set into the hair in both directions, so it does not have anywhere to fall. On me it lasts about three days if I sleep with it in a loose low bun and do not wash it. Day two is my favorite day. Day three I add a little dry shampoo at the roots and it still looks done.

The other thing I noticed right away: no smoke and no burning smell. That was my biggest deal breaker with my old one. I do not want to smell my own hair frying. This one does not do that at the setting the pamphlet gave me.

What my husband said

He said it, not me. Crimped hair is the best style on girls right now. This is his favorite hair on me and I fully understand why. It looks like I did a lot more than I did.

Who this is not for

• If you want a tight, defined curl. This gives you a soft wave, not a ringlet.
• If your hair is very damaged or bleached to the point of snapping. Any heat is a risk there. Fix the hair first.
• If you like pin-straight hair and will only do this once. It is a tool you reach for every other day or not at all.
• If you refuse to use heat protectant. Same rule as any hot tool. No protectant, no crimper.

Caveats

It sells out constantly and I cannot control that. If the link is dead, check back, they restock. I bought mine with my own money before I ever posted about it. The link above is an affiliate link, which means I may earn a small commission if you buy through it. That does not change what I think of it.

No brand deal. No PR obligation. Just a crimper I keep reaching for.