How To Get The Perfect Beachy Waves with a 3 Barrel Waver Curling Iron

Beachy waves are beautiful, effortless, and super popular, but how do you achieve the look? You can do heatless styles sure but you can’t control how they will turn out. This is where 3 barrel curling irons come into play. These look more natural and ‘beachy’.

There are also deep wavers that literally create deep, defined waves. These are great for volume and super long-lasting. These tips work for both 3 barrel waver and a deep waver.

3 barrel waver hair

Here is a blog post rounding up some top picks for achieving beachy waves with a hair waver.

I am using a 3 barrel waver like this one but I also use a deep waver like this one. You don’t need both, it just depends on what look you are going for.

Tips on how to use a 3 barrel waver

Flip it upside down – to avoid a dent

Leave 2-3 inches out at the end – or alternate some all the way down and some with ends straight.

The longer you hold the iron on the hair, the more defined the wave will be.

If you only hold it for a little bit, it will be a looser wave.

Crimp at a 45-degree angle to avoid dents. Dents are NOT waves.

3 barrel waver hair tutorial

If you have very curly hair, you should start with a smooth finish (blow dry straight or run a straightener through really quickly.

Want more volume? Start right at the root of the hair.

If you want a little more natural and less volume at the crown, start a little lower.

Don’t bend your hair after you crimp it.

Move the waver slowly down the hair to ‘feel’ the waves and where to crimp next.

The products that I use when I wave my hair to help it look more textured, piecey, and help them stay are:

  • Heat Protectant
  • Texture Spray
  • Wave Spray
  • Spray oil

I don’t use all of these all the time. I will usually either add texture spray or wave spray depending on if I want more volume (texture spray) if I want more lived-in-looking waves (wave spray).

If you use wave spray, spray it in your hair and scrunch it into your hair to help define the waves more.

For texture spray, lift your hair and spray it up into your hair for volume and hold.

A 3 barrel waver can be a fun and versatile tool to add waves and texture to your hair. Experiment with different techniques, such as creating different-sized waves or combining the 3 barrel waver with other styling tools. Practice makes perfect, but you will get it down after a few tries and you will master the beachy, mermaid hair look.

XO, Annie