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If there’s one thing we love testing on Who What Wear UK, it’s hair tools. From hot brushes and hair dryers to curling wands and hair straighteners, we leave no stone unturned when it comes to hot tools. So, for this month’s Deep Reviews, we decided to test a new hair waver—specifically, the new GHD Wave Hair Waver (£159).
Hair wavers are great for achieving that effortless, beachy texture without setting foot near the sea. They offer those enviable piecey waves you see on the likes of Sienna Miller and Kate Moss. So when GHD launched its Wave hair tool, I rallied the Who What Wear UK editors to put it to the test. Scroll ahead for our honest reviews and before-and-after pictures after road-testing the waver this past month.
Meet Our Testers
GHD Wave, At a Glance
GHD Hair
Wave Triple Barrel Hair Waver
Pros
- Delivers perfect, beachy waves
- Quick to heat up and style hair
- Sleek design
- Leaves hair glossy
- Long-lasting waves
Cons
- More expensive than other hair wavers
- Heavy
- Can be hard to use at first if you’re not used to hair wavers already
- Better suited to longer hair lengths, as it’s harder to get to the roots
Grace’s Review
Hair type: Long, thick and wavy
Rating: 8/10
Grace’s review: “I have long, thick and naturally wavy hair, however, I always tend to blow-dry it straight and then go in with a curler if I want to add some movement. I’ve always favoured more voluminous, bouncy curls rather than beachy waves, so I was intrigued to give this GHD hair tool a go. When I opened the box, I was quite surprised by how big the tool was, but the larger size meant that I could style my hair in under ten minutes (a big win for someone with thick hair like me). I will say that it definitely takes a while to get used to this tool if you’ve not used a hair waver before, but once you get the hang of it, it couldn’t be easier.
All you have to do is hold the tool on each section of hair for a short amount of time before moving down the hair until the entire section has been waved. Because of the large size, it’s harder to get right to the roots without burning yourself, but the ends of the hair are very simple to do.
I ended up loving the end result, and I got so many compliments on my hair after using this tool. It gave my hair that beachy, relaxed vibe that I find quite hard to recreate, making it the perfect tool to invest in this summer. I personally found that the waves lasted a couple of days, but I do think this comes down to your individual hair type. The only con is that it could be harder to use on shorter hair due to the tool’s larger size, but if you have longer hair like me and want to create beachy waves this season, I couldn’t recommend this enough.”
Humaa’s Review
Hair type: Shoulder-length and wavy
Rating: 7/10
Humaa’s review: “With my brunette lob and naturally wavy hair, I’m always torn between embracing texture and reaching for my straighteners. My hair tends to frizz at the crown, so I usually opt for a sleek finish, but I was intrigued to try the GHD Wave, hoping for something a little more polished than my natural waves. While I’ve used curling wands to create waves before, I hadn’t tried a triple-barrel waver, so I was curious to see how it compared.
My first impression? It’s gorgeous—but also big. On shorter hair, it’s not the most intuitive. The size of the barrels made it tricky to get close to my roots. There’s definitely a learning curve here, especially if you don’t have long, flowing lengths. But after some practice, I managed to find a rhythm, and the results were actually beautiful. The waves it created looked like an elevated version of my natural texture—less fluff, more polish. It smoothed out the crown area, which is usually where I battle frizz and gave me that effortless, beachy vibe without looking overly styled. Surprisingly, the waves held up all day (around seven hours), even without texturising products.
Compared to using a curling wand, this gave a more uniform and defined wave, though it was slightly harder to control on shorter hair. Is it worth the price? If waves are your signature, then yes—but for me, I’d likely wait for a sale. Final verdict? 7/10—beautiful results, but not quite short-hair friendly.”
Eleanor’s Review
Hair type: Long, thick, straight hair with layers
Rating: 8/10
Eleanor’s review: My hair is long, thick and straight with a soft wave. And I have a confession to make: I’ve not used a hair waver in years. I’ve always favoured using a curling wand for soft curls as I find most hair wavers leave me looking like I’m heading to a school disco in the 2000s. So, I’ll admit that I was a bit hesitant to try out the GHD Wave.
On first impressions, I was surprised by how large (and weighty) the GHD Wave is. However, it looks really sleek and I appreciate the simple design and sleek black colourway. Somehow, so many hair wavers are often bright and garish—but not GHD’s. It heats up quickly, so there’s minimal waiting around once you’ve plugged it in.
It took a bit of trial and error to get the hang of the waver. The first time I tried it, I took a large section (which the large barrels can easily accommodate, by the way, if you have a lot of hair), which left my hair with glossy, uniform waves. I then tried with smaller sections, which left me with piecey, textured waves that I much preferred.
I will say that the waver is very large, so if you’re not used to hair wavers like me, it’s a little tricky to maneuver at first without the fear of burning yourself! However, you only need to hold the hair in place for 5-10 seconds to achieve the waves. On longer sections of hair, I only needed to move the waver down the hair twice to style the full length. However, I found the shorter layers around my face harder to style. Not only because the large barrels are hard to get into the roots, but it also didn’t fully ‘take’ on the first go on shorter layers. So I had to go over it a couple of times to get the result I wanted.
Once I finished styling (which took about 10-15 minutes), I was surprisingly happy with the outcome. In fact, on a recent work Zoom call, I had two colleagues individually message me to ask what I had used to style my hair. The heat from the barrels left my hair really glossy, and I loved the beachy texture through my lengths. I got about two days of wear out of the waves before they dropped out, or I wanted to wash my hair, so they’re pretty long-lasting, given the minimal effort and time needed to style your full head.
Overall, I’d definitely recommend this hair waver. Yes, there are cheaper versions around, but if you want to invest, then I’d highly recommend it. My only cons to mention are that it’s quite heavy (I really want to take this with me on an upcoming holiday, but worry about the weight it would add to my suitcase) and also large, so it can take some getting used to if you’re new to hair wavers. I’d say it is definitely better suited to longer lengths without too many short layers for the best results. So if you have long hair and want effortless beachy hair, the GHD Wave is a great waver to go for.”
Shop the GHD Wave
GHD Hair
Wave Triple Barrel Hair Waver
Shop More Hair Wavers
Mark Hill
Pick N Mix Handle and Mermaid Waver Bundle
Mark Hill’s waver is a great option if you’re on a budget. Plus, you can buy separate inter-changable styling attachments such as curling wands that attach onto the main handle.
The jumbo barrels of this waver make it particularly good for styling longer hair.
Mermade Hair
Pro Black 32mm Waver
The Mermade Hair Waver leaves hair with artfully styled ‘S’ waves that look glossy and polished.
Remington
Proluxe 4-In-1 Hair Waver
Remington’s waver has smaller barrels—perfect for styling shorter hair lengths.
Revlon
Revlon Wave Master Jumbo Waver
If you’re on a budget, Revlon’s waver is a very affordable option to achieve beachy waves.
Why Trust Us
At Who What Wear UK, we know that beauty isn’t one-size-fits-all. Our editors have tested thousands of products, including skincare, makeup, hair and nails, over the years and work closely with trusted experts—dermatologists, make-up artists and leading industry insiders—to ensure every guide is well-researched, inclusive and relevant to you.
We focus on formulas that deliver, whether they’re affordable favourites or luxury investments. Our product selection is based on tangible results, ingredient know-how and what we’d truly recommend to a friend.
