RIP to the heated curling rod! There’s a new movement in hair right now, and it’s all about a shape so soft that it’s less a wave and more a memory of one. Meet the ‘ghost wave’, this season’s most effortlessly cool styling look, which we’ve spotted on everyone from Trinny Woodall to Jodie Comer.
Imagine a regular loose curl that’s been allowed to drop naturally, then brushed through to add shine. (It’s tousled, but not at all sloppy or frizzy).
It’s also a boon for anyone who’s ever grumbled that their painstakingly-crafted Dyson Airwrap curls have started to fall out – your style hasn't gone wrong, it’s actually deeply fashionable.
‘Ghost waves very much fit into the “loud minimalism” category, which is understated but also makes a statement,’ explains hairdresser and trend spotter Tom Smith. ‘Rather than spirals or curls, it’s barely-there S-shaped waves that are really stretched out. Ghost waves are just the impression of movement in the hair.’
If you’re not blessed with this texture naturally, it can be achieved easily with either a mermaid waver or a hair straightener. Use the latter as if you were curling with it, rolling the hair 180 degrees between the plates (always rolling away from your face). The difference is that you need to hold the irons pointing downwards as you quickly pull them through the hair, so you get a very undone S-shaped wave. ‘Be sure to use heat protection and brush through using a very wide tooth comb,’ says Tom.
The relaxed ghost waves trend is a push-back against last year’s big blow-outs, and Tom notes that it’s perfect for a lived-in, laid-back look. ‘It can be ideal for daytime and casual events, but can also add an edge of cool to a glamorous outfit or event.’ Trinny has been working the look beautifully as she jet-sets around the world to promote her new Trinny London Trinity makeup stick (even applying it as her plane comes into land in New York).
If you want to know exactly how Trinny's own hairdresser, Greg Hill, achieves her gorgeous, softly rippled look, he's shared a detailed video of their new morning blow-dry regime. Trinny's hair evolution is something they've worked on carefully, to come up with an effortless, modern look that is, in Greg's words, 'less curly wurly than it used to be'. As Trinny explains: 'My hair's getting longer so we're looking at different ways to blowdry it.'
The key to Trinny's updated blowdry has been switching to a bigger round brush and giving it a twist as he pulls it through the lengths. By doing this, Greg says: 'We can still create those ripples in the hair, with less curl.' He also encourages her parting to fall where it wants to naturally, by blowdrying the front section forward and then letting her hair fall into place naturally. Finishing off with a shake lends a final, casual touch.
Appropriately enough, Trinny is working the ghost wave look beautifully on another recent Trinny London beauty brand tutorial – all about women who manage to look gorgeous while not appearing to have made an effort! Now we now exactly how she does it.
Get the ghost wave
ghd Chronos Max
This is the GHI’s best-rated straightener, scoring an unprecedented 95/100 in our tests.
Mark Hill Pick ‘N’ Mix Handle and Mermaid Waver
Our top-performing mermaid waver is ideal for this look
