42 beautiful wavy hairstyles from neptune waves to cropped waves

Does a fringe work with wavy hair?

A fringe is a timeless way to add some extra personality and detail to your chop and it can look stunning with wavy hair, particularly when your stylist tailors it to your hair type. It's worth keeping in mind that the length of your hair can weigh waves down, stretching them out, so shorter sections, like a fringe, might feature a slightly different or tighter wave pattern. That said, if you regularly heat style your hair, the front sections tend to experience more frequent and concentrated heat, so you may actually find that repeat styling has made it lay straighter.

Also worth noting is wavy hair can shrink a little as it dries. A good stylist will leave the fringe slightly longer, then check again once it’s dry as some hair shortens considerably in length when it transitions from wet to dry. “Once dry, they can then decide if more needs to be cut off,” says Ingrosso.

Knowing how to dry and style your new fringe is a skill worth mastering. “I would always show my clients how to dry their new fringe with the help of a diffuser, or by using twisting techniques to help achieve more movement, depending on their hair type and texture,” says Ingrosso. “A fringe is something so personal to each individual – we should all try it once in our life to see if it works.”

How to style wavy hair?

Again this differs with texture and porosity, and also your desired outcome. Depending on your mood, you might wand to smooth your strands. Other times, you may want to amp up all that texture. The main thing is to choose your products wisely. Ingrosso confirms the mistake she sees most often with wavy hair, is the wrong product being used to style it.

Many products designed to smooth fly-aways and seal strands against humidity, can also weigh hair down due to their strand-coating abilities. If this is the case, reach for products that offer hydration and lightweight styling. The texture of the product on your fingers alone will give a good indication as to how heavily it's going to sit in the hair and you can dial the amount you use up or down accordingly.

If you want to encourage more movement Ingrosso suggests avoiding strong gels and heavy styling products, "especially if you prefer more movement in your hair,”she says. “Instead, opt for a light curl cream to achieve more movement, a wave spray for a natural look, or even just a good moisture booster such as the Shu Uemura Art of Hair Absolue Universal Balm.”

If you're not a wavy girl but you love the look, go for it. Hair tools and styling techniques mean you can tap into the texture and make it your own. Ditto wavy girls looking to make their own strands look a little more polished, or a little more amped-up.

Sleeping in buns and plaits can enhance a more laid-back, irregular and messy texture, as can waving your hair in different directions with different wave-styles (S-bends, beach waves, mermaid waves) using a straightener. A more symmetrical, uniform styling technique will give glam Hollywood waves.

Either way, there's plenty of ways to make the most out of waves no matter your hair length or cut. From short wavy hairstyles to shoulder-length waves, wavy pixie cuts, derriere-grazing length or midi waves, we have all the inspo you need.

What are the best wavy hairstyles and cuts?

Top trend forecaster and hair stylist, Tom Smith, recommends “Neptune Waves” for celebrating wavy texture. “Countless celebrities have been seen sporting flat ‘S’ shape waves, most often with a middle parting and lots of volume," he explained. “Unlike the Botticelli Waves of last year, Neptune Waves are more fluid and stretched out, with thinned out ends and a fluffy silhouette.” They're a little more mussy and lived in.

We've seen it most frequently on longer lengths, says Tom, "but as this trend grows, I’m sure we’ll see this texture worn on mid and bob-length styles too.” Celeb fans include Serena Williams, Simone Ashley, Shakira, Gigi Hadid, Beyonce and Miley Cyrus.

As for how to style it (if you don't have the wavy texture already)? “‘S wavers’ or ‘3 prong tongs’ are a great choice to easily DIY this look, but a more natural, heat-free and irregular version can be achieved by braiding your hair with a soft middle parting, leaving the ends out,” says Tom. "You can sleep in this to let the waves set in or lightly run the heat from a blow-dryer over the braids using heat to set them faster,” he says.

Elsewhere, we've rounded up even more of our favourite wavy hairstyles and cuts below…