Mermaid Mane: Tips to Achieving the Wet Look

Ever dream of having a hair moment from The Little Mermaid? Or just love the way your hair looks when you emerge from the water? Wet look hair styles aren’t just for the pool (or our siren friends), you can wear them in real life, too. In fact, we spoke to hair maestro and Redken’s Creative Consultant Guido Palau (he created the wet looks at fashion shows such as Alexander Wang and Alberta Ferretti) for some tips on how to achieve a style that’s more Ariel than Ursula.

B: Guido, you've become the master at perfecting the 'wet hair' look. What products do you recommend to achieve the look and how do you get it?

The way you achieve the look depends whether the look is up or down, but regardless of the style I almost always start with wet hair. I used Redken’s All-Soft Argan-6 Multi-Care Oil at some of the spring shows like Alberta Ferretti and Bottega Veneta. It’s easy to apply and you can apply a little at a time until you have the desired ‘wet look’—whether it’s pulled back in a bun or pony, or left down. For a chignon, using a generous amount of Redken hardwear 16 super-strength gel can give a wet look and keep the style in place. Redken shine flash 02 glistening mist and glass 01 smooth serum are two more great high-shine products to help achieve this look, either up or down.

B: What styles do you recommend? A simple slicked back look or a loose ponytail?

I like a loose ponytail when you want an easy and effortless look, like you’ve just come off the beach. A slicked back knot or loose chignon can look cleaner, yet is still fresh, summery and uncomplicated.

B: Do you think the style can work on all hair types?

It’s going to take a lot more product to achieve the look the coarser the hair, but it can work for all  hair types—it’s easy to be flexible since the wet look works with up or down styles.

B: How about length? Can girls with shorter tresses wear it?

It depends how short the hair is, and how fine, as adding a lot of shine close to the head can look greasy instead of the glossy wet look we want.

B: Finally, any advice on how to keep the style looking perfect all day/all night long?

If you’re worried it may fall flat or start to separate, keep a strong hairspray like Redken’s forceful 23 on hand to make sure your style stays in place. But overall the look is about that fresh-from-the-pool effortless summer style, and shouldn’t even look perfect to begin with.