Wet Hair is Having a Moment

When watching the Fall 2022 Fashion Shows roll on, you couldn’t help but notice that the models walking down the runways looked like they’d just got caught in a spring shower. Things were looking somewhat damp… at least as far as hair goes, anyway.

As Fashionista pointed out, wet-looking strands in a variety of different iterations  became one of the most prevalent beauty trends on the runways right now, spotted at shows across all four major cities. Messy, scraggly takes on the style — which in some cases featured strands plastered against the forehead dramatically — appeared on models at a wide variety of shows, including Ferrari, Maisie Wilen, Ac 9, Act N.1, Altuzarra, Bevza, Philosophy di Lorenzo Serafini and Rokh. Meanwhile, for Acne Studio, Nensi Dojaka, Kenneth Ize, Jil Sander, Koché, MM6 Maison Margiela and Sacai, models wore looks that were wet, shiny and slick-looking toward the roots, with the ends kept dry and even textured, in some cases. And then there were iterations like those at Fendi and Dur Doux: tidy, no-hair-out-of-place, almost shellacked-looking styles. (Fendi’s look was also accompanied by a simple barrette that held models’ deep side parts in place.)

“I think [wet hair] is having a moment because people have been stuck indoors, so they’re bored and want to have a high impact, eye-catching hairstyle,” says hairstylist Helen Reavey, whose celebrity clients include Harry Styles and Tilda Swinton. (She’s also the founder and chief creative officer of hair-care brand Act + Acre.) “The wet look can make people feel like they’ve dressed up and almost transformed into an elevated persona.” Reavey emphasizes that in real life and off the runway, this look is a bit tricky to pull off. It’s definitely most at home on vacation and on the beach. “Those with short hair can have the easiest time getting this look,” she says.

Another surprisingly practical thing about the wet look is that it’s a style that works on every hair type and texture, according to Reavey. But the technique and products needed to achieve it will vary quite a bit from one hair type to another. “If the hair is fine and limp, it’ll dry super fast so you have to use a lot of product. With curlier hair, it can expand with a lot of moisture, so you a lot need products, without water. Only super super straight hair can achieve this look with minimal products,” she says. “Usually to get that wet look to last all day, you’d have to use heavy products like gels, which aren’t beneficial to the hair.”

Reavey does have a health-boosting alternative trick: “The only way to achieve this look that could be helpful for the hair — but might not last as long — is by using a hair mask.” For fine hair types, Reavey suggests using just a hair mask, smoothing it through hair and then combing it into place as desired. For those with medium texture and a bit of wave, her technique is to combine a hair mask with gel for more longevity and hold. As for thick, curly textured hair, the pro suggests combining a mousse with gel, and then adding a shine wax or cream.

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Photo Credit: Ekaterina Jurkova / Shutterstock.com