WET LOOK HAIR: HOW TO GET A SLICK, SLEEK AND SHINY SIGN OFF
From the runway to the red carpet, the wet look hair is having a major moment. Editorial, sophisticated and with a trend-lead edge, wet look hair is so much more than just having a shower and leaving your locks dripping in water.
Seen on everyone from Zendaya and Bella Hadid to Kim Kardashian and Meghan Fox, the wet look hair style isn’t something unachievable... or scary. If you’re ready to learn how to achieve this versatile finish, then strap in and hold onto your hair gel as we get the low down on how to create a perfectly wet (but not wet) hair look.
In This Article
- How To Get The Wet Hair Look
- The Long and Wet Look
- The Hydro Bob
- The Slicked Back and Sleek
- Wet Hair Look FAQs
HOW TO GET A WET HAIR LOOK
1.Start with damp hair, as styling needs to happen with hair that is freshly washed and damp. If your hair dries as you style keep a spray bottle close by filled with water and spritz when needed. If you’re wanting to negate washing, simply drench your locks with water before you start styling.
2. The key to a wet hair look is a hair gel. And it doesn’t matter if you have straight hair, short hair, long hair or curly hair, a hair gel is your wet hair look staple.
3.How you use your hair gel will depend on your hair type and texture:
For fine hair: comb through your preferred hair gel from root to tip and style as you please.
For wavy hair: prep your waves with mousse to help lock-in extra moisture. Then, once that’s work in, grab your gel and start spreading it from the roots to your ends. Apply more than you think you need to make your waves look extra juicy and brush it through. If you want to emphasise your wavy texture, place some flat hair clips on the waves around your face for added drama and definition
For curly/coiled hair: moisture is key for achieving the wet hair look. We suggest mixing a gel, pomade and hair oil into a little concoction and applying it in sections using a paddle brush. Use more hair gel than you normally would for your curly hair as you want more weight at your ends to help elongate your coils.
Finish with a hair serum – in order to maintain that sleek and shiny finish work in a hair serum from the top of your head to the ends of your hair and spritz with a long hold hair spray. This should lock in all the moisture and keep lengths looking soft and shiny... as if you’ve just stepped out of the shower.
1
33.90€
7
29.30€
11
13.56€
5
24.00€
24.86€
32.77€
28.25€
1
54.24€
Now, let’s get into some inspiration.
THE LONG AND WET
With a side parting and lose strands falling around the face, this long wet hair look is elegant as well as show stopping. A slight wave to the locks has been exaggerated in this style and you can mimic this by scrunching your locks with your favourite hair gel as you apply. We would suggest using a hair mouse first to give your locks grip and then go in with your hair gel. Use your fingers to tease and tousle your lengths and to give it more body and life.
THE HYDRO BOB
Ideal if you have cut your strands into the viral short bob, this wet look hair style allows your face shape and neck to take centre stage. Use a wide tooth comb to ensure your hair is coated with your hair gel from root to tuo then, using a hair slicking brush, style your strands back towards your crown and behind your ears. Spritz with a hair spray to lock it in place. You can place some crease-free clips behind your ears to keep the front of this look in place... even if the back becomes unruly throughout your event/party/dinner.
SLICKED BACK AND SLEEK
Want to look like a bond girl coming straight out of the pool or ocean? A wet look hair style that’s slicked back at the front but natural and textured at the back is the way to go. Emulating the way your natural hair falls when wet, this simple but effective style calls on a few spritzes of hair spray at the front to keep it locked in place and your fingers to bring life and texture to the back.
WET LOOK HAIR FAQs
How to get wet hair look with oil?
If you’re after a wet look hair style that isn’t set in place, then using an oil may be a better alternative. Utilising the same method as above, this look relies on just you guessed it, the best hair oils. Warm your the formula up in your hands then apply it from root to tip. If you want to slick it back, use a comb or brush to style as desired. Negating the stiffer or more crunchy texture you get when you use a hair gel, this method won't last as long, but will be more nourishing on your strands.
What do men put in their hair to make it look wet?
Most men rely on a hair gel that leaves a wet finish to create a wet hair look. They may also use a hair oil or curl cream for definition.
What product makes your hair look wet?
The products that make your hair look wet are a mix of hair gels, hair pomades, oils and serums. When used together, they enable you to create a wet hair look that stays looking drenched, even if it's been hours since you stepped out of the shower.
Versatile, easy to do and ideal if you want to prolong your hair wash routine for one (or more) days, the wet look hair finish is effortless, versatile and fun.
Rina is Cult Beauty’s Midweight SEO Copywriter and has always had a passion for beauty and skin care (rich moisturisers are her obsession). What started as a love for The Body Shop and their famed Born Lippy lip balms (in ‘Watermelon’ of course!), she is now more interested in finding products with proven effectiveness instead of broken promises. A loud and proud VIEVE fan, Rina owns nearly every item of the range and recommends the brand to anyone who will listen... When she’s not intently reading ingredient lists, you can find her either immersed in multiple true crime podcasts or a fantasy romance novel, with an *extra* hot cappuccino in hand.
