If someone asked us to recommend one texture to a person who had never worn a wig, it would be body wave every time. Not because it is the most striking — it is not — but because it is the one that forgives everything.
What body wave is
A loose, open S-wave that runs through the length of the hair without ever tightening into a curl. Think of hair that has been on large rollers overnight, or slept in a loose plait: movement rather than pattern.
It is the loosest of the wave family. In order: body wave, loose deep wave, deep wave, water wave, curly. Each step tightens the pattern, adds volume, and adds maintenance.
Why it is the most forgiving texture
- It hides a bad install. Movement at the hairline breaks up the straight line that gives a unit away. A straight wig with a slightly lifted lace looks like a wig; a body wave in the same state looks like hair.
- It hides a bad morning. Slept on, flattened on one side, not brushed — a loose wave reads as natural texture. Straight hair reads as messy.
- It survives humidity. A tight pattern tightens further in damp air; a loose one just stays loose.
- It needs no re-forming after a wash. Air dry it and the wave is there. No curl cream, no diffusing, no scrunching.
- It straightens well and reverts. A loose pattern comes back after one wash, where a deep wave straightened repeatedly eventually stops reverting.
Shrinkage
Body wave loses 10–15% of its stated length — the smallest loss of any textured unit.
| You order | It wears like | Where it sits |
|---|---|---|
| 16" | 14" | Collarbone |
| 20" | 17–18" | Mid-chest |
| 24" | 21" | Below the bust |
Add two inches to the length you want and you will be close. The shrinkage chart covers the other textures.
Where body wave falls short
Honesty first: it is not dramatic. If you want hair that turns heads in a photograph, a deep wave or a defined curl does that and body wave does not. It also provides less volume than a tighter pattern, so density matters more — a 150% body wave can read thin where a 150% deep wave would not.
For most units we would go 180%, and 200% past 22 inches. The density guide explains what the numbers look like.
Styling it
The point of body wave is that you do not have to. Beyond that:
- To loosen it further, blow dry on low with a round brush. It will sit almost straight with body.
- To tighten it, plait it damp overnight — two or three loose braids — and unravel in the morning.
- To straighten it, a flat iron at 150–180°C with heat protectant. It reverts after the next wash.
- To revive day-three hair, mist with water and scrunch. That is usually all it needs.
Care
The easiest of any texture, but the fundamentals still apply: wash every eight to ten wears rather than weekly, detangle damp from the ends up, leave-in conditioner through the mid-lengths, satin at night. Body wave tangles far less than deep wave because the pattern is open, but the nape still takes the friction — see the tangling guide and the detangling method. The washing guide and our care page cover the routine.
Body wave and colour
Highlights and body wave go together particularly well, because the movement catches light at different angles and shows two tones against each other in a way flat straight hair cannot. Ruby is a honey blonde highlight on body wave for exactly this reason, and Noor is the 99J burgundy version. The coloured collection has the rest.
Where to start
Aria is our core body wave unit — 13x4 HD lace, 180% and 200% density. Layla is the layered butterfly-cut version if you want shape as well as movement.
The beginner guide covers what else to get right on a first unit, and best wigs for everyday wear explains why body wave keeps coming out on top for daily use.