A few weeks ago, I stopped into Dre Holder Salon to visit one of their stylists, who is also one of my good friends. It wasn’t too busy, so some of the other stylists were on break just chatting about some of the new hair trends. However, there was one that really stuck out to me that I wanted to share: “The American Wave.”
The American Wave was pioneered by one of New York’s master stylists, Nick Arrojo. He defines the American Wave as “a professional salon service to create soft, natural-looking, wave and curl patterns, bounce, body and movement for those that want to make the graceful elegance and individuality of texture a part of their hairstyle and identity.”
Nick Arrojo utilizes a system of ‘soft tools’ that reduces the stress on the hair. The techniques he employs, and teaches to others, ensure that the textures that are created are always contemporary, fashionable, and wearable. The system also uses a specialized waving lotion that reconditions the hair for a smoother cuticle filled with life and vitality, not dryness and damage; instead of chemical compounds, American Wave smells like eucalyptus.
As a wave, texture, and volume enhancing service, it creates a range of customized looks, from cascading beachy waves to increased fullness and bounce to curly shapes and styles. The four service options include The Beach Wave, Style Support, Expanded Curls, and Color Wave.
- The Beach Wave: Using a vertical drag wrap soft tool technique, this style marries straight and wavy textures to create the sexy, tousled beach waves on the vanguard of fashion and beauty trends.
- Style Support: For clients with fine and/or straight hair, Style Support uses a new spin on soft tool wrapping techniques. It adds volume and texture to hair that lacks life and vitality by creating a resilient consistent wave pattern that helps create better blow-dries and hot-tool styles.
- Expanded Curls: For those with curly hair, Texture Specialists use a round soft tool wrapping technique to create buoyant and resilient wave and curl patterns that are healthy, frizz-free, and fun.
- Color Wave: Color Wave allows for any of the American Wave styles to be applied to lightened hair, so you can pair bombshell blondes with bombshell waves and curls.
Since its launch in 2012, American Wave-made hairstyles have been featured at a cornucopia of global hair and beauty shows, shared with thousands of American professionals, and inspired American Wave editorial images and videos. In the salon it is used on clients who want to make the timeless elegance, beauty and grace of texture a part of their identity. Meanwhile, the technology, techniques, and results have featured everywhere from The Today Show to The Chicago Tribune to Vogue, Cosmopolitan, and Allure.
Now is the time to embrace your curl, and Nick Arrojo is “proud to be on the front line of the texture trend and to be part of a healthy, free-spirited and unrepressed approach to beauty.” He feels that, “hair should make you look and feel young and carefree, sexy and fun and fabulous. So boost your body and bounce, enhance your natural texture, make your roots pop, create sexy, tousled beach waves and curls suited to the easy-going and versatile fashion and beauty zeitgeist.”
