These two get mixed up more than any other pair in our range, and the photographs do not help — under salon lighting a Deep Wave and a Water Curl can look almost identical.
They are not, and the difference shows up once the hair is installed.
The difference in one line each
Deep Wave is an even, repeating S-wave. The pattern is uniform down the length, and it reads as deliberate.
Water Curl sits between wavy and curly. The pattern is less regular, with more variation from one section to the next, and it reads as natural rather than styled.
Same price, same lengths
| Deep Wave | Water Curl | |
|---|---|---|
| 18 inches | $120 | $120 |
| 24 inches | $150 | $150 |
| Stock colours | 8 shades at 18" | Natural black only |
| 12 inches | $90 | — |
Price is not the deciding factor. Colour availability might be.
How each one behaves in a boho install
Deep Wave gives you curly ends that match each other. In a boho knotless braid, where a few pieces are left free down the braid, that regularity looks intentional and photographs cleanly.
Water Curl gives you ends that vary. Some sections spiral more than others. In the same install that reads as though the hair is your own and has simply been left to do what it does.
Neither is better. They are two different intentions, and people usually have a clear preference once it is put that way.
The colour question decides a lot of orders
Deep Wave carries eight shades in stock at 18 inches — 4, 8, 27, 30, 350, 613, 99J and natural black, all at $120. Water Curl is stocked in natural black only.
Both are available in all nine shades at 12, 18 and 24 inches made to order through Custom Color Bulk Hair at the same prices. But if you want colour on the shelf today, that is Deep Wave. The shade codes are explained in Hair Color Numbers Explained.
Three questions that settle it
Do you want the ends to match each other? Yes is Deep Wave. If you would rather they did not, Water Curl.
Are you buying colour? If yes and you want it in stock, Deep Wave.
Is this your first human-hair install? Deep Wave is our best seller by a wide margin, which means more of our customers have photographed it and more braiders have worked with it. That is a reasonable reason to start there.
If neither is quite it
Looser than both: Body Wave — a soft bend rather than a wave.
Tighter and springier: Italian Curl — a rounder curl with more bounce.
Softest curl we carry: Burmese Curly.
All seven side by side in Braiding Hair Textures Compared. Prices for each in Deep Wave and Water Curl.