Teach Me to Curl My Hair

One question I get asked over and over again as a hairstylist is “how do you curl your hair and make it last”. Loose waves, glam waves, beach waves, texture, is all the rage and I don’t see this trend going anywhere. For those of you saying “my hair won’t hold a curl”, I hear you!  There are definitely hair textures that are more resistant to holding curl than others, however, there are a few things you can do to create some wave and make it last.

Step 1 Lasting curls begin with proper prep.  I find curls take the best on slightly dirty, think 2nd day hair.  If you must wash your hair on the day you’re planning to curl it skip the conditioner. Massage a light shampoo into your roots only and let the shower rinse the cleanser through the ends.  Then skip the conditioner all together.

Step 2 Next make sure you apply heat protectant.  Have you ever noticed a steam coming from your hair as it’s being dried or ironed? That is product burning off.  So if you don’t have a layer of protectant on your hair guess what’s going to burn off? Yes, your hair!! Heat protectants come in sprays or creams intended for application on wet hair.

Step 3 Choose the Right Tool.  Curling irons, wands, and flat irons can all be used and will create different types of curls. For beginners the easiest tool will be a wand, if you’re more comfortable with hot tools go for the curling iron or flat iron curl.

Step 4 Choosing the right sized barrel and taking the right sized sections are KEY.  One of the biggest mistakes I used to make was taking small sections and using a small barrel to curl my hair.  Instead of getting loose, easy, beachy waves I ended up looking like Shirley Temple. I’ve since learned to take fewer sections and I prefer a 1-¼” curling iron to create the perfect wave.

My go to sectioning pattern:

Nape

Below the ears

Low Recession

High Recession

Top

Then I break these into 4-6 subsections.  The trick here is to start the curl at the top of your hair as opposed to the bottom.  Open your curling iron and slide the section of hair around the barrel. Keeping the clamp slightly open, turn the curling iron until the hair is wrapped around the barrel all the way to the end, leaving out the last 1-2 inches. Then pull down as you release your hair from the curling iron.

Step 5 The Look Soft Glam vs. Messy Beach Waves

Think about the direction of the curl.  Curling everything away from the face will create soft, glam waves. Alternating away and then toward will give more of a messy beach wave. You can also alternate by section. Play with the direction until you get the look that best suits you.

Step 6 Let it cool

Allowing the hair to go from hot to cold will set the curl and give them staying power.  After your curls have cooled use a light texture spray, hair spray or both, gently shake them out or break them up with your fingers and you’re good to go.  Avoid brushing through the curl if you have coarse hair or curl resistant hair as you may end up frizzing your hair or brushing out the curl completely.

Bonus tip! If you’re not quite comfortable with using a curling iron, practice with a cool iron.  Get the technique down, try using your non-dominant hand. Creating that muscle memory with a cool iron will make the process easier and this might save your hair from damage.