How to Make Your Hair Look Naturally Curly
Air-dry your hair for a fully natural look., Blow-dry for a more polished look., Use a heat protectant., Select smaller heating instruments for fine or naturally straight hair., Select wider tools for courser, wavier hair., Consider using a...
Step-by-Step Guide
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Step 1: Air-dry your hair for a fully natural look.
If you are aiming to create unfussy, loose, relaxed curls or waves, it will help to begin with air-dried hair.
You can save time by shampooing at night.
Your hair will dry while you sleep, and may look quite wild when you wake up, but you'll be able to take advantage of the added volume and texture that results from air-drying. -
Step 2: Blow-dry for a more polished look.
If you'd like sleeker, shinier curls, then you should blow-dry your hair before curling.
Even if you wash the night before, you can blow-dry before you sleep to give your locks an initial smoothing, and then curl in the morning. , Because you are achieving curls by using heat in this method, you want to be sure to protect your hair.
Over-heating your strands can cause them to become dry and frizzy, and can lead to split ends.
Thus, you should give your hair a good spritz with a heat protectant spray or rub a small amount of protectant cream throughout the length of your locks. , Your choice of heating instrument will vary depending upon the texture of your hair and the look you are hoping to achieve.
If your hair is naturally fine and straight, then you should probably go with a smaller-barreled curling wand or iron (1/2-1 inch)., If your hair has more texture or has some natural wave, then you can use a curling wand or iron with a larger barrel (1-2 inches). , Using a flat-iron can provide you with looser, less-refined curls.
You'll get better results, though, if your hair already has a bit of natural bend to it and tends to hold curls well.
If you have naturally stick-straight hair, a flat-iron probably won't work well. , You want to give your heating instrument sufficient time to get to an ideal temperature before you begin curling your hair.
If it's not fully heated, your curls will be limp and fall out quickly.
In order to avoid damaging your hair, you should always use the lowest setting possible that will provide you with satisfactory results. , You want to create multi-dimensional curls and add volume to your hair.
If you divide your hair into sections and curl them individually, you'll be rewarded with bouncy layers of curls that more closely resemble those possessed by people with naturally curly hair.
Begin by taking the top two-thirds of your hair and pulling it into a high ponytail or bun on top of your head.
Secure it with a hair-tie.
The bottom third of your hair should be hanging loose—you will start by curling this section. , Your final look will vary dramatically depending upon the size of the sections you curl.
If you want tight, bouncy curls, you should curl small sections of your hair at a time.
A good rule of thumb is to match the size of the section of hair with the size of the curling wand/iron barrel: for example, if you are using a 1-inch barrel, then wrap 1-inch sections of hair around it at a time.
For a carefree, bohemian look, curl wider sections of hair (2-3 inches), while using a wider curling wand/iron. , Spend some time researching and experimenting with different products to find the one that works best for you.
You may think that the higher the hold level indicated by the package, the better, but this isn't always the case.
If your hair is thin or fine, for example, a strong hold gel or hairspray can weigh your hair down and pull out your curls. , Before you wrap individual sections of hair around your heating instrument, you should apply a holding product.
Give the piece you are about to curl a quick squirt of hair spray, or apply a very small amount of gel or mousse.
This will work better than spraying your entire head before curling: doing that may result in an uneven distribution of product. , As you wrap the sections of your hair around your heating instrument, consider leaving the ends of your hair out of the curling iron (or keep them away from the heating element of the curling wand).
This can give you a more natural look.Try leaving about half an inch of hair uncurled at the ends. , If you release your hair from the curling iron too soon, before it's had a chance to heat through, your curls will fall out quickly.
Gently touch your finger to the hair that's wrapped around the heating tool to see if it's warm before you release it.
Remember, you are aiming for warm, not burning hot, hair.
You may want to consider using a curling wand glove to avoid burns.
Use your ungloved hand to carefully test for temperature. , Try to alternate the direction of your curls every two or three sections.Thus, if you begin by winding the hair clockwise around the curling iron, make sure to throw in a few that are wrapped counter-clockwise to break up the pattern. , Once you release your hair from the curling tool, don't touch them or comb them until they have cooled completely.
Doing so will pull out the curl. , Once you've finished curling the bottom section, take down the ponytail/bun, divide it in half, and leave the lower half hanging loose to curl.
Place the top portion of your hair back into a ponytail or bun, and curl the middle section that you left loose.
You will finish by curling the top. , After all of your curls have cooled completely, you will want to spread them out and gently loosen them.
You can do this easily by carefully running your fingers through them.
Alternatively, you can try shaking your head upside down to create more natural movement.
Avoid using a comb or brush unless your curls came out too tight.
A brush will loosen them out and give you softer waves as opposed to springy curls. , If you're worried about your curls holding throughout the day, you can give them one last quick spritz of hair spray.
Don't over-do it, though, or you may end up with crunchy curls, and there's nothing natural-looking about that. -
Step 3: Use a heat protectant.
-
Step 4: Select smaller heating instruments for fine or naturally straight hair.
-
Step 5: Select wider tools for courser
-
Step 6: wavier hair.
-
Step 7: Consider using a flat-iron.
-
Step 8: Let your heating tool warm up.
-
Step 9: Pull up the top two-thirds of your hair.
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Step 10: Choose the size of your curls.
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Step 11: Select a product that will hold your curls.
-
Step 12: Apply holding product before you curl.
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Step 13: Leave the ends out.
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Step 14: Keep your hair wound in the heating tool until it is hot to the touch.
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Step 15: Switch up the direction of the curls.
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Step 16: Let your curls cool completely.
-
Step 17: Curl the remaining sections of your hair.
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Step 18: Loosen your curls carefully.
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Step 19: Finish with hair spray.
Detailed Guide
If you are aiming to create unfussy, loose, relaxed curls or waves, it will help to begin with air-dried hair.
You can save time by shampooing at night.
Your hair will dry while you sleep, and may look quite wild when you wake up, but you'll be able to take advantage of the added volume and texture that results from air-drying.
If you'd like sleeker, shinier curls, then you should blow-dry your hair before curling.
Even if you wash the night before, you can blow-dry before you sleep to give your locks an initial smoothing, and then curl in the morning. , Because you are achieving curls by using heat in this method, you want to be sure to protect your hair.
Over-heating your strands can cause them to become dry and frizzy, and can lead to split ends.
Thus, you should give your hair a good spritz with a heat protectant spray or rub a small amount of protectant cream throughout the length of your locks. , Your choice of heating instrument will vary depending upon the texture of your hair and the look you are hoping to achieve.
If your hair is naturally fine and straight, then you should probably go with a smaller-barreled curling wand or iron (1/2-1 inch)., If your hair has more texture or has some natural wave, then you can use a curling wand or iron with a larger barrel (1-2 inches). , Using a flat-iron can provide you with looser, less-refined curls.
You'll get better results, though, if your hair already has a bit of natural bend to it and tends to hold curls well.
If you have naturally stick-straight hair, a flat-iron probably won't work well. , You want to give your heating instrument sufficient time to get to an ideal temperature before you begin curling your hair.
If it's not fully heated, your curls will be limp and fall out quickly.
In order to avoid damaging your hair, you should always use the lowest setting possible that will provide you with satisfactory results. , You want to create multi-dimensional curls and add volume to your hair.
If you divide your hair into sections and curl them individually, you'll be rewarded with bouncy layers of curls that more closely resemble those possessed by people with naturally curly hair.
Begin by taking the top two-thirds of your hair and pulling it into a high ponytail or bun on top of your head.
Secure it with a hair-tie.
The bottom third of your hair should be hanging loose—you will start by curling this section. , Your final look will vary dramatically depending upon the size of the sections you curl.
If you want tight, bouncy curls, you should curl small sections of your hair at a time.
A good rule of thumb is to match the size of the section of hair with the size of the curling wand/iron barrel: for example, if you are using a 1-inch barrel, then wrap 1-inch sections of hair around it at a time.
For a carefree, bohemian look, curl wider sections of hair (2-3 inches), while using a wider curling wand/iron. , Spend some time researching and experimenting with different products to find the one that works best for you.
You may think that the higher the hold level indicated by the package, the better, but this isn't always the case.
If your hair is thin or fine, for example, a strong hold gel or hairspray can weigh your hair down and pull out your curls. , Before you wrap individual sections of hair around your heating instrument, you should apply a holding product.
Give the piece you are about to curl a quick squirt of hair spray, or apply a very small amount of gel or mousse.
This will work better than spraying your entire head before curling: doing that may result in an uneven distribution of product. , As you wrap the sections of your hair around your heating instrument, consider leaving the ends of your hair out of the curling iron (or keep them away from the heating element of the curling wand).
This can give you a more natural look.Try leaving about half an inch of hair uncurled at the ends. , If you release your hair from the curling iron too soon, before it's had a chance to heat through, your curls will fall out quickly.
Gently touch your finger to the hair that's wrapped around the heating tool to see if it's warm before you release it.
Remember, you are aiming for warm, not burning hot, hair.
You may want to consider using a curling wand glove to avoid burns.
Use your ungloved hand to carefully test for temperature. , Try to alternate the direction of your curls every two or three sections.Thus, if you begin by winding the hair clockwise around the curling iron, make sure to throw in a few that are wrapped counter-clockwise to break up the pattern. , Once you release your hair from the curling tool, don't touch them or comb them until they have cooled completely.
Doing so will pull out the curl. , Once you've finished curling the bottom section, take down the ponytail/bun, divide it in half, and leave the lower half hanging loose to curl.
Place the top portion of your hair back into a ponytail or bun, and curl the middle section that you left loose.
You will finish by curling the top. , After all of your curls have cooled completely, you will want to spread them out and gently loosen them.
You can do this easily by carefully running your fingers through them.
Alternatively, you can try shaking your head upside down to create more natural movement.
Avoid using a comb or brush unless your curls came out too tight.
A brush will loosen them out and give you softer waves as opposed to springy curls. , If you're worried about your curls holding throughout the day, you can give them one last quick spritz of hair spray.
Don't over-do it, though, or you may end up with crunchy curls, and there's nothing natural-looking about that.
About the Author
Peter Thomas
Brings years of experience writing about creative arts and related subjects.
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