Hallo!
So w/ this new haircut of mine, I wanted to test out a classic favorite hairstyle that had people turning their heads. Sort of literally. I basically know how to make my super straight hair look like practically naturally curly, and here’s a tutorial to prove it. Have thick hair, board-straight locks and a bad history with curling irons? This is probably for you, and it works with all sorts of hair lengths, short and even medium-length (I haven’t tried super long…yet).
Give this try if you’re looking for a fun new style, but as practical advice—try it on a day that isn’t totally important in case something goes wrong. Don’t say I didn’t warn ya.
You’ll basically need mousse, hairspray and soft curlers. The ones that work great are these white ones (sorry they look like you-know-whats but deal with it); it’s got a spongey middle and wires on the ends to twist (if there’s a brand I don’t know what it is). I found a 20-pack at Target for like, $10 and they work like a charm. I don’t think the brand of hairspray or mousse really matters; just find whatever products that are for curls or volume, whatever helps.
1. Okay first things first, game plan. You don’t wanna curl your hair in random clumps everywhere, keep it classy. What I usually do is put my hair in a half ponytail, separating the top layer from the bottom, and if you have bangs, whether they are side-swept or full-front, leave them out of the ponytail, it should be its own section. I like curling my bangs because they’re long enough to go behind the ear, and I do those first.
**WHICH REMINDS ME. If you have short hair like me, barely at the shoulders, this may not apply to you. But when I had medium-length hair (and my hair is thick) I slept with these curlers in my hair overnight. So if you think you want to try this, the good news is that it’ll stay all day long once you unravel the locks. Bad news, it may be uncomfortable to sleep with. If you’re a side sleeper, or content sleeping with your face on the side, try putting the curlers in towards the back or top of your head; you don’t want one on your temple and figure out a precise spot your head won’t hurt. Same with back sleepers; move them to the sides of your head, rather than having them at the nape of your neck or it’s like sleeping on rocks. Not good.
2. Squirt about…ugh, I don’t know a decent size, maybe like a tablespoon’s sized blip of mousse in your hand and just start from the roots and just slide your hand down to the tips so the entire clump of hair is a tad bit stiff yet malleable. Your hair can be wet, but the curls won’t be as dramatic for thick hair. It’s best to work with dry hair, and the mousse helps the hair twist better v. completely dry hair.
3. Hold the white curler so the wired ends are facing up and down, and wind the end of the clump of hair twice; roll the hair tightly in a spiral shape all the way to the roots, tucking the ends of the hair in. Once it’s tight, twist the ends of the curler together and when tight enough, you can bend the ends towards the roll of hair so they’re not sticking out. They may feel…”jiggly” at first, like they’re not in tight enough, but trust me, they’ll stay in.
4. It doesn’t really matter how you start after the bangs are done, but I usually do the bottom layer strands first. You basically want to follow step 3 with all the rest of your hair, but be warned, don’t but in too much in one curler and you’ll get a feel for how much is “too much.” It’s especially hair to wrap a lot of shorter hair, as I’ve learned w/ this new cut; I had to use more curlers for the bottom layer so they’ll actually look curly. If you try rolling in thick clumps, the curls won’t be as tight and it’ll be harder to twist with the curlers. Just lookin’ out for ya.
** Just a tip: if you mess up, as in don’t have enough curlers, don’t be afraid to unravel some neighbor curlers and “spread the wealth.” If that doesn’t make sense, or if nothing really makes sense, then just comment below and I’ll answer questions. I never really know how thorough or vague my instructions are, so I won’t be offended.
**If you like a certain part in your hair, make sure your hair follows as such, especially bangs.
**Another thing: if you want mega volume, make sure you curl in layers. Basically that means you’re going to make some vertical curls where some clumps are being moussed straight up in the air and curled to the roots. Those’ll be fun, I promise. You’ll hopefully have these curlers all over your head.
This step is optional, but if your hair is thick like heck, you’ll need hairspray. Just lightly spritz around your head, it’s just for an extra hold so the curls last longer.
This next step is for when you’re ready to unravel them. This is after a “so-so” night’s sleep or if your hair is pretty short, after a mere 2-3 hours. While taking pictures for this tutorial I waited 2 hours before doing steps 5 - 7 and it lasted all day! A major plus for short hair, no doubt.
5. No matter if you curled the top part or the bottom part first, you’ll want to unravel at the bottom layer first. Basically just unwind the wired ends and gently unroll the curl. I usually run my fingers through it like a comb which makes the curls softer and gives it more volume. DON’T use a brush, on pain of death. Basically unravel layer by layer, working from the nape of the neck to the top of the head, and I usually leave the bangs or curlers framing my face last. It’s just a preference so I can see what I’m doing.
6. Once you’ve done this and all the curlers are out, plus you’ve run your fingers through to sort of separate the curls into more curls, you’re aaaalmost done. Flip your head so your luscious locks are hanging towards the floor. Grab your hairspray and spray at the hair at the nape of the neck, and basically everywhere else. While the hairspray is relatively damp, grab a clump of hair and crunch it in your hand but scrunching it up to the roots. It’s the best way to guarantee day-long curls.
7. Flip your head back so your hair sits like normal and holy volume, right? It’ll tame, but you might like it the way it is. It’s kinda runway sexy at first and pretty fabulous. You’ll probably need to bobby pin your side bangs because they’ll poke you in the eye, guaranteed; hairclips, flowers, headbands are also encouraged. Also, repeat the hairspray scrunching move, and make sure you’re spraying around the tips of the hair, because those’ll be the first to straighten.
Ta-daaa! It’s pretty grand, eh? You can’t get curls like this w/a curling iron, at least I can’t because I’m rather impatient with that thing.
So if you’re interested in giving this a try, do it on a mundane day; don’t be trying it for the first time for a dance, wedding, whatever you have to look attractive for; if it works for you by all means give it a go, but at least make sure you give yourself enough time.
I’ll estimate 4 hours tops for the whole process if your hair is short like mine; the process of curling your hair should take around 30min and unraveling probably 15min. I get faster and faster with practice.
I hope you’ve enjoyed this tutorial, plus the pictures to go along with it. Most of them are to be silly and fun. But seriously comment comment COMMENT! Whether good or bad. If you like tutorials, I’ve got some more, I’m sure. There’s definitely a strong chance of more recipes! :)
