How To Keep Your Curls

Every girl wants her hair to look as good at the end of the night as it does when you step out of the salon. There’s nothing more frustrating than spending 45 minutes curling your hair only to have your perfect waves fall flat before you’ve made it out the door. So with New Year’s Eve in mind, today I’m sharing a few secrets I have used over the years so I have lasting curls. Without further ado, here are a few useful tips I’ve come across…

I personally have thin hair, but I have volume from having naturally wavy hair so my hair can hold a curl pretty much all day without doing these few things. If you have stick straight hair and have tried everything, this might not work for you. Although, with modern technology, any hair type should be able to hold a curl.

Right Heat Setting

It’s important to be educated on the right heat setting for your hair. Most women will hit the highest heat level and start curling. Don’t do that! That high heat can not only damage your hair, but it can also break your hair off!! If you have thick hair, you’ll want to use a higher heat setting than someone with thin or fine hair.

Adjusting the heat setting to your hair type will ensure that your curl will hold.

If you have fine, fragile, or color treated hair keep it below 200. If you have already curly, coarse or thick hair, you can go higher — between 200-300 degrees. As you curl your hair, notice how it responds to the heat and increase the temperature accordingly. I personally will never go over 400 degrees, I curl my hair between 300 and 350 degrees.

Prepping Your Hair

Prepping your hair is instrumental to your style lasting all day. Start by using mousse or a root pump like and a heat protectant before you blow dry, this helps give you more hold. Pick the right tool with a digital temperature setting, that’s my preference, as I want to be sure what temperature I’m putting on my hair.

Know You’re Curling Irons and Wands

Just like our hair, curling irons come in all shapes and sizes and are made with different materials. Knowing which curling iron is best suited for you could just be your hair-curling saving grace.

Ceramic and tourmaline irons: These are the first choice of professionals because they are the healthiest for your hair. Ceramic irons disperse heat through your hair more evenly, while tourmaline irons control frizz by releasing negative ions that close the cuticle down and lock in moisture. For a wand that will give you shine and keep you frizz-free, try the T3 Whirl Interchangeable Styling Wand. (This is one item in my 2018 Favorite Items post!)

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Gold and titanium irons: These are good conductors of heat, but won’t protect against frizz. Try Hot Tools Professional Spring Curling Iron, for frizz try Bumble and Bumble Curl Pre-Style/Re-Style Primer.

Try the Post-iron Pin

Once you release your hair from the iron, simply pin the curl to your head until it sets. Once your entire head is pinned, mist it with hairspray. Then, carefully unpin your curls and comb through them with your fingers. I will be doing a video on this technique this month to show just how I learned to do this in “beauty school”.

Hint #1: Don’t hold the hairspray too close to your hair as this will make your curls crunchy and heavy. You want to spray a light mist onto it and wait a few moments for it to dry prior to applying heat. (If you don’t want to use hairspray – see below how to use Texturizing Spray)

Hint #2: You can twist your hair and pin it up. Sleep in it overnight and you will have curls! My mother curled mine like this when I was a little girl. No heat curls!

Leave The Curls Tight

Once your curls have cooled down, unclip them, then toss your head back and gently shake the curls out. Rake your fingers through your hair to gently break up the curls, but be sure to leave the curls a little tighter than you actually want them. It is inevitable that your curls will fall out as time goes on, however, leaving them a bit tighter while you’re getting ready will ensure that the curls last longer than they would have. The bonus here is that once you’ve reached your final destination, the curls will likely have relaxed just enough.

Finish with Texturizing Spray

Since texturizing spray is lighter on your hair than hairspray and you don’t have to use a ton of product for its effectiveness, it will actually weigh your hair down less and allow the curls stay bouncy for longer. Texturizing spray is great because it adds volume and can also act similarly to a dry shampoo by neutralizing the oils in your hair, one I’ve been loving is Living Proof Full Dry Volume Blast. You can still use hairspray before or throughout the curling process, but finishing with a texturizing spray will help hold the curls in place without dragging them down too much. It will give your hair more body and texture, making your hair look fuller overall. 

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