How I Curl my Hair

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I get asked alllllll the time how I curl my hair so today I thought I would give you guys a little step by step process. I am by no means an expert, but this is what works for me so I stick to it!

So here’s where I let you ladies in on a little secret… I don’t even know how to use a regular curling iron! I’ve tried over and over but for some reason my hair always crimps when I clamp down. So I was over the moon when I found out about a curling wand a few years ago. It is honestly SO simple and super easy to catch on to. It is important that you choose the correct width of your wand though. If you have shorter hair, or like really tight curls, you need a thinner curling wand (1/2”), but if you like big, loose curls for longer hair, I would suggest anything from 1.25” – 1.5”.

Lately, I have been using this 32mm rose gold curling wand from Bombay Hair and I am obsessed with it. It takes me ten minutes to curl my entire head and the curls last for like three days!

So before I start adding heat to my hair, I always brush through it completely using my wet brush and then I always use a heat protecting spray. I’ve tried a lot of different brands and honestly can’t tell a huge difference, but have stuck to this one for awhile now because it smells SO good. (They also have a travel size here which is perfect for on-the-go or if you’re bringing a carry-on.) I’ve also tried this one and really liked it as well. If I have one piece of advice for you it’s that you HAVE to use a heat protecting spray ANY time you apply heat to your hair.

If your hair tends to lay flat on your head and you find yourself teasing it a lot, STOP! Teasing is so bad for your hair, creates breakage and causes so much damage. Instead, try a texturizing spray. My all time favorite is this by Oribe. Recently, I’ve heard people rave about this volume powder spray so I just ordered it and can’t wait to try it out and let you guys know how it is. Anyways, if you’re using a texturizing spray, make sure you do it BEFORE you start curling your hair.

Now, the next step for most ladies is to section off their hair by clipping up the top layer. To be honest, I don’t have time for that. I need something that is quick, easy and gets the job done. So I just split my hair down the middle into two sections and start with one side.

You start by grabbing a small section of hair (about 1/2″ big). Now before you freak out, don’t stress about getting perfect little sections each time. That’s the beauty of curls – you can’t tell! Sometimes it looks even better if you have some larger curls with some smaller curls. Anyways, grab a small section and start towards the middle of it and wrap the hair around the wand. Make sure you are pointing the curling wand DOWN towards the ground. You always curl AWAY from your face (so remember, that will switch when you get to the other side). Keep it on there no more than 5 seconds. Some people may hold it on there longer if that doesn’t hold the curl, but 5 seconds seems to work just fine for me. Continue to do this over and over in little sections.

Two things I may do differently than other ladies:

1. I don’t curl all the way to the top of my head until I get to the very top layer. For example, if I’m curling the pieces of hair that I know will be the bottom couple layers, I don’t need to go all the way to my scalp because you won’t even see those pieces. I wait until I’m completely done curling, shake out the curls a little with my hands and then see if I need to curl any additional pieces on the top layer of hair in the back. That is where you can curl a little higher up if you feel you need to!

2. I leave at least 2 inches of the bottom of my hair out of the curling iron. This helps to achieve a more “beachy wave” look instead of full on curls. That is completely optional though, feel free to curl all the way down if you’d like!

If you have trouble with your hair holding a curl, a friend from college once told me (shoutout to Amanda Brumley!) that after you release the hair from the wand, hold the entire curl in the cup of your hand for a few seconds. This allows the hair to cool while staying in a tight curl. Then you can release the hair as normal. My hair holds a curl pretty well so I don’t have to do this, but she absolutely swore by it!

A lot of girls also will brush through their curls when they’re done, but I personally don’t. This technique gives you lose enough curls that you don’t really need to in order to accomplish the look you want. Do what works for you though – if you think the curls are holding a little too tight, start by brushing through them with your fingers first, and if that doesn’t work then you can lightly brush through them with a brush. You can also grab a big chunk of hair and pull down on your curls (if you don’t want to mess with a brush) which will accomplish the same look.

To finish it off, use a little bit of hair spray (my favorite is this!) and voilà! You have beautiful, loose curls.

Please let me know in the comments if you have any questions for me! I’m going to do a post soon about my extensions and would love to answer any other hair-related questions you guys have.

Photography by Kate Elizabeth Photography

*Thank you to Bombay Hair for sponsoring this how I curl my hair post. All opinions & product selections are my own.

SHOP THE PRODUCTS I USE TO CURL MY HAIR: