Getting Perfect Curls

Curls are beautiful, but many don't like doing them themselves since it's messy, time consuming, or just too much work. So rather than going to the salon for simple curls (or just not making them at all), here is a guide to help you get those curls you just can't seem to make.

The curling iron

Make sure you have a good curling iron. Many will tell you that it should be made of ceramics or at least have a ceramic coating. I have used cheapie metal curlers and they work just as well. The downside? Ceramic is a little nicer to your hair and won't damage it as much as a metal curler. So yes-ceramic is advisable.

Also, make sure how big you want your curls to be. If you want small curls, you can get a curling iron that measures ½ and inch. These types of curls are mostly fun, flirty, and rather casual. If you want nice big glamorous, romantic curls, a 1 ¼ inch one usually does the trick no matter how long you hair is. Not sure which one to get? I think the 1 in curler fits everyone. However, it's really up to you.

If you're also wondering about the brand, I am going to be honest with you and tell you they're all pretty much the same. Conair, Vital Sassoon, etc. Just try to get one with a temperature controller and ceramic plates and you should be fine.

The hair

This may be pretty disgusting, but hair curls best when it's a little dirty. This is because the natural oils that you produce help the hair maintain them intact. So if you're planning on doing your curls early in the morning, try taking a shower a few hours before you go to bed. If you're going out at night, shower in the morning. Feel free to touch your hair to get it a little oil in it, just not too much!

Another thing before curling your hair is conditioner. It comes down to what type of conditioner you use. I mention this because the conditioner can really weigh down your hair making it difficult to curl. The best thing to do is not use conditioner (especially leave-in conditioner!) as it will just weigh down your curls.

You also might not want to blow dry it as it can also make your hair difficult to curl.

What to do

What you want to know is that you'll be dividing your hair in layers. You will first curl the bottom and work your way to the top (as in just about anything else). Here's what you do: leave about an inch of the bottom layer down and put up your rest of your hair. Divide your hair into two pieces (as if you are going to make pony tails), and curl one side first. How much to grab depends on what type of curler you're using. You will notice that the bigger the curling iron is, the more hair you can curl.

Do you curl in or out? This is up to your taste. Here's an important tip: after releasing the curl, don't touch! Not only will it be hot, but it will ruin the curl. Wait until it cools and then you handle it.

After you finish the bottom, you will be probably tempted to hair-spray it. But wait until you are completely finished to do this.

Continuing...

Now release another layer on top, put up the rest of the hair, and repeat. Do this until all your hair is curled. You might notice that you skipped a few strands or that others may need a touch up. This is the time to fix that.

And now...

The hairspray! To be honest, I've tried a lot of hairspray brands and they work the same on my hair. So I apologize I can't recommend a good bottle of hairspray, but I have been using Garnier recently so I guess that could work. Anyway, what you don't want to do is drown your hair in hairspray, so try using as little as you can. Using too much will make it look all icky. Don't worry, it will hold. Here's a tip: focus on the tips of your curls. Once those are nicely stuck with hairspray, it should hold throughout the day.

Grab a nice hair accessory to draw attention to your lovely curls and you're done. Like everything, the more practice you have, the quicker and better you'll be at making curls!