Oh how we love those beautiful, flawless, bouncy curls. But you know what’s even better? Beautiful, flawless, curly hair that lasts all day. Here are some tips to help those curls last longer.
1. Get Your Curls To Stay: Cool Them Down
One of the most effective tricks on how to get your curls to stay is to let the curl cool down and set before letting it go. Take each fresh curl (still keeping the curl shape) and secure it with a clip or a bobby pin. How does this work? Well, as you wrap your hair around the curling iron, heat is transferred onto the hair strands, which is what makes them change their shape. So once your pinned curl is cooled down, it will allow the cuticle to close and set in place, making the curl last for a much longer period of time. When unclipping your curls, be sure to let them cool down for a couple of minutes prior to brushing them out. If you break the curls too quickly, they will loose their form in a shorter amount of time.
Hint: If you don’t have time to wait 10-15 minutes for the curls to set, pin them all to your scalp and use your blow drier to blow cold air on them from a distance.
2. Use the right hair products
Help your curls! Apply styling products to your hair, which will help hold the curls in longer. Depending what works with your hair, apply a tiny bit of mousse prior to drying your hair, or simply spray hairspray before, during and after curling. This will give your hair a rougher texture, which will help prolong the lifespan of your curls. All this is after applying heat protectant, of course – always remember the heat protectant first!
Hint: Don’t hold the hairspray too close to your hair as this will make your curls crunchy and heavy. You want to spray mist onto it, and wait a few moments for it to dry prior to applying heat.
3. Invest in good hot hair tools
For years, you may think that your hair is ‘stick straight’ and that ‘your curls will fall apart in 20 minutes anyway.’ You will think that as long as you use cheap, drugstore brand curling irons or curling wands. Only when you switch to better quality, higher-end hot tools, will you realize that the problem isn’t in your hair – it’s in the curling iron! Yes, they may be more expensive, however, they damage your hair less, they heat up better (so you will apply heat for a shorter period of time), and good quality curling irons will last you a very long time. We recommend to set your tools at a heat temperature of 300-350 F to achieve the optimal curl. If you are curling your extensions, be sure to use a lower heat setting of 250 F.
4. Use the right barrel size
Barrel size is actually pretty important. It’s easy to think that a bigger barrel curling wand or curling iron is what will give you those sexy Victoria Secret Curls. We find, however, that most of the time, a smaller barrel will do the magic. Depending on your hair, of course, try using a 1″ or 1.5″ barrel, and see what difference it can make! Not only will the curls look better, but they will also last longer. Sometimes, using a larger barrel just leads to the curly hair loosening up faster and falling out.
5. Your hair still doesn’t curl?
Well, my beautiful friend, this is a sign that your hair is screaming SOS. Overly damaged hair (including split ends) doesn’t curl well. Period. It’s time to give your hair some love and get a trim!
