How I Curl my Hair
nedelja, januar 24, 2016
I was asked to share hair curling routine and tips a while ago and even though I don't do anything revolutionary and most probably won't find anything new, I've been itching to write another hair post, since they are my favourite to write. You may have noticed that I like to have my hair curled, actually when it was shorter, it was naturally quite curly/wavy, but in a very messy way. Now it's has only a bit of a wave due to the length, as the weight of the hair is straightening it. Since I was twelve my hair has been dry, frizzy, messy-curly and unmanageable, but I only started using curlers about six years ago (before I was trying to define my natural curls), anyway I use them just because I like more polished hair styles than the air-dry texture. Aside from that, if I curl my hair, I don't have to do anything to it for almost a week, while if I leave it natural, it feels dry and so bland that I constantly need to apply product to keep it in check (I tend to wear it braided when I'm giving my hair a break from the heat). My hair is thick and has natural texture to it (it's never soft), so it holds curl well, but I do have a few tricks up my sleeve to make it last longer. I'm a hair junkie so I have a lot of products and I included them here to maybe help you with possible product recommendations, but of course you don't need anything more than a heat protectant and a curler as the basics.
Starting with the most important thing - the curler. I've tried a few in my many years of curling, but the two that made the cut are Remington Ci6325 Pro Soft Curl (bought in Interspar) and Sapphire 8 in 1 Wand (got it from Irresistible Me). I've tried many types of barrels and the 2.5 cm/1 inch is by far my favourite. I know a lot of people use 3.2 cm (1 1/4 ”), but honestly, I'm certain their curls last no longer than a day just like at me and that's a waste of time and effort. Still if you wish to see how those types of curls look, I have a picture in the review of Sapphire. I've used the Remington one for years and it's excellent for the price, but I'm currently using Sapphire a lot more because it's lighter, it doesn't have the annoying clamp, heats up a lot faster and I can see how it's heating up on the screen. Curling with a straightener is a massive waste of time at my hair as it lasts an hour or two (and ironically almost all hairdressers use this method. That's why I prefer to do my own hair).
I always wash my hair at night because it weird to me to do it in the morning. I blow-dry it straight using medium heat and a round brush from Ebeline to reduce frizz and then pin it up in a high, very tight twisted bun, with which I go to sleep. This gives the hair volume, texture and a natural wave which is an excellent base to work on. If I blow-dry the hair when it's still damp and put in in a bun while it's still hot/warm, I get lovely natural waves in the morning, but if I don't want to torture my hair too much and let it air-dry till it's about 90% dry before I make it sleek with a hair-dryer and a round brush, I only get some volume and a messier texture. Both cases are fine. I'm currently doing the latter version and that's also why my hair looks more straight than curly, but here is how it looks if I do it in the first way.
I apply a heat protectant before I start doing anything. My favourites for dry hair are Kérastase Nectar Thermique and Tigi S Factor Flat Iron Spray.
I also love:
- Tigi's Catwalk Sleek Mystique Blow Out Balm - it's like a serum that also contains a bit of shimmer which adds some natural looking shine.
- Percy & Reed No Oil Oil - it's so light, almost like water, but manages to keep frizz at bay very decently.
Others I have are:
- It's a 10 Miracle leave-in product - not that impressive, but does the job of protecting from heat
- Bumble and Bumble Invisible Oil Primer - very light, like a liquid milky lotion that works only as a heat protectant on my hair.
- L'Oreal's Hot & Go spray - the lightest one and probably best choice for thin or oily hair. It also adds texture.
- Label.M Mini Blow Out Spray - too light for my liking, but highly rated by others.
I also have a sample of L'Oreal's Elnett Heat Protect Spray - Straight, which is very lovely and affordable, probably my top recommendation for a budget friendly heat protectant.
I set the temperature to 200°C. I've tried curling with lower temperatures, but then the curls last a day at most. However, I have thick hair that need more heat for an actually effect and if your hair is thin, don't mess with high temperatures. I curl my hair in two sections. I pin the top part away and curl the bottom half first, then I curl the top part. I don't really take care of how big the sections are, but they are about 2-3 cm wide and I wrap them flat against the barrel so I get ribbon curls. That's just the way I like it, but if you twist the strand before, you'll get more messy, beachy waves. I start wrapping in the middle of the strand and leave the ends out.
After I finish doing the lower half, I pin the curls into a loose bun while it's still hot, only then do I start curling the top half, which I also pin in a bun after I'm done. Sometimes I then merge both parts into one bun, it really doesn't matter much, but what does matter is that you're gentle at pinning and keeping it very loose. I use regular bobby pins for the job as I find that hair ties don't affect the curls well. I'm sure you know this, but only when the hair is cool, it sets into shape. If you leave hot curls just down, they will straighten to a degree or even completely. I used to pin every curl individually, but now I can't be bothered to do that any more. I release the buns only after they are completely cool. Even if they feel cool on the outside, they may be warm inside, so to be safe I leave it for at least 10-20 minutes, but the longer the better if you have time.
I then release the buns and I have these defined curls, which some may even like it like that already, so you can just add some hair spray and be done with it and by the way, if you do it like that, also maybe just comb the hair a bit with fingers, the curls will last the longest this way and will look its best on the second day. I gently brush out the curls with a Tangle Teezer(-like brush), so I get nicer waves. Brushing doesn't destroy the curls if you're gentle.
I then shape the waves/curls with my fingers and some hair serum. Mostly it's Orofluido, but I also use Kérastase Elixir Ultime or Avon's Advanced Techniques Moroccan and lately I've been really loving Dove's Advanced Hair Series Quench Absolute Supreme Crème Serum because it makes the hair look so healthy, tamed and shiny. I keep another oil in the bathroom and that is Aussie's 3 Miracle Oil Reconstructor. It's very light, so similar to the Kérastase one and I tend to use it when I want my hair to smell like vanilla-strawberry ice cream and bubble gum.
For hold I mostly rely on three products or two sets of products. Charles Worthington Texturizing spray creates a more lived-in effect, the curls look more messy and it also adds texture plus hold. It's a product that will make your hair more stiff and matte, so if you don't like that I'll tell you about an alternative later. I've tried a few texturizing sprays and this one and the VO5 Give Me Texture are my favourite, but both aren't sold here. I haven't found a decent one in Slovenia yet (I'm not a fan of the most popular one, L'Oreal's TXT Excess Volume), but you can use a dry shampoo to add texture. To seal all in place I use my all-time favourite hair spray Lee Stafford Hold Tight, which provides good hold, but feels like nothing on the hair. Unfortunately someone decided to stop selling this in Slovenia and has therefore gained my eternal wrath. I have tried a few others since and hated them, but before I was using Tigi's Mastermind, which I like and I had a small size of L'Oreal's Elnett, which is decent too.
Bourjois Rouge Edition Velvet 07 Nude-ist on the lips
When I want my curls to look more polished and put together, I use a hair wax and my favourite at the moment is Got2b Rise 'n Shine Soufflé. It's has a very light, almost airy texture and apart from hold, it also helps define the waves. Used it on the picture bellow (don't mind the frizz, it was my 4548th picture of the day and it's from my "work blog post"), above it's Charles Worthington plus Lee Stafford.
Milani Matte Lipstick Darling on the lips, Rimmel Velvet Matte 014 Sumptuous Red on the nails.
And it's done. I make it seem like it's a long task, but it's 10 minutes of curling or even less, pin the hair up and after it cools, I use a brush (or fingers) and hair oil to break up the tight curls, then add a product(s) with hold and it's done. Nothing new, nothing exciting, but that's how I do it, that's what I learned over the years from my experience and tips from other places. I do curls on other people and some report it lasts days like on me and on some they drop at the end of the day, but those are the ones with thin hair. As I said before, when don't brush out the curls, but only break them apart with fingers, they last the longest.
I hope this was helpful and have a great day!
23 comments
Kok maš krasne lase <3
OdgovoriIzbrišiNe morem verjet da nisem nikoli pomislila da bi lase spela v figo ko se ohlajajo O.o Must try!
Sicer mam pa jst kar srečo pri laseh, ker kodri zdržijo res res dolgo :)
Me pa vedno po tvojih objavah o laseh zamika da bi malo razširila svojo kolekcijo izdelkov za lase :D
Hvala <3 Ta "trik" sploh prakticiram na tistih, ki imajo tanke lase in jih pošljem tudi domov s figo :) Čeprav tudi meni dobro zdržijo kodri, če jih spenem je občutno bolje :)
IzbrišiMene vedno znova mikajo nove stvari za lase, sploh balzame kupujem na kile :D Me je zamikal tudi tisti leave-in za kodre od H&M, ki ga hvališ.
Se strinjam z Ano, res imaš čudovite lase<3
OdgovoriIzbrišiHvala <3
IzbrišiVidiš, jaz tudi nikoli nisem pomislila, da bi jih spela v figo. Morem zdaj sprobat enkrat, čeprav jaz tudi nimam težav s tem, da mi ne bi držali :)
OdgovoriIzbrišiSi pa morem obvezno omislit en heat protector, mislim, da bom šla kar tega od L'oreala iskat :)
To mislim ta L'Orealov spray, ki je v tisti zlati pakungi, ko ravno nimam nobene slike gor :) No saj verjetno itak veš :D
IzbrišiGreat post! My hair is long and thick and it takes me probably 30 minutes to blow dry them and 30 minutes to curl them, it's a struggle! My hairdresser told me a tip, if I am going to curl my hair, I should wash them the previous day and not use a conditioner or hair mask, as the conditioner weighs the curls down, so I tried it and it works every time! Your hair is lovely and you manage great curls every time! Well done! :)
OdgovoriIzbrišiYiota x
Thank you :) Yeah, it takes me forever to blow-dry too (if my hairdresser does it it takes more than 45 minutes, but I can do it a lot faster). That a great tip for those whose hair isn't dry and lacks texture. I desperately need a conditioner and never skip it because my hair is way too dry, so no conditioner weights it down.
IzbrišiLike your hair,its perfect. My hair is in better shape thanks to your advices. Is redken anti snap heat protectant, do you use it any more?
OdgovoriIzbrišiThank you <3 I do still use Anti-Snap, but it's almost empty, so I actually forgot to mention it here. Redken's website says it's a heat protectant, but the bottle doesn't, which is a bit strange.
IzbrišiI use it in a small amount after i apply nectar ciment termique. which is better Nectar (I have a little more to spend) or Tigi S Factor Flat Iron Spray? I am thinking to buy tigi, it sounds tempting? tigi can be used on damp or dry hair? :) I have the same type oh hair, dry+ coloured blond hair. all yours advices are great...
IzbrišiYou use a lot of protein then (Anti-Snap + Ciment)? But since your hair is coloured blond it should be fine. Both Nectar and S-Factor are great. I use Nectar on damp hair, so I "burn it off" when I'm blow-drying the hair, plus it's more of a leave-in conditioner type of product that just nourishes, but I use S-Factor on dry hair before curling because it's more like an oily serum that tames frizz and gives shine. The latter could weight down the hair if it's not very dry.
Izbrišii mix Kérastase Nectar Thermique and redken. nectar ciment i dont mix with anything, and for my hair is better nectar termique. i put Alverde hair oil 2-3 times between washes, its curly dry hair :). does tigi nourshes hair?
IzbrišiOh, that makes more sense :D Yeah, Tigi feels like an oil, so it does nourish the hair. You might like it :)
IzbrišiTvoji lasje so res pravljični <3 Redko kdaj vidim koga, ki ima naravno tako valovite (ne majhne kodre) in ti imaš verjetno res perfektno podlago za kodranje. Pa tvoja dolžina doda pravljičen efekt.:) Res čudovito in kodri ti neverjetno pašejo!
OdgovoriIzbrišiJaz sem tista s tankimi lasmi, ko mi vse razpade po 4 urah. Je res, da nisem pomislila, da bi si jih spela v bun in ohladila, ker sem pač lena. Moram drugič preizkusit, če kaj pomaga. Je pa res, da se mi večinoma ne da ubadat s kodranjem, ker se mi zdi, da si jih s toploto še bolj izsušim. In jaz ne upam nikoli it preko 160 vročine :). Bom kot tista v YouTube videu, da mi bo pramen kar odpadel stran :D
Hvala <3 Družinska lastnost :) Zato imamo leta že čisto "znucan" likalnik za lase.
IzbrišiPoskusi spet v figo naslednjič ko se ti bo dalo, lahko tudi na nepočesane kodre takoj daš lak gor in speneš v figo. Meni se ne zdi, da mi toplota bolj izsuši lase, čeprav imam že sama tako suhe, da ne bi videla razlike :D Pa vedno namečem gor tone teh zaščit proti vročini brez izjemn.
To pa verjamem, da te je strah po tistem videu :D Mislim, da lahko poskusiš nekje do 180°. Toliko ima moj Remington default nastavljeno in toliko uporabljam na drugih. če imajo tanke lase. Samo ne držat gor več kot 15 sekund, ker itak ni treba.
Super post! Fajn, da si objavila spet nekaj o laseh/lasnih izdelkih, take objave so meni osebno najljubše. :D
OdgovoriIzbrišiHvala :) Jih rada pišem, ampak večino bralcev na žalost take teme ne zanimajo, zato jih redko pišem, ker nočem biti razočarana kot vložim toliko dela pa potem skoraj nihče ne bere.
Izbrišiuh kako maš lepe lase! <3
OdgovoriIzbrišiLike I said yesterday on Instagram, your hair ALWAYS looks amazing! So healthy and full and bouncy! Thanks for sharing your secrets.
OdgovoriIzbrišiI also posted a hair feature today, a video tutorial, but after seeing your gorgeous locks I feel terrible about my hair, lol.
Thank you <3
IzbrišiI've seen your post/video today :) Loved it :)
Your hair looks awesome but I have a totally unrelated question.
OdgovoriIzbrišiI've been reading your blog and there are many photos where you are wearing black eyeliner and some subtle eyeshadow but I can't figure out what it is. Beige? Gold? Peach? A combo of the above? It looks "nude but better" and I'm super curious about it. Maybe you could make a post on your everyday makeup or just mention it some day? I really like your subtle smoky eye looks too, they complement the bright lips well. You have the kind of coloring that could carry even some extremely bright eyeshadow looks, but your signature look is so nicely fresh, it has this porcelain fairy/princess vibe.
Thank you :) I actually have a post ready about my favourite everyday makeup since August :D I keep avoiding posting it. My camera is not the best at picking up eyeshadow, especially from far away, so it looks different from what it's like in real life, but on majority of my photos I wear a simple taupe look using my Urban Decay Naked Basics palettes or theBalm Nude'Tude. It's always something taupe in the crease, mostly a mix of a medium shade like Naked 2 and darker Faint in UDND. If I do a smoky eye, I use theBalm palette, shades Selfish or Seductive on the lid and then Sophisticated plus Sleek in the crease. I tend to do very simple looks when it comes to eye makeup because of my hooded eye shape and I haven't quite figured it out how to do it properly:)
Izbriši