How to Make Straight Hair Stay Curly

Make your straight hair stay curled.

If you have straight or thin hair, chances are that you have a hard time even getting your hair to curl, never mind making your curls stay put the whole day long. But with the right tools and the right products, you can even get curls to stay in super-fine hair.

Difficulty:

Moderate

Instructions

Things You'll Need

• Extra-hold hair spray
• Root lifter or thickening spray
• Mousse
• Blow dryer
• Curling iron
• Conditioner
• Shampoo
• Bobby pins

1. Wash your hair as usual; but use half the amount of conditioner that you normally use.

2. Towel dry your hair and apply a generous amount of mouse to you entire head, including your roots and tips. Towel your hair again but avoid rubbing it; instead, squeeze and scrunch your tips up to your roots.

3. Apply a root lifter or thickening spray to your still-damp hair. If you're using a root lifter, make sure you only use it on your roots. Don't forget the roots on the underside of your head and at the nape of your neck. Thickening spray can be used all over, like hairspray.

4. Blow-dry your hair, using your fingers to comb through it gently. You'll have to use a brush eventually, but try to use it as little as possible.

5. Starting at the bottom of your head, divide the hair into small sections for curling. Spray each section just before you curl it with your curling iron. Hold the curl in the barrel for about 10 seconds. Using two bobby pins, pin the curl to your head to set it. Do your entire head. Pin each curl in place before you move to a new section.

6. Once all your curls have been pinned in place, take a blow-dryer to your head for about a minute. Then, spray your whole head with hairspray once again.

7. Let the curls cool completely, and then remove the bobby pins. Tousle with your fingers -- do not brush! The less you play with your curls, the better. Spray your whole head with hairspray one last time.

Tips & Warnings

• Once the curls are done, you can pin some sections up with bobby pins. It will still look like all your hair is down, but the weight of some of the heavier curls will be lifted.

• Spray each section before curling.

• As an alternative to a curling iron, use curlers. Roll them into damp hair before you go to bed and sleep on them. In the morning, heat them with a blow-dryer for about a minute before unrolling. Curlers will make your hair really curly, so beware; they are not the way to get gentle waves.

• The less you brush, touch and play with your hair, the better your style will turn out and stay.

References

• Totalbeauty.com: Hair Care: How to Use a Curling Iron Like a Pro