How to Keep Curls in All Day

When you wear a curly hair style, you often face the challenge of maintaining curls all day. Too often a head of defined, shiny ringlets turns into frizz or goes straight in the afternoon. With the right mixture of products, style tricks and healthy hair habits, anyone can keep curls all day. The following steps will teach you how to keep hair curled and frizz-free throughout the day.

Difficulty: Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Mild moisturizing shampoo
• Moisturizing conditioner
• Seamless wide-tooth comb
• Spray bottle (for naturally curly hair)
• Distilled water (for naturally curly hair)
• Moisturizing leave-in conditioner
• Jojoba oil (for naturally curly hair)
• Styling product with extra hold (gel, mousse or styling cream)
• Curl enhancing product
• Hair spray
• Curlers (for straight hair styled curly)
• Hair elastic
• Hair pins

1. Wash hair with a mild shampoo and follow with a moisturizing conditioner. Detangle hair with a seamless wide-tooth comb while the hair is soaking wet and full of conditioner. The conditioner allows the comb to slide through hair during detangling without snagging hair and causing breakage. Moisturized hair holds curl better and is easier to style. If you plan to style straight hair into a curly hairdo, wash your hair at night so that you can use curlers. Curlers are much gentler and offer longer lasting curls than curling irons, hot rollers and steam rollers. Naturally curly hair can be washed and styled into a curly hairdo in the morning because styling takes less time.

2. Wrap hair in a 100 percent cotton towel and use palms to gently press out excess water. If you have naturally curly hair, substitute a cotton t-shirt for the towel because towels roughen up the delicate hair cuticle, which can contribute to frizz. Do not wring or squeeze the hair to avoid tangles. Remove the towel or t-shirt.

3. Add a moisturizing leave-in conditioner. A leave-in conditioner seals in moisture and helps curls clump. Comb the leave-in through the hair to distribute evenly.

4. Apply a styling product with extra hold prior to styling. Divide your hair into four sections. Smooth the styling product into each section from the ends to the roots. Comb the product through each section for full coverage. Your styling product may be a gel, mousse or styling cream. Gels and mousses usually offer a firmer hold while styling creams provide a more flexible hold. Use the product that works best on your hair.

5. Style the curly hairdo as desired. For straight hair, divide hair into sections and roll the hair in curlers. Get cloth or rubber curlers that are comfortable to sleep on. Let the hair curl overnight. Remove curlers in the morning and style as desired. Use hair spray to help the hairdo last. For curly hair, you can fix your hair on the morning that you plan to wear the curly hairdo. Divide hair in sections and finger twirl each curl and style. Add hair spray to finish. The right mix of styling products can keep a curly hairdo in place all day. It takes some experimenting to find the products that work best in your hair. However, the true secret of keeping curls all day is knowing how to revive any frizzy or straight sections of hair before you lose the entire hairdo.

6. Use leave-in conditioner and distilled water when your curls start to frizz. Mix 1/2 tsp. of jojoba oil with 3 tbsp. with distilled water in a spray bottle. Lightly mist curls with the conditioning mixture. Twist individual curls around your finger to revive any drooping ringlets. Curls are now shiny and defined. This method works best on naturally curly hair.

7. Put hair up in a curling pony tail. When curls start to frizz or straighten, an pony tail arranged to reset curls can revive curls. Gather the hair in a pony tail with an elastic. Divide the hair in sections. Roll each section into large sausage curls and pin them to your head. Arrange the large curls around your head in an attractive style that you can wear in public. Mist with hair spray. Keep the hair pinned up for one hour. After an hour, remove the elastic and pins. Style hair. Your hair should have more body, bounce and curl.

8. Add a curl enhancing product to your hair when you start to lose curl. Some styling products are created for curly hair and contain ingredients that enhance curl formation. These curl care products often come in the form of a styling spray or cream that can be used on dry hair to encourage curls. Even if you have straight hair, a curl enhancing product can help revive a curly hairdo.

9. Cover hair when it rains.

Tips & Warnings

• Cover hair with a satin scarf when it rains. Umbrellas are not enough to keep rain off hair. Curls may straighten or frizz when they get wet.
• Use styling products that perform well in humidity. Look for products containing glycerin, which helps hair stay moisturized and curl in humid conditions.
• Use handmade seamless combs to protect hair from split ends. Split ends create thin, frizzy curls.