How to Wrap Hair to Get Spiral Curls

Ever wonder how movie stars on the red carpet get those perfect spiral curls? Well, they have personal hair stylists whom they pay a lot of money. But even if you don't have the dough for your own stylist, you can still get tight spiral curls at home using two different methods. A curling iron is the fastest way to get curls but can be damaging to the hair. Rag curls are better for the hair, and the curls tend to last longer, but it is a fairly arduous process. Try them both and see which one works best for you.

Things You'll Need

• Curling iron
• Bobby pins
• Hairspray
• Rags
• Comb

Instructions

Using a Curling Iron

1. Wash and thoroughly dry your hair. You can apply a heat protecting product to your hair when wet to protect it from the heat of the curling iron if you choose.

2. Comb hair and section it at the sides and back so you have space to work with. Take a 1- to 2-inch section of hair and secure it near the scalp (but not touching the scalp) between the barrel and the clamp of your already heated curling iron. Slide the curling iron down the shaft of hair to the ends, then while turning the curling iron in your hand, wrap the hair around the curling iron from the base to the top of the barrel.

3. Let sit for 10-20 seconds depending on the thickness of your hair and unwrap the same way you wrapped it. Immediately spray the strand with a fine mist of hairspray and let dry.

4. Continue in this way around the whole head until your spiral curls are finished.

Using Rags

1. Take some rags or an old t-shirt and cut strips that are 1" wide and 6" long. Make strips longer if you have very long hair. You will need approximately 30-40 strips, depending on how much hair you have.

2. Wash your hair and towel dry. Your hair should be damp but not wet.

3. Divide your hair into 1-inch sections. You can use bobby pins to secure the sections you are not wrapping immediately to keep them out of the way.

4. Take a rag strip and hold one end at your scalp next to your 1-inch section of hair, with the rest hanging down beside it. Wrap the section of hair from top to bottom around the rag strip, leaving enough rag at the top and bottom to tie the ends together after you have finished wrapping the hair section.

5. Tie the ends of the strip tightly so that the hair is very secure and let set overnight. Unwrap all the strands in the morning, revealing your new head of curls.

Tips & Warnings

• If your hair is fine, very straight or just doesn't curl easily, you can add some spray gel, while damp and before curling, to help hold the curl.

• Always use caution when using curling irons. They can severely damage the hair and skin.

References

• Rag Curls Tutorial
• How to Get Spiral Curls