I consistently hear people in my chair say “I with my hair held curl better”. Then later they often mention how surprised they were that the curls I gave them lasted! You guys, I am a beautician not a magician. I am not casting spells on your hair. My magic potions are simple products, and my wand is the right tools. You have access to all the same things I do. What DOES give me the upper hand is my ability to work with so many different hair types and textures for my job. This allows me to understand those products and tools better than most of you. So I am here to impart my secrets on how to help your hair hold curl better.
This really comes down to three things. Product, tools and technique. I am going to break down each category for different hair types and hopefully you’ll be able to have long lasting curls in no time at all.
FOR FINE TO NORMAL HAIR you need a product that is going to give you hold without being heavy in any way shape or form. Try the Redken Iron Shape 11 (pictured on the left) or the Hot Sexy Hair Support Me. Both of these products have that starchy pre-hairspray quality, but are weightless and won’t weight down your hair. Make sure after you spray it into the hair, that you brush or comb through your hair to evenly disperse it and prevent clumps. This is also a heat protectant, and guess what holds curl better? Healthy hair!
FOR THICK OR COARSE HAIR you need something super smoothing and hydrating that will still support your curls. I recommend the Hot Sexy Hair Prep Me Cream (pictured on the right) or the Redken Pillow Proof Blow Dry Express Treatment Primer Cream. Both of these will smooth fly aways, add weight to the hair, hydrate, support your curls, and protect your hair from heat damage.
A big mistake I see a lot of people make, is not choosing the right tools. My favorite affordable hair brand for tools is Hot Tools. They have great quality items that will last you a long time for anywhere form $35-70. Most of their curling irons are around $50. If you watch at Ulta Beauty, you can often find these curling on sale for $10 off, as well as use most of the 20% off coupons on them.
When choosing the right tool, it’s about material. You need to have the right tool for your hair type. Hair that is damaged, bleached or lightened, or porous should never use a tool over 350 degrees, and even that’s high. Someone with coarse but very healthy hair may need to reach up to 400 degrees, but it is rare. Typically, when choosing a curling iron you are going to encounter three words, titanium, ceramic and tourmaline. Let me break down each one for you here.
CERAMIC PLATES are typically gentler on the hair and more smoothing. They heat up evenly which means you need fewer passes with a flat iron and you will get more consistent curl with a rod iron. They tend to be more cost effective than other options, and I personally recommend them for hair types that are damaged or porous. Babyliss Pro
is an excellent option for hot tools as well, and you can see their ceramic curling iron pictured on the left.
TITANIUM PLATES are lightweight and powerful. They are super effective and conductive, and they work faster than other options. They can also be a little harsher on your hair. I typically use these on super coarse hair and healthy hair. You can see the Hot Tools brand Radiant Blue Titanium Curling Iron to the right.
TOURMALINE PLATES are actually only infused with tourmaline. Tourmaline is a precious mineral that is crushed into a powder and baked into the plates during manufacturing. It amps up the gentleness and safety of using a hot tool a lot, and allows your hair to retain moisture best. Ceramic Tourmaline plates are the gentlest plates, but are best for fragile and fine hair that holds style well. Titanium tourmaline plates are a dynamite combination, because the strength of titanium is present, with the conditioning elements of tourmaline. Most of my tools are a tourmaline-titanium combination. You can see a Ceramic Tourmaline Hot Tools Marcel Curling Iron pictured on the left.
Here’s the thing though, everyone’s hair is different. There is no one-size fits all. That is why MOST of my tools are tourmaline-titanium, not all of them. So play around with it. Have you been suing ceramic? Is it not working? Try tourmaline-titanium, does that not work? switch to titanium. It takes trial and error but it is worth it. Try borrowing friend’s tools, or purchasing from a store like Ulta, that has a great return policy.
The biggest mistake I see people making, is they don’t let their curls cool down. You have to let them cool! So curl your hair, and if you want your curls looser, brushed out into a wave, beachier, STOP. Curl and stop. Don’t brush, pull, twist or change. Just let the curl cool down. After a few minutes you can recurl, adjust, comb, brush or add texture. But wait first. If you comb through a curl that is newly formed, it will cool in a falling and relaxing motion and you comb through it, so it will CONTINUE to relax and fall after it cools. Don’t do that, just be patient.