6 Tips for Beautiful and Long Lasting Curls

Styling your hair can change your look dramatically. If you have straight hair, you’re in luck! Straight hair is super easy to style. It’s very versatile as well so you can pull off hundreds of looks as long as you have the right products and tools. 

One thing that always works well for ladies with straight hair is curling it. The only thing about doing this is that it can sometimes be tricky to get it right. Curly hair tends to look unnatural when not done right. Sometimes, if you have stick straight hair, it tends to lose the curl quickly as well. 

But, don’t worry, we have 7 amazing tips for you that will help you achieve beautiful and long lasting curls. If you want in on the secret, read on below. 

Tip #1: Protect your hair

Styling with heat is an easy and effective way to give your hair a total makeover, but it can be quite damaging. Make sure to protect your hair with a heat protectant spray. This will keep your hair healthy and shiny, and will protect it from the damaging heat of your styling tool. 

Tip #2: Know your tool 

There are plenty of tools that can help you achieve the look you’re going for -- you just have to know which one to use and how to use it properly. For example, if you have short hair, you’re best bet for natural looking curls is a curling iron with a 1” barrel or smaller. If you have long hair, you can go for a curling wand with a barrel size of 1” or bigger. The same principle applies when you’re using hot rollers: get the smaller ones for short hair and bigger ones for long hair. If you’re aiming for beachy waves, you can also try a wave curling iron.

Tip #3: Apply hairspray before and after curling your hair 

Many people make the mistake of spraying hairspray only after they've styled their hair. If you want your curls to last longer than they normally do, do a couple of spritzes of hairspray before wrapping your hair around the curling iron. This will help it set in shape for a longer period of time. 

Remember not to drench your hair in hairspray prior to curling! This will lead to severe damage that could have you ending up with burnt hair! 

Tip #4: Angles matter 

The angle at which you curl your hair can have a big effect on the outcome, too. If you’re looking to get big, voluminous curls, you’re going to want to hold your curling iron at a perpendicular angle. For softer, more natural looking wavy curls, you’re going to need to hold the curling iron straight or parallel to your face. 

Tip #5: Use the right heat settings 

As a general rule, you shouldn’t leave your hair on the curling rod longer than 10 seconds. If you have processed or color treated hair, though, you might want to make that contact time between the tool and your hair even shorter. 

This is why it’s important to get a curling iron that has various heat settings and not just ones that turn on and off. This Babyliss Curling Wand, for example, has 30 heat settings that can take you from 230 - 430°F so you can choose just how hot your tool needs to be. 

Tip #6: Wrap it right 

One thing most people don’t pay too much attention to when they curl their hair is the way they wrap their hair around the curling rod. If you wrap your hair fully (from top to bottom) around the barrel, you’re going to get big, glamorous curls that are perfect for when you want to look dressier and more put together. To get a more casual, more-wavy-than-curly kind of look, you’re going to want to start wrapping from the middle part going down, leaving the ends loose. Wrapping your hair towards your face will give you stiff-looking curls while wrapping it away from your face will give you fresher, more natural-looking curls. 

Try these tips the next time you curl your hair and see just how much of a difference these little details make when it comes to giving you more beautiful, more natural-looking, and more longer lasting curls. Don’t forget to check out Hairsense to find the best curling iron for your hair!