The best 5 step technique for perfect curls
BY READERS DIGEST
1st Jan 2015 Fashion & Beauty
We've spent far more time than we'd like to admit curling our hair, so we thought we'd share our favourite technique for creating the perfect curls. Although time-consuming, this method produces really lovely tight ringlets, and we find the style holds for much longer than many other curling techniques.
What you'll need:
• A hairbrush or comb
• Heat spray
• A hair tie or claw clip
• A barrel hair curler
• Lots of hair grips
• Hairspray
Step 1: brush and protect
First of all, you should brush your hair through to remove any nasty knots, then apply a heat protecting spray. Not only will this protect your hair in the long term, but it will also help to smooth hair and prevent it becoming frizzy as you apply heat to it.
Step 2: divide and conquer
Usually, when curling hair, it's easiest to take the top half of your hair and tie or clip it up right on the top of your head so that you can get to the layers underneath easily and ensure you don't miss a single strand. However, if your hair is particularly thick, you may find it easier to divide it into a few chunky sections so that you can see what you're working with.
Step 3: heat things up
Take a small section of hair and carefully wrap it around your barrel curler. Often, you'll receive heatproof gloves with the curler, and we highly recommend using them to avoid the risk of burns! Rather than wrapping the hair around the length of the entire barrel, wrap it around just one area on top of itself so that you create just one loop.
Hold your hair in place for 5 to 10 seconds, then carefully slide the barrel out from the hair whilst holding the loop with your fingers. Don't let it go! Grab a hair pin and carefully pin the loop up towards your scalp. This technique can seem a little tricky at first but persevere; the more you do, the more of an expert you'll become!
Step 3: curl, pin, repeat
Continue with this process with the rest of your hair. It may be a little time-consuming but trust us; it's worth it when you see the finished result. Bear in mind that the smaller the sections of hair you work with, the tighter the finished curls will be.
Step 4: hairspray that baby
Blitz your entire head with generous amounts of hairspray and then leave it to set (don't forget to turn off that curling iron). You want the hair to be completely cool before you touch it again, so wait up to 30 minutes to be sure.
Step 5: let those curls loose!
Remove the hair pins (this may take some time... are your arms hurting yet?) and let those curls fly. You may want to gently run your fingers through them to loosen them a little, or even brush through them if you prefer thick, fluffy waves. Whatever your look of choice, blitz your hair with more hairspray then take it out and show it off to the world!
