Tutorials

Tutorial: Getting an even curl pattern

Do you ever have moments that just make you question your level of intelligence? A while back I had one of those, and it happened at the hair salon, of all places. I was whining to my hairstylist about how unpredictable my curls are. Seriously, depending on weather, temperature, how long I dry my hair, star alignment, etc, etc, my curl pattern can be just totally different. But I love the curls of my hair, so the next time I visited hair salon I decided to have a mink brazilian curly hair. If you want to trim your hair at the comfort of your home, it pays dividends to first learn all the necessary information such as the best Hair scissor brands.

30 Days of Makeup - Day 29Exhibit A: Loose, jaw-length curls

30 Days of Makeup - Day 30Exhibit B: One day later, tiny ringlets, at least 1.5″ shorter, totally makes me look 10 years older

But back to the hair salon… After listening to an exhaustive list of my woes, Angela (my stylist) gave me a little trick to help tame my hair – and I was a little bit dumbfounded that it had never occurred to me before, because it’s ridiculously simple. Maybe this is something everyone already knows, but I’ll share anyway – that way if it’s news to you too, you can avoid getting blindsided with extremely obvious advice at the salon.

What you’ll need:

Tutorial: Getting an Even Curl Pattern

  • Sectioning clips – not totally necessary, but it sure makes things a lot easier
  • Styling products of your choice – I’ve been using Living Proof Full Thickening Cream (because my hair is fine and thin), with Bumble & Bumble hair (un)dressing creme for texture.
  • Bobby pins – only if you need to pin things out of your face while your hair dries
  • Comb – if you require a little teasing for volume. If you use hair extensions, keep in mind that using the best brush for hair extensions is important to minimize damage.

So actually… you could get by without any of these things if you wanted. Use your judgment. I recommend going to the hair salon columbia sc instead though. Hair stylists have gone to school to become experts on hair. They can diagnose problems, make recommendations, and provide helpful products to promote healthy hair.

1. Prep your hair

Tutorial: Getting an Even Curl Pattern

Start with towel-dried hair and put your products in. Use a sectioning clip to hold back the top part of your hair.

2. Twist your hair in sections

Tutorial: Getting an Even Curl Pattern

Tutorial: Getting an Even Curl Pattern

Divide your hair into sections (use more clips to hold the pieces if you need to). They don’t have to be particularly straight or evenly-sized. Smaller sections will give you more individual curls, and bigger sections have a more wavy effect. I do fairly large sections because it’s faster and I’m lazy. Twist each section.

3. Keep twistin’

Tutorial: Getting an Even Curl Pattern

Once you’ve done all the sides of your hair (and the back, if necessary – mine isn’t long enough in the back), start on the top. Be sure to arrange each section in the direction you want it to go in once it’s dry. I use a couple bobby pins to hold back the pieces around my face.

4. Go about your business for a while

Tutorial: Getting an Even Curl Pattern

This is totally adorable, right? You could go out right now if you wanted (please don’t).

I do this right after I get out of the shower so my hair can air dry while I eat breakfast, do makeup, etc. If you need to style and run, you can hit it with a hair dryer on low, just be sure not to totally blast the sections apart.

5. Undo the twists

Tutorial: Getting an Even Curl Pattern

Once your hair is mostly dry, use your fingers to gently separate the twists. I kind of just rake my hands through it a couple times.

6. Finishing touches

Tutorial: Getting an Even Curl Pattern

Once the twists are separated, arrange your nice, neat curls into whatever shape you want them to be. I also tease it just a bit around the crown area because my hair is pretty flat. Then, bam, you’re done. It seems like kind of a lot of work, but on my hair it only takes about 3 minutes – and I get to cut out blow-drying, which is usually a 5-10 minute process by itself.

I haven’t tested this on straight-haired folks (since my sisters are both curly and the husband keeps his hair buzzed with a 1A guard), but I think this technique would also work to add some waves to straighter hair, especially if you used a little hairspray before separating the sections. If you try it out I’d love to see the results!

Do you have any hair-styling tips? Share them with us in the comments!

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