Happy September everyone! If you experienced an unusually hot summer like we did in Charlotte, hopefully you’re in for some cooler weather soon. In the past I never looked forward to Fall (stemming from growing up in NH where Fall signaled very, very cold weather) but this year I can’t wait. Of course temps below 90 will be welcome, but there are so many fun fashion trends emerging for this Fall. I cannot wait to feature some quick and trendy layered looks here 🙂
Speaking of quick, I’ve had to get ready faster than usual the past few mornings while attending a conference that kicks off at 8am (if you want breakfast, you have to get up even earlier!). I fine-tuned a fast makeup routine a few years ago but it wasn’t until recently that I figured out how to curl my hair quickly and still get a beautiful result. The process below typically takes me 6-7 minutes from start to finish. Before jumping into the step-by-step, here are a few general things I’ve learned over time that make curling hair much easier:
- Because curling irons create more defined curls while wands create more natural-looking waves, I find a curling wand is more forgiving when I need to work quickly and every curl may not be perfect. Tip: most curling irons can actually be turned into wands by unscrewing the clamp; if you have a curling iron kicking around and would like a wand, no need to buy!
- Find the right size barrel. For curling my hair, I use a curling wand with a 1″ barrel. The right size wand will depend on the length of your hair and the type of curl you wish to achieve, but a 0.75″-1.25″ barrel is great for most people.
- It’s much easier to curl hair that has had a day or two to absorb your scalp’s natural oils and have it stay curled. Side note: it’s also really good for your hair to absorb those oils. (I usually use dry shampoo by day three to get rid of any extra shine at the roots.)
Anyway, this is my third day hair without any help:
Not so cute, right? I blew it out two days before but at this point the loose waves have turned into random curls that twist and fall in the wrong places. It’s also a bit flat. Here are the steps I take:
- Starting on the left side, I grab roughly a two inch section of hair, brush it out, spray the lower half with this heat protectant spray, and quickly brush through.
- Holding the curling wand with my right hand and pointing it down, I grab the two inch section with my left hand and wrap it around the wand away from my face. As I curl, I turn the hair to get it to lie flat and not twisted against the wand. (If this is your first time using a curling wand, make sure to wear a heat protectant glove to avoid burning your hand!)
- Once the hair is curled around the wand, I count to 15 and release. I pull out the wand with my right hand while cupping the curl with my left for a second or two, then let go.
- I repeat this process on two inch sections, working from my left side towards the back of my head. As I get further back, I usually make the sections a little bigger so I have to do fewer sections total.
- Once I get to the back of my head, I start on my right side. Here I actually point the wand up instead of down. I find it’s easier to curl away from my face on the right when the wand is pointed up. I then repeat on two inch sections, working my way to the back of my head to finish curling all the hair. In total I will have 9 or 10 curls in my hair.
- At this point my hair looks like this:
- Next I take hairspray and lightly spray my curls (love this spray) and let it set for a few seconds.
- Lastly, I gently comb through my curls with my fingers to separate them and loosen them up a little. When I’m done, it looks like this:
So much better than before, right? Over the next few hours, your curls will tend to relax a little, so don’t worry if they are a little tight when you finish with Step 8.
And that’s it, gals! Easy, breezy curls in a flash! If you’re new to using a wand, it may take a couple times before you’re perfectly satisfied with your curls but I promise it comes quickly. And once you know how to create bombshell curls in a flash…well, you just might be addicted like me ;).
Let me know any questions you guys have in the comments below. I want to make sure my tutorials are useful and you can replicate easily for yourself. Feel free to contact me with any questions or problems you have in the process–I’d love to help!
XO, Terra