Curl Short Hair

This article will teach you how to curl short hair.

10 Second Summary

1. Spray your clean, dry hair with heat-protectant spray.
2. Separate your hair into layers. Clip the upper layers out of the way.
3. Curl your hair with a 1-inch (2.54-centimeter) curling iron.
4. Hold the curl around the iron for 5-10 seconds.
5. Release the curl and spritz it with hairspray.
6. Repeat until the bottom section of your hair is finished, then move on to the upper layers.

Steps

Using a Curling Iron

  1. Prepare your hair. Before you begin curling with a curling iron, your hair should be clean and dry. It should also be fairly straight. If you have wavy hair or hair with a lot of cowlicks, you may want to consider straightening it with a flat iron before proceeding.
    • At this point, adding a very small amount of styling gel or wax may help to set your style, however, you should never apply hairspray before curling, as this will only damage the hair.
    • Also make sure to spritz your hair with a heat protection spray before proceeding.
  2. Separate your hair into sections. Use a comb to separate your hair into a top layer and a bottom layer. Take a couple of large salon clips and pin the top section of your hair to the top of your head, allowing you to work with the bottom layer alone.
    • Leave your bangs alone. You can leave them hanging down or clip them to the top of your head. Either way, do not include them in the curling process.
    • If your hair is particularly thick, you may need to split it into three sections for best results.
  3. Begin curling. Starting at the front, take a small section of hair and wrap it around the curling iron, holding the iron away from your face so that it remains a safe distance away from your skin.
    • The curl should be rolled away from your face, rather than towards it, with the curling iron to the back of your head.
    • The wider the section of hair you use, the bigger the curl will be. For shorter hair, a 1 to 2 inch (2.5 to 5 cm) section should suffice. This will produce medium sized curls.
  4. Depending on how short your hair is, you may want to use a thinner curling iron. Larger curling irons may be too big to wrap short sections of hair around, and won't produce good results. A curling iron with a 1 inch (2.5 cm) diameter should work well.
  5. Leave the ends straight. With shorter hair, it may be best to leave the ends straight rather than curling the entire strand of hair. This will leave you with a bit of length and will prevent the curls from sticking out from your head.
    • If using a curling iron with a clamp, clamp down on the separated section of hair about 1/2 inch (1.25 cm) away from the bottom before rolling upwards.
    • If using a wand, start wrapping hair around the iron from the top, but stop about 1/2 an inch away from the ends of the hair.
  6. Hold the hair wrapped around the wand for 5 to 10 seconds. Depending on how tight you want your curls to be, you can hold the hair wrapped around the wand for varying lengths of time.
    • For loose waves, hold the iron in place for only 5 seconds, then release the curl. For tighter ringlets, hold the curl for ten seconds or more.
    • One you have released the curl, spritz it lightly with hairspray. This will help it to hold its shape. However, if you made the curler tighter than you'd like, leave it relax for a couple of minutes before spraying.
  7. Finish the bottom layer, then move onto the top. If you want a more natural look, avoid separating the hair into even sections. Instead, vary the size of the sections and alternate between curling the hair towards and away from the face.
    • Gradually let down and curl the top layer. Remove hair from the top layer pinned to your head one section at a time. Curl each section in the same manner used to curl the bottom layer of hair before pulling down the next section.
  8. Add the finishing touches. Once you have curled you entire head of hair, gently pull the curls apart with your fingers to prevent the ringlet look. Touch up any curls that may have fallen out.
    • Tease the roots. Add volume to your style by grabbing the crown area of your hair, just near the part, and backcombing the roots.[1]
    • Add a final spray of hairspray. One good, final spritz will help hold the finished look in place.

Doing Pin Curls

  1. Wash your hair as you normally do. Use lukewarm water and a shampoo that is formulated for your hair type.
    • Then apply a rinse-out conditioner for softer curls. Rinse it out with cool water. If you want firmer, more rigid curls, you can skip the conditioner altogether.
    • Remove excess moisture but do not dry completely. Gently pat your hair with a towel so that it is no longer dripping wet. Your hair must be moderately damp in order for pin curls to set properly, however.
  2. Put a little mousse in your hair. Mousse makes the hair rigid enough to hold a style. A gel or cream could also work, depending on your hair type.
    • Fine hair works best with a mousse.
    • Medium and thick hair work better with a gel, which has more holding power.
  3. Separate the hair into small sections. For this style, neat, orderly sections may work better than uneven sections. The sections of hair should be about 1/4 to 1 inch (2/3 to 1 1/4 cm) wide. The wider the section is, the softer and looser the curl will be.
    • Place your finger at the ends of a section of hair. Wrap the hair around your finger, rolling the curl under and away from your face. The curl should be just loose enough to slide off your finger.
    • Use bobby pins or a small, smooth salon clip to secure the curl to your head. Slide the pin or clip diagonally over the top of the curl.
  4. Spray the finished set with water. After you have wrapped and pinned your entire head of hair to your scalp, use a spray bottle to spritz water over your hair. Spraying the hair with water ensures that it dries evenly.
    • Instead of using water, you could use a curl spray to dampen your pinned hair. This will aid the curling process.
  5. Allow the curls to dry. Keep the pins in for several hours to overnight to allow them to dry. If you're planning on sleeping with the curls in, place a plastic shower cap over your hair to prevent frizz.
    • If you're in a hurry, you may use a hair dryer to speed up the drying process. However, be aware that your curls will not be as tight if you use this method.
  6. Remove the pins. Once your hair is dry, remove the pins or clips and gently unwind the curl. Run your fingers through the curls to separate them so that they are not as tightly wound.
    • Run your fingers beneath the curls at the root and give the curls a gentle shake to tousle them into a natural shape.
    • Spritz a firm holding hairspray over the finished curls to hold the final style.[2]

Using a Flat Iron

  1. Start with completely dry hair. Before using a flat iron, your hair should be completely dry, as applying intense heat to wet or even damp hair could cause damage.
    • Day old hair will hold curls better than freshly washed hair, especially if your hair is very fine. If your hair feels a little greasy, apply some dry shampoo to the roots before you begin.
    • Always apply a heat protection spray to your hair before using a flat iron, otherwise hair will become dry and frazzled. Ask your stylist to recommend a good one for your hair.
  2. Use a thin flat iron. For shorter hair, a thin flat iron will work best, as you will be able to wrap the hair around it more times than you would a wider one, thus producing more curl.
    • If you only have a wide flat iron, it will still work, but your hair will be wavy rather than curly.
    • Also set your flat iron to the lowest heat setting necessary for curl. Fine hair will curl with a temperature of around {{safesubst:#invoke:convert|convert}}, whereas thicker hair may need a temperature around the 420 mark.
  3. Separate your hair into sections. It will be easiest to curl your hair when it is separated into sections. Grab all of the hair above your ears and clip it securely on top of your head.
  4. Start curling. Grab a small strand of hair from the bottom section. It should be about 1/2 to 1 inch (1.25 to 2.5 cm) in width. Clamp the flat iron at the root of the hair, then give it a half turn, so that the hair forms a U-shape in the iron.
    • Keeping the flat iron in the same position, pull it slowly through the hair. The slower you do it, the tighter the curls will be. Pulling the flat ion quickly through the hair will give you loose waves.
    • Move onto the next strand of hair. For uniform curls, keep turning the flat iron in the same direction each time. For messier curls, alternate between turning the flat iron upwards and downwards.
  5. Let down the top section of hair. Once you have completed the bottom section of hair, you can let down the top section and curl using the same method.
    • When you're curling the front bits, make sure to turn the flat iron away from your face, so the curls don't keep falling in front of your eyes.
    • Rather than curling bangs, simply grab the end of the hair, clamp the flat iron about halfway down and simply flick the hair away from your face.
  6. Set the curls. Once you have completed each curl, define its shape and position with your fingers, before it has completely cooled down. Then spritz it with some hairspray. By the time the curl is completely cool, it should be set and in place.
    • If the curls are a little too ringlet-y for your liking, leave them to relax while you curl the rest of your hair and give your hair an overall spray once your done.
    • A light-medium hold hairspray is best if you want loose, relaxed waves. Strong hold hairspray can leave your hair feeling crunchy and rigid.[3]

Using a Headband

  1. Wash your hair. This is a no-heat method for curling your hair, so it's best to start with freshly washed hair. Wash your hair as normal, then allow it to dry naturally until it's just slightly damp.
    • While your hair is still damp, apply a flexible curling product like a gel or cream (if your hair is very straight) or an anti-frizz serum (if your hair tends to frizz).
    • You will have to leave your headband curls in overnight, so it's best to do this in the evening.
  2. Take a stretchy, fabric headband. A thinner headband will work best, about 1/2 inch to an inch in width. Place it around your head -- going over the hair at the back of your head rather than underneath it. At the front, the band should be about halfway down your forehead.
  3. Start wrapping pieces of hair around the headband. Starting at the very front, take a small strand of hair and tuck it underneath the headband, twisting slightly as you go.
    • Grab a second strand of hair, join it with the first, then tuck it underneath the headband in the same manner. Keep working your way around your head wrapping uniform sections of hair around the headband.
    • The tighter you wrap the hair, the tighter the curls will be, and vice versa.
  4. Finish at the back. Once you have wrapped all the hair around the headband on both sides, you will be left with a single strand of hair at the very back. Twist this until it curls upwards towards the scalp, then secure with a bobby pin.
    • For a little more volume at the front, push the headband upwards towards your hairline. This will create volume and prevent you from getting a red line across your forehead!
  5. Leave overnight. Now all you need to do is go to sleep with your hair secured in the headband. If you're concerned about frizz, try sleeping with a plastic shower cap over your head.
  6. Remove the headband. In the morning, remove the bobby pin securing the hair at the back, then gently pull the headband out of your hair.
    • Use your fingers to gently separate the hair and work and work it into the desired shape. You should have big, glamorous curls, with plenty of volume.
    • Style your hair any way you like, using a curling iron to fix any fly-away pieces, if necessary. Spritz your hair with a medium-hold hairspray to set.

Making T-Shirt Curls

  1. Cut up an old t-shirt into 1-inch (2.5cm) strips.
  2. Wash your hair. Leave it only slightly dampened before tying up.
  3. Divide your hair into sections.
  4. Wrap your hair around the t-shirt strips. Do this as if you were wrapping each piece of hair around a curling wand.
  5. Tie a knot to keep in place.
  6. Leave the t-shirt strips in overnight or during an entire day.
  7. Remove the t-shirt strips. Undo the knot and free your hair sections. The hair will fall down in big curls.
  8. Add mousse or hairspray when removed. Do not brush out.



With a straightener

With only two simple steps, you can have beautiful beachy curl easily, and without a curling iron! Step 1: Section off your hair as desired, I usually just divide the top from the bottom and put it up with a hairbow. Step 2: Pick up a small section of your hair, about an inch or so, depending on how big you want your curls, twist it around your finger and hold it in that position. Then, simply press your flat iron at the top and hold it for a few seconds, slowly moving down to the end. Once done, just release and run your fingers through it and voila! Perfect curls each time!

Tips

  • Use hair styling products that are specially formulated for your hair texture and thickness. One of the best ways to ensure that your curls stay in place is to use holding formulas that are designed to hold your hair type in place.

Things You’ll Need

  • Comb
  • Curling iron with 1-inch (2.5-cm) diameter or thin flat iron
  • Hair spray
  • Spray bottle with water
  • Salon clips
  • Bobby pins
  • Conditioner
  • Mousse, gel, or styling cream

Sources and Citations

  1. ↑ http://tipsysociety.com/2009/11/loose-curls-for-short-hair-tutorial/
  2. ↑ http://www.hairboutique.com/tips/articles.php?f=tip180027.htm
  3. ↑ http://www.totalbeauty.com/content/gallery/ways-to-style-short-hair/p67732/page12

You may like

Retrieved from "https://kipkis.com/index.php?title=Curl_Short_Hair&oldid=352815"