Do Hairstyles for Curly Hair

No matter whether you love or love-hate your curly hair, one indisputable advantage is that it holds styles much better than fine, slippery hair. The key to working with curly hair is to find hairstyles that take advantage of your natural volume and texture, rather than trying to minimize it. If you've tired of your usual hairdo, there are plenty of easy, beautiful options that work with different curl types and lengths.

Steps

Styling Hair Long and Loose

1. Use a headband. Headbands work wonders with short, medium and long hair. The classic way to wear a headband is to pull the hair back from the face, but you can also wear a circular headband over your hair, including bangs (if you have them). Use mousse or gel to keep your curls in shape..
   • Experiment with different types of headbands: thin and sparkly, wide and bold, bows, flowers, colors, knitted materials, and more.
   • A headband can also be a perfect addition to updos, such as the curly topknot or ponytails in Method 2.
2. Brush back your hair. For a more formal look, or a hairstyle for a night out, this is a great choice. Brush back the top front sections of your hair, making sure it is not too sleek. Next, brush the sides away from the face and spritz with hairspray. To dress things up, place a cute clip to one side.
   • Again, mousse works great to keep your curls manageable. Alternatively, add a little hair putty to your curls to keep them separate and soft.
3. Use a half-up style. This is an easy yet elegant way to bring the hair away from your face and at the same time show off its length. The simplest way to do this is to rake your hair back with your fingers from the sides of your face (and the top, if you don't want a part), then secure with a barrette, claw clip, or elastic.
   • You can create a bun or braid with the hair you pull back.
   • Try twisting the sides as you bring them behind you for a fancier version.
   • Experiment with parting your hair in the center, or making a deep side part.
4. Make a half-crown braid. Two braids pulled back from the sides complement your curls and keep hair back from the face. What's more, this romantic style is ready in just a couple of minutes.
   • Separate a 1-2 in (2.5-5 cm) section of hair from behind the left ear and make a braid, angling it around the back of your head towards your right ear. Secure with a clear elastic. (Note that if you have very long hair, you won't braid the full length of your hair – just braid enough so that it goes across the back of your head.)
   • Repeat with a section from behind the right ear, angling it around the back and towards your left ear. Secure this braid with a clear elastic as well.
   • Draw one of the braids across the back of your head towards the opposite ear and fasten it into place with bobby pins.
   • Draw the other braid over the first one, tucking the end into the braid underneath, securing with bobby pins.
5. Accessorize. Accessories can be a girl's best friend. Beauty supply stores are great places to find sweet hair accessories for a reasonable price. Changing up barrettes, headbands, or pins can bring new life to tried-and-true hairstyles.

Creating Easy Updos

1. Make a curly topknot. This simple and practical style is perfect for work or hot days when you want your hair off your face and neck. Take advantage of your full curls to create a high, oversize bun.
   • Make a high ponytail. Rather than using a brush, smooth curls and align any bumps with your fingers. Secure the ponytail with a hair elastic.
   • Pull your ponytail through a hair donut so that the donut sits at the base of the ponytail. If you don't have a hair donut, you can use an old (clean) sock: cut the toes off and roll the sock in on itself to create a donut shape. The donut/sock pads out your bun for added fullness.
   • Tilting your head forward, fan your ponytail around the donut and start twisting your hair around it. Make sure you've covered the donut completely.
   • Tuck the ends of your ponytail into the donut and secure with a few bobby pins. Spritz with hairspray if you want a little extra hold.
2. Make a headband roll-up. This pretty style is incredibly easy, yet pretty enough to wear to formal occasions.
   • Place circular headband over your hair so that it sits about an inch (2.5 cm) behind your hairline.
   • Tuck your hair into the band at the base of your head, rolling the band under a few times until the hair is secure. Add a few bobby pins to hold the style in place.
3. Make a twist-and-pin braided updo. If you're looking to put your curls in a fancier style, this look is elegant yet fast to create. The face is framed by a Dutch braid, created by crossing strands under each other (as opposed to the French braid, where strands go over each other). At the base of the head, your hair gathers into twists that are pinned into place.
   • Create a deep side part.
   • Grasp a 1 inch (2.5 cm) section of hair where the part begins and divide the section in three.
   • Begin the braid by weaving the sections under each other (rather than over, as in a French braid).
   • Work your way along the hairline (towards the ear farther from the part), adding small sections from your hairline to the braid as you go. Continue until you reach your ear.
   • When you reach your ear, finish the braid without adding any more hair to it. Secure with an elastic (a clear one is preferable).
   • Twist the braid into a bun behind your ear and secure with pins.
   • Finally, twist sections of the remaining hair into knots around the braid bun, using pins to secure them. The sections should be about 1 inch (2.5 cm) so that the resulting knots are all roughly the same size as the braid bun.
4. Try different ponytail styles. Ponytails are a perfect fix when you need to get your hair off your face. That said, you might get tired of wearing the same style day in, day out. Try variations on the theme:
   • Make a roll ponytail. With rolled-in sides, this is a graceful take on the classic.
   • Create a french ponytail, a cascade of half-ponytails joined together.
   • You can also try putting the whole ponytail into ringlets. Pull the hair back when still wet, divide the ponytail into 1 inch (2.5 cm) sections, and twist them around your finger. Add a small dollop of gel to shape and hold the ringlets. Let it dry naturally or use a hair dryer with a diffuser attachment.
5. Do rope braids! These are great for curly hair because they only require twisting, and the hair doesn't develop bumps or need to be separated as with a normal braid. Pigtails, a single braid, or a half-up style looks great.

Tips

• If you want a change, try getting a different haircut with curly fringe (bangs) or layers. Just be sure that the layers have enough length (and weight) to prevent a poofy shape.
• Be careful of bumps when putting curly hair up in a ponytail or bun. To help avoid bumps, hang your hair upside down and pull it into a ponytail.
• Wash your hair only as often as you need to, and condition as needed as well. Curly hair has particular needs, so the better you take care of it, the better it will look.
• If you like doing styles on dry hair, try to avoid re-doing the style several times because the hair may get fluffy and frizzy.
• It's fine to do styles on curly hair when it's wet as long as you're gentle. Note that if you have thick curly hair, an updo may dry very slowly.

Warnings

• Avoid straightening your hair on a regular basis, as it can cause a lot of heat damage.

Sources and Citations

See also

• Turn Frizzy Curls Into Beautiful Twirls
• Get Natural Curls
• Get Curly Hair to Turn Into Wavy Hair
• Follow the Curly Girl Method for Curly Hair
• Repair Damaged, Curly Hair
• Bring Out the Natural Curl in Your Hair
• Care for Your Curly Hair
• Determine if a Hair Product is Curly Girl Approved
• Make Naturally Straight Hair Curly
• Style Curly Hair

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• Style Curly Bangs