My husband and I were invited out for drinks to celebrate a friend’s 40th on Saturday night, and since it had been forever and a day since the 2 of us have been able to enjoy some adult time together, we decided to make dinner reservations at our favorite sushi joint, thrown on our fanciest clothes, and make a night out of it.
I remember feeling really excited at the prospect of leaving the house after 7 pm, but our day was so jam-packed with activities and errands that I was in a bit of a panic when our babysitter showed up and I hadn’t even started to get ready.
GAH!
The good news is that I spend a ridiculous amount of time watching hair tutorials on YouTube, so I have a lot of tricks up my sleeve for those days when I want to fool the world into thinking I’m sexy and trendy, but don’t have a lot of time to pull off a salon-style look.
My initial thought was to pile my hair into a messy top bun, but I feel like I’ve exhausted that look over the last couple of months and decided loose curls would be more flattering for the dress I wanted to wear. I’ve been experimenting with this look for some time now, and after a lot of trial and error, I’ve finally figured out how to get loose curls that last all day.
And since I know I’m not the only person who has fine, straight, stubborn hair that refuses to hold a curl, I decided to share some of my secrets with you. But before I start, I want to show you what my hair normally looks like so you can get a sense for how difficult it is for me to get my hair to hold a curl.
As you can see, it’s fine and straight, and while most stylists have assured me that it will be more cooperative if I don’t wash it for 24-36 hours before attempting to curl it, that has never been the case for me. But with a little research and effort on my part, I’ve finally found a few techniques that work, and I can’t wait to share them with you!
1. USE THE RIGHT SHAMPOO & CONDITIONER
Since boring, straight hair is easier for me to achieve and maintain, I often opt for shampoos and conditioners that promise to smooth my hair, and while they’re great for preventing fly aways, these products weigh my hair down and do absolutely nothing for me in the volume department. So when I want to add a little ooomf to my look, I use the Suave Professionals® Sea Mineral Infusion Moisturizing Buoyant Body Shampoo and Suave Professionals® Sea Mineral Infusion Moisturizing Buoyant Body Conditioner. I find the shampoo provides my hair with 24-hour body, and the conditioner smooths it just enough to keep it looking healthy while still helping it maintain body and bounce. I also use the Suave® Professionals Sea Mineral Infusion Exfoliating Body Wash in the shower because it leaves my skin feeling soft and I love the smell!
2. APPLY A TEXTURIZING SPRAY
I have tried all kinds of different texturizing sprays and dry shampoos to help give my hair the volume and consistency it needs to hold a curl, and while some have helped, most have been a bust. The good news is that I recently had the opportunity to try the Suave Professionals® Sea Mineral Infusion Texturing Sea Salt Spray, and I am absolutely AMAZED at the results. It is salon proven to add texture as well as Bumble and Bumble Surf® Spray, and it has made such a difference in helping my hair hold a curl, even when it’s freshly washed. I apply it quite liberally since my hair is so fine, but you may not need as much product if your hair already has a bit of wave and texture to it.
3. ALLOW TO AIR DRY OR DRY WITH FINGERS
Ideally, I would let my hair air-dry after applying a texturizing spray, but I rarely (if ever!) have that kind of time, so I almost always use a hair dryer instead. I don’t spend a lot of time on this step, and try to dry my hair with my fingers rather than a brush to give it a little extra volume.
4. CURL WITH A CURLING IRON
Once my hair is dry and I’ve applied a heat protector to it, I divide my hair into sections and curl one-inch chunks AWAY from my face using a 1-1/4″ curling iron. I’ve played around with different heat settings and found that keeping my hair wrapped around the barrel of the curling iron for about 10 seconds or so is best when I have the heat setting on my curling iron set to about 335F. You’ll have to experiment to see what works best for your hair, but my biggest piece of advice is to always use a heat protector and start slow because once you burn your hair, it takes ages to grow back. TRUST ME ON THIS ONE!
5. RUN FINGERS THROUGH HAIR AND SET WITH HAIR SPRAY
I spray each curl with hair spray as I’m styling, and once I’m completely finished curling my hair, I gently run my fingers through it and when I’m satisfied with the look, I set it with a generous amount of hair spray.
Aren’t the curls pretty?
I got so many compliments while we were out on Saturday night, and they stayed in place the entire evening.
I also had a few people ask me what perfume I was wearing because I “smelled so good”, and guess what? I wasn’t wearing any! All I did was spray some Suave® Professionals Sea Mineral Infusion Spray Lotion on my arms and legs moments before we walked out the front door. I find it is nice and light on my skin, but still leaves it looking and feeling smooth and luminous. And based on what everyone told me, I’m not the only one who thinks it smells amazing!
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This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Suave Professionals ®. The opinions and text are all mine.