How To Curl Long Hair
Our hair goes a long way in defining our personality. And for women, it is their best loved and adorned natural ornament. People consider their hair to be a part in their emotions too! We tug at it when we are worried and lace our fingers through it when we are happy. In fact, we simply like the feel of our hair and we are constantly worried about its good looks. We always want to keep up with the latest hair trends. A style that is very much fashionable for hair is the curled look. Women with straight hair have always envied women with curls in their hair. They have tried and tested umpteen ways to curl their hair so that they can also have the voluminous style that comes with lusciously curly hair. From the old fashioned use of bobby pins and rollers to the latest innovations like the curling irons and straighteners, there are lots of ways to curl hair. To get those perfect curls, let’s check out a few ways of curling and decide which best suits your hair.
Curling Long Hair
The two basic ways of curling hair are using heat and non-heat methods. Heat styling requires the use of many types of equipment such as hair dryers, curling irons, flat irons, heat rollers etc, while non heat methods require curlers and enough time for your curls to be set.
Heat Styling
Curling Irons
Curling irons can help you curl your hair very easily. These irons come in different sizes and you are sure to find an iron that works for your hair length and creates the curls that you desire. Use small sizes to create tight curls and large barrels for loose, open curls. Section your hair and wrap them around the barrel. Your hair gets reshaped as the heat breaks your hair’s natural pattern and the curls are formed when the hair cools down. Apply hair spray all over your curls so that they are held in place.
Flat Irons Or Straighteners
Though flat irons are normally used for hair straightening, they are also excellent hair curlers. Take a two inch section of your hair and, using irons that are about one and a half inches wide, clasp your hair from the top. The sectioned hair that hangs below should then be wound over the iron to form a loop. Now, glide the iron towards the end of your hair, rotating it away from you as you go, just as you would do when you are straightening your hair. And viola! There’s your curl.
Heat Rollers
Heat rollers give you excellent curls though they are not as fast as curling irons or flat irons. Wet your hair using a hair gel or styling cream. Separate and clip your hair into three sections. Release a section and brush it to remove tangles. Now, take a two inch section of the hair you have brushed and roll it all the way up to your scalp on a heat roller. Repeat the process until your entire head is covered with rollers. Apply a little hairspray and allow the rollers to set for 20 minutes. Remove the rollers, use a bit of extra hold spray and you are ready to go for party with pretty curls.
Though these curling devices can give your hair the desired curls in no time, they do tend to make your hair dry and brittle. It is advised to go for heat styling not more than once in a week.
Non-Heat Styling
Bobby Pins
“Bobby Pins” method is an old fashioned way of curling your hair that gives you that glamorous Hollywood look of the 50’s. For curls with bobby pins, wet your hair with a styling gel and separate your hair into small sections of about one and half inches. Now, curl each section into a tight coil with the help of your fingers, all the way up to scalp and secure it to your head with the help of bobby pins. Repeat the process with the rest of your hair. Once done, wrap your hair with a scarf and leave them overnight or for at least 6 hours. Style your hair with your fingers after removing the pins and use a hairspray to hold the curls in place.
Braiding
Braiding gives your hair some natural, zig-zag curls. Wet your hair and separate it into small sections. Braid each section and secure it with a rubber band. Leave the braids overnight. To achieve tight curls, take very small sections of your hair and braid them tightly. For loose curls or waves, make the braids bigger and looser. Untangle the braids and style them with your fingers, when you wake up in the morning. A spritz with the hair spray will help holding your curls in place.
Foam Rollers
When using foam rollers, you should be sure of the size of rollers you need to have. If you want tight curls, you should use small rollers and for loose curls, use big rollers. As mentioned in the above methods, wet your hair and divide it into sections. Hold a roller near the end of each section, twist your hair into it, roll it all the way up to your scalp and snap the clasp to hold it in place. Repeat the same process with the rest of your hair. Leave it overnight and apply some hairspray when you remove the rollers in the morning.
The only problem with the non-heat methods is that you cannot achieve curls within minutes, as you can with the heat methods.
Perms
This is another way to get curls. As the name suggests, “perm” it is a more permanent way of getting curls. You can divide your hair into sections and roll them in the rollers. A chemical solution is then applied so that the hair can curl easily. Perms do not wash off and you can style your permed hair in different ways. However, perms can damage your hair as you are getting your hair’s structure altered with the use of chemicals.
Getting curls into your hair is not at all as difficult as you thought. You can experiment with curling irons if you want a quick curl and, if you are worried about damaging your hair, you can even go for the traditional methods of curling your lovely hair. However, these curls do not hold for long. They go away with the first wash. If you are looking for curls of a more permanent nature, you should go for a perm.
