Hair Tutorial: 10 Minute Curls

My first tutorial, guys!

This will show how I usually curl my hair, as shown in the recent Athlete and Nerd entries.  The curling portion only takes about 10 minutes and it's how I normally wear my hair on a daily basis.  I'll make another tutorial later on showing how to achieve the tighter (more time-consuming) curls, as worn in this entry.

Oh, and click to enlarge the pics.




The Tools:
  1. Hair dryer 
  2. Curling iron (1.5 inch barrel)
  3. Brush
  4. Mousse
  5. Wax
  6. Hairspray

 
  1. Apply mousse to freshly washed hair.
  2. Work into the roots.


 
 
  1. Blowdry hair.
  2. THIS IS IMPORTANT:  When drying your bangs, blowdry them DOWNWARDS...
  3. ...Then blowdry them TO THE SIDE.
  4. This will make them "sweep" as opposed to just parting to the side, which will be important later on when you curl your bangs.


 
  1. Split your hair down the middle.


 
 
  1. Gather the entire splitted half of your hair from one side and curl from the bottom.
  2. As you roll your hair up with the iron, you will notice that the shorter layers will fall out.
  3. As you wait for the hair to curl (5-10 seconds), gather those loose shorter layers with one hand.
  4. Unclamp your iron from the now-curled-hair, and curl that section of loose hair that you were previously holding.
  5. Repeat working up the side of your head, as the layers get shorter and shorter.
How many times you will repeat this process varies with how long and layered your hair is.  I usually repeat 4-5 times.



 
  1. Repeat this method on the other side of your head, rolling from the bottom...
  2. ...then curling the loose layers.


 
  1. Gather sections from the back of your hair
  2. Curl.
I don't really do the curl-and-hold-the-loose-layers method on the back of my head b/c it's too hard...I just curl random sections since most of the back will already be curled anyways.  This is mostly for touching up any missed parts.



 
  1. To curl the top layers, gather a section of the shortest layers from the back of your head and pull forward.
  2. Curl it rolling from the front.
  3. Gather another section closer to the front of your head.
  4. Curl it rolling from the front
I usually repeat this 3-4 times, gathering smaller sections and/or shorter layers to achieve more volume.



 
 
  1. Gather the last section (which will be your bangs) closest to the front of your head and curl, making sure not to curl it for too long, lest you end up with too-curly bangs.
  2. You will look like a scary FOB at first!
  3. But don't worry, if you dried your hair DOWN AND TO THE SIDE correctly, all you have to do is re-find your part.
  4. And your bangs should sweep to the side by themselves. 


 
 
  1. Touch up any parts that may need more curls (usually the areas closest to your face and near the crown of your head).
  2. Put a tiny pea-sized dab of wax in your hand.
  3. Rake through hair, adding definition to the curls...
  4. ...and keep the bangs sweeping to side, flattening any flyaways.
Be careful not to put too much wax on your bangs or it will be GREASY SEPARATED BANGS TIME.


  1. A light spray of hairspray all over to seal it in.
  2. Finished!

27 comments :: Hair Tutorial: 10 Minute Curls

  1. i'm tired after just looking at the post! i'm a bed hed girl.

  2. Loved it. Actually your hair looked pretty darn good even before you styled it, so lucky! Thx for sharing.

  3. wish i could curl my hair. it would just end up really poofy if i tried. but, maybe i will show my sister this since she usually curls her hair.

  4. aww...i miss my long hair! =(

  5. what size barrel do you use?

  6. oooh new layout!!!
    love this tutorial, and the pics! thank you so much for posting. now i know how to make my bangs look styled, and not just boring and straight!!!!!! you are so adorable :)

  7. Thank you for taking the time to do this informative tutorial!

    I can't tell if your hair is wet in the first photo ... Or did you start with it dry?

    What size barrel do you use? 1.5 inches? I can't tell if yours is almost a 2 inch barrel or not...

    Does this hairstyle usually last all day for you? I've achieved similar results but it usually goes flat/straight within an hour or two.

    You must have a great stylist cause you have a nice haircut to begin with! I don't have as many layers as you do and I have never gotten a good layered haircut because most of the Asian/Vietnamese places I go to ALWAYS force too many layers on me so I always come out with a mullet looking style in the back and super short layers in the front. :(

  8. Michelle: it's a 1.5 inch barrel, which i've found to be the best for making big curls that are also wavy. for more curly curls, i have a 1.25 inch barrel one too...though i use the 1.5 inch one much more.

    Anna:

    1. My hair is wet in the first photo. I wash my hair everyday so I always start w/ wet hair.

    2. It's 1.5 inches.

    3. The curls eventually get looser, but it stays all day for me. Using mousse when you blowdry and finishing w/ wax and hairspray helps a lot. If I want the curls to last better, I hair spray each section lightly before curling and then hair spray the shit out of it afterwards!

    Back when I still had "virgin" hair, my hair wouldn't hold a curl either. I had to use hot rollers, but even then they wouldn't last all day. After I started coloring my hair, it softened (damaged) it enough so that my hair was a lot more manageable and easier to style. If you don't want to change your hair color, you can always dye it your real hair color (which I've also done).

    4. Thanks! I DO have a great stylist! I used to go to a vietnamese place ($13 haircuts!), but they are so razor-happy when doing layers and yes, the mullet layering was inevitable. I started going to my current stylist almost 2 years ago and she only uses scissors, which helps avoid the mullet. It's significantly more than $13, but you can't put a price on a good haircut. =)

  9. simply stunning!! i;ve got to try this, thanks for the tutorial :)

  10. Hello! I have been following your blog for some time. I really appreciate the time you took to make this great tutorial. I live in San Antonio but visit Houston several times a year because my family is there (am also Vietnamese). I was wondering if you could please share the name of your stylist and the salon?? :)

    Audrey

  11. Audrey: email me!

  12. I am so going to try this :) You should make a makeup tutorial!

  13. omg photo of you with the mousse in your hand. SO HEPPY!!

  14. OMG you look so cute in those pictures! Thanks for the tutorial, your hair turned out perfect like always! Only thing I am worried about is my hair going flat. :\

  15. can you do my hair for me - like every day?

    thx ♥

  16. 6. For maximum awesomeness, make pleased faces while styling

  17. I LOVE your hair. It always look so AWESOME! Thank you so much for the tutorial, I must try it out tomorrow.

  18. I am so amazed. I heart you; you are my favorite lady fashionista. Everyblogger and their mama blogger cannot and does not hold a candle to you.

    I'm still really psyched that you put this up.

    When I am home and I get the equipment, I am DOING this.

  19. i heart you!!

    why are you so awesome? unreal.

    really, you are the prettiest down-to-earth fashionista ever, and so approachable.

    i can't wait to go home to sf and do all of this...

    [i'm in japan!]

    hmmm.. have you ever gotten your hair done in japan? know of any places or websites to tell me about places to get my hair done?

  20. This post inspired my new hair cut, can't wait to try out the style- I hope it looks even half as good as yours!

    I just read your comment on my blog, thank you sooo much! It means a lot coming from you!

  21. wow! your hair looks amazing! what make of curling iron do you use? and also what curling iron size is best for loose, tousled curls like Blake Lively/Giselle. Thanks! x

  22. anonymous (June 6) - in the tutorial, i'm using a cheapie 1.5 inch Conair curling iron. however, i finally caved and purchased a Chi curling iron and you can really tell the difference in quality. it glides down your hair smoother, the clamp holds your hair better, and it gets much hotter - which helps the curls hold better. for loose waves, i'd use a 1.5 inch. i sometimes use a 1.25 inch for tighter curls.

  23. gorgeous! I will definitely try this!

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  25. galway hotelse-cigaret filterheapie 1.5 inch Conair curling iron. however, i finally caved and purchased a Chi curling iron and you can really tell the difference in quality. it glides down your hair smoother, the clamp holds your hair better, and it gets much hotter - which helps the curls hold better. for loose waves, i'd use a 1.5 inch. i sometimes use a 1.25 inch for tighter curls.

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