How to Curl Your Hair for Loose Waves

I am so happy to finally have my hair curling tutorial ready for you today!  Y’all are so sweet and know how to make a girl feel good about her hair and this is one of the biggest requests I get- to show you how I do mine.  All you need is a 1-1/2 inch curling wand to achieve loose, wavy curls and I’ll show you how to use it with a step-by-step pictorial below.

But first, let’s start with the hair products. I sometimes switch up shampoos, but I really like Biolage Color Last since I get highlights and low-lights every 6 weeks  (#highmaintence)  and it smells great. My hair gets so tangled in the shower, so I can’t even comb through it without using It’s a It’s a 10 leave in conditioner.  A couple spritzes is all it takes, so the bottle lasts forever.  Then, I use my miracle wet brush to gently comb out my wet hair.
I use this hairdryer and 2-inch round brush to dry my hair.  The hair dryer is lightweight, has a lot of power, and dries my hair fast.  I like it so much, I usually travel with it, even though it takes up room in the suitcase.  The brush gives body, but not curls.
Then, for the type of loose curl hairstyle I’m showing you today, I’ll either use Biolage foaming styler or Big Sexy root pump just at the roots of my hair for volume.  With the foam styler, a large golf ball size in your hand does it and with the root pump, I shake the bottle hard and apply it right to the part at the top, sides, and back of my head.

 

I use a curling wand that’s seen better days.  It’s 1-12/ inches, so it gives looser curls.  It goes up to 400 degrees, but I set mine on 300 and that is plenty hot enough.  I do use my glove, because after lots of practice, I can curl my hair quickly (10 minutes total, I timed it for you), but if I accidentally touch that hot wand, I will still burn myself.  I didn’t use the glove in all the photos below since I was going so slowly.

HAIR CURLING TUTORIAL
Start with your hair dry and put the middle section up in a clip so you can curl the sides and back.
Spray the bottom portion of your hair lightly with Morroccan Oil hairspray.  You just need a little to help hold the curl.  I didn’t get a photo of that.
Grab a small section of your hair, the bigger the section, the looser the curl.
Point your wand down and wrap your hair around it, starting with the hair closest to your head.  Curl your hair away from your face.
Hold the hair at the wand for 10-15 seconds.
Release the hair and hold it in your hand for 10 seconds, so you keep the curl while your hair cools down.
Repeat this process for the whole bottom section of your hair.

After you’ve curled the bottom section of hair, release the clip so you can curl the top.

Part your hair where you want it to fall.

I start curling the same way I did the bottom, going from back to front.

Notice on the hair closest to my face, I start the curl a few inches from my head so it’s not too curly around my face.

When you’re done with all the curls, you might resemble a poodle.  That’s okay!

Give it another light coat of Morroccan Oil hairspray and let it dry a few seconds.

The next step is the most important- run your fingers through it!  You have to pick apart the curls some so they don’t stay tight on your head.  Play with it and don’t be afraid to get your hands in there until it looks how you want it to.

After you have the style you want, don’t forget to set it with hairspray.  If I want my curls to loosen up more throughout the day (which I usually do), I spray one final time with Morroccan Oil hairspray.  If I want the style to hold more as-is, I use Big Sexy spray & play.

There you go, loose wavy curls that aren’t too curly around your face.
Here’s how the back looks.

This is the way I wear my hair most of the time, and it looks great and holds well, even when it get’s windblown.  I can keep these curls for two days, and sometimes three, but I usually have to wash my hair by then.

And you can also pull it back in a ponytail, leaving a few loose, wavy pieces around your face to soften it up.
 lace-up, chunky heels Ray-Bans – get your sunglasses to fit and not fall down with this Aviator fit trick!

Or pull your hair all the way back to get it off your face, but keep the pony tail nice and full.

 long beach tank size XS (6 colors)  racerback bra | sunglasses | similar necklace 
 
Here’s to good hair days!

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Meet Megan

Hi! I’m Megan, mom to a thoughtful teenager and spunky young girl. We call Houston home and recently moved into our dream home. I traded my lawyer hat to become a full-time blogger in 2010. I love sharing my passion for affordable fashion, home decor, organization, & fitness to help inspire you to take care of you!

34 Comments

  1. Nice tutorial! I recently cut my hair and have been trying to use my straightener to curl my hair and it's not going well, haha! I'll have to give the wand another try.

  2. Love your tutorial, your hair looks beautiful! How do you get the style to last with working out? I'm always looking for ways to extend my hairstyle but can't go without working out everyday so the sweat usually ruins it! Do you have a secret to keeping it looking so great?

    1. Thanks so much Lesli. If I workout hard with cardio and get all sweaty, I usually have to wash my hair, so then it would only last one day. If I just sweat a little and my hair isn't gross, I can just use dry shampoo and get another day out of it.

    1. If it makes you feel any better, I don't curl my hair everyday, just a few times a week. There are lots of days it just goes up! 🙂

  3. I love it's a 10! And use a wand too. I get highlights every 6 weeks too, but I want to start adding some lowlights too so I don't just get platinum! What color lowlight do you get? Do you just get a few put in? I don't want her to go dark with lowlights, I still want to be a BLONDE, haha:)

    1. My lowlights are a darker blonde so not too dark and she only puts a few in to break up the color and keep the dimension.

  4. Wow! You make fantastic hair look so achievable. One question, you're not actually putting the hair in the curling iron, just wrapping it around??! I'm fascinated… 🙂

  5. I always find that when I add in products to my roots before curling, by day 2 I have greasy roots. Perhaps you're not as oily as me, but I'd love to be able to get some volume when I use my wand! XO, Amanda @ life on linton

  6. Thank you for this tutorial! What do you do with your hair at night when you sleep? Do you have any tricks that help preserve the curls for the next day? I usually wear a ponytail, but end up with a big bump in my hair where the elastic was holding my hair back.

    1. I don't put it up when I sleep, just leave it loose. but I will get a line in my hair if I wear it in a ponytail too long also.

  7. Thanks for the tips! I have been trying for months to figure out how to use my Thyme iron to do waves to no avail. 🙁 I saw your post and ran out and bought a similar wand, same brand as yours. I love it!!

  8. Megan I really enjoy reading your blog, you come across a very friendly, bubbly person! Thanks for the hair tips, my hair is poker straight and needs a bit of body so this will help! Love Cathy (London, UK)

    1. Thank you! I hope I come across like I am in person- it's hard to know sometimes though, so I appreciate your comment! Hugs from Houston! 🙂

  9. You look absolutely GORGEOUS Megan! Loved the hair tutorial! And I LOVED your one room challenge! I ran out of time to comment but I seriously love every inch of your office. It was just perfect! And so is your hair! And so are you. 😉 xo

  10. I love this post! Thank you for the hair inspiration and wonderful tips. I really needed it. Can't wait to try "it's a 10"!

    1. What a sweet compliment Kelly! I do like the bigger wand because it makes the curls looser. I like how my curls look at the end of the day even better than at first.

  11. Love this but I have a question. When do you switch the direction you are curling your hair in the back? You said to curl it away from your face, which I assume is on both sides. When you are curling the hair on the back, which way do you turn the wand?

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