How to Use a Curling Wand To Get Loose Waves

Good Monday morning! How was your weekend?!  Too fast here!  We had a busy weekend with a basketball game – I love watching James play, he’s small, but really good! I’ve been telling him since last year to visualize himself on the court, making baskets and owning the ball.  At first he was skeptical and said he didn’t think it would work, but now when he goes out onto the court he proclaims to himself, “I OWN this ball!”  It’s great to see his confidence build up!

And I got a start on planning Jordan’s 2nd birthday with one of her favorite shows as our theme- Paw Patrol!  It will just be at the house again with family and a few close friends.  I’m still in shock that it’s next month!

For today, I have a highly requested hair curling tutorial for you!  How I curl my hair, what wand I use, what products I use and who does my cuts and color are questions I get almost daily, so I’m thrilled to spill all the details with you here today! The good news is, it takes mere minutes for me to curl my hair- six to be exact!  I actually timed it!  Now, when you think you don’t have time to curl your hair, you’ll know it only takes a few minutes to go from boring to beautiful hair!

IN THE SHOWER

Let’s start in the shower since you might be curious what shampoo and conditioner I use.  I’m not a slave to any one brand, but my favorites are Biolage, Moroccan Oil Hydrating Shampoo & Conditioner, and Dry Bar Brightening Shampoo & Conditioner.  I also have good results with the budget brand Pantene- the Repair & Protect.  I typically wash my hair every other day (if I’ve exercised and gotten super sweaty) or every third day.  In between washes, I like Moroccan Oil Dry Shampoo and Batiste Dry Shampoo.

A deep conditioning hair mask I use is the Keratin Healing Oil Intensive Hair Masque.  It’s made a big difference in the texture of my hair, helping make it more smooth and less frizzy.

I also sometimes do a coconut oil mask that I make with a combo of coconut oil and water and spritz onto my damp hair and leave for a few hours.  Then, I shampoo twice to get all the oil out.  That’s the only downside of this mask as opposed to the Keratin one – it’s more difficult to wash out. But it’s very good for your hair!

PRE-HEAT TREATMENT

My hair suffered a lot of damage with pregnancy and due to too much bleach when I went through a series of color treatments over a year ago and I’ve been careful to try to get my hair as healthy as I can again.

After getting out of the shower, I spray my wet hair with It’s A 10 Miracle Leave-In Product  because it’s a great detangler and I can easily comb through it with my wet brush.  You only need a few spritzes of the product to make it easy to detangle. I swear by the wet brush and even have a mini one for Jordan.

My colorist explained that if you’re using heat on your hair to style it, you MUST use a heat protectant on it.  It will help prevent dryness, damage and breakage.

I apply a small amount of Drybar Hot Toddy Heat & UV Protectant to my damp hair before I dry it or curl it.  It smells great and you only need a little bit, so the bottle lasts a long time.  It protects hair from heat up to 450 degrees. If I have time, I usually let my hair air dry most of the way dry, then use a hairdryer to dry it fully.  I don’t even round brush it anymore because if you are curling it, it will end up smooth anyway.

I actually don’t enjoy drying my hair, BUT, I found having a really good quality hair dryer helps dry your hair quickly and smooth.  I’ve been using an Elchim hair dryer for as long as I can remember and they last years!  The best thing about this dryer is that it’s powerful and works quickly.  It also has different heat settings so you can control how cool or hot you want it as well as if you want full or low power.

When I do blow dry my hair, to get more volume, I spray Big Sexy Hair Root Pump Spray Mousse into my roots and have lots of volume and hair that holds a style more easily.

Because I have not just one, but two major cowlicks at the front of my hair, I do use a round brush to tame them.  I blow them down and then away from my face to get them to lay flat.

Wet Brush • Round Brush • Hair Dryer • Striped Tee

Once my hair is totally dry, I’ll brush it straight with the wet brush before I start curling.

If my hair is freshly washed (and therefore soft), I usually spray a light coat of Moroccanoil Luminous Hairspray all over before I start curling my hair so that the curls hold better.  It’s a lightweight flexible hold, just enough but you can still brush through it. And it smells really good!

HOW I CURL MY HAIR WITH A WAND

I section off the top of my hair with a hair clip to get it out of my way and curl the sides and back first.

I point the wand down and wrap the 1 1/2 inch sections of hair away from my face all the down the wand until I get to the end of my hair.

This wand gets hot, so I only hold the hair on the wand for 5 seconds.  I used to hold for 10 seconds, but I realized I didn’t need to do that.

After I release the hair from the wand, I hold it in my hand for a few seconds to help secure the curl while it’s hot.

1 1/4 Inch Curling Wand

MY CURLING WAND : Although there are many expensive wands on the market that are supposed to work great, I find my cheapie (under $30!) 1 1/4 Inch Bed Head curling wand creates gorgeous curls.  It comes with a glove that I used to use, but now I don’t need it.  But, because the wand gets hot, use the glove to begin with so you don’t burn your hand.

When it comes to the top part of my hair, I part it at my natural part, and then curl the hair away from my face, just like I did the sides. When I get to my bangs, I don’t start the curl right at the top of my head, but rather a few inches down so the hair at my face isn’t super curly.  I just want a loose wave there, not tight curls.

After I’ve curled all the sections, I tip my head over and shake out the curls so they aren’t so tight, and once upright, I separate the curls a little bit so they look more tousled.

I don’t mind getting my hands in there and playing around and “messing up” the curls.  But I don’t brush them!

If I want more texture, I use Oribe Dry Texturizing Spray  My hair colorist Chris also turned me on to this product and it’s great for giving your hair that added texture so it looks fuller and more bouncy.

To keep the waves looser and more “piecey” I use OUAI Wave Spray.  You hold the bottle about 12 inches from your hair and spritz on a light mist, then you can scrunch and tousle your hair so the waves look effortless.  It has a really pretty, feminine scent too.

OUAI Wave Spray

Finally, for lasting hold, especially to keep my mind-of-their-own double cowlicks in place, I spray a little bit of  Big Sexy Hair Spray and Stay Hairspray.  This stuff has a super hold, so use it sparingly.

Big Sexy Hair Spray and Stay Hairspray

Big Sexy Hair Spray and Stay Hairspray • Big Sexy Hair Root Pump Spray Mousse

Striped Tee 

If you found this tutorial helpful, you can Pin It below!

Everyday Tunic • Midrise Skinny Jeans • Pumps • Tassel Necklace • Leopard Clutch • Watch

HAIR A FEW HOURS AFTER CURLING

I actually love how these curls look several hours into the day after they’ve ‘settled down’ some.  They look pretty and effortless and very feminine!  To refresh for the next day, I use Batsite Dry Shampoo and also my Oribe Dry Texturizing Spray.

Sweater • Skirt • Boots • Bag • Tassel Necklace

Skirt 2 US, fits like 0 • Tunic Top XXS • Bangle Bracelet • Earrings • Necklace • Leopard Print Clutch (similar) • Watch • Rings

Cozy Cardi XS/S • Tee XS • Jeans TTS, 25 33% off • Booties TTS • Tote • Y Necklace

Similar Camisole • Jeans • Snowflake Necklace

Dress XS • Jacket XS • Boots • Bag • Pendant Necklace

Black Tunic S • Leggings XS • Boots TTS • New Version Faux Fur Vest • Bag • Rayne Necklace • Sunglasses • Bracelet • Ring Trio

Grey Skinny Jeans 0 • White Tee XXS • Booties • Necklace • Plaid Scarf • Crossbody Bag • Black Aviators

Snuggly Cardi XXS •  Boatneck Top XSP •  Jeans 0P •  Knee High Boot • Similar Link Necklace •  Earrings • Plaid Scarf • Aviators • Reversible Tote • Wrap Bracelet 

Shirt Dress XS ⋅ Old Booties (new version) ⋅ Leopard Clutch ⋅ Similar Tassel Necklace ⋅ Similar Stud Earrings ⋅ Link Bracelet (similar for less) ⋅ Watch ⋅ Ring Trio ⋅ Black Aviators ⋅ Lip Color ‘Baja Bound’ & ‘Tickled Pink’ Gloss

WHO DOES MY CUTS & COLOR?

HAIRCUTS : Jose at The Galleria Hair Salon – I’ve been going to Jose since I was pregnant with James.  He started at Visible Changes and since the I’ve followed him all over town, and now he has his own large salon near the Galleria in Houston.  He’s very passionate about his craft and his prices are very reasonable!  I want to say $50 or $60 for a haircut!  Right now, I have long layers and my bangs come down to about my cheekbones.  I prefer that, as opposed to long bangs because my face is oval shape.

BRIGHT BLONDE COLOR : No one does blonde better than my friend Renee! She’s been coloring my hair blonde for probably 20 years and she’s super quick and uses a European foil technique that gives you a very sunkissed blonde. She now lives in Florida, but still comes to Houston every 5 weeks for 5 days to do her Houston clients. She also has a line of tape-in extensions that I tried for a couple months and liked, but I prefer my hair with nothing in it, so I don’t wear them anymore.

“MELTED” HAIR COLOR : One of my readers (thank you!!) introduced to to Chris at M Salon for his expertise in doing what he calls ‘melted’ color and I’ve gone to him the last three times (since October 2016).  Although my hair is now darker and that took some getting used to, I LOVE that my roots just blend into my hair and that I don’t have to go every 5 weeks!  I think I’ve found the sweet spot for me is to go every 5 months for a touch up, but my hair grows fast- at least 1/2 an inch a month or more.  Chris is expensive (around $300 or more) and books up way in advance, and you have to put a deposit down when booking an appointment.  But it’s worth it.  People drive in from all over the country to see him! I’m lucky he happens to be in my backyard!  My next appointment is early February and I’m thinking of asking him to add in more blonde since I haven’t been in the sun lately and my hair is pretty dark.

I hope that covers all things hair curling for you, but let me know if you have any questions- I’m happy to answer in the comments below! Here’s to good hair days!!