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Curls And Waves Hair Guide

Introduction

Miley Cyrus Billy Ray & Miley Cyrus host Day For Kids 9-06-2006

Curls and waves never really go out of style.

Of course there are periods in the world of fashion where lots of texture (aka curls and waves) are hotter than at other times.

The reality is that curls and waves are always acceptable for dressing up a hair style. Brides, prom goers and even Party Hair is always the perfect event for pulling out the hot rollers, curling iron or soft rollers.

Although all hair types and textures can ultimately wear curls and waves with the right styling products and steps, not all hair types have as easy a time as whipping up ringlets and waves as other types of tresses.

Hair that is naturally curly or wavy or with some bend can create and hold curls and waves better than hair that is stick straight.

Hair that is fine may need more product to lock in curls than hair that is medium to coarse.

In some cases you may have to experiment with the best curls and wave creation techniques for your hair type, texture, length and current condition.

Never fear, this article was designed to share lots of great curl and wave creation tips.

Instant Cheat

Miley Cyrus Billy Ray & Miley Cyrus host Day For Kids 9-06-2006

Over the past few years clip-in extensions have become not only more affordable (especially the synthetic versions) but more like human hair than ever before.

Two companies that have achieved excellent results with both human hair and synthetic clip-in extensions are HairUWear with their Jessica Simpson and Ken Paves HairDo options and Jon Renau with their popular volumizing options.

If your hair is hard to curl or drops curls almost as fast as you create them, you may want to do what many celebrities do and cheat with clip-in hair extensions.

To achieve instant lush full curls or to pump up your own natural tresses consider adding either a clip-in hair extension kit from HairDo or Jon Renau.

Methods For Creating Curls And Waves

Throughout history women and men (yes, men have been known to curl and wave their hair) have tried all sorts of different methods to create the texture of their dreams.

For 2007 creation of curls and waves can be done through the following methods:

Temporary Curl And Wave Creation

Miley Cyrus Billy Ray & Miley Cyrus host Day For Kids 9-06-2006

The following methods of creating curls and waves only last until the hair is washed or wet.

1. Wet set w/Heat - applying traditional curlers (all types) pin curls, finger or open barrel curls, rag rollers or damp braid sets or similar to damp hair that is dried under a hood style dryer. Wet sets can also be dried using the concentrator attachment of a blow dryer or with a soft hood style dryer.

Curls may be tighter and hold better when dried under a hood dryer than with a blow dryer.

2. Wet Set w/Air Dry - applying traditional curlers (all types) pin curls, finger or open barrel curls, rag rollers or damp braid sets or similar to damp hair that is allowed to air-dry or dry overnight.

Curls that are allowed to dry naturally may tend to set tighter and hold longer than curls that are dried with heat.

3. Blow Dried With Long Finger Diffuser - blow drying hair 100% dry with a long finger diffuser attachment. This method creates very loose curls and waves on hair that has natural waves or curls. A long finger diffused will help loosen tighter natural curls and accentuate natural waves.

4. Blow Dried With Scrunching- blow drying hair 100% dry and scrunching in curls and texture with hands. This method creates avante garde texture on tresses that has natural waves with slight curls.

Scrunching is quick and works great on hair that is more wavy than naturally curly since touching natural curls with hands may cause the formation of frizz.

If your hair is prone to frizz apply a defrisant product or mix with your other styling products. It has been reported in the past that many celebrities are big fans of Phytodefrisant for their naturally curly hair that tended to frizz.

5. Blow Dried With Heat Set - blow drying hair 100% dry with a brush (round brushes are best) designed to enhance texture and then curling with a hot appliance or curlers such as curling irons or electric rollers.

6. Blow Dried With Adhesive Rollers - blow drying hair 80-90% dry with a brush (boar is recommended for minimal damage) designed to enhance texture and then curling strands with self-adhesive rollers. After the self-adhesive rollers are applied the hair is either allowed to air-dry or is dried under a hood dryer or with a blow dryer.

7. Celebrity Hairdresser Tips - Blow Dry With Adhesive Rollers- Many celebrity hairdressers like Ken Paves and Robert Hallowell will first blow dry the individual damp strands of their celebrity clients with a large round boar's bristle brush like a Mason Pearson or a Kent.

Once each section (1 to 2") of the hair is 90% dry they will roll the section in a self adhesive style or similar roller. This method locks in newly formed curls while the rest of the head is dried.

After the hair is completely dried and curled, the curlers are allowed to remain in the hair for 30 minutes or longer. After the curlers are removed, the hair is finger picked and arranged to maintain the curls. A hot curling iron that ranges in size from 1 to 1 1/2" may be used to touch up some sections that require a tighter curl pattern.

Permanent Curl And Wave Creation

Chemical curl and waving treatments are still available both through professional hairdresser and over the counter.

Many top celebrity hairdressers have completely stopped using chemical curl and wave treatments for a number of reasons including:

1. Potential long term damage to the hair from the chemicals 2. Tendency for chemicals to dry out the strands. 3. Challenge of using chemical and wave treatments on already damaged hair or hair that has been previously chemically treated (hair color or straightening treatments). 4. Unpredictability of the perm patterns created.

In some cases a chemical perm or waving treatment may be the only option to create texture. In those situations it is advised that a professional hairdresser be consulted for the treatments.

Ultimate Hair Curling And Waving Rules

If you prefer to take the old fashioned method of creating curls and waves naturally follow the tips listed below:

1. Take advantage of your natural curls and waves. If you have naturally curly or wavy hair by birth, curls and waves will be easier to re-create regardless which method you select. If your hair is naturally straight, it may be harder for you to get the same lush curls but they are possible with lots of curl enhancing products and using the tightest curling techniques and tricks. Remember that wet sets hold tighter.

For lots of fullness, lift and volume, apply a volume enhancing product to the roots.

2. Create curls by rolling hair on rollers. You may use hot rollers on 100% dry hair, Velcro rollers on damp hair that is dried under a hair dryers or with the concentrator of your blow dryer or traditional soft curlers on wet hair that is allowed to air-dry.

3. The smaller the sections of hair that are rolled the fuller the final results.

4. The type of curls created are directly tied to the size of the curlers.

The smaller the curlers, the tighter the curls. The larger the curlers, the looser the results. Large rollers will create easily tousled curls and finger raked waves.

5. Spray your hair with a sculpting or setting product before rolling for maximum hold.

Spritz each section with a firm holding hairspray or styling product. Roll each individual strand around either the curling iron or curler of your choice. Work your way around the entire head of hair either curling with an iron or rolling into curlers.

Adjust your product use depending on the method of curling you select and the natural texture of your hair.

Hair that is wet set may require less setting products than hair that is blow dried and set with hot tools.

6. The angle that the curlers are applied will impact the ultimate root lift.

Curlers rolled at 45 degree angles will create minimal root lift while curlers set at 90 degree angles will create the most root lift.

Remember to always wind curlers from ends up towards the root.

Separate strands into 1" to 2 1/2" sections and blow dry with a boar's bristle round brush.

7. For a maximum tousled look mix and match the following:

A. Size of curlers - scale from small to large B. Tightness of curlers and angles they are positioned. Switch from 45 to 90 degree angles for deconstructed curl patterns. C. Experiment with different curlers for the same look. Mix Velcro curlers with pin curls or use hot rollers and then set on Velcros to cool down. D. Fine tune curls and waves with different barrel curling irons. E. Go for the ultimate curl or wave with add-on hair extensions with tightly baked in textures.

Note: Do what Jessica Simpson does and wear two HairDo clip-in extensions for lots of lush curls and waves.

8. Never remove curlers until hair is 100% dry or 100% cool (depending on the type of curlers you use) or else curls will droop quickly.

Tousle and arrange with fingers. Remember that brushes and combs will destroy all that hard won curl pattern. If you prefer waves instead of curls, by all means use a brush to deconstruct.

9. Finish look with shine serum and hair spray.

Apply a shine serum, shine spray or hair cream to seal in moisture and add that shimmering celebrity shine.

Spritz strong holding hairspray over the top of the newly released curls.

Add hair accessories to jazz up any look.

Blow dry the top sections of hair using fingers to lift individual top strands and direct the air flow from ends to roots. Use the brush to turn the ends under around the edges and slightly in towards the neck.

Let hair completely cool. If you are using a curling iron, after curling each section, use fingers to roll into a large barrel curl and pin into place to allow new curls to properly cool.

When the entire head is curled and the new curls are completely cool, carefully remove each curl one at a time.

Hairspray is optional.

Additional Curl & Wave Styling Options

If you have natural waves or very loose curls you may prefer to re-create a curly style with a long-finger diffuser.

1. Apply a curl-enhancing cream through the entire length of the hair. 2. Blow dry damp tresses with a long finger diffuser to magnify natural curl and wave patterns. 3. For tightly defined curls, divide the hair into smaller sections after it is completely dry and curl with a curling iron. 4. Once all of the hair has been curled, pin the hair into desired curl formations and let cool. 5. Spray with a firm hold hair spray. 6. When hair has cooled and dried, remove and arrange curls with fingers. 7. Use a curling iron to touch up any sections that are too loose. 8. Use your fingers or a boar bristle brush and direct the newly created curls on either side of your head. 9. Finish with a swipe of shine serum and a spritz of firm hold hair spray.

Other options include adding a soft side-swept fringe, playing with a variety of parts or pulling the hair into a half up-half down style allowing newly created luscious curls and waves to cascade around your shoulders and down your back.

Summary

With some planning and the proper styling and waving products anyone can recreate some of the popular curl and wave styles.

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