Hello Deerlings! (and all my new friends from Stumbleupon :))

Today I’m going to show you how to style your hair like this:

Things you’ll need:

  • Clean, medium-length hair
  • Heat-protectant spray
  • Styling iron
  • Hair spray
  • 30 minutes of free time

Step 1: Curling


Essential tools: hair spray, styling iron

Hair spray: my all-time favorite is Got2Be Blasting Freeze Spray. It’s the only spray that’s strong enough to hold my thick, heavy hair – and it’s cheap ($6.50 at Rite Aid)! If my hair was finer, I’d be using Aquanet that’s even cheaper – $3. All hair sprays are pretty much the same in  my opinion, so I don’t bother with the more expensive stuff.

If there was something worth an investment, however, it would be a styling iron. I curl my hair using – yep! – what most people call a hair straightener. The truth is that it can be used for both, curling and straightening – and they make them in pink! I did a lot of research and chose the 1″ ceramic tourmaline iron by FHI (about $70 on eBay). You can get one for a lot less, but the problem with the cheap stuff is that it doesn’t heat up hot enough to do a good job. I definitely recommend dropping some coin and getting a pro one, regardless of the brand.

A few hair-curling tips:

  • Round hair curler works as good as the 1″ flat iron.
  • Only curl dry hair. Applying heat to wet hair is damaging to your locks.
  • Use a heat-protectant spray on your hair.
  • Be careful not to burn your fingers and ears. That stuff gets hot!
  • Never use hair spray prior to curling (after is ok). It’s bad for both, you and your iron.
  • For curl-resistant hair, roll each curl into a ‘ring’ right after curling. Pin on top of your head while you’re doing the rest of the head to allow more time to settle.
  • Make different-sized curls! It will give you more volume and look more spontaneous. Thicker strands will create larger, looser curls (great for bottom layers); thinner strands will make smaller, tighter curls which you generally want on top.

Here’s a good video how to curl hair using a flat iron (don’t you just love that gay guy?!):

Step 2: Styling

Run your fingers through your hair, separating the curls. Don’t overdo it – 2-3 times should be enough. The key to creating volume is teasing – brushing the hair backwards, pushing it towards the roots. If you are not familiar with the concept of teasing, this video shows exactly how it’s done. I like to spray strands before and after teasing – for maximum strength.

For this look, you want to add volume not so much to the top but the sides, making them all puffy and doll-like. Take the hair around the top of your head and pin it up – this is the part you’ll leave unteased, and use to cover up the mess later. Tease the rest of the hair until the right volume is achieved, then gently brush the unteased curls over. Set with hair spray one more time, all over. Voila, you have a head full of beautiful curls! :)

Deerlings, let me know if you have any more questions and I’ll be happy to answer them for you.