How To Make Your Curls Last

Curling your hair is a full-on ordeal. You have to let your iron heat up, section your strands, curl each section, separate the curled sections from the uncurled sections—you know the drill. Then an hour into your style, you notice it’s already starting to fall. Why do we subject ourselves to this torture? Fortunately there’s a hack for extending the life of your waves until your next wash (no matter how long you go between shampoos) and it doesn’t add much time to your current routine. Here, the steps to achieving a voluminous curl and making it last.

Keep Your Curl

Step 1: Curl Hair

After you've blow-dried freshly washed hair, break out the curling iron. For tons of volume, choose a 1.25" wand (the smaller the wand, the tighter the curl) and always curl out and away from the face. Start at the center front of your hair and work your way back to the nape of your neck to avoid mixing up sections.

Step 2: Pin Curls In Place

Secure each curl with a bobby pin. Think of this as creating a set of invisible rollers. Remember: The bigger the curling iron, the bigger your imaginary rollers and overall volume.

Step 3: Let Them Set

Here's where the magic happens. Once you've curled all sections and pinned them up, spray with hair spray and let your invisible rollers sit as long as possible. Allowing your curls to fully cool while in position (up to an hour) before releasing them is what makes them hold their shape so much longer.

Step 4: Brush Out Curls

Now that you've let your curls set, remove the bobby pins one by one. Your hair will be really curly (don't worry, you won't go about your day looking like Shirley Temple). Use a boar-bristle brush to comb through curls and soften them into romantic waves.