I’ve been meaning to do this long requested post for several weeks now– with the madness behind the election last week, I decided to dive in while the votes rolled in. Just a disclaimer before I provide the tips, I am in NO WAY a professional – I’ve just found a method that works for my locks. I have naturally straight hair (see that pic? I told y’all) and its pretty fine, but I have a lot of it. My curls don’t stay in very well, so I have to add product(s) when its damp to give my hair a little more texture than the Lord blessed me with. I switch this up pretty often– depending on how much hold I want or what the weather is like. My current drugstore holy grail is the L’Oreal Boost Volume Inject Mousse, but I’ll link all of the ones in my rotation below. After I apply the mousse I flip my head upside down and blow dry, I try to let me hair airdry when I can (aka 9 times out of 10).

Next up I section off my hair into 6 separate sections (3 sections for each side of my head) and go to town with a bottle of touchable hold hairspray. I think applying some hairspray prior to curling is VITAL for my type of hair– no way these waves are staying in without a little help!

Then I start to curl a section (about 2 inches of hair per section) AWAY from my face. I like to keep my hair in the same direction if I am wanting a little more put together look, but if I am going for a more beauty vibe I will alternate curling away from my face and curling towards my face– always starting with away because of my round face shape.

I use the T3 curling wand and its been life changing. I tried a wand back in college and it was a failure, it was the kind that got smaller at the end and made me look very 80s and nothing at all like I’d hoped. I’m talking burnt finger tips, fuzzy curls… total mess. But once I found the right tool (this isn’t sponsored, promise) it was like magic.

Here is where I might lose some of y’all, but after my curls are COMPLETELY cooled I will brush them out– root to tip. I know, I know… it seems like this would undo all of your handwork (and I won’t lie, you might have to go back through and touch a couple bad boys up) BUT this is what will make your curls turn to tousled waves. I want my stick straight hair to come off as naturally, organized waves and I think the brush is the trick. 

Obviously after brushing out those ringlets you’ll need to do one last coat of your touchable hairspray and/or finishing spray to make those babies stick.

“Who does your hair in Lexington?”

I go to TeeGee at Vanity Flair 535 (on Wellington Way) and wouldn’t let anyone else in the world touch my hair with color. She’s done my moms hair for yearrrrs and has been my go-to girl ever since– I’m talking I was in a baby carrier the first time we met! If y’all go to her, e-mail me and let me know; be sure to tell her, too 🙂 If you can’t get in to her, don’t fret: She has TONS of talented gals on her team, including a favorite of mine, Reva! She’s as cool as she is talented!

“What do you say to your hair dresser for your color?”

Oh gosh, the most tough question out there. My hair and I have a love/hate relationship – I love to do stuff to it, it ends up hating me. I’ve had really long hair my entire life, when I was younger I would accidentally sit on it all the time. My mom never let anyone cut it, only a “light trim”. So, when I was in high school it was the bleach your hair til it falls our era… and well, I pretty much did that. Anywho, I finally came to my senses and after a couple years of watching my color and avoiding heat on my hair when possible (i.e. never blow drying it) I finally got it healthy again and ventured into the color it is now. This is technically I think what you’d call a “platinum balayage melt with olaplaex” even though the word platinum still sends me back to the high school days of fried ends. I think the biggest trick that I did so that the color isn’t so drastic is that I had the lighter color placed around my face still.

“What do you suggest for growing your hair out?”

This isn’t going to be the fun answer or a quick fix, but the best thing I ever did for my hair was lay off the heat. I swear theres nothing worse for long locks than blow drying them and then curling/straightening, thats just too much heat. Another little trick I learned was to never brush my hair when its wet. I know that seems weird, but your hair is like elastic when its wet and the longer it gets, the more susceptible it is to breakage. To this day I still don’t dry my hair unless I absolutely have to– I’d rather save the heat for my curling iron! Taking Biotin regularly and doing hair masks is a great addition to your routine as well.

“Any tips for keeping fine hair from damaging?”

I have really fine hair, so I know the struggle is REAL with a delicate mane. Like I briefly mentioned above, I started to notice a huge difference in my hair when I stopped brushing and yanking on it wet… this is particularly important for fine hair because our hair is already so, so thin. I was super hesitant with this at first because I don’t really blow dry my hair often so I was convinced my hair would NEVER untangle. I started applying Moroccan Oil to my ends and up the shaft of the hair (avoid the top of your head to prevent a greasy look) while its damp, so my hair really was easy to comb through when it dried. Of course being gentle with that hairbrush is huge and maybe even go as far as using a wide tooth comb to ensure you’re not pulling too much on those fine hairs.

“What are your favorite haircare products for all day curls?”

I am a huge believer in mousse! I think adding a little texture to your tresses never hurt nobody. Pro tip: use sparingly or you’ll have too much product and your hair will become too heavy and coated to even hold a curl– yikes! A little dab will do ya, gals. Then depending on your hair type: hairspray, hairspray hairspray. If I am wanting a curled mane all day (NOT tousled waves) then I will apply a mist of hairspray to every section before and after I curl it. Then let your curls cool down completely before picking through them. I like to let my curls settle while I apply my makeup or finish getting ready, don’t rush the process for all day curls.