DETAILS: CURLING MACHINE || GREY WRAP DRESS || SILVER WATCH

I’ve always loved big hair and lots of volume. I wanted curls so badly that in high school I went for it and got a tight curl perm. Let’s just say big mistake. Now that the 70’s are back in full force it’s the perfect time to go for the big volume curls again. Today I am sharing a tutorial on easy, tight voluminous curls (without the crazy perm ;). I found this new little curling device at Sally Beauty – they have a great selection of hairstyling tools for almost anything you can think of. I used the BelissPRO Curl Genius and it made it so much easier for fast tight curls.

1. Start with clean, dry hair.
2. Plug in your curling machine. I used the highest heat setting and used the 12 second curl. There are three options: 8/10/12 seconds. For looser curls do the lower heat setting and less time.
3. I curl my hair in sections, going from side to side. No rhyme or reason to it – I just section the top layer on one side and pin it up with a clip or bobby pin so I can get the lower layers all curled. My front bang pieces are always the last pieces I curl and I never do a tight curl next to my face! I always do a loose curl to shape my face at the end.
4. Grab your hair in 1/3-1/2 inch stands. The smaller the strand, the tighter the curl and more volume you will achieve which is why I went for thinner strands.
5. In most cases I would say technique is the key to curls, but for this look the curling tool I used made all the difference. Start with the settings side (where the buttons are) closest to your head and place a strand of your hair, closest to the roots, directly through the middle and clamp down. The curling machine automatically draws the rest of the strand into the top, so you can keep it in place while it does all the work for you. It’s so crazy! It just sucks it in and does the magic.
6. Once your hair is in the machine you will hear a beep. It will beep in four second intervals letting you know the hair is being curled. Once the time is up, it continually beeps so you know how to release the hair. Hold the curl for 12 seconds for a tighter, high volume curl. Getting the uniform look with consistent curls can be hard with a curling iron  – that’s one of the reasons I love this machine for this look.
7. Once all my hair is curled I run my fingers through my hair and mess it up to break up the curls. I do the upside down head-flip a few times too to create that extra volume and finish off the look with that last loose curl to frame by face.

Et voila! A big hair, don’t care look and no (disastrous) perm involved.

XX,

Christine

*Photos by Emmy Lowe. In collaboration with Sally Beauty.