How to curl hair the right way

Wash and condition your hair. Scrunching only works properly on wet hair, so in order to use this method, you will need to wash your hair. While taking a warm shower, work your hair into a thick lather, using a volumizing or curl-enhancing shampoo. Then work a small amount of conditioner into the ends and mid-lengths of your hair.

• After you apply conditioner, brush your hair with a wide-toothed comb and try to get out all the major knots. The conditioner will make the tangles a lot easier to tackle and will prevent you from causing damage to your hair.
• Make sure to rinse your hair thoroughly afterwards, as excess product can weigh down hair and prevent it from curling as well.

Towel dry your hair. Once you get out of the shower, use an absorbent towel to pat your hair dry and squeeze the ends to get excess water out. If your hair is too wet, any product you apply will drip out along with the water and your hair will not curl as well.

• Do not rub your hair with the towel as this will damage your hair and cause it to look frizzy.
• You should also avoid using a hair dryer to get rid of excess moisture, as the hair dryer will blow and straighten the hair, making curling more difficult.

Comb your hair. Use a wide-toothed comb to get the smaller knots out of your hair. Make sure no knots are left in your hair, or else they will show once your hair is dry! If you brushed your hair in the shower, there should be no major knots left, so just brush out the small ones.

• Use a detangling mist or spray if you have particularly stubborn knots.
• Always brush or comb from the ends of your hair up as this causes less damage to wet hair.

Apply product. There are many different curling products available which you can use to scrunch your hair, such as curling sprays, gels and creams. However, the most popular product which probably provides the most defined and long-lasting curls is curling mousse. Choose a volumizing or strong-hold mousse, particularly if your hair is not naturally wavy, as this will help to give you long-lasting, voluminous curls.

• To use the mousse, shake the can before squirting a golf ball size amount of mousse into your hand. Turn your head upside down so your hair is in front of your face, then work the product evenly into your hair with both hands.
• Only work the mousse into the ends and mid-lengths of your hair – avoid putting it in the roots as this may weigh your hair down or cause it to look greasy.

Scrunch your hair. Keeping your head upside down, scrunch your hair by grabbing a small section in your hand and crumpling it up towards your scalp, using the same motion as you would use to crumple a piece of paper.

• Use this motion to scrunch sections of hair all over your head. Keep doing it for a minute or two, then flip your head up and scrunch again until you’re happy with the style.
• The same technique can be used regardless of what kind of curling product you use, just adjust the amount of product according to the instructions on the bottle and the length of your hair – more for longer hair, less for shorter hair.

Dry hair. At this point you have two options. You can let your hair air dry naturally, using the scrunching motion every five minutes or so until it’s dry. Or, you can use a diffuser attachment on your hair dryer to dry hair gently, without blowing or straightening the curls.

• If you’re using the diffuser attachment (a long-finger diffuser works best for curls) be sure to set the hair dryer to its lowest heat and speed setting. Use the scrunching method as you dry to help the formation of curls.
• If your hair is naturally curly or wavy, the air dry method will usually work just fine. However, if your hair is naturally straight or flat, using the diffuser will help give your hair a little extra “oomph!”