Where a little professional advice can change your life
CURLY
Curls are often coveted when others have them, but when you find yourself struggling to tame your own curls, what the heck do you do with them?!
The questions are endless: How do you make them shine without having to put too much work into them? And how do you blow them straight without using too much heat and damaging your hair? And should you touch them up with the help of heat tongs or a blow dry brush?
Read on to find my professional tips on working with your waves instead of against them.
Fun Fact: You'd be surprised how many beautiful curls you actually hide under a thick layer of silicone if you use non-professional products.
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Not convinced?
Try it for yourself by following all of the WTF steps and let yourself be surprised!
TIP: Brush your curls completely out just before you wet them for best results.
WHAT RESULT ARE YOU LOOKING FOR?
NATURAL
After you have washed and treated your hair, you can just let it airdry.
Fantastic right? This way you are ready in no time.
For an extra curly effect: you can use a professional product.
Some like a crunchy, firm feel, others a soft and shiny finish.
Depending on what you like, there are many different professional products.
Ask your hairdresser for advice or look at the product list I have created here.
Interesting fact:
The seasons affect how our hair dries naturally.
For example:
The summer (sunny and warm) makes our hair look healthier, the heat easily reaches below the hair roots and dries the hair quickly. It feels more voluptuous and less frizzy.
The winter (wet and cold) has an influence on our (scalp) skin, it will dry out easily and sometimes even flake. That's why I recommend drying your scalp well with a towel or a hairdryer.
The cold humidity in the air also increases the risk of frizz. You can counteract this by using a curl enhancing product.
Do you let your hair dry naturally because you think a hairdryer is harmful?
Good to know:
If you use a hairdryer properly, you CANNOT damage your hair or scalp.
In principle, the temperature of a hair dryer cannot be too high, only if you dry too close or too long in the same place can you cause damage. So if you can't burn your skin, you will not burn your hair.
Therefore: it is best to swing your hairdryer up and down or from side to side. To be on the safe side, you can apply a heat protectant to prevent your hair from getting damaged.
AS STRAIGHT AS POSSIBLE
Most of us want to be ready as soon as possible and don't like to spend hours in the bathroom,
I said most of us.
However, it is sometimes easier to use a hairdryer to fight frizzy hair. Although I hear from most clients that this does not help much, there are also some simple tips that might make it a bit smoother, faster and easier for you.
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For a long-lasting result: the magic trick consists in drying the hair until it is really 100% dry. Click here to find out why.
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Tools: You can use a brush or just your hands. If you are not used to working with a brush, I recommend that you only use your hands and fingers.
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More volume: use your fingers or a brush to pull your hair up from the roots while drying with powerful warm air. You don't have to be afraid to pull your hair, it's stronger than you think!
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Super straight: The straighter you pull the hair while drying it, the straighter the end result will be. You can always go over it with a straightner when it's dry, but believe me, just blowdrying curly hair by pulling the hair straight works way better than you would expect! Sadly this doesn't work for afro curls...
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Extra lightness: you can turn your head upside down during drying.
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Extra durability: by using a product you can keep your look longer.
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Short hair: You can add structure and depth to your hairstyle with some gel, wax or spray.
To see a list of products click here.
If you use a hairdryer properly, you CANNOT damage your hair or scalp.
In principle, the temperature of a hairdryer cannot be too high.
Only if you dry too close or too long in the same place can you cause damage.
Therefore: it is best to swing your hairdryer up and down or from side to side. To be on the safe side, you can apply a heat protectant to prevent your hair from getting damaged.
MORE CURL
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By kneading your hair upwards you activate your curl.
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You can also knead a curl enhancer into your hair to get even more wave.
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Beautiful waves need heat. The sun is a beautiful heat source to dry our curls and if it's hot outside, our curl will dry most beautifully just from the air outside. Keep kneading it upwards until it's dry.
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If you do want to use a hairdryer than be careful! The force of a hairdryer literally blows the wave out, so set your hairdryer to a mild blowing force and high heat. Heat rises and thus lifts the wave. It's also best to put a defuser (a wide nozzle) on your hairdryer to have a wider air distribution.
Keep kneading it upwards until it's almost dry.
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Your natural curl will always come back with water, leave it a little damp and don't dry it 100%.
DEFINED CURLS
You love your curls but not the frizz?
There is a small trick that will change the look.
By just reshaping your "fringe" part, you create a whole new look.
Use a hairdryer:
Pull your hair up with your fingers or a brush and blow it away from your face. If you are using a brush, you can make a circular motion to make it curl a little on the tip so that it sinks into your natural curls. You could do the same only at the roots around your temples, this will create volume and a whole new look. Set the wind force low and the heat high. Only dry the "fringe" part and the hair roots around your temples.
By applying anti-frizz product, your curls will look shiny and flawless.
Ask your hairdresser for product advice
CHANGE YOUR HAIR SHAPE WITH HEAT
Change your hairstyle with a straightener or a curling iron step by step
or learn some tricks to give yourself a voluptuous blow-dry.
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Protect: Apply a heat protector spray or lotion, it is important to protect our hair from the high temperatures of a curling iron or straightener.
Once applied to wet hair, it stays in the hair until washed again, so there's no need to reapply more than once.
Look at the product list and discover how to apply a heat protector by clicking here.
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Blow-dry: 100% drying is important before proceeding with curling iron or straighter. Click here to find out why exactly.
Voluptuous blow-dry: you can also dry up to 70% and then follow the next steps with a brush and a hairdryer to create more volume and shape.
Note: This will be very difficult if you have never done this before! Try the tips in the section above for less frizz to avoid getting stuck with your brush.
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Start by heating your curling iron or straightener to the minimum heat (180 C°), in most cases this is actually enough. Only if your hair is very thick (eg Moroccan hair), in that case you might need more heat, but try it with less, you might actually be surprised!
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Quick and easy (unless you have really short hair then this step is not necessary), divide your hair into two equal parts, left and right. Start with one side, finish before moving on to the other side.
TIP: Start on the side that is most difficult for you.
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Start at the back, making a horizontal division about 2 fingers thick. Now divide that horizontal hair lock + -2 fingers wide each time.
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Curl: You can use a straightner or a curling iron to curl your hair by rotating it 180 ° vertically away from your face. IF IT'S YOUR FIRST TIME: Try it first with a COLD tool, so you get a hang of the movement.
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Straight: Make it extra straight with a flat iron
Important: Make sure you don't stay in the same place for more than a few seconds this will damage your hair no matter what! Go over the lock of hair in 1 smooth, slow movement. Don't try to go over it again and again. If it didn't work out, let the lock rest for a while, move on to the next lock and return later,
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Blow-dry for more volume: use your brush and lift your hair for volume, twist the ends around the brush for extra movement and repeat it over and over until it is 100% dry.
Be patient! Give yourself time to learn this process. If this is the first time, take at least 1 to 2 hours!
