How to Curl Short Hair
Prepare your hair., Separate your hair into sections., Begin curling., Depending on how short your hair is, you may want to use a thinner curling iron., Leave the ends straight., Hold the hair wrapped around the wand for 5 to 10 seconds., Finish the...
Step-by-Step Guide
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Step 1: Prepare your hair.
Before you begin curling with a curling iron, your hair should be clean and dry.
It should also be fairly straight.
If you have wavy hair or hair with a lot of cowlicks, you may want to consider straightening it with a flat iron before proceeding.
At this point, adding a very small amount of styling gel or wax may help to set your style, however, you should never apply hairspray before curling, as this will only damage the hair.
Also make sure to spritz your hair with a heat protection spray before proceeding. -
Step 2: Separate your hair into sections.
Use a comb to separate your hair into a top layer and a bottom layer.
Take a couple of large salon clips and pin the top section of your hair to the top of your head, allowing you to work with the bottom layer alone.
Leave your bangs alone.
You can leave them hanging down or clip them to the top of your head.
Either way, do not include them in the curling process.
If your hair is particularly thick, you may need to split it into three sections for best results. , Starting at the front, take a small section of hair and wrap it around the curling iron, holding the iron away from your face so that it remains a safe distance away from your skin.
The curl should be rolled away from your face, rather than towards it, with the curling iron to the back of your head.
The wider the section of hair you use, the bigger the curl will be.
For shorter hair, a 1 to 2 inch (2.5 to 5 cm) section should suffice.
This will produce medium sized curls. , Larger curling irons may be too big to wrap short sections of hair around, and won't produce good results.
A curling iron with a 1 inch (2.5 cm) diameter should work well. , With shorter hair, it may be best to leave the ends straight rather than curling the entire strand of hair.
This will leave you with a bit of length and will prevent the curls from sticking out from your head.
If using a curling iron with a clamp, clamp down on the separated section of hair about 1/2 inch (1.25 cm) away from the bottom before rolling upwards.
If using a wand, start wrapping hair around the iron from the top, but stop about 1/2 an inch away from the ends of the hair. , Depending on how tight you want your curls to be, you can hold the hair wrapped around the wand for varying lengths of time.
For loose waves, hold the iron in place for only 5 seconds, then release the curl.
For tighter ringlets, hold the curl for ten seconds or more.
One you have released the curl, spritz it lightly with hairspray.
This will help it to hold its shape.
However, if you made the curler tighter than you'd like, leave it relax for a couple of minutes before spraying. , If you want a more natural look, avoid separating the hair into even sections.
Instead, vary the size of the sections and alternate between curling the hair towards and away from the face.
Gradually let down and curl the top layer.
Remove hair from the top layer pinned to your head one section at a time.
Curl each section in the same manner used to curl the bottom layer of hair before pulling down the next section. , Once you have curled you entire head of hair, gently pull the curls apart with your fingers to prevent the ringlet look.
Touch up any curls that may have fallen out.
Tease the roots.
Add volume to your style by grabbing the crown area of your hair, just near the part, and backcombing the roots.Add a final spray of hairspray.
One good, final spritz will help hold the finished look in place. -
Step 3: Begin curling.
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Step 4: Depending on how short your hair is
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Step 5: you may want to use a thinner curling iron.
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Step 6: Leave the ends straight.
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Step 7: Hold the hair wrapped around the wand for 5 to 10 seconds.
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Step 8: Finish the bottom layer
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Step 9: then move onto the top.
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Step 10: Add the finishing touches.
Detailed Guide
Before you begin curling with a curling iron, your hair should be clean and dry.
It should also be fairly straight.
If you have wavy hair or hair with a lot of cowlicks, you may want to consider straightening it with a flat iron before proceeding.
At this point, adding a very small amount of styling gel or wax may help to set your style, however, you should never apply hairspray before curling, as this will only damage the hair.
Also make sure to spritz your hair with a heat protection spray before proceeding.
Use a comb to separate your hair into a top layer and a bottom layer.
Take a couple of large salon clips and pin the top section of your hair to the top of your head, allowing you to work with the bottom layer alone.
Leave your bangs alone.
You can leave them hanging down or clip them to the top of your head.
Either way, do not include them in the curling process.
If your hair is particularly thick, you may need to split it into three sections for best results. , Starting at the front, take a small section of hair and wrap it around the curling iron, holding the iron away from your face so that it remains a safe distance away from your skin.
The curl should be rolled away from your face, rather than towards it, with the curling iron to the back of your head.
The wider the section of hair you use, the bigger the curl will be.
For shorter hair, a 1 to 2 inch (2.5 to 5 cm) section should suffice.
This will produce medium sized curls. , Larger curling irons may be too big to wrap short sections of hair around, and won't produce good results.
A curling iron with a 1 inch (2.5 cm) diameter should work well. , With shorter hair, it may be best to leave the ends straight rather than curling the entire strand of hair.
This will leave you with a bit of length and will prevent the curls from sticking out from your head.
If using a curling iron with a clamp, clamp down on the separated section of hair about 1/2 inch (1.25 cm) away from the bottom before rolling upwards.
If using a wand, start wrapping hair around the iron from the top, but stop about 1/2 an inch away from the ends of the hair. , Depending on how tight you want your curls to be, you can hold the hair wrapped around the wand for varying lengths of time.
For loose waves, hold the iron in place for only 5 seconds, then release the curl.
For tighter ringlets, hold the curl for ten seconds or more.
One you have released the curl, spritz it lightly with hairspray.
This will help it to hold its shape.
However, if you made the curler tighter than you'd like, leave it relax for a couple of minutes before spraying. , If you want a more natural look, avoid separating the hair into even sections.
Instead, vary the size of the sections and alternate between curling the hair towards and away from the face.
Gradually let down and curl the top layer.
Remove hair from the top layer pinned to your head one section at a time.
Curl each section in the same manner used to curl the bottom layer of hair before pulling down the next section. , Once you have curled you entire head of hair, gently pull the curls apart with your fingers to prevent the ringlet look.
Touch up any curls that may have fallen out.
Tease the roots.
Add volume to your style by grabbing the crown area of your hair, just near the part, and backcombing the roots.Add a final spray of hairspray.
One good, final spritz will help hold the finished look in place.
About the Author
Kathryn Gordon
Professional writer focused on creating easy-to-follow home improvement tutorials.
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