Fashion & Style

Your short hair can look just as curly and sexy as long hair if you know how to curl it! Learn how with these tips and techniques.

Long hair or short hair: No matter what the length of your locks are, you can curl them. Small, tight curls can give you a young, bouncy look. While looser curls can be left as they are or brushed into sexy waves.

The easiest way to curl your short hair is to use a curling iron that has a barrel that’s small in diameter. Just separate, then wrap sections of your hair around the heated barrel, hold for a minute, and then release. Move onto the next section of your hair until you have curled it all. You can then use a large toothed comb or a hair pick to loosen the curls up into a style that fits your liking. Then, to keep the curls in place, mist on a non aerosol hair spray. Hair sprays are available in different formulas for holding your hair in different ways. That is, if you want a light, loose look, you’ll want to choose a hair spray that has a light holding power. Or, if you want your curls to stay in place all day, then you should choose a heavier holding spray. It will probably make your short hair feel hard and crunchy, but your hair will definitely stay in place and look good all day long!

If your short hair resists having curls put into it, you can also try using a hair gel or mousse before you use a small curling iron. If your short hair is fine and hard to manage, choose a mousse that adds volume and fullness to your hair. There are also freezing sprays that will hold even the hardest to manage hair.

A word of caution: Be extra careful when you are using a curling iron to style your short hair.

Being that your hair is short, the iron will be close to your scalp. Don’t touch the iron to your scalp or you can actually burn or singe your skin.

You can also dampen your hair, place gel or mousse in it, and use a small, round brush to curl it. Use the brush in the same way you did the curling iron. Wrap sections of your hair around the brush, hold for a minute, and then unwrap the hair. Move onto the next section until your hair is completely curled. Again, you can use a hair pick or a large toothed comb to arrange the curls as you like.

Then, either let your hair dry naturally, or use a blow dryer on a low setting to gently blow it dry.

You can also put curls in your short hair by using curlers. Choose curlers that are small enough to wrap your short hair at least once around. Wet your hair first, and then put mousse in it. Then, place curlers in the sides, front, and back of your hair. You can then allow your hair to dry naturally. Or, you can use a blow dryer on a low setting to speed the process up.

When your hair is completely dry, carefully unroll the curlers. Then, arrange them into the style you want.

If you have a lot of patience, you can curl your short hair by using bobby pins. Again, wet your hair, and then wrap the hair around your fingers to make a small curl. Hold the curl in place with one hand while you place a bobby pin over it with the other hand.

If you curl your short hair this way before going to bed, make sure that you place a hair net over the curls to hold them in place.

Once they’re dry, you can carefully remove the bobby pins. Then, use a large toothed comb or a pick to arrange the curls in the way you want.

Written by K Sprang – 2002 Pagewise