Taming the Red Squirrels: Styling Short Curly Hair

Natural curls

40 minutes later: sleek curls that last for days!

Bonjour!

Now, a few of you good people have asked me how I manage my mad type 3 curls. I've had a bit of practice, and I've got my routine DOWN. I started tonging my hair when I was eighteen, At it's longest (mid-back length) it would take TWO HOURS to style. Now that it's shorter it takes about forty minutes, but once it's done it can stay sleek for up to three days: an excellent method of fooling friends, colleagues and strangers into thinking you're not a lazy slob. 

TOOLS.

I don't spend a lot of money on tools and products. The tongs I use were £7.99 from Argos. I once had a pair that cost £3.99 from Asda that did a cracking job. I like a thin-medium, straight barrel (with no weird twisty bits), but to each their own. You can get fancy conical wands, but with tongs you can tuck the ends under the lever-y bit, smoothing them down for a nice defined curl. 

PRODUCTS. 

I use whatever mousse, shampoo and conditioner are on special offer (I'm not into all the compare-and-contrast business of beauty products. I'm sure you'll find a billion blog for that if that's your jam). 

TECHNIQUE

This works best on dry, slightly-grubby hair - not exactly post-festival filthy, but a-couple-of-days-and-a-sweaty-run dirty. 

STEP ONE: Apply mousse to dry hair. 

STEP TWO: Divide hair into four sections (left, right, top back), then two smaller sections within (I usually do two-four).  Secure with pins. 

STEP THREE: Starting at the side section near your ear and working your way forward, take one-inch sections of hair, and wind around the barrel of the hot tongs. I find it easiest to wrap the hair TOWARDS my face (clockwise), but whatever works for you make sure you curl every section in the same direction. Keep the barrel as close to the roots as possible (mind your fingers, ears and neck!) but make sure you tuck the ends under the tongy-bit. Repeat on the other side and back, saving top till last, working from the crown to your fringe. 

STEP FOUR: The tedious bit's over! Now you should have Shirley Temple corkscrews.  Get a mirror: make sure you haven't missed any bits at the back. Your hair needs to cool down for a couple of minutes before styling.  Now UNPLUG YOUR TONGS. I like to do a little song and dance: "no eleeeectrical fiiiires here to-NIIIIIGHT". That way when your anxiety whispers "did you unplug them?", you'll retort "definitely - remember I did the dance?". 

STEP FIVE: This is VERY TECHNICAL. Using your fingers (or a wide-tooth comb, if you think you're special) gently separate and, sort of, stretch the curls.  Don't be shy - get right into the roots and shake them loose. 

STEP SIX: When you're happy with the way the curls are sitting, spritz on some hairspray. That's it! 

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As with anything, practice makes perfect - just give yourself plenty of time before you have to head out. Iif there's anything I haven't explained properly, just give a shout here or on Insta. Let me know how you get on!

​Mxx