We all love those beautiful, flawless and bouncy curls. But does your hair just not hold a curl, no matter how much effort you put in or how many products you use? Well, you’re not alone.
Curling hair that’s straight and fine is strangely difficult, and getting the waves to last even more so.
Many of us spend hours at home trying to create big bouncy curls, only to be left with flat, wilted locks by the time we step foot outside our door. It can be frustrating and disheartening to put so much effort into achieving the perfect curls, only to have them disappear in no time. But why does this happen?
Curling your hair is quite a convoluted process. There are many reasons your hair doesn’t hold a curl but understand it isn’t your fault.
The shape of the root of your hair follicle determines the kind of hair you have. If the root is a circle, you will have straighter hair. If your root is curved into a hook shape, you will have natural curls. It is not just your genes but there are quite a few reasons your hair falls limp within a matter of hours.
Hair Moisture
Trying to curl your hair while it’s still damp is a more common mistake than you’d think. Freshly washed hair is usually extra soft and shiny making it hard for curls to last. Wet hair is fragile and can heat up to searing temperatures, causing your strands to burn and break. Drying your hair completely is the first step in any styling routine or the curls won’t hold as well. Even the slightest bit of moisture can keep your curls from holding, especially with fine, thin hair. Clean hair just doesn’t have the grit and hold as hair with a little oil in it.
The best hair to start off with is actually second or third-day hair! Curling irons are designed to create beach waves and curls in dry hair. To do so, they heat up your strands, and if your hair is wet or even just a little bit damp, it’s way more susceptible to hair damage. Don’t brush your hair straight when drying — just rough-dry it and comb it through at the end. Also, make sure you thoroughly rinse out shampoo and conditioner, as these can leave an oily residue that will be a barrier to heat and hair curling
Hair Products
When you use too much product like hair spray, mousses and creams, it builds up on the scalp and weighs the hair down no matter how thick it is. Sometimes products can actually reverse the holding process by creating weight in the hair, which contributes to the ‘drop effect’.
So, start small during product application to avoid overdoing it. Or take it one step further and choose specially formulated products that won’t be too heavy. Trial and error works best here, so try with a product and then without; you’ll see what your hair reacts best to.
Avoiding products with silicon and opting for scalp cleansing products can keep it light and bouncy.
If you choose a product that is not made specifically for dry hair and you spray it too close to the hair, it can result in a wet spot, which causes damage when the iron touches it.
Hair Tools
Not all curling irons are fit for your hair length or texture. Finding the correct tool that is made for your hair type is essential in obtaining long-lasting curls.
High-end curling irons and curling wands are usually coated with tourmaline or ceramic, which are materials proven to cause less damage to your hair than straight metal. Yes, they may be more expensive, however, they are less damaging to your hair, and they heat up better.
Size does matter when it comes to hair curling. A barrel that’s too big is usually detrimental to fine and straight hair, as it creates a loose curl that drops out faster. A smaller barrel that’s about an inch wide is recommended for straight hair. The curls may look tight at first, but will relax into natural waves that will last longer.
Larger barrels create larger curls, which could be the reason for your curls dropping quicker than you’d like. At the same time, smaller curls will stay tighter and longer. Be sure to choose your barrel size according to how tight you want your curls.
However, when the hair is not holding its curl it’s important to use techniques and brushes that do not enforce tension but rather create texture and movement when it comes to heated styling tools is the temperature you use to curl your hair. Fine hair types may be able to get curls at a lower temp, while thicker and coarser hair types will need to up the heat a bit.
Healthy Hair
Whoever thought that healthy hair could be a bad thing? Fine, shiny, healthy and clean hair is the hardest to hold a style. While damaged hair makes it hard for hair to hold a curl, having hair that is too healthy has the same effect. When hair is really healthy, the outer layer of the shaft is extremely smooth which makes it very slippery to style.
Hair that is too long and does not have many layers can be more challenging when it comes to hanging on to curls. Curls tend to end up at the bottom of long hair and have less volume near the top of the head. Long hair is also heavier, which means it weighs curls down.
