CURLY, WAVY, AND KINKY HAIR
in 9 styles
Though your ringlets look lovely on their own, sometimes you want an inventive style to do something different. Thankfully, it’s not just our straight-haired friends who can whip up fabulous dos. Au contraire, those curls — or waves, or kinks — allow you to do things that straighter hair types can only dream of. Here we present our best ideas for not only taming those curls, but making the most of them!
Two small clear elastics, fringe pins
TIP
If you have shorter or damaged hair, make two braids starting from the temples and attach them together to keep hair clear of your face.
1 Part your hair in the middle, then braid a section on each side of your head, finishing each one with a small elastic.
2 Pull the two braids behind your head at the desired height, crisscrossing them horizontally.
3 Secure them together using fringe pins.
4 Conceal the end of each braid under the start of the opposite braid and secure with a fringe pin.
Several small clear elastics, one large alligator clip, bobby pins, fringe pins
TIP
For a trendier look, make twists all around your head, then pull them up into a high bun.
1 Take a good amount of hair from above your forehead and divide it into a few smaller sections.
2 Secure all sections but one with the alligator clip. Then twist the remaining free section and pull it back.
3 Secure the twisted section with a bobby pin, then repeat the process with the other sections of hair.
4 Intertwine the different sections and secure with fringe pins.
Bobby pins or fringe pins
TIP
To keep loose hair in place, make a low ponytail and crisscross the twists around the hair elastic.
1 Pull out two small sections of hair on one side of your head.
2 Twist them together going from front to back.
3 Repeat this process with two sections of hair from the opposite side of your head. Then crisscross the two twists above the rest of your hair.
4 Now bring the twists over and around the rest of your hair so that they meet underneath at nape level and secure with bobby or fringe pins, depending on the thickness of the curls.
TIP
If your hair is too short in front to reach the ponytail in the back, use a fringe pin to secure the shorter front sections so the hair doesn’t hang loose.
1 Pull all your hair back, as if to make a ponytail.
2 Twist the hair upward along its entire length.
3 Wrap the big twist over on itself without pulling it too tight, and secure with fringe pins.
4 Let the curly ends fall out toward the back and relax the twist with your fingers, letting some strands fall free.
TIP
For a romantic look, untangle the curls over your shoulder, or even use a curling product to accentuate them.
1 Part your hair on the side, then grab the lower portion.
2 Roll up this hair starting from the lower temple to create a twist, continuing toward the side opposite the part.
3 As you go along, secure above the nape with fringe pins.
4 Wrap the end of the twist around the free-hanging hair.
5 Secure from above with fringe pins and drape the rest over one shoulder.
Bobby pins, fringe pins, two large alligator clips, straightening cream
TIP
Firmly tighten up the ends of the twists so they stand out against the rest of your hair and to prevent them from coming undone.
1 Divide your hair into three sections: one in front, one on the side, and one at the back. Use the alligator clips on the sections not being handled at each step.
2 Apply straightening cream to soften up the curls.
3 Twist the front section toward the back, above your ear, and fix at neck level with bobby pins.
4 Repeat the process with the side portion, going over your head, back, and parallel to the first. Secure firmly to your head with fringe pins.
5 Now pull all hair the together and twist further, across the back of your head at neck level, continuing in the same line as the other twists. Secure with fringe pins on the opposite side.
TIP
For a rawer look, extend the spiral wrap all along the braid, incorporating random strands of hair from along the sides.
1 Work out any tangles in your hair, then begin a
French Braid, using the front and side sections of hair.
2 Continue the braid to the end and secure with a small elastic, leaving the hair at neck level free.
3 Wrap that free section of hair around the braid in a haphazard pattern.
4 Attach the ends of the braid and the spiral together using a second small elastic.
An elasticized headband, one large alligator clip, bobby pins, one hair elastic
TIP
If you have curly rather than kinky hair, tease the main mass of hair for greater volume.
1 Pull out a triangle shape of hair from the top of your head and set it in place with the alligator clip.
2 Pull the rest of your hair back into a high ponytail and secure with an elastic.
3 Unclip the triangle of hair, then twist it over on itself to create a pouf effect.
4 Secure at the edges with bobby pins.
5 Place the headband between the pouf and the ponytail.
A brush, bobby pins, straightening cream
TIP
To prevent the pouf from slipping, make sure you really bolster the sides with bobby pins set in scattered rows.
1 Using a brush and the straightening cream, straighten out your hair on one side moving upward.
2 Secure the stiff, untreated hair at the top using several bobby pins, half going from front to back and half going from back to front, all along the pouf in progress and ending at the nape of your neck.
3 Repeat this process on the other side, first applying straightening cream and pushing the hair up with the brush, then securing the stiff hairs high up with bobby pins.
4 Use your fingers to even out the hair forming the pouf and, if needed, even out the surface with the brush.
