the happy shoes: Perfect Spiral Hair Curling Secrets!

So, this is basically my go-to hair style for any sort of formal event! I've always curled my hair this way, and it always lasts at least 2 days even with my thick and long hair. Hopefully these tips/steps will work for you and your hair, too!

First of all, this is all about creating a versatile curl that you can do almost anything with. Yay! Here are my "expert" tips that you should try out and let me know how well it works! :)

1.) If you have fairly thick hair like me or just want to cut down on heat damage, shower and wash your hair the day before you'll curl it. This does two things: it allows your hair to be free from blow-dryer damage, and it also allows hair to retain the curls you'll give it the next day because it will be 101% dry and ready to go! (I like doing this because if I want to curl my hair for school, I can shower the night before and not have to wake up super early!)

2.) Use a hot curling iron! The one I use is the Conair Instant Heat, and my mom has had it forever and it still works great! It's good to have a curling iron that heats up quick, but not too quick. For a style that holds, you don't always want to sacrifice heating up time for heat quality, if that makes any sense. Also, use an iron that doesn't have a super big or super tiny diameter; the one I use for sprials is about 1" and it works great for my hair length. Click here to find the right barrel size for your hair!

3.) Only do 2-3.5 in. sections at a time (depending on your hair thickness...you can go larger for thinner hair and smaller for thicker hair). I usually let it sit for about 30 sec-1 min for each section before I move onto the next. Again, most of this depends on your own hair, so experiment with different section widths and times to see what works the best!

4.) For this style of curling, I never use the clamper-thingy on the iron. I use my available hand to wrap the section of hair around the barrel and hold it there until time's up. (I had to use the clamp to hold down the ends in the picture below, but usually I would be holding the piece sticking out) Oh, and be careful not to burn yourself! :)

5.) To hairspray or not to hairspray? I personally have found that it isn't really necessary for me to spray my hair at all, and it certainly has kept my hair much more "flowy" rather than stiff, but if your hair doesn't retain its curl very easily, you can spray it lightly all over once you're done.

6.) At this point, everything is all up to you! I usually run my fingers through my hair a few times just to loosen up the curls and let it all sort of come together. It also makes it seem a little less forced!

This is what my hair looked like after I finished curling it!

See the difference after I ran my fingers through it? All done! :)

7.) Alright, last tip! Feel free to customize and add to your hairstyle! What I love most about this type of curls is that you can put it up in a pony, pin part of it back, or even add a headband (mine's from Peru! Be creative!