Tips to make your curls last for days

Curls are the epitome of goddess hair. The bounce, shine, and volume of curls always give me an extra boost of confidence. Although curling my hair while jamming out to upbeat music is no problem, it’s the constant process of curling my hair that can get tedious—and not to mention heat damage! For those of us who love to wear our curls though, there’s no reason to fret. Follow these surefire tips to make your curls last for several days. (Yes, it is as magical as it sounds.)

Give Yourself Time

On day one, give yourself plenty of time to get fully ready. Take a shower and shampoo and condition your hair. When you get out of the shower, dry your hair. If you have naturally curly hair, apply a small amount of mousse through your hair and then use a diffuser to create those naturally bouncy curls. If you’re naturally on the straighter side, dry your hair as you normally would and then pull out your heating tools. Apply a heat protectant and use either a wand or curling iron to create tight or loose curls. After your curls are set, apply a small amount of hairspray before leaving for the day.

Bed Time—Make or break!

Curling your hair isn’t the hard part. Sleeping with your curls is the challenge. If you go to bed and sleep on your curls as they are, you risk waking up with an untamable mane. In order to make your goddess hair last another day, all you need is a scrunchie. Flip your hair upside down, pull it through the scrunchie one time, and gently make sure that your curls are on the top of your head. Think: loose, high ponytail. If the ponytail is too loose, gently wrap the scrunchie around your ponytail one more time.

Rise and Shine

Once you wake up in the morning, remove the scrunchie, and gently let your curls down. Shake out your hair and go with the natural tendencies of your hair. Although some curls may not be perfect, you should still have plenty of intact curls to work with. At this point, getting ready for the day simply requires playing with your hair until it looks as you want it to look. Perhaps adjusting your part or adding texture spray will help add bounce. Second day curls do not have to be perfect and if your hair didn’t make it through the night as tame as hoped, second day curls are the perfect opportunity to go with a slightly messier mermaid hair look.

For third day hair, it is still possible to preserve your curls—just use the scrunchie trick at night and add some dry shampoo in the morning. When making curls last, I always think of it as an evolution from neat and tidy curls to looser and sexy mermaid hair. Voila! Perfect curls that last for days.