If you’ve got naturally straight hair, you’ve probably tried everything to give yourself a few waves. Even curling doesn’t work if it all falls flat within minutes after you finish! For those of us without beautiful naturally waves, I’ve set out looking for the best methods to give your straight locks a little volume with some waves.
How To Add Volume To Your Straight Locks
Dry Hair Waves
It doesn’t have to be that difficult to add some gentle curls to your mane with the right information and some great styling products. Having straight hair can be a little tough, but with these steps, it’ll be easy to give your look some life.
How To Maintain Chemically Straightened Hair
Styling Cream
When your hair is dry, grab some styling cream and run it through. This will give some hold without making it too stiff. If you’ve just gotten out of the shower, make sure you dry your hair first or the styling cream won’t have the desired effect.
Curling
Next you’ve got to curl it. You’re just going for gentle loose curls, so you want to try to get a medium-sized iron with a 1-inch barrel for loose waves. Start at the roots and wrap towards the ends in a spiral shape to add more body and volume.
That styling cream will help give you the curls, but you do need to hang on and resist the urge to mess with your curls until you’re done. This will give them time to set so they won’t simply fall loose after you’re done. If you’ve really got a problem with it staying set, pin each curl to keep it in place.
Shake It
It is all curled and set, so now comes the easy part: shake it! Just flip your head upside down and shake out your curls loosely. Don’t run your fingers through them though, since they may flatten out the waves you’ve been trying to make.
Glossing Cream
Get just a little glob of glossing cream and run it through your waves gently. Don’t use too much, or you’ll destroy all your hard work! This will just help give you some shine without getting rid of the waves.
Curls with Damp Hair
It’s not always easy to sit down and dry, add curls, and keep them as gentle waves for the rest of the day. If you’re in a bit of a rush, here’s a quick few steps to add some curls when your hair is still damp.
Curl Boosting Mousse
Grab some curl boosting mousse to give a little texture. On top of that, you’re able to make it a little more manageable for the rest of the process, and you don’t need to dry it before applying!
Dry it
Well, you do need to dry your hair at some point. Grab that blow dryer and quickly do a rough dry to really get the moisture off of the roots. Then you can use a diffuser to scrunch dry on high heat with medium speed.
Increased Texture
When it is almost dry, you can do just a little extra to give you some more texture and body. Part it into two sections, twist the top into a bun, and let it set for a few minutes. Do this on both sides of your head to add texture and hold later.
Curl it up
Spray a little hairspray for some extra hold before you curl and then go for that 1-inch iron. Remember to use a lot of heat if you want waves that have a stronger hold. Don’t worry if you’re not perfect though, since haphazard curls still provide you with a great look.
Finishing the look
After your curls are done, you can just run your hands through it and massage them gently through the scalp. Don’t shake out your curls too much, but once you’re done, you’ll have that perfect wavy look.
Extra Steps
Along the way, you might want to think about using these products in order to give more shine and more protection. They’re not necessary, but they’ll certainly help:
- Split end protector to give you smooth strands after you apply the curl boosting mousse
- Add in heat protector spray to protect against the heat
- Glossing cream for extra shine
General Tips
In general, there’s one rule that you should remember when you’re trying to add some waves to flat hair: always use a medium sized iron on smaller sections, rather than a bigger curling iron on larger sections. By using an iron on smaller sections, more of that heat is penetrating. This gives a greater chance to keep the waves throughout the day rather than having it fall flat.
Conclusion
It doesn’t need to be difficult to add some body even if you’re used to those waves just straightening out by the end of the day. Get waves regardless of whether you start off with dry or damp hair using only a few simple steps. Make use of the general tips and extra steps I found to make your morning routine simple and your hair beautiful all day.