Last summer, I chopped my hair into a short curly bob and it was a c-h-a-n-g-e. And I have to admit, I still struggle with styling my short hair, which is why I called on Mara Roszak, owner of Mare salon and a L’Oréal Paris celebrity stylist who works on clients like Emma Stone and Olivia Wilde.
For years I had long hair that I smoothed into blowouts instead of rocking my natural wavy/curly texture. I couldn’t begin to imagine a bob, let alone my big, crazy curls. Then, as natural air-dried hair began to hit the runway and, eventually, the street a couple years ago, I started to change my point of view. The trick? Without the long-lasting blowouts I was used to, how could I keep the curls looking bouncy and defined for a few days? Roszak gave me these five essential steps.
1. Wet Your Hair a Little
Rather than full-on washing your hair, wetting it down with a spray bottle (try a continuous mist spray bottle or Vernon François Mist~Nourishing Water) gets your hair a little damp so you can get a bit of a fresh start. Focus around the face and over the top; just the places people actually see.
2. Apply Creme and Twist
Layer on some curl cream, like L’Oréal Paris Curve It Curl Taming Cream or Oribe Curl Control Silkening Creme, and start twisting the hair into sections. The size of the sections depends on the size of the curls or waves you’re going for. For my hair, it’s about one inch by one inch. The twisting almost acts like a curling iron and reminds the hair how to spin.
3. Dry on Low
You actually don’t need a diffuser here; turn the settings on your dryer to the highest heat and lowest speed, and dry each twisted section to lock in the spiral shape. The low speed means you’re less likely to get frizz. Roszak and Coveteur like Dyson Supersonic Hair Dryer.
4. Use a Curling Iron from the Top Down
Find a curling iron that matches your curl size—for me that’s a three-quarter-inch barrel from Hot Tools. Curl sections in the top layers of hair first and then work down to lower layers. The goal isn’t to curl every single section, just a few “showcase” pieces. Each time you curl a section, flip it to the opposite side you plan to wear it while it cools—this trick helps add lift at the roots.
5. Finish with Hairspray
I always hated hairspray on my blowouts, but it’s really clutch for keeping curls locked in. Lift the hair as your spray so you get the mist everywhere. Of course, the classic L’Oréal Paris Elnett Hairspray is still the go-to.
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