The Secret To Long-Lasting, Bouncy Curls

For years, the secret to perfect, bouncy curls eluded me. I tried EVERYTHING! Different curling irons. Hot and overnight rollers. Curl enhancing products like shampoo, conditioner, and cream. I even tried asking stylists to cut my hair in certain ways to maximize bounce and curling potential.

The hot rollers left me with curls that fell out in an hour and the overnight rollers left me with a kinky mess come morning. Curl enhancing shampoos suddenly had my locks defying the pull of gravity (and not in a good way). Even worse, conditioners and creams weighed my hair down so much that not even the Bombshell curling iron could make it spring up.

In college, I tried out a Conair ceramic curling iron. My hair had grown so long, that I thought I needed to graduate to a 1.5″ iron. I used a heat resistant glove and tried using the iron as a wand. The curl was great – beautiful even. But they hung limply and still fell out.

WHAT WAS I DOING WRONG?

I was creating the perfect curl, but not setting the perfect curl. In stepped these silver beauties below:

The process for perfect curls is simple.

Each time you curl a lock of hair, keep it in the curl formation by using one of these silver clips to securely pin the curl to your head. Piece by piece, do the same until your hair looks like the picture of me above.

While the curls cool, apply your makeup, have a cup of tea, or do whatever else you need to do to get ready. I’d say the longer you let them set the better, but typically I’m on-the-go and only have 15 minutes! Then, piece by piece, unpin the curls. For a tighter look, just give them a shake and apply some hairspray. If you want a looser, more bouncy look (which I prefer), gently brush through the curls and spray a little hairspray.