If I’m wearing my hair in soft waves, this is most likely how I style it! I like a traditional curling iron versus a wand because it gives me a bit more control over my sections!
I linked to the products and tools that I used or mentioned in the video below!
Products used or mentioned:
Aquage Uplifting Foam – all time favorite volumizer
Alterna Caviar Volume Spray – a great volumizing spray to provide lift throughout the hair, not just at the root.
Babyliss 1.25 inch curling iron – I’ve had this iron for years and love the soft curls it gives!
T3 Micro 1.25 inch curling iron – I love the versatility of this curling iron and find that my curls last a bit longer with it versus the Babyliss. Because of that, I typically reach for this option in the summertime!
Cura blow dryer – A favorite blow dryer. It dries my hair so quickly and leaves it smooth and soft!
Duckbill Clips (or jaw clips for thick hair!) – If you don’t have clips to section your hair, you need them!
Amika Fluxus Touchable Hairspray – This is lightweight, flexible hairspray that is great to use while styling the hair.
Kenra Volume 25 hairspray – I’ve been using this hairspray for over 16 years! It’s a firm, long-lasting hold and keeps my hair looking styled all day long.
p.s. you may like the curling iron comparison video I filmed a bit ago!
comments
Your hair tutorials are always so easy to follow! My hair is a bit longer than yours but I think I can apply the same method 🙂
Charmaine Ng | Architecture & Lifestyle Blog
http://charmainenyw.com
Thanks for the great videos. If my hair is shorter should I use a smaller barrel iron?
Yes but I’d turn the heat down so they aren’t too curly!
Thank you for this! I have hair similar to yours except thicker and it really resists curl. I’ve been unsuccessful my entire 35 years of life (think rollers and perms!yikes)…but I finally got a Babybliss flat iron and got my hair to curl!! Miracle! But the curls are tighter than I want. I feel a bit like an 80s Barbie. I just ordered your Babybliss curling iron and plan to try to follow this video closely. Really really hoping to get the soft waves I’ve wanted for years! Thanks again!
Kate! Love you hair always! I cannot find a decent curling iron, but more than that, I am just not good at styling my hair. I have read reviews on bababylis and there was a lot of burnt hair comments. That curling iron is more along the lines of my budget so is there one you recommend under $50 that won’t burn your hair off? The T3 is just out of my price range right now.
Thank you!
oops! spelling error: meant Babyliss!
I have a Babyliss curling iron and it has a temperature dial on it. I turn the heat way down and adjust it up if needed. Never had problems with frying my hair! 🙂
I have never been able to curl my hair but I just got the Bed Head Curli Pops iron and I love it! I bought it at Ulta so I could return it in case I didn’t like it, but I think Amazon had it for cheaper. I’m still playing around with it but so far it’s fantastic. I have fine hair that doesn’t hold a curl well if that helps!
https://www.ulta.com/curlipops-1-tourmaline-ceramic-styling-iron?productId=xlsImpprod4220023
Well I’ve been using the Babyliss for years and have never burned my hair. I think you just have to be mindful of the heat settings. That’s the iron I’d recommend! OTHerwise you can check out hot tools!
Unrelated, but I have a pencil tree too but now my old tree skirt looks huge. I know you’ve mentioned getting a pencil tree, could you share where you found an appropriately sized tree skirt for it?
This was great but it would be interesting to see you do a sequence of how you style for day 2 and then day 3. Or mesh them into one video but still show how you revive your hair for the subsequent days.
I agree, I’d love to see a Day 2 video!
Yes! I thought I remembered an older video for 2nd day hair, but I can’t find it
Ditto! Day 2 plus.
Yes!! I was just writing this! Also, do you sleep on your hair down or do you put it up?
I have alot of fine long hair and when i try to do this I get no curl, but I dont know what product to put in my hair to start that will make my hair hold the curl. I normally use no product in my hair
I also have fine, straight hair, and I found that using a ceramic plated iron (versus a gold plated one) was much more effective in curling my hair!
For products, I only use heat protectant before and hairspray after. However, some people with super straight hair have success using a setting spray before curling.
Do you have recommendations for achieving a similar look in shorter hair? (just above the shoulders) Should I use a smaller barrel, or stick w/ the 1.25?
I have to use a 1″ iron with my shoulder-length hair. The 1.25″ makes the waves too loose for me.
Sounds like I need some Kenra Volume hairspray in my life! Love the waves!
Angela at Blush & Pearls
Love your tutorials! You said you were hoping to get 3 days out of your curls, how do you do that? I know you put your hair up at night. I have very fine hair, that by the end of the day is tangled underneath. So between combing out tangles, water spray in the shower(I do up my hair up) and then putting my hair up to sleep, by morning there’s nothing left but a hot mess that Ihave to recurl! What’s you secret?
you must get a good shower cap! That will help so it doesn’t get wet in the shower.
I’ve struggled using the uplifting foam. It feels like the product is too much and leaves a crunchy feeling at my root. Any suggestions for me?
I have this problem sometimes too. I found that if I make sure to blow out the sections where the product is with a round brush for a minute after it’s totally dry it really helps.
I know so said you’ll never go dark, but every time you do a tutorial I notice how beautiful your natural dark color underneath is!! Would be so fun to see it all dark! I think it would be beautiful!
Oops! Meant know you said…
thank you!
My hair is naturally curly/wavy but very fine. It looks thick because I have ALOT of hair. My length is just an inch or two longer than yours. When I blow dry it and try to curl with a curling iron (I have the T3 1.25in) my curls fall and it looks blah. I get so annoyed because I spend a lot of time trying to curl it for it to look like I didn’t do anything at all. I use the same technique you always talk about by starting at the root and wrapping around keeping the curling iron in the same place. If I handle my hair a lot like you demonstrate in this video I would pretty much lose all the curl. Why is it so hard for me to curl my already naturally curly hair? I figured my curls would hold much better than someone with straight hair. Any suggestions?! Thanks Kate!
Any advice to achieve beachy waves if you have fine and thin hair? What do you think about ceramic wands for this type?
Yes to this! Me too!
Any suggestions for beachy waves in fine / thin hair are greatly appreciated :-).
How do you know what size curling iron to use? I have long hair now but sometimes I get a little fed up with it and then I whack it all off. Is there a good “universal” size for all hair lengths?
I really think a 1.25 inch is quite versatile!
What temperature do you set your curling iron on?
I’m usually a few clicks below the max temp
Ok help needed and advice from anyone would be appreciated.
Anytime I do curls like this, they fall out of my hair within the hour. I can wrap my hair around a wand and it stays well. But curling like you are doing, falls right out. I have no idea why. I’ve tried all kinds of products, they just seem to slip on out.
What can I do to acheive this kind of style ave have it stay?
PS I have naturally curly hair so my hair has never been hard to curl. But these won’t stay in.
I bought the same curling iron years ago when you first recommended it. It NEVER holds curls in my hair, even with thermal styling spray and hairspray. My hairdresser even used the same one last time I had my hair done and the curls fell within an hour. Any suggestions?
What heat level do you set your babyliss iron to? I tried this curling iron and had trouble with it holding a curl for me. Wondering if I needed to bump up the heat. I think I had it set in the middle. Thanks!!
It’s always helpful to see new hair tutorials. Because sometimes you focus on one part of the hairstyle you forget about another part , which sometimes is a very important part. Watching a new tutorial helps you remember that important part of the hairstyle!
Hi Kate! You are my hair inspiration! I usually take a photo of your hair to my stylist when I go to have my hair done 😊. Anyway I bought the BayBliss 1.25 inch curling iron awhile ago after watching you use it, and love it! My question is though, it doesn’t say the temperature in degrees. I like to keep my hot tools around 375, do you know what heat setting number that would correspond to?
What heat setting is your babyliss on when creating these curls?!
I want this hairstyle so badly but I have bangs. And my hair is very fine and highlighted. Would this style look good with bangs?
LOVED this tutorial!! I’ve watched it twice today! I wear my hair like this most days from learning this from you several years ago. But def needed some up-to-date skills. Thank you Kate!!!
Hi there! Thank you. Do you have any texturizing or layers in your cut at all?
yes layers 🙂
i love this style and have been trying to teach it to myself for a bit! i feel like my curls end up turning into one giant curl instead of separating and laying nicely. any suggestions?
I talk about this often! Just alternate the direction of your curls as you work around your head!
Great video Kate! I am wondering if there is an especially good comb to use for teasing?
Your tutorial was awesome! So easy for me to follow. thank you
What is the polish you are wearing?
I would love to hear how you style your hair on day 2 or day 3 without washing.
You mentioned your style lasting 2-3 days. HOW do you not have to curl your hair every day? Does it hold a curl well? Do you pin it up before bed? I have to heat style every day.
The hair tutorials are very helpful.
I have been using the Kenra 25 for a while now, and I feel like it holds great for the first 20 minutes. But as the day wears on, I feel like my curls fall out more quickly with Kenra than with my $4 can of Tresemme. Any thoughts? So at the beginning, my hair looks better with Kenra, but by the end of the day, it looks better if I used Tresemme.
I love your tutorials, they are so helpful. I posted my photos on Instagram because I was very pleases with the results. I can curl my hair, its the extras like teasing afterwards, and the pulling on the curls that help-like little insider information. Thanks!
I love this. thank you! I would like to know how you sleep on this hair and then how you style it the next day. Do you comb it all out and re-curl it? Also how to you keep your hair from looking greasy the next day? I have tried all different kinds of dry shampoo and it still looks like I haven’t washed it for days. Do some people just need to wash their hair everyday?
Hi Kate! Any suggestions for a heat protectant for fine hair? I have fine, straight hair that doesn’t particularly like to hold a curl without a ton of hairspray so I don’t want to counter the spray by weighing it down but don’t want fried hair either. Help!
So helpful!! Curious if you have any tips for someone with a ton of layers. I’m trying to get my hair to all one length, but after 3 babies and a ton of thyroid issues, my hair is in constant breakage mode and the layers just seem to never go away!! 😫
Thank you so much for these very helpful videos Kate! You taught me how to style my hair and as a result, everyone tells me they love how my hair looks! I’m so grateful to you! Will you be posting any new holiday party hair looks this month? : )
This is the best hair tutorial I’ve seen for soft curls, usually I find them hard to follow but the tips you’ve given are great. I really want to get my hair cut to a similar length to yours (I’m booked in for next week eek!!) and then I’ll hopefully achieve the lovely curls you have. Your hair is absolutely gorgeous.
My hair does not hold a curl with a 1.25″ curling iron (I’ve tried 2 different material for curling itons to see if that was the issue). Would something like this work with just a 1″? I would have to section my hair off, as my hair is pretty thick and I could see the curl being one big chunk.
Thank you for the awesome tutorial & shopping list!
Hi Kate,
I love watching your blogs and Insta stories. I have tried to style my hair like yours but I have no luck. I live in Cary NC and I’m a southern girl So, I love me some big hair. After I wash my hair and blow it dry it’s just too soft and won’t hold any type of wave. I have thin hair and a lot of it, it takes days before my hair will hold curl. I end up throwing my hair up ponytail every day. Any suggestions on products I can use to help create volume and texture?
Thanks so much!
Thank you, very helpful.
I’ve used the same products and tried to follow your instructions, but constantly my hair gets tangled or stuck or otherwise screwed up when I try to twirl it around the wand as you do effortlessly. This is not improving with practice! What am I doing wrong?
I love everything about your blog! I just wanted to know, what is the type of haircut you have, is it a long bob? Because I’m trying to go for your look..lol
Love this look. My hair is above the shoulders and I curl it in a similar way. The left side does exactly as I want it, but the right side curls up all “poofing” right at my ear, straight from part to the ear, then POOF! All the lift just goes away. Weirdly, my right side is the dominant side, but the curls just don’t stay, they actually try to curl the opposite direction and look “undone”
Hi Kate,
I’ve been practicing the every day wave tutorial. I need to stock up on some new products and have already put several of these in my carts. The babybliss curling iron that you are using got some reviews (on amazon)saying it burnt their hair. That scares me a little. Do you still like that iron? It’s in my budget, but I have fine hair and want to have something that is easy to wrap and slide through my hair. Thank you for these tutorials. They are very helpful!!
Kate! This is great and helpful! However how do you use this for the next day? My hair is s hot mess and I don’t know where to start to retouch. New tutorial video idea?!
Thanks for the tutorial, I can’t wait to try this style! Do you sleep with a silk cap on your hair to keep the curls for day 2 or do you curl it again? I would love to see a tutorial for day 2 or 3 hair!!
Hello! How do you know what width curling iron to use? I have a bob that comes just past my chin in the front but shorter in the back. 1 inch seems too small but the 1.25 seems to big.
Thanks!
Thank you for making this! Your hair looks amazing!
Hello, my curling iron just died and I want waves JUST like these. Can you recommend a curling iron, or better, which are you using in this tutorial please?
I’m using a Babyliss 1.25 inch, it’s linked in the post and mentioned in the video 🙂
Hi Kate!
so I love the soft waves that you show in this video. I purchased the baby bliss pro nano titanium curling iron that you show here and it seems the curls are not quite staying for as long. My hair is on the thin/fine side wavy already and easy to curl usually.. was wondering if there is a difference between titanium or ceramic irons? does one work better than the other for my hair type? anything you would recommend ?Thank you!
Oh my gosh I did it! Thanks to your video it was so easy. I have very thick hair, grew up with the old hair styles from the 80’s, and a short attention span, lol. All of your videos are so well explained and exactly what I have been searching for. You gave an old lady a much needed boost, ty, 🙂
Lovely Post author. Thank you.
Great tutorial! I just got my hair cut short, it’s been long forever! This clarifies what I’ve been trying to to get waves. I need to take bigger hair sections. Thanks!
Thank you!!!! I have printed photos – lol – and use you as a guide every morning! After years of flat-ironing my hair, I found something else I like – and you make me feel like a pro!
Thank you so much for this tutorial!!! Very helpful!
Thank you for sharing this, I found it very helpful. I also talk about his topic in my blog and you can read it here: Here
How do you use the Aquage? I have it and used it many times and it just doesn’t work for me. What am I doing wrong??
I spray it at my roots, once on both sides of my head, and then at my crown, and then massage it in!
thank you for helping me out with how to add volume. love this style