How To Curl Your Hair - Tips from a Hair a Professional Stylist

Start with clean, dry hair, use heat protectant, choose the right barrel size, section your hair, take sections that match your iron width, curl away from your face, start the curl in the middle of each section, hold until the curl sets, wait for it to cool before touching, finish with hairspray, and add a shine serum. That's the full process, and skipping any step is why most people's curls don't turn out right.

Curling your hair seems simple until you actually try it. The technique matters more than the tool, and small mistakes compound into flat, frizzy, or uneven results. Most people learn the basics but miss the details that make curls actually last and look professional.

I'm Bri, a stylist at The Warehouse Salon in Fairfield and Studio 360 Salon in Chatham. I teach curling techniques every week because clients come in frustrated that their at-home curls never look like what I do in the salon. Let me tell you about one client who was ready to give up on curling entirely until we went through the process step by step.

What Happens When You Skip Steps?

A client named Melissa came to me after years of failed curling attempts. She was an HR director in Madison who needed polished hair for presentations but could never get her curls to cooperate at home. She'd watch me curl her hair in the salon and it would last all day, then try the same thing at home and have flat hair by noon.

"Bri, I'm using the same curling iron you use," she said. "I watch everything you do. Why do my curls look terrible and yours look perfect?"

I had her bring her curling iron to her next appointment and show me exactly what she did at home. Within 30 seconds, I spotted five mistakes. She was curling damp hair, skipping heat protectant, taking sections twice the size of her barrel, starting the curl at the ends instead of the middle, and touching the curls immediately after releasing them.

"Melissa, you're skipping half the steps," I told her. "Any one of these would make your curls fall. You're doing all five."

We went through the entire process together, step by step. She practiced on her own hair while I watched and corrected her technique. By the end of the appointment, she'd created curls that looked like I'd done them.

A week later she texted me: "I curled my hair for a board meeting and it lasted until 6pm. That's never happened before."

A month later: "I actually look forward to curling my hair now. It used to stress me out."

Here's every step I taught her.

Start with Clean, Dry Hair

Never curl wet or damp hair. The moisture inside the strand literally steams when you apply heat, which causes damage and prevents the curl from holding. Melissa was curling her hair when it was "mostly dry" because she was in a rush, and that alone was making her curls fall flat.

Blow dry your hair completely before you start curling. If your hair feels even slightly cool or damp at the roots, it's not dry enough. Melissa started budgeting an extra 10 minutes for her hair to fully dry, and her curls immediately started lasting longer.

Protect Your Hair

Heat protectant isn't optional. It creates a barrier between your hair and the hot iron, minimizing damage and helping your hair stay healthy over time. Melissa had been skipping this step for years and wondered why her ends were fried.

Spray heat protectant evenly through your hair before you start sectioning. Make sure it's distributed from roots to ends. Melissa now keeps her heat protectant right next to her curling iron so she never forgets. Her hair is healthier and her curls actually hold better because the protectant adds grip.

Choose the Right Curling Iron

The barrel size determines your curl size. A smaller barrel creates tighter curls, while a larger barrel creates looser, more relaxed waves. Melissa was using a small barrel but wanted loose waves, which meant she was starting with the wrong tool.

For most people, a 1-inch to 1.25-inch barrel is the most versatile. Melissa switched to a 1.25-inch and her curls immediately looked more like what she wanted. Check out my blog Best Hair Tools Recommended by The Top NJ Hairstylists for specific suggestions.

Section Your Hair

Divide your hair into sections before you start curling. Start at the bottom and work your way up, clipping the top sections out of the way. This ensures you curl all of your hair evenly and prevents tangles and missed spots.

Melissa used to just grab random pieces and curl them, which left her with uneven results and sections she'd missed entirely. Once she started working in organized sections from bottom to top, her curls looked uniform and professional.

Take Sections the Size of Your Iron

This is the mistake I see most often. Your section width should match your barrel width. If you're using a one-inch iron, your section should be about an inch wide. Melissa was taking two-inch sections with a one-inch iron, which meant the curl couldn't form properly.

Smaller sections take longer but create better-defined curls that last. Melissa cut her section size in half and her curls went from limp and undefined to bouncy and lasting all day.

Curl Away from Your Face

When wrapping your hair around the barrel, curl away from your face on both sides. This creates a more flattering, natural look and keeps the curls from falling into your eyes. Melissa was curling toward her face on one side, which made that side look different and less polished.

If you want a messy, effortless vibe, you can alternate directions. But for polished, uniform curls, away from the face on both sides is the rule. Melissa sticks with away from the face for work and alternates when she wants something more casual.

Start the Curl in the Middle

Start wrapping the hair around the barrel from the middle of the section, not the ends. Starting in the middle gives more volume and better definition from root to tip. Melissa was starting at the ends and working up, which created weak curls that dropped within an hour.

This applies even when you're doing beach waves. Clamp the iron in the middle of the section, wrap around, then glide through to the ends. Melissa said this single change made the biggest difference in how long her curls lasted.

Hold the Curl

Once you've wrapped your hair around the barrel, hold it there for a few seconds before releasing. This lets the heat penetrate and set the curl. Melissa was releasing too quickly because she was afraid of heat damage, but the curl never had time to form.

Hold for 5-10 seconds depending on your hair thickness. Fine hair needs less time, thick hair needs more. Melissa experimented until she found her sweet spot at about 8 seconds per curl. Check out this video from GHD Hair showing proper technique: GHD Hair Curling Tutorial

Wait for Curls to Cool

This is where Melissa was making her biggest mistake. She'd release the curl and immediately run her fingers through it to check how it looked. That disrupted the curl before it had time to set, making it fall flat within an hour.

Don't touch your curls until they're completely cool. The cooling process is when the curl actually locks into place. Melissa started letting each curl cool for at least 30 seconds before touching, and her curls went from lasting until noon to lasting until bedtime.

Use Hairspray

Once you've finished curling and your curls are cool, use a light hairspray to hold them in place. Spray evenly throughout your hair, not just on the outside layer. Melissa was skipping hairspray because she didn't want her hair to feel crunchy, but the right hairspray adds hold without stiffness.

My favorite hairsprays at The Warehouse Salon are:

• Moroccanoil Luminous Hairspray (Medium Hold) offers long-lasting, flexible hold with shine that fights frizz and humidity. It brushes out easily with no sticky residue, and it's perfect for natural styles, updos, and blowouts.
• Paul Mitchell Hair Spray Wax 2.8oz is non-oily wax and sunflower seed oil create a gorgeous and professional-looking satin finish while flexible beeswax adds perfect pliability. To achieve a flexible hair texture, this is the perfect styling product. Providing a bendable texture and smooth satin finish, the light aerosol mist is easy to apply to all hair types and lengths.

Finish with a Shine Serum

Finally, use a shine serum or oil to add polish and make your curls look healthy and lustrous. A little goes a long way, so start with a small amount and add more if needed. Melissa skipped this step at first but added it once she saw how much more professional her curls looked with a bit of shine.

Apply the serum to your palms, rub them together, and lightly smooth over your curls without disrupting them. Check out our favorite serums here.

Your Curling Questions Answered

How long should my curls last?

With proper technique, curls should last all day and often into the next morning. Melissa's curls now last 12+ hours because she follows every step. If your curls are falling within a few hours, you're probably skipping one of the steps above.

Why are some of my curls tighter than others?

Inconsistent section sizes or holding times. Melissa had this problem until she got disciplined about taking uniform sections and counting to the same number for each curl. Consistency creates uniform results.

Can I curl my hair every day?

You can, but daily heat styling causes cumulative damage. Melissa curls two to three times a week max and uses heatless methods or updos on other days. Always use heat protectant and don't use the highest temperature setting.

What temperature should I use?

Fine hair: 300-350 degrees. Medium hair: 350-380 degrees. Thick or coarse hair: 380-420 degrees. Melissa was using 450 on her medium hair and frying it. She dropped to 365 and her curls still hold but her hair is much healthier.

Book Your Curling Lesson

Curling your hair is a skill that takes practice, but following the right steps makes all the difference. Melissa went from hating her curling iron to looking forward to styling her hair because she finally understood what she was doing wrong. Every step matters, and skipping even one can ruin the result.

If you want hands-on help learning to curl your hair, book a styling lesson online. I'll watch your technique, identify what's going wrong, and teach you the corrections. You'll leave knowing exactly how to create curls that last all day.

Book at The Warehouse Salon in Fairfield at 1275 Bloomfield Ave, Building 1, Unit 3 by calling 973-500-4536. If you're closer to Chatham, visit Studio 360 Salon and call 973-701-3030.

Perfect curls aren't luck. They're technique.