DIY: Bouncy Curls for Short Hair

It makes me sad that there aren’t very many hair tutorials for women with shorter haircuts. There are so many awesome celebrities chopping their locks lately, but yet those of us who take the plunge aren’t shown what we can really do with our short hair.

I like to think that I was one of the first of my friends who decided to cut it all off. This past summer, I went from shoulder length to a choppy chin length Karlie Kloss bob, and I loved every moment of it. Over the course of the year, though, I’ve let my hair return to a longer length at my shoulders. Even though my hair is long relative to me, it’s still MUCH shorter than many of the other ladies I see on campus.

As I’ve watched my hair in its many awkward stages of growing out, I’ve learned quickly to adapt my means of styling. Currently, I’m loving big voluminous bouncy waves with my hair. The length is fun to play around with, and these soft curls make me feel like a new age Farrah Fawcett (minus the ass kicking Charlie’s Angels abilities).

Got short hair? Want curls? Here’s how you can work it.

You’ll Need:

1/2 inch curling iron

1 inch curling iron

Large hair clip

Small hair clip (if you have bangs)

Heat protecting spray (I used It’s a 10)

Dry Shampoo/Texturizing Spray (I used Psssst)

Hairspray (I used TRESemme)

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Step 1: Skip washing hair for at least two days. These curls work best with 2nd or 3rd day hair. Apply heat protection deliberately throughout dry hair and comb through with fingers or a wide tooth comb.

Step 2: Pull back and clip the majority of hair except a small section at the bottom of the scalp. Using the 1/2 inch curling iron, curl 1 inch sections away from the face.

Step 3: Re-section off the hair and bring down a larger middle section of uncurled hair. Now use the 1 inch curling iron on 1 inch sections of hair, curling away from the face. I hold each section for at least 5 seconds, but you might want to hold it for less or more depending on thickness of hair.

Step 4: Continue again with the rest of the hair, curling 1 inch sections with the 1 inch curling iron. Use the curling iron to style your bangs as you wish. I used the 1 inch barrel to add some volume and direction.

Step 5: Go through and finish pieces that might have been missed and curly quickly with the 1/2 inch curling iron.

Step 6: Run fingers or a wide tooth comb through the entire head of hair. This loosens up the curls and makes them less poodle-like.

Step 7: Texturize the very top roots with a small amount of dry shampoo or texture spray and then hair spray lightly to make sure the curls hold.