Alright… let’s talk about it.
If you’ve ever curled your hair, looked in the mirror, thought “this looks so good”… and then 30 minutes later it’s basically straight again…
This is for you.
Because I hear this all the time.
“My hair just doesn’t hold curl.”
And while that can be true for some people… most of the time there’s a reason behind it.
First—your hair type matters.
If you have really fine, silky, soft hair… it’s naturally going to struggle to hold curl more than someone with thicker or more textured hair.
That doesn’t mean it’s impossible.
It just means you have to work with your hair, not against it.
Next—super clean hair isn’t always your friend.
Freshly washed, super soft, super conditioned hair can be a little too slippery to hold a curl.
Now I’m not saying show up with 5-day-old hair full of dry shampoo and hope for the best…
But sometimes day 2 hair or adding a little texture can actually help your curls last longer.
Which leads me to this…
Product matters. A lot.
If you’re curling your hair with zero product in it and expecting it to hold all day…
that’s probably your problem.
You need something to give your hair a little grip.
That could be:
- a light texture spray
- a little hairspray before or after curling
- even a mousse or blow dry product beforehand
I’m not saying load your hair up like it’s 2005 crunchy curls…
But you do need something.
Also—how you curl your hair matters.
So let’s actually walk through this because this is where a lot of people go wrong.
Start by sectioning your hair. Don’t just grab random pieces and hope it turns out. Work in layers—it makes everything more even and your curls last longer.
When you grab a section, think about the size—
about 1 inch sections is a good rule. If you’re grabbing huge chunks, the curl isn’t going to hold.
When you curl, don’t just clamp and spin right away.
Start at the mid-strand or closer to the scalp, smooth the hair with the iron first, and then wrap it down toward the ends. That smoothing motion helps control frizz and gives you a cleaner curl.
Once you release the curl, give it a little twist with your fingers and let it sit.
And this part matters—let it cool.
If you curl your hair and immediately brush it out or run your fingers through it while it’s still hot, you’re basically undoing everything you just did.
Let the curl cool completely before touching it.
Then once everything is done, you can go in with your fingers or a brush and loosen it up.
And this is where a texture spray comes in.
Texture spray helps your curls stay separated and “fluffy” instead of falling back into one big strand or going flat.
Let’s talk about heat.
Your curling iron temperature actually matters more than you think.
If you have fine or fragile hair, stay around 250°–300°.
If you have medium to thicker hair, you can go around 300°–375°.
And if your hair is really thick or resistant, you might need a little more…
But it does not need to be at 450°.
We’re not baking cookies.
Too much heat isn’t going to make your curls last longer—it’s just going to damage your hair faster.
And please—use a heat protectant.
Always.
Now here’s one people don’t always think about…
Buildup.
If you’ve got layers of dry shampoo, oil, old product, hard water minerals… all sitting on your hair…
your curls are going to fall.
Sometimes your hair just needs a good reset.
A clarifying wash can make a bigger difference than you think.
Also—weather is not on your side sometimes.
Humidity, wind, even just being outside—your hair is going to react.
Especially if your hair already struggles to hold curl.
So if it falls a little throughout the day… that doesn’t mean you did everything wrong.
That’s just life.
And this is where something like a Brazilian Blowout can actually help more than people realize.
Most people think of it as just something to smooth frizz… which it does.
But what it’s really doing is helping seal the cuticle of your hair.
When your cuticle is smoother, your hair doesn’t react to humidity as much, which means your style—whether that’s straight or curled—can hold better.
It’s not going to magically lock a curl in forever…
But it gives your hair a much better chance of actually keeping the style you put into it.
And here’s the honest part…
What I do in the salon is not always what you’re doing at home.
I’m using the right products, the right tools, the right sectioning, the right technique—and yes, I’m taking my time.
So when you say,
“My hair never looks like this when I do it…”
That’s why.
And that’s okay.
You just might need to tweak a few things.
And one more thing—sometimes it’s not you.
Hormones, health changes, even just your hair changing over time can affect how your hair holds curl.
So if you feel like your hair used to hold curl better and now it doesn’t…
you’re not crazy.
Hair changes.
At the end of the day, most of the time it’s not that your hair can’t hold curl…
it’s that it needs a little help.
Better prep. Better product. Better technique.
And once you figure out what works for your hair… it makes a huge difference.
Because if it’s something we talk about in the chair…
it probably needed to be said here too.
— From The Chair
