Curls for Dummies

[Vespasia]

First, I am a total hair novice. I wash it, let it air dry, and brush it. That's it. 

I recently got it cut and I am not really happy with it. It's basically an inverted bob but rather than curling under nicely like usual, it's stuicking out weird. I think it would definitely look better curly but I don't know where to start. 

It's similar to this but longer and not as nice.


I want something like this:


Or this minus the bangs:



I have no idea where to start. My hair is super fine but there is a lot of it. It's mostly straight but lately it's developed some weird waves in the back. What is the quickest and easiest way to achieve that look? I am willing to pick up a flat iron or curling wand over during the upcoming holiday sales.

Do I need product to make it stay or for heat protection? What won't cause it to be all stiff?

I am also super uncoordinated so I suspect I will burn myself repeatedly...

[niki]

There is a Facebook group called Curly Girls. Join it and learn the techniques and correct products to use. Read the pinned posts before posting any questions and keep the posts to curly hair. They will delete posts about straight hair care.

[minionkevin]

IME, hair that length - mine is slightly longer - needs a smaller curling iron than you’d think. I think mine is 3/4”. I also have a 1.25” and it is not right for my hair, the curls don’t hold. I use Hask keratin heat protector in a clear and pink bottle and thickening cream in a purple tube. They’re on sale at Ulta now or for BF.

[Pippin]

You can try doing flat iron curls. I think they're supposed to have better hold than a curling iron I think. You can also try drying your hair using the 'plopping' method. It's basically wrapping your hair on top of your head in a tshirt to see if you can get a better wavy/curly look. It might not work for you but it's worth a try.

[Vespasia]

Thanks for all the feedback. I just bought a well reviewed flat iron from an Amazon flash sale. We'll see how it goes!

[SallyJ]

I highly recommend checking out The Small Things blog for curling tutorials. I finally got my fine hair to hold a curl for a couple of days using her tutorials.