Confession.
I've always been insecure about my hair. I feel like I've never been very good at styling it, plus my hair just doesn't cooperate very well. It hardly holds a curl, looks wimpy in a ponytail and is so soft and thin that it's hard to keep clips in it. It doesn't even seem to hold color well. Eh.
Since moving to Arkansas I had another thing to add to my hair insecurity list. Volume! If you follow many southern blogs you'll see what I fondly refer to as "Texas hair." It doesn't matter if you live in Mississippi, Alabama or Arkansas, if you've got big hair, it's Texas hair to me.
Coming from a Californian family and not being raised in the south, the poof eluded me. I didn't want huge hair, just slightly less flat to my head hair, you know? My sweet friend and hairdresser Julie tried several times over the years (in vain) to teach me how to tease my hair properly.
This is how it always looks:
And here I was yesterday:
So, here is the method I'm using. Previously, I'd done everything the same up until the combing with your finger bit (step 6).
1.) Wash hair with shampoo and conditioner.
2.) Wring hair out.
3.) Brush hair using a big brush (not a comb) upside down then wrap in a towel.
4.) Put makeup on.
5.) Flip head over and take the towel off. With your hair upside down, add volumizing product. I use this one.
6.) Leaving your hair upside down, blow dry on high heat. DO NOT BRUSH! Only use your fingers to comb out your hair.
7.) Once hair is dry, flip back over. Put hairdryer on COLD and pull your roots straight up, blasting them with cool air. Your hair will look like you've been stuck in a wind tunnel - that means you did it right! Do NOT comb or brush it out.
8.) Pin your hair up, leaving just the bottom section down. I use a claw clip. Start straightening your hair, beginning 2" away from your roots. That big tangled mess of hair will add volume.
(I don't have my hair clipped in this pic because I am just adding it to show the direction of the straightener - I just took these and I did my hair hours ago.)
9.) Work all the way around the bottom, then do the middle of your hair. When you come to the last section, at the very top, straighten front to back - so when you are looking in the mirror, you should see your straightener going left to right, not front to back.
(New pic added: This is how to hold the straightener for the crown of your head. I usually do this in three sections, back to front).
10.) Using a paddle brush, tease the crown of your head. Then use your fingers to part your hair. Lightly use your brush to style then spray with hairspray.
You could do way more teasing than I do if you like it even bigger. For me, this is just the right amount of volume. Let me know if you try it!
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