Get Perfect Curls

You know the real deal about curls, right? Everybody craves them, but nobody can control them. On sitcoms and in movies, girls with curls are charmingly disheveled or uniformly perfect. In real life, of course, curls can be frustratingly absent, distressingly wayward or just plain clumped together.

Katya Ozeryan, a hairdresser from Moscow who works at Salon Santa Cruz in New York City, shares her secrets for getting great curls..

If nature didn't give you the bounce you want, technology can. Ozeryan uses hot rollers to give straight-haired locks some oomph. The larger the roller, the looser the curl. So for tight spirals, get the smallest rollers; for loose curls, choose mid-size rollers; and for large waves, go with big rollers.

Divide dry, clean hair into sections — one or two around the face, two behind the ears and about three in the back of the head. Apply hairspray to each section and, using a hot roller, roll it up and set it with a hairpin. Let the curls set while the heat dissipates — at least 30 minutes. Rollers work best on straight or slightly wavy hair, Ozeryan says.

If rollers sound too old-fashioned for you, get a quicker solution with a curling iron. The end result looks about the same and can be achieved in half the time. The smaller the curling rod, the tighter the curl. For loose waves, get a large rod; for medium curl, a mid-size rod; and so on. To achieve ringlets, Ozeryan suggests using a small rod — an inch thick or less — and holding it vertically instead of horizontally. Wrap each section around the rod instead of rolling it up, and hold it for no more than 15 to 20 seconds. Curling irons can singe hair, cautions Ozeryan, so don't overdo it.

Natural curls should be worked on only when wet, according to Ozeryan. The key ingredient is a cream conditioner. Put a drop in your hair and work it through your curls, starting at the ends. If you want tighter curls, add a curling gel . Get your hair parted the way you want, then set your curls by "scrunching" them into shape. Scrunching, according to Ozeryan, means gently grabbing handfuls of hair and squeezing. Let the hair dry naturally and you'll have perfect curls. Don't comb it out or run your fingers through it, she warns, or you'll get frizz.

If you've got naturally tight curls that you want to loosen a bit, follow the conditioning steps above. Scrunch the hair very lightly, and let it dry naturally. When it's almost done, get out a blow dryer with a diffuser and carefully finish the job. Avoid using brushes and fingers — again, the dreaded frizz. If the hair dries too curly, bring out the diffuser again and use heat to relax the shape a little.

These aren't long-term solutions, Ozeryan notes, but they're quick and easy fixes to get more bounce or tone down a wild style.

source from http://beauty.ivillage.com