How to Curl your Hair with a Wand

I have had so many questions about how I curl my hair, I finally decided to create a blog post about how to curl your hair with a wand.  Remember, my hair is very curly naturally and so I have only been curling my hair with a wand for maybe 2 years. I am somewhat of a beginner, but feel like my tips for how to curl your hair with a wand will provide you all the steps you need to master it on your own. For this tutorial, I used a 1-inch straight wand by Nume. I also LOVE T3 Micro wands (click here for the T3 base) so much and personally feel like they make my curls last waaaayyyyy longer using the T3.

How to Curl Your Hair with a Wand

On days that I start with clean hair, I use this shampoo to help smooth my hair, followed by this hair oil (the best!). If I am styling second (or third!) day hair, I always opt for this dry shampoo before styling. I also cannot recommend sleeping on a silk pillowcase enough – it helps keep your hair smooth and allows your style to last longer.

Step One

Before blow-drying, I add this thermal protectant, which also cuts my blow-dry time by over 50% and this smoothing creme to my hair to tame my frizzies. I then blow it dry smoothly (remember to point the nozzle down towards the floor so you aren’t making your hair more frizzy) with the help of a Brazilian Blowout smoothing treatment that my hairstylist does every 6 months or so. You can read more about that here. It has been a lifesaver for me in regards to frizz. I use a wet brush after it’s dry to make sure it is tangle-free. I LOVE this brush for myself and my kids. We have tons all over the house and I keep one in my purse!

Step Two

I part my hair down the middle. I usually wear my hair parted down the center, so I go ahead and get it parted before I curl it.

Step Three

Then I section it into 4 equal sections on my head and then leave only the two bottom sections down and begin with that area. I leave the two bottom sections on each side of my face so I know they are equal. You can see my tape-in extensions here. I have some for fullness and personally LOVE them!

Step Four

Then I take approximately a 1″ section of my hair to begin curling. I have found the smaller the section of hair I curl at a time, the longer the curl will hold in my hair for days. For this tutorial’s purpose, I am taking 1″ sections to wrap around the wand. It might be a tad curlier than I prefer the first day, but by the 2nd it has relaxed and I don’t have to curl it again until I rewash it. It just gets looser and looser as the day goes on. To keep my hair fresh and not greasy in between washes, I love this dry shampoo. Ladies, what did we do before dry shampoo? It is such a time saver and really keeps your hair and color in better shape as washing too often is not good for your hair moisture or highlights.

Shop my favorite curling irons:

Step Five

Now I start curling. When curling the left side of my head, I wrap my arm around the back of my head. I take the section of hair and go over the wand. Then I wrap it evenly around the length of the barrel. I point the barrel down a bit while curling. I leave a little of the end of my hair off of the barrel and hold it with my finger. I let it curl for about 7 seconds or so. After I unwrap the curl, I don’t touch it. Just let it be for a while. And continue on with 1-inch sections of hair. I shot a pic of the front view of myself reaching my arm around to the left side. And then shared step-by-step images from the backside.

Step Six

Now you can see I finished curling the first of the four sections on my head. You can see below, since I leave the end of my hair off of the wand, it looks a little straight. I personally like that look. I don’t touch any of the curls until I am ready to leave the house. I think this lets them take shape better.

Step Seven

Now I move on to the right side of my head (the other bottom section). I don’t have to wrap my arm around this side since I am right-handed. A tip…you want the hair to lay on the wand barrel the same every time so you get a uniform look. Sometimes if I want more beachy texture, I will almost twist the hair onto the barrel instead of how I did it here, where it lies flat on the barrel.  I continue to do the rest of the section. Notice the wand is pointing down and I always leave a little hair out at the end.

 

Step Eight

Ok, now you can see both bottom sections of my hair are curled. And now I go back to the top left section to start curling that area.

Step Nine

I am wrapping my arm around the back of my head just like I did with the bottom. Notice how since I have layers on this top section I don’t start the wand as close to the root. I don’t want it to be too tight. Since my bangs are shorter, I don’t leave it on as long to curl. I continue to curl the top left section until they are all finished. Then I move on to the last section.

Step Ten

Now I take down the last section and start again with my bangs. I keep the wand pointed down the entire time. And then proceed to curl all the hair until I am done.

Last Steps

I always miss a few in the back of my head when I a finished. So I glance in the mirror and then wrap any pieces I missed. I really love using a wand because it’s less confusing to me than an actual curling wand. Wrapping your hair is so fast with the wand and I don’t have to overthink it.

Now I am done curling! They look nice and wavy and love how the ends are a bit straight so it’s not too much curl or too perfect.

How to Keep Your Curls Smooth

Before I am totally done, I do add some volume with a rat tail comb. I take some sections around the top of my head and tease it to give it some height. Not too much, but a little volume doesn’t hurt anyone! Look at the bottom picture to see the added volume on my crown. To keep my hair smooth, I always use this smoothing hair treatment, alongside this shampoo. Once my curls are cooled, I then run my fingers through my hair and break up any curls that are too big or stuck together, etc. Finally, I spray some cheap hairspray over my flyaways and add a little hair oil to my ends if they need it.

How to Get Your Curls to Last Longer

To help my blowout and my curls last as long as possible, I shower with this shower cap covering my head to prevent my curls from frizzing. Also, dry shampoo is a MUST so you don’t have to wash your hair constantly. Also, I use this cult favorite deep conditioning mask weekly to keep my hair hydrated and shiny.

Thanks for reading! Be sure to follow along with me on Instagram @curlsandcashmere.

Affiliate links used in this post.