How To Add Soft Curls To Your Hair

I have been getting quite a few comments about my hair and what I’m doing differently. Obviously, I’m adding some curls to it but many of you have asked if I would share how I add the curls.

Truthfully, I was trying different ways and I wanted to wait until I figured it out myself. I started adding curls with my flat iron but then I purchased a curling wand and that has made it easier. Here is how to add soft curls to your hair.

Fashion blogger, Cyndi Spivey, shares How To Add Soft Curls To Your Hair.Fashion blogger, Cyndi Spivey, shares How To Add Soft Curls To Your Hair

This is a little different than how some people add curls but it’s what works best for me. I purchased my curling wand at TJ Maxx. It’s Zoe brand and I found the exact one on Amazon but it’s currently not available. I also use a comb and some tousled texturing mist from Monat.

Fashion blogger, Cyndi Spivey, shares How To Add Soft Curls To Your HairI first tried to blow dry my hair and then add the curl. I clipped two-thirds of my hair up and curled that section and then curled the top section. That was too much curl for me! I felt like Shirley Temple. My hair curls easily and I wanted a softer look.

So, I use my velcro rollers first. I shared a video about how I use them here. I like some volume and the velcro rollers help to smooth out my frizzy hair.

After I take my velcro rollers out, I take one section (I do fairly big sections because I don’t want a tight curl) and wrap the section around the iron, holding the bottom inch out, and leave for 10 seconds or so. Pull the iron out without touching or pulling the curls. Make sure you wrap your hair away from your face.

Fashion blogger, Cyndi Spivey, shares How To Add Soft Curls To Your HairI don’t worry if I miss some sections or if some are curlier than others because it gives a messier look. I do this all the way around, about 5 sections. I spray with some hairspray and let it cool. Then, I turn my head upside down and shake the curls and run my fingers through them.

Fashion blogger, Cyndi Spivey, shares How To Add Soft Curls To Your HairI play with it a little until I get it the way I want it and that. is. it ( I do spray it with some hairspray when I’m finished)! There really is no wrong or right way, it’s what works best for you. I highly recommend getting a wand and trying it out! They have gloves to use with the wand if you want to use it because you can burn your hand if you’re not careful.

Fashion blogger, Cyndi Spivey, shares How To Add Soft Curls To Your HairFashion blogger, Cyndi Spivey, shares How To Add Soft Curls To Your HairHere are some of the curling wands I found with great reviews. They are at different price points.

I hope this post is helpful to you! Feel free to leave any questions in the comments and I’ll answer them there.

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Beauty for the Heart~~I am sharing a different Beatitude with you each day (Matthew 5:1-12). Today it’s Matthew 5:4, God blesses those who mourn, for they will be comforted.

To mourn doesn’t mean to be miserable; it means rather to display a broken heart because of the evil in the world and long for someone who will deliver us from it.

Our reward for brokenness is we will be comforted. In the midst of our despair we have the ONE who can comfort us.

Now may our Lord Jesus Christ himself and God our Father, who loved us and by his grace gave us eternal comfort and a wonderful hope, comfort you and strengthen you in every good thing you do and say. 2 Thessalonians 2:16-17

Have a blessed day!

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  1. Cyndi, this is awesome that you posted this!! Yesterday I just bought the rollers like you do in your hair. I already have the wand. I will be trying this for sure! Thanks 🙂

  2. I have naturally curly hair, shoulder length. After menopause, all the top layers lost their curl. I’ve tried those wands with the gloves, but never had much luck. I did however find the perfect tool….so so easy. Go to QVC.com and purchase the Beach waver styling tool. You will not be sorry and you have 30 days to return, no questions asked. .but you won’t😉

  3. Thanks for the tutorial! It looks easy but for my thick hair I will be wrapping awhile. I need to get a wand also. I have curling iron & flat iron that has a vapor with oil coming out so isn’t so damaging they say. I use both some but not much since hair stylish taught me to use round brush with dryer. That is mainly all I have to do….my hair is layered but she took a lot of the layers out but left enough to do the flippy, funky thing it does naturally. Do you have any tricks for bangs too? I blow dry mine first & it is hit or miss sometimes. I like mine similar to yours……..swept over but down over forehead. I will get a wand also & try out this technique…….so pretty on you! Thanks for posting for all of us that asked. 🙂

  4. Always love your blog, Cyndi! I have to say from Alabama I wouldn’t trade my southern accent for anything! It’s a beautiful gift that I was meant to have!

  5. You always look marvelous Cyndi. I recently rediscovered the “Caruso Steam Rollers”. I used to use them in the 90’s. So much healthier for the hair than the curling irons. Have you tried them? I am experimenting with them to have them look updated for 2017 vs using the curling irons. Just wondering what your thoughts are. Thanks.

    1. I’ve used these forever!!! Love them because you can stretch the curl out while the steam is still active.

      Also just bought my twenty-something daughters Dry-bar’s Three-day Bender (for Christmas). It took just a little practice for a fabulous beachy wave. My daughters love it. At $200 for a curling iron, they’ better :).

      (I tried it and that look is not for me…I’m a little too far past 50 to pull it off.) Cyndi and Jo-Lynne wear it really well. It’s fun to mix things up, but I feel like Cyndi’s other hairstyle is Rachel-esque iconic!

  6. Thanks for sharing Cyndi! My hair dries like this on it’s own occasionally – the problem is, I never know if it will come out that way or not.

    Did you ever find out if the Monat products have smaller sample sizes? I’d really like to try them but don’t want to spend the money on a full sized bottle. I’m happy to buy smaller sizes. Thanks.

  7. Hi Cyndi! Love this post! I always feel like my hair looks a fright when I try it. I’m going to keep practicing 😊. My girls always looks so cute when they use their wands! Might I ask where you purchased your shirt and cardigan? That looks like me😉. Blessings!

  8. Cyndi
    Can I ask if your hair is layered or all one length? My has some layers so I am not sure if I could use a curling iron without a clamp. Yours looks great.
    Thanks
    Shannon

  9. Cyndi , I really like your hair longer ,it looks great . Do you ever get tired of us asking about your hair ? I guess when you see a style you really like , you want to know all the details about it .Thank you for sharing the beatitudes with us and all your hair secrets and there is nothing wrong with your southern drawl, I live in North Carolina and you should hear mine LOL !!!!! Thanks again !!!!
    Diana

  10. I have been loving your hair lately, but just thought that’s how it went naturally. I don’t blow-dry and just clip my hair in big curls so when they’re dry it looks like I’ve used an iron on my straight hair. I’m always afraid of ruining my healthy, shiny hair with heat, but maybe I’ll give it a try. I have so any old irons etc, that I keep, but never use.

  11. Thank you for your Beauty for the Heart today. While we usually think of mourning in terms of death, today I mourn that my son didn’t get accepted at his first choice college. So I very much needed to hear your message.

  12. Thanks for your post, I have natural curl. However my girls use the curling wand and always love the results, it does take a little practice.
    Thank you for “beauty for the heart”!! I always am encouraged!

  13. I don’t know if this will help anyone but I use a curling brush. It has stiff plastic bristles on a heated wand. I don’t have experience with a curling iron because my hair is short and I’m afraid of getting burned! With the brush I can touch the bristles to guide the wand when curling my hair. The only thing is they aren’t as easy to find. But I have used mine for years and love it.

  14. I went back and watched your video on velcro curlers….who knew!?

    A side note, I LOVE your southern accent! (I’m a native Texan transplanted almost 20 years ago to Maryland. My southern accent is GONE! So refreshing to hear a little bit of home when I talk to others from the south!)

    Thanks for all your wonderful tips and fashion posts. I read them, seldom comment but I use a lot of what you and Jo-lynne talk about!

  15. This is how I curl my hair although my changes are: (1) I already owned multiple standard curling irons and didn’t want to invest in ANOTHER iron. So, I curl mine just like you did with a regular curing iron BUT I leave the bar closed and wrap my hair around it as IF it was an iron like yours (does that make sense?) – again the secret is to roll it like you do with the handle of the iron UP in the air facing downward. Also (2) I like looser curls but for ME I split my hair down the back into 2 sides and then just make 4 curls on each side of my head – this makes bigger curls, hence looser waves and I don’t bend over and fluff instead I just run my fingers down through the curls once they’ve cools off. I also only wash my hair every other day or even every 3rd day and I can tell you curling my hair this way, I actually still have curls on the 3rd day and usually only have to “touch up” on the 2nd and 3rd day – it’s never been easier to do my hair.

  16. The quote/message was spot on for today – needed that!
    As for the curling wand…is this preferred over a large barrel curling iron? I only ask because I have been doing what you’re doing for years, but with a 1.5 inch curling iron – some days I like it curlier, some days less. I too prefer a “messier” look over a very “fixed” look because I personally think very fixed hair is aging.
    BTW, I love your hair any way you wear it. I know envy is not a good thing, but I have hair envy :). Still love that Lucky Brand sweater!

    1. Sharon B….I too use a large barrel curing iron and have for years. I curl a wide piece around the barrel and leave the tip of hair at the end not in the barrel, then run my fingers through to soften the wave. I tried the curling wand and kept burning my hands.

  17. I love your hair no matter how you style it. Thanks for the infor. how you do the soft curls. My hair is short and straight, so always dream about long curly hair. 🙂 Love your chambray shirt and sweater in the last picture. 🙂 Looks so soft and pretty on you. Blessings, I’m off to bible study.

  18. I love this look on you! Do you have any shorter layers in your hair? I’ve tried curling my hair like this a couple of times and end up looking like the old Farrah Fawcett look–not exactly what I’m going for! lol Any tips for those of us with shorter layers?

  19. Thanks for sharing this with us. My hair is very similar to yours, but I have more layers and trying to let them grow out. My hair flips naturally so I just go with it, but my daughter recently said “mom, you’ve been flipping for 20 yrs” lol….So, I think its time for a new style and I have tried to curl my hair to make those lose messy curls that are so in style now. Just need to find the right tool, so this will certainly help!

  20. So interesting to see how people make such great hair-do’s.

    I am 52 and my hair has gone berserk. What it used to do for 15 yeasrs, it won’t do now. I cut it off (it’s about 4 inches all over) and went with just some pomade for a quick “messy” curly look but then it stopped doing that! Now I am at my wits end as to what to do with it. I think this is a result of the throws of menopause.

    Maybe someone out there has some experience/suggestion that they could share? I just want to look nice and hope I don’t have to spend hours on a look that my hair just doesn’t want to do. Ugh!!

    1. Jenifer……My hair went berserk last year & now the hair stylish I use is having people come in asking for my haircut. First it was heat damage which my old stylish thought was texture change. They did a conditioning treatment/trauma treatment & told me to not use much heat……..low heat with dryer & low temp if you used a curling iron. My new stylish cut my hair in a way to just use round brush & I use L’anza trauma treatment on it. You can rinse out or leave in . At first I would get out of shower & let it sit for 20 minutes and rinse out. Now I leave on about 2 and don’t get out of shower. I use Hempz shampoo that is hydrating and Joico for color treated hair. Find a good stylish you trust and she will get you on the path to better hair. By the way…..you can find some of these at TJ Maxx and not cost you a fortune. L’anza is at Ulta. Hope this helps!

      1. Thanks so much for your reply. I’ll definitely be looking into those products. And you are right, it might be time for a new stylist. She was great for my “old” hair but now I may need someone with a different perspective!

  21. Thanks for this post Cyndi! I bought a wand recently and have tried it out once. I got so frustrated. My hair does not hold a curl at all, but I was hoping for some small miracle! I will get this a try and hope for good results!

    Love your verses today…we lost a very close friend two weeks ago and I cannot help but think almost constantly about his wife and small kids. I think these verses are spot on. Thank you for sharing your faith along with your fashion!

  22. The curls look so great in your hair Cyndi!!
    As a naturally curly haired girl—I’m always struggling with how to get my hair straight, LOL. Why is it that we always want what we don’t have?
    But I may use these tips to get my hair a little more under control—curly hair has a mind of it’s own!!
    jodie
    http://www.jtouchofstyle.com

    1. I too have very curly hair. I have been blowing it straighter for the past 2 years but recently just let it go and people are asking if I got a perm!😃

        1. With poker straight hair when I as <50, I was always jealous of you curly girls.

          But now that I'm post-Meno…I have a new appreciation for hair that has a mind of it's own. Gotta either curl, love, or tame my new vertical and crazy-growing hair 🙂

          1. Em!! I didn’t know you had curly hair?!!
            Tell me some of your secrets, will you? What products do you use!!
            I was using a frizz free product, but they don’t have it anymore—bummer!!
            XOXO