There is a reoccurring dream that haunts the hair-psyche of women across this great land. We believe that women of all textures and types, at one point or another, have curly hair fantasies -- ones of perfectly formed, frizz-free ringlets delicately dancing on their heads. Not to worry, this is natural, as curly hairstyles are playful and sexy. There is however something you should know before turning this fantasy into reality: not all curly hairstyles look great on all face shapes. That's why we went on a mission to find you the curly style that will complement the unique angles of your bone structure. Skip ahead to see the best styles for your face now.
You see, we know you've had visions of yourself strutting down the street -- Manolo-clad -- to the jazzy saxophone stylings of the "Sex and the City" theme song, as your volume-full ringlets effortlessly bounce to the tune. Okay, maybe our imaginations just got Carried away (pun intended), but still, we know we're not the only ones lusting after Big (sorry, we'll stop with the puns now), sexy curls. Cut to real life, where styling your curly hair can be a royal pain. Achieving perfect curls can sometimes feel like the quest for the Holy Grail. Which is why we went to "Curl Queen," aka celebrity hairstylist Ouidad, to find out how to achieve gorgeous curls. She recommends before you even pick up an iron, to use her tried and true technique: the rake and shake. What is the "rake and shake" you ask? It's Ouidad's signature styling method that, "strategically sets your unique curl pattern into place," giving you beautiful curls every time you style, she says. Here is the method in easy-to-follow steps. Oh, and if you're not a curly girl, it will still bring out any bit of texture or movement your hair does have, then you can enhance it further with an iron:
1. Gently squeeze excess water from your wet hair by blotting with a towel -- don't rub or you'll create frizz.
2. Comb through a leave-in conditioning spray to moisturize curls.
3. Divide hair into four sections.
4. For each section, rub a small amount of styling product between your hands, separate fingers on one hand like a "rake" and rake through from roots to ends, spreading the styling gel through the section.
5. When you reach the ends, gently "shake" hair back and forth to create wave or curl, then drop the section. Continue until all sections are gelled, raked and shaked.
6. Diffuse hair or let it air dry.
Now that you know how to bring out your natural curl pattern, determine your face shape by looking in the mirror at your hair and chin line. Draw a few dots on the mirror with eyeliner around the perimeter of your face to help you see the shape --then decide if it is round, oval, square or heart. Then check out the curly hairstyles that are best for your unique face shape.
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Round: Thandie Newton
The style: Curly ponytail
Why it works: Newton's dressed-up ponytail keeps the weight of her curls in the back of her head (instead of down around her cheeks), which slims the fullness of her face. She's also rockin' volume at the crown of her hair, which extends the height of her forehead to make her face appear more lengthened. Overall, the goal with round faces should be to create styles that make you appear more oval shaped -- reducing volume near your ears and height at the top of your head will do the trick, says Ouidad.
To create this style simply finger comb your dry curls back into a high pony and use your fingers to lightly scrunch up curls near the crown to create volume, then spritz the pouf of the ponytail with flexible hold hairspray for extra lift. When pulling back curls into a ponytail, you might feel an urge to brush it back, but Ouidad warns to never brush you hair if it is naturally curly, "On wet hair a brush may tear or stretch fragile strands and on dry hair it will separate and diffuse the curls, thus creating frizz."
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Round: Lauren Storm
The style: Curly side-swept updo
Why it works: Storm's side-part slims her round face -- middle parts on the other hand tend to emphasize the fullness of the forehead and face. Storm also has the volume of her curls swept to one side and they fall below her chin line, which also helps to lengthen round faces, says Ouidad.
Why it works: Berry's simple, textured style let's her oval face shape be the center of attention, while the height on top brings out the cheekbones, advises Ouidad. Oval face shapes are the most symmetrical making them easiest to flatter and therefore, "versatile for different curly styles," says Ouidad.
To get Berry's messy-in-a-good-way look, apply a texturizer made specifically for curly hair like Kinky-Curly Gloss Pomade, $10 to palms of hands and scrunch through hair when it's completely dry.
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Oval: Keri Hilson
The style: Curly Bob
Why it works: The smooth ringlets that surround Hilson's face work wonders to frame an oval face shape, and the soft side-swept bang keeps the style from looking boxy.
To keep humidity at bay and prevent ringlets like Hilson's from frizzing up, apply humidity-fighting gel to the underneath layers of your hair first. Then, layer by layer work your way up to the outer most layer of hair. This technique will prevent curls from looking poufy. Also, try defining your curls with an iron to get this polished look by taking one-and-a-half inch sections of hair and wrapping them around a one-inch wide curling iron. Then, spritz with flexible hold hairspray.
There is a reoccurring dream that haunts the hair-psyche of women across this great land. We believe that women of all textures and types, at one point or another, have curly hair fantasies -- ones of perfectly formed, frizz-free ringlets delicately dancing on their heads. Not to worry, this is natural, as curly hairstyles are playful and sexy. There is however something you should know before turning this fantasy into reality: not all curly hairstyles look great on all face shapes. That's why we went on a mission to find you the curly style that will complement the unique angles of your bone structure. Skip ahead to see the best styles for your face now.
You see, we know you've had visions of yourself strutting down the street -- Manolo-clad -- to the jazzy saxophone stylings of the "Sex and the City" theme song, as your volume-full ringlets effortlessly bounce to the tune. Okay, maybe our imaginations just got Carried away (pun intended), but still, we know we're not the only ones lusting after Big (sorry, we'll stop with the puns now), sexy curls. Cut to real life, where styling your curly hair can be a royal pain. Achieving perfect curls can sometimes feel like the quest for the Holy Grail. Which is why we went to "Curl Queen," aka celebrity hairstylist Ouidad, to find out how to achieve gorgeous curls. She recommends before you even pick up an iron, to use her tried and true technique: the rake and shake. What is the "rake and shake" you ask? It's Ouidad's signature styling method that, "strategically sets your unique curl pattern into place," giving you beautiful curls every time you style, she says. Here is the method in easy-to-follow steps. Oh, and if you're not a curly girl, it will still bring out any bit of texture or movement your hair does have, then you can enhance it further with an iron:
1. Gently squeeze excess water from your wet hair by blotting with a towel -- don't rub or you'll create frizz.
2. Comb through a leave-in conditioning spray to moisturize curls.
3. Divide hair into four sections.
4. For each section, rub a small amount of styling product between your hands, separate fingers on one hand like a "rake" and rake through from roots to ends, spreading the styling gel through the section.
5. When you reach the ends, gently "shake" hair back and forth to create wave or curl, then drop the section. Continue until all sections are gelled, raked and shaked.
6. Diffuse hair or let it air dry.
Now that you know how to bring out your natural curl pattern, determine your face shape by looking in the mirror at your hair and chin line. Draw a few dots on the mirror with eyeliner around the perimeter of your face to help you see the shape --then decide if it is round, oval, square or heart. Then check out the curly hairstyles that are best for your unique face shape.
