Sectioning your hair with clips before curling might seem a little precious, but Potempa swears it's "easier" and more "efficient" than diving right in with a curling iron. Not only are you less likely to miss spots by sectioning your hair, "curling smaller sections of hair will also give you tighter curls and more hold," she says.

Potempa recommends separating your hair into four sections with darby clips and curling "one-inch subsections for an even curl pattern."

If you're using all the fancy tools and all the hair products but your hair still won't hold a curl, Contrastano and Potempa suggest doing the retro thing and pinning them. "When you take the pins out, the curls will have even more structure and volume," Potempa says.

Using duck-bill clips like these, "just wrap the curl, pin and let it set for a few minutes," Potempa says. Contrastano suggests leaving your curls pinned until you're ready to leave the house; then, let 'em loose and spray them.