How to get curls that stay

Several people have, on seeing this photo of me, asked how I created the curls. Although it looks impressive, it’s actually not that difficult so I thought I’d share my technique.

• Wash your hair, roughly dry it and then comb out all the tangles.
• Use cheap bendy rollers (I bought two packs from Superdrug ages ago and they’ve lasted well) with some styling mousse, or even setting lotion if you want a really strong hold.
• Divide the hair into sections (the larger the section, the bigger the curls), and wrap the ends tightly around the middle of each roller. Then roll underneath and towards your head, securing at the top by bending the ends across each other.
• Do this all over your head, making sure the ones around your face are particularly neat, but don’t worry too much about the top.
• Cover in an oh-so-sexy headscarf or hairnet and sleep with your rollers in. They aren’t quite as uncomfortable as they look!
• The next morning, remove the rollers by unfolding the ends and then sliding them out of each ringlet (rather than unwinding, as this is quicker and a bit neater).
• Brush it until it goes fluffy… and then keep on brushing! It feels like the wrong thing to do but eventually you will start to see a glamorous starlet rather than lots of 80s frizz.
• Use your fingers to shape the style into place and then spray with lots of hairspray.

If your hair holds a curl well just using heat, I’d suggest getting hold of some hot sticks as they are hightly recommended by many glamorous vintage ladies and will take less time than my overnight routine. Either way, it’ll take a while to find out which styling product works best for you but, once you’ve found it, your curls will last for days.