Setting Your Hair Without Rollers, or How to Look Like a Victoria Secret Model pt. 2

     In one of my favorite posts on this blog Setting Your Hair With Rollers and How to Look Like a Victoria Secret Model, I went over how to set your hair using hot rollers and velcro rollers. This method is similar but only requires duck bill clips, no rollers at all. All you need is:

• Blow Dryer of your choice, I use a Paul Mitchell ProTools Express Ion Dry v.1
• Cricket Tourmaline Thermal Round Brush anywhere from 1 1/2 - 3 1/4 inches in diameter
• Duckbill Clips

With freshly washed and damp hair add volumizing product of your choice, I used Aveda Pure Abundance Style Prep, Confixor Liquid Gel and Phomollient Styling Foam. Next dry hair with fingers until it's about 80% dry, remember to keep your blow dryer pointing down your hair shaft and use a nozzle to avoid placing the heating coils directly on your hair. Once your hair is 80% dry section into 2-3 inch wide sections and start round brushing, after you've finished a section while the hair is still warm begin to wrap it around two fingers until it's formed into a barrel curl at the base of your scalp. This part may look intimidating, but the key is to work with warm hair and if it seems too difficult try using a smaller section. Place a duckbill clip inside of each curl and move onto the next section going up the head, remember not to move onto a section without setting the curls in the last one!  

The process of rolling and clipping a Barrel Curl to create those famous Victoria Secret Waves!

     Spray with a setting spray of your liking, I wanted a strong hold so I used Aveda Control Force Firm Hold Spray. Then let the curls cool for 5-10 minutes before removing the clips and gently combing through your hair with your fingers to loosen up the curl. Spray again and you're done!

   
xo.

beauty tip: how to clean and maintain your blowdryer

what's that burning smell? when was the last time you cleaned the air vent on your blowdryer? did you know that it's absolutely essential to keep your blowdryer in working order?

the filter in your blowdryer catches dust and debris to keep the motor from overheating, which extends the life of your blowdryer. the idea is similar to cleaning the lint trap in your dryer after every load of laundry.

lucky for you cleaning your blowdryer is super easy, it just gets overlooked by most. i clean my blowdryer in the salon once a week, but at home i'd say about once a month is enough. i use a paul mitchell express ion dry in the salon and at home, if you're looking for a new blowdryer i couldn't recommend this one enough! dries quickly, lightweight, quieter than other blow dryers and if you treat it right it'll last you a long time. (mines limited edition, so they no longer have the same wooden pattern! sad i know)

most blowdryers have a lockable vent on the back, turn the vent in the indicated way to unlock it and gently pull it off. some blowdryers have a spongey mesh filter in addition to the metal filter, so wash that with cool water until all product buildup is gone and then with a damp cloth wipe away at the metal filter protecting the motor. let your blowdryer dry completely before reassembling it, and you're done!

i realize some may have never cleaned their blowdryers before, and i'm hoping you notice a big difference when you do! remember to do this regularly to keep your motor from overheating (which can also be a fire hazard), because once it does you'll have to buy a whole new blowdryer!

xo.

my review on no heat curls using a headband!

super glamorous picture from the night before.

so i tried out the no heat curls that i talked about in this post. i absolutely loved them! so easy to do, not uncomfortable to sleep in, lasted all day and still looked pretty decent the next morning and did i mention they use no heat?! A+ choice in my book.
there are a few things to consider though, starting with how long/short your hair is, how well it holds curl, the thickness of your hair and what kind of headband and products you decide to use.

next day around 5o'clock!

as i've said before my hair goes about 4-5 inches below my collarbone, but i'd say almost any hair length below the chin could modify this tutorial to work for them. you will be left with a little pony tail of hair at the end. i just kept wrapping this piece though the spaces left between the headband and my hair but you can experiment with it, with super long and thick hair this ponytail might be a little harder to deal with though.

my hair has quiet a lot of natural curl in it already so things like this usually tend to work for me, if your hair is very fine with no natural curl then these curls may fall out quicker.. product can help out though, i used Aveda damage remedy daily hair repair, color conserve daily color protect and smooth infusion style prep smoother when my hair was damp to help smooth and protect my hair, and then a little light elements smoothing fluid and control force firm hold hairspray when it was dry to add shine and hold the curl.
the headband i used was very soft and more like cloth rather than elastic, i eventually moved it up over my bangs later in the night. i think you should always leave bangs out of things like this since the results can be so unpredictable.

 after taking the headband out i did curl 2 pieces right around my face and just a few pieces underneath, but overall much better than curling every single piece of hair like i normally do.
also these pictures were taken after a full day of work, so it's really surprising how great the curls still look!
the tutorial on thepapermama's blog is great, so i'd give it a look if you love beachy waves but not the extreme heat from flat irons!
thanks for reading, and let me know if you try this style out!

xo.