I went through phases in my life of unmanageable hair. I’m sure we all do. But believe it or not, there was a time where I couldn’t hold a curl to save my life, and I have naturally really, really curly hair. But I sometimes enjoyed the touchable soft, blown dry curls. I would go through all the work of blowing it dry and curling it (which for my hair took roughly over an hour!) for it to last what seemed like a couple hours before falling flat, and frizzy.

First of all, I wasn’t abiding by the ‘right products and styling tools’ rule. And it wasn’t until I reached college that I finally figured that out. Before then, I was doing the unthinkable: flat ironing my hair while it was still wet. Oh, God, I cringe just thinking about it – remembering back how my hair would sizzle and straightening one section of hair took 3-4-5 times over. How my hair survived – I’ll never know.

But so I realized there was a point where I was using the wrong products and the wrong tools for my hair type. Because my hair was is already naturally kinky curly, and having oily hair – I needed the right products and to splurge on more of the high end tools to hold the type of curls I wanted. I figured out that part of the reason for my hair not holding a curl was because I was using product primarily for straightening. And I can imagine those with naturally straight hair probably do the same when they are expecting their hair to curl.

But let’s be frank – all of those tutorials out there that tell show you how to get effortless curls, or no heat curls overnight – they don’t work for everyone. If you’re having a hard time holding a curl, you need heat – bottom line. There’s no way around it, and same goes for me.

Jumping forward to now, many years later and many products and tools tested, I narrowed it down to 3 fool-proof styles and very down the middle (not for curly, not for straight) hair products to do the job, anti-frizz and all. I also found a way to curl your hair that won’t damage your hair from heat at all – no split ends, no stringy effect or frizz! So I want to share with you the 3 curl styles that prove to be the most effective in holding long lasting curls for your hair, and the products I use to achieve these results.

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3 Long Lasting Curl Styles Tutorial

1 | Foil Coils

I recently started curling my hair this way a few years ago. Not only does it take some time learning and getting the hang of, but it is actually time consuming. Although, in the style’s defense, it doesn’t actually damage your hair from heat because the hot tools aren’t ever actually touching your hair! So my ends never split, my hair remains super shiny and soft throughout the style, and the curl holds better than any other curl style known to woman. Do I blame the foil for those benefits? Absolutely, I do.

This style reminds me similarly of mermaid hair. If you have long, thick hair – this style is absolutely stunning. And the style’s upkeep is drastically easy. I hardly have to touch my hair again for three days, even in the morning. And this is coming from someone who rolls constantly in their sleep!

The process itself is quite tricky, so watching the video may be easier to get the idea right when practicing. Start by simply wrapping small to medium sections of hair around your index and middle finger, as close to the base as you can all the way to the ends.

Slowly and carefully remove your fingers from the wrapped hair, while holding and maintaining the coiled loop you created.

Using a rectangular piece of foil – fold in half so that it creates a crease for easier use – ‘sandwich’ the hair loop with the foil, and hold the foil and hair intact with one hand.

With your flat iron open, slide the foil onto the plate of the iron and press down. Essentially you want to ‘flat iron’ the foil surrounding your coil. Move or slide the flat iron around – do not stay in one place too long, as the foil does get very hot – and allow the coil to remain in the heated foil for at least 15 seconds (longer if you have thicker hair or hair that does not hold a curl very well) before removing. The foil should easily slide off, revealing a beautifully bouncy coiled curl.

The curl will relax over time (which can take up to a few hours), but if you wanted tighter curls it is advised to spray each section of hair with hair spray before looping and wrapping in the foil. And lightly spraying at the end before pulling fingers or comb through.

Watch the foil curl hair video tutorial

2 | Flat Iron Curls

This curl style is so popular, yet so many have yet to understand how to actually do it (and do it correctly!) Literally, it’s all in the motion, just the same as you do with a curling iron. But somehow that’s misunderstood.

If you’re looking for the beach wave look, then this is your curl tool. I understand that you could simply use the hair wand – I mean, that is what they were made for – but here is my personal opinion on the wand: it only heats the portion of hair touching the wand because of air exposure. And with that, it doesn’t instill memory in every strand of hair. Because of that, your hair won’t curl or hold the curl for long. And no, the curling is not the same as the wand – since your hair is encompassed by heat from the ‘claw’ handle in the process.

The flat iron essentially conditions your hair into ‘thinking’ it’s being straightened, but with of the correct motion of the iron (which takes practice and understanding) your hair is actually being curled.

For this style, it’s best to spray the curls at the end and waiting until then to pull hands or comb through the hair entirely for better holding of the curls.

Watch the flat iron curls video tutorial

3 | Curling Iron Curls

Ah, the good old fashion curling iron. I shouldn’t say old fashion since rollers came before that! But yet the curling iron is widely used today and curlers are actually making a comeback.

The thing with curling irons today is that they’re actually used to create curls differently than how it used to be. The old way was clasping the ends of the section of hair, and rolling the iron up (yes, that’s why the iron itself spins!) to the base of the head. My mom used to try and curl my hair that way when I was younger – it never worked – as with the concept of the hair wand. Your hair only retains half the heat to a portion of the hair because it’s exposed to air!

So you’ll notice curling irons are used differently today. The hair is clasped near the base, wrapping the hair once around the wand, and the curling iron is pulled down the section of hair. It sounds more difficult than it is. And getting that concept took me a lot of practice.

For this style, it’s best to spray the curls at the end of each layer of sections a for better holding of the curls.