How To: Bouncy Curls On Natural Hair

I just love big bouncy curls - especially on natural hair! Yes, natural hair is super versatile, and even the coiliest haired girl can achieve the bouncy curl look. Before giving up the perm, attaining these bouncy curls required a curling iron and LOTS of hairspray to keep them from falling. In the end, the curls were more stiff and dry than soft and bouncy. But with your natural hair, you can achieve this look with no heat and very little product!

Before I get started on showing you how to get this bouncy curl look, you will need a few things:

• Flexi rods (amount will depending on your hair length and thickness)
• Hair ties or hair clip to separate hair
• Wide tooth comb
• Bristle brush
• Spray bottle mixed with water and your favorite leave-intreatment

Here’s the process:

1. Begin with your hair already dried and stretched out. You can stretch out your hair in many different ways, but I find two-strand twists are a great way to stretch with no heat.
2. Part your hair however you want the curls to fall and divide hair into 4 sections with your hair ties or clips. This will make it easier for you to apply the rods.
3. Section off about an inch of hair and spray it with the mixture. Make sure you only dampen the hair - do not get it soaking wet! Smooth the hair out with you bristle brush.
4. Take a flexi rod and starting from the tip of your hair, roll the rod all the way up to your scalp. Make sure you are rolling the hair under or your curls will be facing the wrong way! Then bend the two ends of the rod in to secure your hair. Repeat this step until you have completed every section.
5. Once you have all the rods in, you can either let them stay in overnight (no heat) or you can sit under a hooded dryer. If you don’t have a hooded dryer, you can always use a blow dryer. Just know that your arm may get very tired!
6. Once your hair is 100% dry, remove the rods one at time. As you remove each rod, separate the curls with your fingers to give you even more volume.
7. After all the rods are gone, shake and fluff your curls until you get the bounce and volume you want.

Bam! Now you’ve got big bouncy natural curls without having to step into a salon. I absolutely love this look for special events like a wedding or ceremony. These curls are super easy and fun to style so feel free to get creative!