The Beauty A, B, C's: Wavy Curls in less than 30

For the sake of a beauty How To (and not my morning face) I did a quick demo on how to achieve loose, wavy curls, all in under 30 minutes (and before the sun had come up... can you tell?) This is how easy it was to ace, all in just 3 steps with a few key products and tools. Really, it's as easy as A, B, C. Here is how, and how long it takes!

A: Start by prepping your locks

I always curl my hair just after it's been freshly washed. This means I can add the products in that will help protect my strands from heat styling, but it also means that I can get the most time out of having fresh, curly styled hair (a whole wash cycle). Since I have lighter pieces in the ends of my hair that need to be freshened often, I always use a blonde specific shampoo weekly. Right now, I'm trialing the John Frieda Sheer Blonde Renew Tone Correcting Shampoo and Conditioner. I also trialled a little of the John Frieda Frizz-Ease Dream Curl Perfecting Spray, which combines conditioning and glossing ingredients for nourishment, as well as curl enhancing properties.

 7.08am

Then, blowdry your hair as per normal. Even though you are curling your hair, it actually helps to start out with straighter, sleeker locks, so feel free to brush through your strands as you dry it.

 7.14am

Next, it's on to curling!

B: Now, the fun part...

This is where the curling actually happens! To give you a brief breakdown of the Remington Perfect Curls styler itself, once switched on, it warms up pretty quickly, so there's no need to leave it on your bathroom counter waiting for it to heat. It comes with a cyclone looking plastic 'cover' on top of the heated curling wand component inside. This is the framework for your hair to curl around! The small clip (shown below) releases when you pull the tab down, and springs back when you let it go.

To start off, tie up half of your hair, or even two thirds for thick haired lasses. This simply keeps the rest of your hair out of the way while you work on the lower section. Take a small section of hair and clip the bottom of it into the curler. Then, twist the curler around until your section of hair has coiled around the barrel of the styler.

 7.16am

Another handy hint is to pull against the tip of hair at the bottom of the curler, like below. This will give you a tighter hold on the curl and more structure. Also, leaving a small section out at the ends will give the finished look a more edgy, modern touch to the curl, rather than keeping it too bouncy at the ends.

Ta daaa! The first curl is complete. But BEFORE you try to pull on it, weigh it down, or brush it out try to leave it alone. It might look waaaaay more 'curly' or tight than you want, but it's important to leave it to set. When hair is hot, it is at its most malleable, so waiting until it has cooled down to mess it up is the best way to go. If you try to do this when it's still cooling, you run the risk of your curls dropping too much, and all your hard work will be gone by lunchtime!

Now, just keep curling!

7.20am

Once you've finished the bottom section, loosen the top half and keep curling. You may have noticed that I always stop just over two thirds of the way up the hair, to leave the top section of hair a little less bouffy! This is especially the case when it comes to the front pieces, as the relaxed wavy look is about loose, face framing curls, rather than tight curls that start at your part.

Keep going! You are nearly finished... and that coffee calling your name can wait another couple of minutes!

7.25am

Yay! Curls complete. However, you may be feeling a little too ringletty...

This probably means you let your curls set. Well done for waiting! Now is the time you can brush your fingers through your curls...

Or, you can lightly brush through the ends to break them up too...

C: The finishing touches...

Now that you've got the curls you wanted, it's time to finish off the look with a little hair oil to make the ends look and feel healthy. My current fave and top pick from the Feb bb products is the  multipurpose Nuxe Huile Prodigieuse. Not only is this wonderful for nourishing skin, but it also works a treat on the ends of tired and dull tresses. Rub a teeny bit through your finger tips and rub through the very tips of your hair.

And there you have it! Loose wavy hair in less than 30 minutes! Plenty of time to get yourself a coffee, some muesli, read the paper... and finish your makeup! Speaking of, here is a snap at the start of the work day (during daylight hours!) and after the application of the rest of my beauty choices for today. Also, see how the curls have dropped a little more? A good lesson in keeping them a little tighter to achieve the look you want once it's time to put your 'do on show.

Have you tried the Remington Perfect Curls styler? Would you like to? What about the John Frieda products or the Nuxe oil, found in some Feb bellaboxes? Let me know your thoughts! - Lauren