Tuesday, January 7

Making the Switch to a Curling Wand

I get a lot of questions about how I curl my hair, and up until now I would just say, "uh, I wrap my hair around the barrel of a curling iron with the clip open."  What?  Some people understood and others thought I was speaking a different language.  I don't know why it took me so long to take the plunge and get a curling wand, but they are so much more efficient!  This Karmin Curling Wand gets way hotter than my 5 year old Wal-Mart curling iron (okay, that's not saying much, but this thing can get REALLY hot) so I can curl my hair a lot faster.  The settings go all the way up to 410 degrees, but I keep mine at 185 degrees so it isn't too harsh on my hair.

If you use the larger part of the barrel you will get bigger curls, and the smaller end produces tighter curls.  I usually try to stay somewhere in the middle for a semi "natural" look, but if your hair really looks like this naturally, I'm definitely jealous.

One thing worth mentioning in case you are thinking of making the switch-- I'm so used to a curling iron with a plastic cap at the end, that I burned my wrist several times over the first couple of weeks while I was still getting used to the curling wand!  I didn't even realize it, but I had a habit of resting my wrist at the end of my old curling iron, and I had to break that habit fast!

It took me long enough, but I'm glad I made the switch.  Old habits die hard, you know?
How do you curl your hair?  I'd love to hear your favorite method!

*Special thanks to Rylees Professional Hair Care for sending me this curling wand!


49 comments:

  1. i LOVE my curling wand! i use it all the time!

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  2. I loooooove curling wands. I think that they make the curls look so much more natural and a lot nicer than regular irons.

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  3. My hair is straight. For some reason my bed hair = curly-wavy hair. Beautiful,I loved my bed hair, but I'm a washaholic, so that did not work for me. I MUST wash my hair if I want to feel completely clean, so there went my beautiful hair .For yrs I used curling shampoos like Herbal Essence Totally twisted to help boost my curls, but got tired and one day I just decided to take the plunge. I walked across the street to Rite Aid and purchased a perm kit. Probably not the brightest of my moments, but 8 hrs later I finally had the curly hair I'd always wanted. Suuuuuuuuure, the curls are a bit too tight in certain parts. (Turns out I used the wrong curlers, but I had two options and this one was actually the better of the two; phew!) It went as well as it could have gone. :) Wash, towel dry, some blush some days and 1o mins later I'm out the door! I admire the time and dedication people put into hair, but it's never been my style. I'm just not that patient. I rather sleep in 10 more mins, XD

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  4. I have a really huge curling iron that I use, but I need the clip! I've tried curling wands before and just can't seem to figure them out. Your hair always looks beautiful!

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  5. I made the switch from a curling iron to a wand a while ago and I had the same problem with resting my wrist at the end of the wand. Ouch! But I love my wand and how you can create so many different sizes of curls with them. So versatile!!

    -Jess
    http://www.inspired-by-blog.blogspot.com

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  6. I would definitely be burning myself on the tip constantly at first as well. With my curling iron the plastic tip falls off from time to time and since I'm always grabbing the tip to help maneuver it around my head I end up singeing fingers.

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  7. Marvelous girl! I use a NuMe curling wand and love it!!

    http://sometimesgracefully.com

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  8. I've been in the market for a curling wand for a while. I don't know what brand to get!

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  9. Tee-hee, I just got a curling wand this week and used my snow-day-elias-nap-time to try it out. I definitely wasn't expecting it to work SO well-- I freaking look like I permed my hair... Its kind of awesome though. Just makes me laugh that literally 5 minutes after I finished and sat down with a cup of coffee and opened bloglovin that this was the first thing on my feed. Oh, friend. I love you. AND HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!

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  10. I do the exact same thing. I cannot figure out how to curl with a clamp!

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  11. oh, and I burned myself right away. Giant-hicky looking mark in the middle of my neck. Curling fail.

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  12. I use a regular curling iron but leave the clip closed so it's basically a curling wand. I've seen tutorials online on how to remove the clip part but that seems a little too risky for me.

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  13. I have incredibly stick straight hair that will not curl even a bit with a regular curling iron. For years I just gave up and embraced my straight hair, but it was always kind of a letdown when I went to special events or just wanted to dress up! So happy that curling wands are a trend... I need that 400 degree heat to get my hair to curl! And it actually stays :) I avoid burning myself by wearing the heat-resistant glove my wand came with, I'm sure you could buy one somewhere if you wanted to. Your hair is beautiful Katie!

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  14. I need a curling iron wand, because I'm still doing it the way you used to. -Hanna Lei

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  15. I've gotta invest in one of these! I just started taking the time to actually curl my hair, and my curling iron is definitely NOT the greatest. I might give this a try soon!

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  16. I have never tried a curling wand because my hair is straight again within an hour when I use my curling iron. I do, however love my rollers to pieces! I have the foam ones that you're supposed to sleep with. Pop them in at night, wake up to luscious curls :) No heat damage and you don't have to commit to a perm :)

    Www.kaje-designs.com

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  17. Sorry to be a bother, but your I really love your hair style and would like to try it myself. Can you go into a more detail step by step on how you use the wand? For instance, do you take a strand of hair, start at the middle and wrap it over the middle of the wand, going out toward the tapered end? Or do you wrap under? Or start at the tapered end and wrap down to the middle of the wand? Its not very clear what you're doing from the photos here.

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  18. I'm one of those weirdos who use a flat iron! I don't know what it is, but I have never been able to properly use a curling iron, and somehow the flat iron gives me perfect, efficient waves. I use it on a medium setting so it doesn't fry my hair, and alter the "door-knob-twisting" motion depending on how tight of a curl I want.

    The curling wand looks like something I might have to try, though for sure!

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    1. I totally do this too, when I do heat-curl my hair!

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  19. My hair is short, and when I got it cut my stylist said to curl from root to tip. She explained the curls would last longer, and she's right!

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  20. I recently switched to a curling wand as well and I love it. My stick straight hair stays curled all day, it's pretty awesome.

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  21. First of all, I LOVE your outfit. Second, I don't curl my hair often, but I really love the look. Maybe I need to invest in one of these soon...

    Looking beautiful, as always!

    xo,
    rn
    www.rachelnicoleblog.com

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  22. your hair is so gorgeous! i have naturally wavy/curly hair, but have actually been thinking about getting a wand to accentuate my curls. love this tutorial. i think i'd rest my wrist on the top, too!

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  23. My hair is very thin and won't hold a curl :( I wish it did

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  24. I love your curls! My young sister has a curling wand and has been trying to convince me that that's the way to go! I love the way it curls.

    xoxo
    Taylor

    www.welcomehometaylor.com

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  25. I curl mine using my straighteners... They're GHD stylers, with the rounded edges, so you can curl too. I've always found my hair too long to use a wand and I was always burning my fingertips holding it in place! X

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  26. I've never tried a curling wand after a bad experience at the hairdressers. You make it look so simple I might have to re-consider purchasing one. Love your hair colour x

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  27. Call me crazy but I have never heard of a curling wand. Now I need to have one. And so the search begins... ;)

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  28. I have natural curly hair but I don't like the way some of my curls look so I either sleep with my hair in braids at night or curl a few pieces.

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  29. woah, amazing. I think I need one!


    XO Sahra
    Que Sera Sahra

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  30. I just got the Remington pearl ceramic curling wand for Christmas and I used it for the first time on Saturday when I was going to a wedding. I loved it! Definitely takes some getting used to but my hair curled so fast and the curls were much tighter than I can get with my normal curling iron. adore it.

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  31. I just use a regular ole curling iron with the clippy thing... I don't think I could get used to a wand, I would burn myself every time!!!

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  32. I ordered a curling wand for Christmas but it still hasn't come yet :(
    but I'm happy to see you using a tapered wand because I wasn't sure how the curls would look with the tapered attachment (the one I ordered comes with three different shaped attachments), but I really like your curls! now I just wish the hairdresser hadn't been so chop-happy last time I went in.. I liked it at first but I'm ready to get my length back now...

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  33. Thank you for this post. I have had hair envy since I started following your blog a few months ago. I LOVE your curls. I have straightish hair that still needs to be straightened to look good, but my hair is very long, almost down to my hips, and it's time for a change, I need curls for some volume. Looking at buying a curling wand soon :)

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  34. My hair is very pliable, so I am able to twist it into one twist and put it in a very simple bun and allow it to dry. When it gets closer to just being damp, I put it in a twist over my right shoulder and when it dries I just separate it with my fingers. It ends up looking pretty much like yours and will stay for three days! But if my hair just stops working that way, I'll just get a curling wand, because it looks great.

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  35. awesome! I didn't even know these existed until now.

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  36. this is the Best blog . We can get new hair style by using this Hair Straightener

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  37. I got a curling wand a few Christmasses ago and I love it. Mine came with a little glove which you use to stop yourself burning your hand (which I did regularly as I'm clumsy).

    Thanks for sharing - I did wonder how your hair always looks so nice!

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  38. The waves in your hair are so absolutely gorgeous! I love it!
    Greetings, Eve

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  39. I curl my hair exactly how you used to. Maybe I should make the switch.

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  40. My hair is naturally curly (with a tendency to frizz unattractively) and I usually straighten it - on the odd occasion I want neat curls, I curl with my straighteners, because I don't own a curling styler. It's not really long enough to get the pretty, bouncy curls you wear, though - I'm so envious of your long hair!

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  41. I can't curl my hair for anything! Do you think this method would be easier to learn if you've struggled with the traditional curling iron method?

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  42. Oh my gosh, I have that exact same Bailey's tea cup!!!

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  43. Oh my gosh I have that exact same Bailey's tea cup!!

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  44. I curl mine with a straightener actually. Curling irons never work for me! Takes a little practice, but I love it. I need to try a curling wand though!

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  45. I curl mine with a straightener actually. Curling irons never work for me! Takes a little practice, but I love it. I need to try a curling wand though!

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  46. I use my curling iron as a curling wand. I probably rest my hand on the tip too. haha. I have a salon style one so it has the temperature settings too. I could never go back to a drugstore one - totally hooked!

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  47. I love to make curls in my hairs. You really have nice hairs dear. I also bought two curling irons last month, one for me and other for my sister. You know we both are learning tips on how to make nice curls. Thanks anyways.

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