I’m not kidding when I say that not a day goes by in this office where we don’t end up talking about our production assistant, Laura’s hair. We talk about it Every. Single. Day. We like to call it “Victoria’s Secret Angel Hair” because it looks so much like the signature waves we see every year on the angel runway. We’ve been begging her to show us exactly how she does it for months now, and she finally agreed to bring her curling wand to the office and let us in on her technique (which is WAY simpler than we thought it would be, btw.)
photographed by jessica attie
featured image via victoria’s secret
Your hair is so amazing — do people ask you all the time how you get your waves?
Ahh, thank you!! It’s definitely a question I’ve gotten a few times because my curling technique really hasn’t changed much since high school. I feel like a lot of times people are expecting some really elaborate technique, or for it to take really long and are then shocked with how quick and easy it really is!
How long does this technique typically take you?
Usually it takes me about 25-30 minutes from start to finish to do my entire head but — as I’m sure you can tell — I have a lot of hair, so I think most people could do it in an even shorter amount of time.
Do you always start by blow drying your hair straight? Or can you apply this technique after your hair has air dried?
I sometimes actually prefer to start with my hair air dried. That’s not always an option when I shower in the morning and don’t have time for my hair to dry naturally, but I feel like my waves and texture help hold the curl even better than when it’s more straight. Once dry, I brush out my natural waves and the resulting frizzy brushed out texture is the perfect starting point for long-lasting curls!
Step One:
My first step is to section my hair into two equal pieces — top and bottom. I start from the back and work my way forward, curling all pieces away from my face while leaving about an inch out at the end. I do them pretty tightly, because I feel like it helps them last, and we’re going to loosen them out later. I’m also not very particular about how big the pieces are, or if all of them are the same size, or how much I’m leaving out each time since I’m going for more of a messy look anyway. My reason behind leaving some out at the bottom is because I’ve found it helps the ends to lay somewhat flat vs jutting out in all directions. Just a personal preference — not necessary! Play around with what looks best on your hair.
Step Two:
After I curl the entire bottom section, I go over it with a light coat of hairspray and then run my fingers through the curls to break them up so they’re a little less like ringlets and more like big waves. I’ve found that I don’t need as much hairspray when I let my hair ary dry, but do need a little bit more when its straightened for the curls to really hold. Either way, I like to use a lightweight hold spray so i can still run my fingers through the curls and its not too stiff or sticky feeling.
Step Three:
My third step is to start curling the top section, this time in alternating directions, still leaving a little bit out at the bottom like we did with the bottom section. I’ll keep doing this all the way around until I get to the last 2-3 pieces at the front, these I switch back to going away from my face. I feel like this small part is what really frames your face, keeps it from looking too messy and really pulls the look together giving you that Victoria’s secret wavy hair look.
Step Four:
To finish it off, I spray my entire head with more lightweight hairspray, flip my head over and shake it out, while running my fingers through it to really break up those tight curls and give it some amazing volume and body. I prefer this method to teasing. I also like to apply some type of oil or serum just to my ends, which tend to be the driest part of my hair and most prone to breakage and frizz.
The finished look!
Thanks, Laura, for sharing your secrets with us. You can expect us to all show up at work tomorrow with full-blown supermodel waves.
