For years, I was always afraid of using a curling iron due to fear of a) burning myself and b) my hair looking more like Shirley Temple and less like Jennifer Lawrence with her beachy waves. Well, the JUGs are fortunate enough to have a friend who is a hair stylist in the city. I was first introduced to J at Roffi last year when I wanted a change from my neighborhood salon and to understand why my friends were bragging about their coveted go-to girl for their new look. Like most clients (I think), I asked question upon question about styling. I did not want to resort to braiding wet hair before bed as a curling "technique" and wanted to learn how to do a blowout the right way rather than resorting to paying someone to do it for me (although I'm no stranger to this, if the event is fitting).
At my most recent appointment with J this spring, she volunteered an idea of having a "Ladies Night" at the Newbury Street salon. She suggested our intimate group bring tools from home that they want to learn how to correctly use, and the night would be an open forum to experiment with different looks and trends. This is something that was definitely overdue for me. The invite went out almost immediately, and in the weeks that followed, the countdown began. We went to the salon last Tuesday night and took over.
We had the entire top floor of the salon to ourselves, popped some prosecco and were off. The fact that all of us had different hair types and colors was a complete accident, but made great examples for styles J showed us.
The first tutorial was a fishtail braid, which a lot of us know now how to do! This is great for a workout style or roll-out-of-bed Friday morning that makes you look polished!
Next, it was time for an updo. This is perfect for a summer wedding, night out, or even great for the "day after" (since you should really just wash your hair 2-3x/week)! Here are the steps:
Step 1: Before...
Step 2: Part hair to the side, leaving one piece from the front out to curl (later twirls around back section).
Step 3: Put rest of hair in low ponytail and made a hole in the middle to put the ponytail through (flashback to the topsy tail! #90skids).
Step 4: Division out ponytail into three even sections.
Step 5: Twist each section (alternate between clockwise and counterclockwise directions) and hold each so they stay twisted.
Step 6: Bobby pin twisted pieces into the original ponytail opening from step 3. Lightly pull hair out so it's somewhat relaxed looking and not too tight to your head.
Step 7: Continue until pieces are randomly placed yet pinned enough that they won't move. Take the curled section from the front/step 2 and pin that over the entire back section so your create a French twist.
Step 8: ...After!
J's tips for curling:
- First try curling when the iron is cold
- Once you're ready, separate hair by creating two (more if you have thicker hair) front/side sections and one back section
- Start in the middle (1" iron used) to get heat exposure, and move down the hair before curling up to the base of the head
- Follow the barrel of the curl when wrapping hair around the iron, but curl away from the face
- Once curls are done, put your head back, shake out so they loosen
- Lock in for the day/event with "light hold" hair spray
Other tips from J:
- Dry shampoo is your friend! Great for use on days in between washes. Be sure to spray a can's-length away from your head.
- Recommended item: René Furterer
- Getting the wetness out of hair before blow drying is key. Make sure hair is 75% dry before even starting, and section off according to where your part is. Be sure to start with sections on the bottom and in the back, working your way toward front/top of hair.
- Recommended item: "The Wet Brush"
J is totally a natural teacher and we all left feeling prettier than when we walked in. I, personally, cannot wait to have another tutorial night soon. Thanks, again, J!
- Meredith
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