Curly hair comes in lots of different shapes and sizes so identifying a suitable styling and definition technique for your hair type is the first step for having a super voluminous and defined hairstyle at all times!
There are many possible applications of styling and definition products because every set of curls has different specific needs that can be enhanced in different ways.
In this post we summarise 4 techniques for the optimum definition of your curly hair!
Keep reading this post if you want to find out how to style your hair by:
- Plopping, also known as the turban technique;
- Creating Finger Coils, a technique in which the fingers are used for extreme definition;
- Using the Fitagem method, a unique Brazilian technique for hair with plenty of body;
- Pulsing, the pressure technique for hair with lots of volume!
Gel styling for soft, nourished and super-defined curls. Ideal for hair with medium to coarse texture.
Styling mousse in mini size for defined and voluminous curls. Ideal for hair with medium to fine texture.
Cream styling in mini size for supple, defined and voluminous curls. Ideal for all types and textures of curly and wavy hair.
Plopping is a perfect drying technique if your curly or wavy hair isn’t too short.
It is really useful during the warm season because it doesn’t involve use of the hair dryer.
Before Plopping, shampoo your hair and apply a really good moisturising mask.
Once you have washed it, apply your frizz-control cream holding your locks tightly between your fingers and moving them in an upwards direction.
At this point you need a simple cotton t-shirt, long-sleeved ideally, or alternatively a microfibre towel.
Put the t-shirt on a fairly spacious surface, well opened out with the sleeves pointing downwards, and create a turban with your hair closely gathered together at its centre.
Once you have created your Plopping headdress, leave it in place for between half an hour and a maximum of two hours before opening the t-shirt or towel.
Run your fingers through your curls to divide them naturally, fix your hair in place with a generous spray of hair lacquer and finish drying your hair, if necessary, in the open air, making sure you don’t overexpose it to the sun.
Our fingers are the undisputed protagonists of the Finger Coils hairstyling technique!
After all, there is no better tool for defining our curls than our hands!
To create Finger Coils wash your hair and apply your usual styling product, making sure you cover every last lock.
After this preliminary step, divide the hair in sections starting from the back.
Start coiling the individual strands of hair around your fingers, from root to end, repeating this process on the rest of your hair.
After twisting all of your locks, tightly scrunch your hair, squeezing your curly hair with your hands in an upwards direction.
Gradually your hair will take on the desired form and you’ll be able to dry it with a hair dryer and diffuser.
Fitagem is a Brazilian hairstyle technique, one of the best ways of controlling, defining and, above all, sculpting curls.
Perfect for leaving your hair looking shiny, elastic and glossy, the first step in this process is to wash your hair with a gentle shampoo specifically for curly hair.
After rinsing, massage your hair from the roots to the ends and apply an ultra-hydrating conditioner and an ultra-nourishing mask.
Once the waiting times of the individual products have elapsed, it is time to rinse and get on with the Fitagem.
After gently patting dry your hair with a microfibre towel to eliminate any excess water, prepare the mixture that will enable you to put this Brazilian technique into practice!
Blend a couple of teaspoons of frizz-control cream with a tablespoon of hair oil – preferably 100% natural products in both cases!
Properly combined in a simple bowl, these two ingredients will form your beauty elixir for super voluminous and defined curly and wavy hair!
Distribute the mixture over your hair, strand by strand.
To correctly apply the fluid, take a fairly large chunk of hair and spread the mixture over from the roots to the ends.
Use a wide tooth comb to divide the chunk of hair into four smaller locks. Now gather together and crunch these locks in your hands until you obtain defined curls, continuing with the process in the rest of your hair.
Leave the locks treated like this in place for at least an hour then dry with a hair dryer and diffuser!
Pulsing is a technique that uses hand pressure to make sure that the products chosen for the care and definition of curly hair penetrate deep down.
Also in this case, the first step is the correct washing of the hair using a specific shampoo and conditioner for your type of curly hair and your requirements.
After washing your hair, choose the most appropriate styling product – mousse, cream or gel – and apply to single locks, previously separated into sections, exerting pressure with your two hands joined together as if you were saying a prayer!
Thanks to this pressure the chosen styling product can penetrate your hair deep down, guaranteeing you curls with amazing definition.
Once you have distributed the product it is essential to scrunch all of your hair, after which you can proceed to dry it with a hair dryer and diffuser as you normally do.
Every definition technique described in this post guarantees a different curly or wavy result.
Try them on your curly hair and choose the most suitable technique for obtaining full-bodied, defined and super-voluminous hair!
Hi! My name is Carlotta Stacchini and for over 10 years I have been working with words to turn my beauty experience into useful tips for those who read my articles!
I am a professional beauty blogger and I am also very curly, so my work focuses a lot on hair care!
I love to bring all my experience together to create guides that can help women experience an enjoyable and satisfying daily beauty routine.
I firmly believe that personal care and cosmetics can change, one day at a time, every woman’s perception of herself.
Because feeling cared for has incredible positive power over one’s self-esteem!