I’ll never forget the frustration of trying to get my stick-straight hair to hold a curl back when I was in high school. Like most girls, I wanted to do my hair for the football games, but it inevitably fell flat within 30 minutes of leaving the house. Once summer rolled around (aka more free time), I made it my mission to figure out how to train my hair to hold curls and make them last. After lots of trial and error, I finally figured it out, and haven’t had a problem since (over a decade later). For my best tips and tricks, keep reading.

how to train your hair to hold curls

use the right shampoo and conditioner

Training your hair to hold a curl starts well before you pick up the curling iron. Make sure you’re using the right shampoo and conditioner, especially if you have fine hair.

Clarifying shampoos do a great job of removing all of the product build-up from your roots, but can also dry out your hair a little. That dryness might make it easier to hold a curl, but can also cause damage to already vulnerable hair. I recommend using your go-to shampoo, since your hair is used to it. As far as conditioners go, I love Davines NouNou and Ouai Medium Conditioner. It’s a little pricier, but this K18 conditioner does a great job of protecting your hair and repairing damage while still being lightweight.

Surprisingly, one random product that really helped me train my hair is the Briogeo Don't Despair Repair Hair Mask. It’s meant to hydrate damaged hair, but it always gives my hair so much texture whenever I use it, so I relied on it heavily when I was first training my hair to curl. You can pick up a sample at Sephora to see how it affects your hair; a little goes a long way and too much can be heavy for fine hair, but it is sometimes the secret ingredient that helps train your hair to hold a curl.

make sure your hair is clean

Contrary to popular belief, day-old or slightly dirty hair isn’t the best for everyone. I’ve found that the natural oils of my hair seem to “block” the curl from holding, so even if your hair doesn’t feel dirty, it can still impact your hair’s ability to hold a curl. If you’ve tried to curl your hair hundreds of time with no success, try curling freshly washed hair. I’ve also found that letting my hair air dry can make the curls hold better, especially if I’m in a humid climate.

pick the right heat protectant

You always want to use a heat protectant, but I fully understand the temptation of wanting to curl on dry hair when you’re trying to train your hair to hold a curl. To get the benefits of a heat protectant without feeling like it’s blocking your hair from holding a curl, use a lightweight, fine mist instead of a serum, cream, or oil. My favorites are the Dae Agave Dry Heat Protection & Hold Styling Mist (which is also a clean beauty product) or the Oribe Gold Lust Dry Heat Protection Spray. Some of the most popular heat protectants have a consistency similar to leave-in conditioner (like the Bumble and bumble Hairdresser's Invisible Oil), but they tend to weigh the hair down and make it harder to train your hair to hold a curl.

use a 1” metal curling iron

While ceramic curling irons are a little less damaging and make your curls more polished, I recommend using a metal curling iron while you’re training your hair to hold a curl. Ceramic curling irons provide smoother, less frizzy curls, but metal curling irons hold high heat more efficiently, so they’re better for longer-lasting curls. I also recommend using a smaller barrel (1” is good, unless you have short hair). Even if you want loose beach waves, starting with a smaller barrel will help train your hair to hold the shape, and they’ll loosen over time. Still to this day, I only use a 1” barrel no matter how relaxed I want my waves. I just curl my hair for less time; I prefer that over more time + 1.5” barrel, because in my opinion, it’s less damaging. I’ve tried a huge range in price points, but my favorite curling iron is under $20.

curl your hair consistently, not just before the main event

My biggest mistake when I was learning to curl my hair was only curling it before big events. Consistency is key; I dedicated my summer to curling my hair almost every day, and after a few months, my hair completely adapted. My routine went from 30 minutes to 5; my hair curled easily and the curls lasted all day. If you have color-treated hair, you may see results in just a few weeks, but my hair wasn’t at the time and so it took a month or two to train my hair to hold a curl.

The best analogy I can use is that training your hair to hold a curl is similar to working out and developing muscle memory. The more consistently you curl your hair, the more it will cooperate over time. Even if it’s raining and you know your hair will fall, sticking to the process (and adding an extra-hold hairspray) will make a difference in the long run.

Just a note: some may think that consistently curling your hair causes more damage, and that’s what’s making your hair hold a curl better, but that was not my experience! Using a heat protectant as well as the right shampoo/ conditioner also helped me to avoid damage. I didn’t experience split ends or breakage, just an easier time curling my hair.