Fall is for Curls

The thought of fall conjures up comfy layered clothing and finally letting hair down from being tied up in summer pony tails, braids and buns. And this season, natural texture and curly locks have swept back into our hearts. “The major bonus in the current trend of curls is there is no right or wrong way to rock the look! Curls can be lazy and loose, tight and voluminous, or even better…a mix of textures for a more dimensional finish,” says Andrew Carruthers, Education Director for Sam Villa, who offers two fresh curly looks for fall.

For a rocker look with tons of fullness, separation and a hint of a Robert Plant influenced shag, a blow dryer with a diffuser and plenty of curl contracting products will do the trick.

• First, do not over-cleanse the hair! If hair is dirty, wash with a non-foaming cleanser like Redken Curvaceous No Foam Highly Conditioning Cleanser. Otherwise, just condition or thoroughly rinse.
• Keep hair fairly wet and apply a curl defining product that coaxes out a tight texture such as Redken Curvaceous CCC Spray. Apply a little extra and gently rake through with fingers to leave the curls intact.
• Flip head upside down and gently squeeze excess water and product off the hair with a towel. Proceed around the head while scrunching the curls into a tight pattern.
• Place the diffuser onto the Sam Villa Light Professional Ionic Blow Dryer and set heat to max and airflow to medium.
• With the head still upside down place diffuser at the crown area, carefully gathering curls into the bowl to maintain their pattern. Now the hard part…DON’T MOVE until this area is 100% dry! Moving the diffuser around creates frizz and breaks down the curl.
• Now, slowly return head upright and tip to one side. Repeat the diffusing process on the side, go to the back, and then to the opposite side. Again, be sure each area is dry before moving to the next.
• Before the next step, be sure that all areas are 100% dry.
• Again, flip upside down, puff Redken Powder Grip 03 through the base and squeeze through the curls to soften the definition.
• Through areas that need defining use the Sam Villa Artist Series 2-in-1 Marcel Curling Iron and Wand 1” (in wand form) to lightly wrap the curls back together.
• Finish with a strong setting spray lightly misted throughout.

To dress up the look and add some contrast to the visual textures, gently brush out and add a few bobby pins to shift the vibe.

• Perform the same steps as above, choosing a slightly softer product while hair is wet and stop before applying Redken Powder Grip 03.
• Define areas of curl with that got a little lazy during the drying process with the 1” wand and make sure everything has completely cooled. (Use the cool setting on the dryer with the diffuser to set in the curls if necessary).
• Flip head upside down again. Using the Sam Villa Artist Series Finishing Brush, and an extremely gentle touch, subtly brush out the curls from mid-strand to ends.
• Bring head back to a natural position and find a flattering deep side part on one side or the other.
• On the shallow side, mist with a light workable spray like Redken Fashion Work 12 and brush back to just behind the ear with the finishing brush. Place two bobby pins in an X pattern for good grip and an added visual element.
• Mist a light dry finishing spray such as Redken Wind Blown 05 throughout and re-scrunch the texture for a super live-in look.

“Curls are as multi-faceted as the people that wear them, so don’t be afraid to explore new techniques and combinations of texture to celebrate the fact that fall is for curls!!” adds Carruthers.
Credits: Hair/Sam Villa ArTeam; Photo/Katie Parker; Wardrobe/Brittany Hart; MUA/Nicole Schimel; Model/Nausheen Ahmed @nausheen_ahmed