How-To: Round Brush For Loose Curl And Wave

“Achieving beautifully shaped shiny curls can absolutely be achieved with just a brush and a blow dryer, the secret is in using a small thermal brush and an “ends first” technique,” says Andrew Carruthers, Education Director for Sam Villa. 

Brush
• Use smaller brushes to craft a nice curl pattern; larger brushes are better for smoothing and straightening, while smaller brushes create more definition and shape.
• A combination of a small brush with boar bristles and a thermal core is magic, because the boar bristles create shine while the thermal core heats to shape.  The Sam Villa Artist Series Spiral Thermal Brush even has a spiral pattern that creates tension and works hair closer to the core for more heat action. 

Technique
• When drying, instead of starting at the base and working out to the ends which requires stretching the base and midshaft after they’ve been curled, minimizing the curl action, dry the ends first.  After ends are dry and curled, move to the midshaft, while it is being styled the ends are naturally wrapping around the brush, so when they cool, they lock in the texture pattern creating a better curl.  The same happens when the base is being dried, then both the midshaft and ends are wrapping while they cool to lock in shape.

• Use vertical sections so the curls have their own space to move.  Horizontal sections create layer upon layer of curl, which condenses the pattern and increases density.
• Once cool, separate curls gently with Redken Dry Shampoo Paste 05, it’s half dry shampoo and half paste, so it separates like a paste and leaves a matte finish like a dry shampoo.

“Blow drying can create some really beautiful texture when you use a brush that has a thermal core with boar bristles, the combination is pretty hard to beat when you’re going for polish and shape,” adds Carruthers.
Photography: Courtesy of Sam Villa