Hair Stylists Reveal the Trick to Getting Stick Straight Hair to Curl, AND Stay That Way!

Nothing to Disclose

I'm sure a lot of us straight haired girls have complained at one point or another that we can't get our hair to hold curl. Like, at all. Usually the words "stick straight" are also used (though really, sticks aren't straight?), so I called in a few experts to find out their tricks to getting our hair curly in the salon. (And I admit that I couldn't resist buying this stock picture, doesn't she look like she's maniacally happy that her hair is finally curled?)


Crystal Casey
I like to use Joico's medium hold hair spray before using the iron then once I'm done curling, I spray the curls with Joico's Firm Hold hairspray. Let the curls cool down while you apply make up or get dressed. Then use Straight Sexy Hair's shine spray all over and finger out the curls. DO NOT BRUSH THEM! An extra spray of Firm Hold never hurts.

Alfredo Lewis
I take round sections of hair, starting at the bottom and build my foundation. I go section by section, spraying each with a strong holding spray before using a curling iron. I hold the iron upside down and wrap each section tightly around the iron. Hold and then release.

Joshua Ristaino
To help hair hold curls I like to use either the Oribe Curl Shaping Mousse or the Rene Furterer Acanthe Curl Enhancing Leave-in Fluid. Both can be applied to wet hair and diffused. The key is not to play around with the curls until the hair is completely dry.

Greg Ruggeri
I use evo's liquid rollers curl balm and their salty dog cocktail beach spray (sea salt spray), complimented with a few clips.

Andrea Dion Jacobs
Curling with an iron hair should be dry and a little “dirty”. Day old hair is perfect, if not spray nice workable hair spray throughout the hair, I like Bumble and Bumble Classic and brush through. Spray each section again with hair spary as you iron the hair, clipping up the curl as you go along. Once all clipped up let “set” for a minute or 2 (great time to do your make up) then release and style. You can always work out a curl too tight than desired then try to make it tighter after the fact.




Alfredo Lewis has been a hair color specialist for almost 20 years. He trained at both the prestigious Yamano Beauty College in Los Angeles and the Loreal Paris Color Academy in New York City. After graduating, Alfredo studied with top celebrity colorists, Negan Zand and Lori Goddard-Clark, at Cristophe Salon in Beverly Hills. There he mastered the arts of Balyage and foil highlights, creating true baby blondes and rich caramel browns as well as color correction. He has worked on celebrities such as Adriana Lima, Dave Navarro, Camryn Manheim, Sandra Bullock, Nastasia Kinski, Holly Hunter, Jaquiline Pinol, Ricki Lander, Monet Mazur and Jane Fonda. After working with celebrity stylist Corey Powell at Jonathon Salon, a Bravo Blowout Series salon, he returned to Cristophe for more than eight years as a color specialist. He currently works at the Argyle Salon and Spa, housed in the Sunset Tower Hotel, in West Hollywood.

Andrea Dion Jacobs is based at the Orchid Salon in the Four Seasons Resort and Spa on the beautiful island of Maui (find them on Facebook). Becoming a hairstylist right out high school Andrea's life long love for the industry has taken her from behind the chair as a stylist and master colorist to 10 years as the owner of a successful Downtown Boston salon. She and her husband traded the city life for the sun and sand of Maui.

Crystal Casey is a 5 year experienced Paul Mitchell Professional, a master of color, a creative genius in updos and special event styles, as well as a skilled precision cutter. High Voltage Hair by Crystal Casey offers on location hair services. Everything from cuts & color, to photo shoots & bridal services. Crystal is very well known in the Hampton Roads wedding community. Her work can be found in The Hampton Roads Wedding Planner Magazine and on the pages of various well known photographers & make up artist in the area. Crystal was also lucky enough to be able to work with Miss United States 2012: Whitney Miller. Her education continues everyday as she pushes herself to learn new and innovative trends, as well as new color and cutting techniques. Crystal travels in and around the Hampton Roads area for services to her clients.

Celebrity stylist and makeup artist Joshua-Myles Ristaino not only counts A-List clients like Elizabeth McGovern, Elizabeth Banks, Elizabeth Olsen, and Marc Jacobs as his clients, but his work has also graced the pages of Vanity Fair, Glamour, and Cosmopolitan. A graduate of the Aveda Institute, NY, Joshua-Myles has been given the fundamentals of hair cutting, and his continuing education with Toni and Guy over the years has honed his craft. Whether he’s on set at an editorial shoot or getting a client red-carpet ready, he depends on tried and true products to bring his vision to life. Joshua-Myles was born in Boston, MA. He has lived and worked in numerous countries, maintaining New York as his home for the last four years.

Greg Ruggeri of Salon Ruggeri is an Australian native, Ruggeri's career began when he was just 13, while working at his mother's salon as an assistant, Ruggeri quickly picked up on the trade. Using his mother as a mentor, at 15 he started an apprenticeship working for a salon in fashionable Paddington, Sydney. He quickly worked his way up the ladder, finding time to train as a make-up artist, going on to do hair & make-up regularly for Gucci, Louis Vuitton and YSL. In 2005, Ruggeri opened his own salon with interior designer partner, Craig Longhurst, in their Victorian townhouse in Sydney, Australia. The two-chair intimate salon became the salon for Australia's celebrity and elite, providing masterful work in a very exclusive and private setting. After five successful years, Ruggeri and Longhurst brought their salon stateside to New York City and opened Salon Ruggeri in August 2010. Today, Salon Ruggeri seamlessly blends the finest talent in hairstyling with rare one-on-one experience in an artful and chic setting.