5 Hair Products Even Clueless Girls Can Master

When it comes to styling my hair, I have to admit I’m kind of hopeless. I can’t braid. I can’t blow it dry. I didn’t know how to use a curling iron until I was 18 – my friends had always done my hair before cheerleading and dances when we were in high school.

Unfortunately, I have “difficult” hair. It’s wavy, frizzy, thick and coarse, and I never know what it’s going to look like when I wash it and let it air dry. As of late, I hate my hair texture and almost never wear my hair natural. I go in phases.

That said, I have to look presentable and I don’t want to rely on a ponytail 24/7, so here are the tools that even the laziest, most styling-clueless chicks like me can master.

Rollers

Hot rollers give you instant Victoria’s Secret-model waves and tumbling curls, and they’re so easy to use! Heat them up, section off your hair and roll! That’s it. I like to roll them both under and over my hair so it doesn’t look too retro or too newscaster-y. Let them sit for 20 minutes while you do your makeup or do 100 squats and when you’re done, you’ll have a head full of beautiful, long-lasting curls with great volume. I recommend Caruso rollers, which use steam in lieu of electric heat.

The Kiss Instawave Curling Rod

Curling irons are my sometime foe. I can use them just fine by now, but since I have so much hair it takes FOREVER to curl my whole head and I get bored. The Instawave looks really crazy and dangerous, but it’s so easy to use! It curls your hair FOR you! All you do is place it parallel to a section of your hair and press the button. Depending on which direction you want the curl to go, the wand spins and grabs your hair, curling it perfectly. Technology is magical!

Goody Spin Pins

I don’t know how these things work – magic, maybe. These two curly pins manage to hold my whole head of thick hair all day long. I use them for easy French Twist-style updos: make a low ponytail near the base of your head, then flip it up towards the top and tuck the ends in. Secure with a Spin Pin at the top and another at the bottom, twisting them in opposite directions. Voila!

Aveda Naturally Straight

This groundbreaking product from my current employer promises to progressively straighten your natural curl when you apply it before your regular blow-dry routine. With five consecutive applications, your hair can stay straight for three washes! It’s like a keratin treatment, except it’s not semi-permanent. I don’t use it with heat, but rather add it to my wet hair. It tames the frizz and calms down the waves. It’s a really cool product for curly girls.

Velcro rollers

My current routine is washing my hair, brushing it and adding a generous amount of Naturally Straight styling cream to it when it’s wet. When my hair is barely damp, I wind it on giant Velcro rollers to smooth out some of the weird kinks and waves. It makes me feel like a cute retro grandma, and after a blast with the hair dryer, my hair is straight at the crown and full of volume. Ta da! Grandmas know what’s up.