How To: Outer Barrel Curls

The Outer Barrel Curling Method is great if you have a hard time using a curling iron and get those 'crease' marks. This method creates a soft curl, and is super easy to do at home. Always use caution when working with heat tools, and be sure to use a heat protectant on your hair. 
One of my favorites is ColorProof's Heat Proof.


Your curling iron probably looks like this.. and you would normally wrap your hair on the inside of the iron. But, with this method, it stays closed and you wrap the hair around the outside of the iron. You can also use a curling wand for this.




Begin by sectioning your hair. Sectioning you hair provides you with more control, and helps you put the curls right where you want them! If you have thicker hair, take smaller sections, if you have finer hair take larger sections. The sections should start at the nape. (the back, bottom part of your head) Work your way up the head, making a new section each time.


Then, starting with the iron in the middle of the hair section, begin wrapping the hair around the iron. You may hold the iron vertically or horizontally. If you want the curls to be consistant, stick with one way, if you want a variety, alternate between the two. Don't overlap the hair as you are wrapping the section around the iron, you want the hair to have an even amount of heat. I always leave about a half inch of hair on the ends off the iron when I wrap it this way, just so I don't burn myself.




The finished look! In this picture, I used a 1" barrel curling iron and used vertical wrapping sections. Also, I combed my fingers through it.

Side Notes:
*The smaller the curling iron is, the tighter the curl will be.
*Avoid touching the hair right after it has been curled. Wait for the hair to cool before adjusting pieces of combing through it. Touching the hair before it has had time to cool can make the curls fall out!
*If you hair has a hard time holding a curl, lightly spray each section with 'working' hairspray. This is a light hold hair spray that can be brushed out with ease. That helps set the hair on the curl.