How Do I Get My Curling Iron Curls Not To Fall Flat?

Curls can fall flat for a number of different reasons, but there are  ways to make your gorgeous bouncy curls last all through the holiday party. And the best part? You don’t have to slather them in rock-hard hairspray to get the look to stick.

According to celebrity hair artist Joseph Michael, prepping for curls starts in the shower. Michael recommends using a cleansing shampoo that’ll eliminate any product buildup that could possibly weigh down hair later. He loves Together Beauty’s Wash and Co.’s cleansing conditioner that clarifies and conditions in one step. From there, he suggests adding a styling cream to towel-dried hair. Oribe’s Imperial Blowout Transformative Styling Crème does the trick, since it helps to soften hair while still adding volume and protecting from heat damage. After that, you can go ahead and do a blowout as you normally would with a round brush, making sure to curl and flip the ends. Then, a helpful celeb hair hack comes into play to prep for the curling iron.

“I dry shampoo throughout the hair to give a little bit more volume and grip to hold the curls,” Michael says. “I love Together Beauty’s dry shampoo because it does not leave any kind of white powder or dryness to the hair.” Then, it’s time to curl.

Michael recommends setting your curling iron to 350 degrees and applying a flexible finishing spray to each curl. “I allow the curl to simply fall without disrupting the curl pattern,” he adds. Once hair is cooled down, he’ll section out curls with his fingers and brush them out with a wide-tooth comb. Then he goes back in with the Oribe Heat Styling Spray to seal the curl “without flakiness or crunchiness.” Expect soft, bouncy curls and a style that’ll never drop.