It took me almost 30 years to learn how to style my hair

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I’m one of those people blessed with long, thick hair but absolutely no clue what to do with it. Yes I know, everyone who wishes their hair would grow just a little more is shaking their head in dismay.

But it just wasn’t something that I really learnt or cared about growing up. It took me until I was 13 years old to go to the hairdresser for the first time, and all I’ve ever done since then is get layers cut. And I’ve dyed it twice – a slightly different shade of brown.

I turn 27 soon and until now my hairstyle repertoire consisted of a ponytail – sometimes even a side ponytail – a bun, a plait, and out. That was it.

And while I own a hair straightener (no it’s not a ghd) and a fancy Dyson hair dryer, I’ve failed to master any other kind of style, even the simplest curls.

For most events that I go to, I’ll wear my hair in a bun for the day and am lucky enough that my hair falls into naturally loose curls that almost look like I tried. But while it looks great when it works, a lot of the time it doesn’t, and them I’m left with more bed hair than wed hair.

For major events, like my 21st birthday or my wedding day I’ve asked/hired professional help to curl my hair. I’m having flashbacks to our work Christmas party last year where I was running around like a headless chook trying to get someone to help me!

Just recently one of my dear friends spent an hour trying to curl my hair for me because I would constantly lament that ‘my hair just doesn’t hold the curls’, ‘it takes so much effort’ and ‘it’s gone within an hour’.

Generally, I get the responses of ‘well you’re doing it wrong’, ‘your hair is just too heavy’, ‘you need more hairspray’, ‘you need to use the right straightener’, ‘you’re twisting the curl wrong’ etc…… And I’ll admit, I was probably doing all of those things.

So, because I finally felt that I wanted to be able to rock up to work with stylish curls, I set about consulting an expert to work out exactly what I was doing wrong, and why it seemed that everybody except me just knew what to do with their hair.

Renya Xydis, stylist to the likes of Nicole Kidman and Naomi Watts, sat down with me this week and said the equation was simple – with the right tool for my hair and a few easy tricks curling would be easy.

She said some common mistakes is that people often only curl the ends and forget to add volume to the roots, or trying to manipulate the curls before they’ve had time to cool and set. So many of us, including me, will successfully be able to curl one side of our hair and then struggle with the other.

“It’s a shame, because everyone has such beautiful hair and your hair has been on your head your whole life so you’ve got to learn how to do it,” Renya tells me.

According to Renya I “have the easiest hair for a loose wave” – good start. I can get away with just taking my hair from the chin down and using a curling wand instead of a hair straighter – specifically the new Cloud Nine Curling Wand – I can just section my hair out, maybe three to five sections per half and wrap it around the wand.

Then, most importantly, hold until the heat comes all the way through the hair, release, and DO NOT touch it until it cools.

“A lot of people (me) get so excited they made a curl that they play with it and then it goes. You can use a clip, or just cup it and hold it in your hand,” Renya says. “Just rake it with your fingers, hair spray and that’s it. The heat will make the curls last all day.”

No word of a lie the curls did last all day and into the next – even after a gym session.

And, thanks to a new tool and those very helpful tips I can happily report that I’ve successfully curled my hair again every day this week.

Keep the “mermaid hair” compliments coming guys!

Renya’s top tips for success:
– getting the right amount of hair on the tool
– let it cool down and don’t pull it out or try and manipulate it straight away
– using clips or your hands to hold the curl a little longer
– and hairspray as it’s setting

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