7 Awesome Ways to Curl Your Hair ...

1. Sock Bun

Although this may seem like one of the more unconventional ways to curl your hair, the sock bun trend is really making waves (or should I say, curls?). Hair donuts, as they're also called, can be found at any hair supply store or even drugstores like CVS and Target, If you want to save some cash and make your own, cut the toe off of a sock and roll the sock into itself starting from the top all the way down, until it makes a round "donut." To create curls right before bed, put damp hair in to a ponytail and secure with a hair tie. Grab the ponytail and pull it all the way up, holding it at the ends of the hair. Place the sock bun on the ends of the ponytail and start tucking the hair in to the bun. Keep rolling the bun in an inverted motion all the way down the ponytail while tucking the hair in to it. Eventually you will reach the top of the ponytail, where you can either pin it or leave it be. I recommend skipping the pins so you can sleep in better comfort. The next morning, take out the bun and ponytail and voila! Natural curls with no heat!

2. Flat Iron

Did you know flat irons can actually curl your hair as well? Take one inch sections and run the iron down your hair once to warm up the hair. Next, slowly bring the iron down to about the middle of you hair, and once your reach this point, start turning the iron in an upward position so that you're "flipping" the iron around. Keep turning the iron while also moving it down the length of your hair. Once you're done, you hair will resemble a wave, so just shape the curl with your fingers by turning the hair in the direction of the wave.

3. Clamp-less Wand

Beach-y waves have been a hairstyle staple for a while now, but some may still not know how to achieve this look. Start by wrapping a one inch section of hair around the wand starting at the top of the wand and working towards the bottom. Hold the wand upside down in a vertical position and hold for about 10 seconds. Release the hair and spray with hairspray if necessary. Take the next section of hair, but this time, wrap the hair in the opposite direction as the previous section of hair. Alternating curling directions throughout your hair will help the curls to look more natural and less like one big blended mega-curl.

4. Hollywood Retro

Many celebrities are sporting this old school Hollywood glam look. Separate your hair into three sections (or two if you have thinner hair) and use a one inch barrel curling iron to curl one inch sections of hair all the way around your head. Unlike the previous style, make sure that each curl is done in the same direction. When you're done, brush out your hair (trust me on this one). Slowly, you will notice the retro waves appearing. Take one side of your hair and pin it with bobby pins back by the nape of your neck and bring the rest of your hair over your opposite shoulder. This look will give Grace Kelly a run for her money!

5. Pin Curls

This is another do-before-bed-and-fuggedaboutit look. Take damp hair (if you don't have time for a pre-bedtime shower, use a spray bottle of water) and section your hair off in to two sections. Clip back the bottom half of your hair and leave the top out. Take small one inch sections and twist the hair all the way down to the ends, then take the twist and make a tiny bun and secure with a bobby pin, Continue making little twist-y buns all around your head, and do the same with the bottom half of your hair. When you're done, you might resemble Crazy Eyes from OITNB, but the end result will be fabulous. Place a fabric bonnet over your hair to keep the hair in one piece if one or more of the buns come undone throughout the night. When you wake up in the morning, undo each bun and check out the awesome new curls you have!

6. Velcro Rollers

These may seem old school, but even Victoria's Secret models can be seen sporting these babies. After you get out of the shower, section you hair off in to three sections (or again, two if necessary), and start rolling one inch sections of hair in to a large Velcro roller starting from the bottom and rolling the hair underneath. Secure the roller with a long metal hair clip and continue doing this all around your head. Place a diffuser on your hair dryer and blow dry your hair while still in the curlers (the diffuser will prevent the rollers from blowing all over the place). After your hair is completely dry, undo the curlers and let down your beautiful tousled curls.

7. Old Fashioned Clamp

Clamp curling irons are still completely relevant, so don't go tossing these tried-and-true irons! Curling with a clamp iron can be done a couple of ways, but I'm going to share two. First, you can clamp a small one inch section of hair at the ends of the hair and roll under all the way to the root. Remember to always roll on the side that the hair is clamped in. Like the clamp-less wand look, curl each piece of hair opposite as the one before it for more natural looking curls. The other option for curling with a clamp is to start in the middle of the one inch section of hair and begin rolling up to the root so that part of your hair is sticking out. Press the clamp trigger so that the clamp releases and slide the barrel down a few inches and roll up again. If more hair is still left out, repeat the release-and-roll process. Some say that curling from the center of your hair helps the curl to last longer—it's up to you!

Keep in mind when doing these techniques that not everyone's hair curls the same. Some hair holds curl much easier than others, so if your hair is super-straight, the heatless curls may not be the best option for you. Instead, opt for a curling iron either with a clamp or without. Also remember that if you have thick hair, your sections will need to be made smaller than someone with thinner hair. Test out some of these curling tips and see which one works best for you! Do you have any favorite curling methods?