Legging curls are a popular heatless method for creating waves or curls in your hair using a legging as a styling tool. This technique allows you to achieve curls overnight without the damage caused by heat styling tools.
What Are Legging Curls?
Legging curls are a type of heatless curl method where you wrap sections of your hair around the legs of a pair of leggings. The leggings provide a soft surface to wrap hair around, allowing it to set into a curl pattern as it dries or while you sleep. It's an accessible DIY approach using common clothing items.
How to Create Legging Curls: A Step-by-Step Guide
Doing legging curls typically involves placing the legging across your head and wrapping hair around each leg, similar to other fabric-based heatless curling methods.
Here are the general steps:
- Prepare Your Hair: Start with slightly damp hair. It shouldn't be dripping wet, but enough moisture helps the curl set. You can mist dry hair with water or a styling spray.
- Position the Legging: Take a pair of clean leggings and place the waistband across the top of your head, letting the legs hang down on either side. You can secure the waistband with clips if needed, though the weight of the hair will eventually hold it.
- Begin Wrapping: Choose one side to start. Take a section of hair near your face and wrap it around one of the legging legs, moving away from your face.
- Add More Hair: As you continue wrapping down the legging leg, gradually add more sections of hair to the piece you are wrapping, similar to how you would do a French braid or twist. As the reference notes, you can grab layers, adding them to the section and keeping it super tight as you wrap.
- Wrap Down to the Ends: Continue adding hair and wrapping the combined section tightly around the legging leg until you reach the ends of your hair.
- Secure the Ends: Once all the hair on one side is wrapped around the legging leg, secure the ends. You can use a scrunchie, hair tie, or even tuck the ends into the wrapped section itself.
- Repeat on the Other Side: Follow the same process on the other side of your head with the remaining legging leg.
- Secure the Leggings: Once both sides are wrapped, you can bring the legging legs together at the back of your head or neck and tie them or secure them with a large scrunchie to keep everything in place, especially if sleeping in them.
- Allow Hair to Dry/Set: Leave the leggings in for several hours or overnight until your hair is completely dry.
- Unwrap and Reveal: Once dry, carefully unwrap your hair from the leggings. Gently separate the curls with your fingers (avoid brushing) for a softer look, or leave them defined.
Essential Materials
- One pair of clean leggings
- Hair (slightly damp is best)
- Scrunchies or hair ties for securing ends
Why Choose Legging Curls?
This method is popular for several reasons:
- Heatless: Avoids heat damage from curling irons or straighteners.
- Accessible: Uses a common household item.
- Comfortable: Softer to sleep in than rigid rods or rollers.
- Cost-Effective: Requires no special tools or expensive products beyond basic hair care items.
Here's a quick summary:
Step | Action | Tip |
---|---|---|
1. Hair Prep | Dampen hair | Use a spray bottle |
2. Legging Placement | Place waistband over head, legs hanging | Secure with clips if needed |
3. Wrapping | Wrap hair sections around legging leg | Start near the face |
4. Adding Hair | Continuously add layers to the wrapping section | Keep it super tight! |
5. Secure Ends | Fasten hair ends to the legging leg | Use scrunchies |
6. Secure Leggings | Tie or secure legging legs together | Best for sleeping |
7. Wait | Allow hair to dry completely | Overnight works well |
8. Unwrap | Gently remove hair from leggings | Avoid pulling |
9. Style | Separate curls with fingers | For a natural, soft look |
Legging curls are a creative way to achieve beautiful, bouncy curls or waves without resorting to damaging heat, proving that sometimes the best styling tools are already in your wardrobe.