Scrunching hair is the perfect technique to boost your natural curl or wave.
Basic Technique
To get the best results and make the most of your curly hair, follow these simple steps for scrunching hair:
- Wash your hair with shampoo then conditioner. If you have tangles, run a wide tooth comb through your hair while you still have conditioner in it. Be sure to completely rinse your hair.
- Towel dry your hair and be sure not to brush or comb it.
- Apply a curl enhancing product to your hair. Begin with a small amount of product and apply more as needed. Try to concentrate product on middle and ends of your hair. Applying too much product at your roots will weigh down your hair.
- Add anti-frizz serum if needed.
- You are now ready to dry and scrunch. You can either air dry and scrunch or use a diffuser at the end of your hairdryer.
- Start scrunching. Take sections of your hair and crumple them into your hand and work up towards your scalp. Start with underneath sections then work your way up.
- Feel free to flip your head over or to the side to get all sections scrunched.
- Do not completely dry your hair. Leave hair a little damp.
- Once you get the amount of crinkle you desire, do not touch your hair. Touching your hair at this point may make it frizzy.
- Spray hair to hold it in place and enjoy your freshly scrunched hairstyle!
Products for Scrunching Hair
There are numerous products made especially for scrunching. Many products are formulated for naturally curly or wavy hair and will boost what you have and add definition to your curls and waves.
- Aussie Sprunch Spray can be used on wet or dry hair. It creates and controls wavy styles.
- Redken Curling Cream Serum moisturizes, activates, and re-energizes curls and provides humidity resistance.
- Nick Chavez Scrunch Spray is sold on QVC and is designed to provide texture, volume, and hold.
- Pantene Curls Defining Scrunching Mousse fights frizz and defines curls.
- TIGI Catwalk Frisky Scrunching Gel is sold only in professional hair salons. It is a lightweight gel that does not make your hair crunchy or stiff. It defines and tightens curls.
Other Tips and Tricks
Just like any other hair technique, scrunching hair takes practice to get it right. Experiment with techniques that work best for hair type and style. Some helpful tips and tricks to scrunching your hair include:
- Mousse and sprays are lighter and offer a softer hold that works well for fine or medium textured hair. A gel or hair paste works best for thicker hair.
- Wavy or curly hair scrunches better than straight hair. It may be difficult to get a crinkle out of stick straight hair.
- Scrunching larger sections of hair will create larger curls or waves whereas smaller sections will look more tighter and well defined.
- Do not completely dry your hair. Leaving in some moisture will prevent frizziness.
- Remember once your hair is dry do not touch it or you will destroy your look and cause your hair to poof out or frizz.
- It is best to scrunch hair the day you want to wear it. Sleeping on scrunched hair does not produce great results.
- You can touch up pieces of hair that did not scrunch as much as the others by using a curling iron then blending it in to the rest of your hair.
Scrunching hair is quick and easy once you find the best technique to make the most of your curls. With these quick tricks, you can easily scrunch your way to a great style. .
