I can’t even tell you how many YouTube videos I’ve watched with some combination of the following words: messy, curls, wavy, lob, boho, and waves. And while I definitely don’t consider myself an expert, I feel like I’ve finally gotten into a groove with my hair. So I thought I’d share what I’ve learned and some of the products that have helped me figure it out.

USmooth is a haircare line I recently discovered that does an amazing job. I use the volumizing line, and every product smells like heaven. Not even kidding. I like the way the shampoo and conditioner makes my hair feel. As someone with pretty straight hair, it can be hard to find a product that doesn’t leave my hair looking greasy by the end of the day. But I’ve also taken it too far and purchased products so focused on “clean” that my hair ended up seriously dry. These strike a nice balance.

After washing and towel drying, I work the plumping serum into my hair and let it finish drying. I do think the combination gives me a boost of volume after it’s dry.

When I first started teaching myself to do messy curls I was doing it with a straightener. I liked the result, but it was pretty finicky, and I wanted to see what would happen when I used a curling iron. I got the 1.25″ barrel from USmooth and it does a great job with looser curls. It has a good range of heat, I don’t even have to use the hottest setting like I have with other products in the past.

Once I’ve got it all curled, I give it a good spray with the USmooth firm hold hairspray and toss it with my fingers to separate them out and give it that messy look.

And that’s it! I can do the whole process in about 15 minutes and it stays all day–sometimes into the next morning, too. Not that I would ever do that.

disclaimer: this post was sponsored but the opinions were my own.