When it comes to my hair I don’t really experiment with different styles. For the past few years my go-to look has been curls with as much volume as I can force into my hair.

I’ve tried what feels like every option available to create curls that will last – not just for an evening but for days. I have naturally poker straight, long hair and whilst each individual strand is quite fine there are so many of them that my hair is really heavy and can end up looking quite flat, plus it means curls can drop out ridiculously quickly. I’ve lost count of the number of times I’ve sat with my hair in heated rollers for anywhere up to eight hours before a night out and then had them drop out within a couple of hours if there’s even a hint of humidity.

So here are the products I reach for to add much needed volume in my hair and create long-lasting curls… 

1. Show Beauty Divine Thickening Mist, £35 available here.
   Before drying I lightly spray this throughout my hair. As I mentioned, whilst my hair overall looks thick, each individual is very fine – I just have a LOT of them – and I do find that this seems to create more body to my hair. I don’t use conditioner every time I wash my hair, maybe only once or twice a month and this works well as an alternative to leave my hair soft, smooth and with added shine.
2. Joico Hair Shake Liquid-to-Powder Finishing Texturizer, RRP £16.45 currently £13.15 available here.
   I use this all around the roots after drying my hair but before I curl it. You really don’t need to use much product for this to work, in fact go easy on the application because if you do apply too much you don’t get that instant liquid to powder effect. It adds volume and if I find my hair is starting to look like it’s dropping then a quick finger comb through the roots makes it bounce right back. You can of course do a “hair shake” as Joico suggest to keep the volume going but you will get mighty strange looks flipping your hair upside down and back in the bathroom of a restaurant or bar. Trust me on this.
3. Remington Curl Create Curling Wand, £19.99 available here.
   What I use to actually curl my hair probably changes up the most. From heated rollers to curling wands to sleep in rollers – I’m always a sucker for a new product that promises an easier way to curl hair (spoiler alert: I don’t think there is an easy way to curl your hair when it’s half way down your back. I console my self by saying it’s probably an awesome upper arm workout…)
   I keep coming back to this Remington curling wand which I bought back in 2013. It does a great job at creating curls that can last for days which is the main priority for me – I don’t want to be having to curl my hair more than once or twice a week as it’s just too time consuming for me. This wand is simple to use, cheap and gives long lasting results – I’m yet to find something to beat it, although I’ll undoubtedly keep searching…
4. Toni & Guy Glamour Firm Hold Hairspray, £7.49 available here.
   Eternally my hairspray of choice. Smells nice, gives great hold and doesn’t leave your hair feeling sticky or solidified at all.
5. Batiste Dry Shampoo – Divine Dark, £3.99 available here.
   I reach for this as the last thing I do before I head out of the door. I lift up the top sections of hair and spray this at the roots and then use a Tangle Teezer to very lightly brush the very top sections of my hair up and away from the face – this always manages to create a nice amount of lift to the hair around my face and the crown of my head.

What products would you recommend for creating volume and / or curls? I’m always on the lookout for the next Holy Grail hair product!