Wind a chin-length bob tightly around a skinny barrel and curl it right to the tips. It springs up into ringlets that make the cut look a good few centimetres shorter than it is, and most people with short hair try that once before putting the iron back in the drawer.
Barrel width and the ends are usually where it went wrong. A wider tong (around 26mm suits most bobs) wraps the hair fewer times, and leaving the last few centimetres of each section straight stops the curl tightening at the tip. Get both right and a bob or bixie takes a loose bend in about fifteen minutes.
Wand or Tong for a Bob or Bixie
A curling wand has no clip. You wrap each section around the barrel by hand and set the tension yourself, so wear a heat glove on the wrapping hand. The finish is looser and a bit uneven, which suits second-day hair. Expect a few attempts before the left and right sides match.
A tong clamps the hair against the barrel and holds it for you, which makes it the easier tool to learn on when your hair sits somewhere between the ears and the chin. Curls come out smoother. Clamp right at the ends, though, and you’ll get a dent, so grip each section at the mid-lengths instead.
If you’re buying new, the barrel width matters more than whether it’s a wand or a tong. When you see the curling wand range on ghd’s site, the product pages give each barrel in millimetres, so you can match it against the table further down before you choose.
Pixies are harder. A pixie, or a bixie cropped close at the back, often won’t fit in a tong’s clip at all. A thin wand around 14mm can reach those short sections and lift the root. The barrel is narrow enough to coil hair fast, so wrap loosely and keep the ends off it.
Picking a barrel size
Watch the section as you wrap it. Once around the barrel, or one and a half times at most, gives a bend. By three or four wraps you’ve made a spiral, and that’s how a chin-length bob ends up sitting at ear level.
| Barrel size | Hair length | Result | |—|—|—| | 14mm | Pixie or very short bixie | Defined curl, lifts the root | | 25–26mm | Chin-length bob or bixie | A bend with some shape | | 32mm | Bob that falls below the chin toward the collarbone | Looser wave through the mid-lengths | | 38mm | Lob and longer | Mostly volume, barely a bend |
Texture shifts these a little. Fine hair drops a curl fast, especially the day you wash it, so going one size smaller works: the curl relaxes into a bend over the morning. Thick hair at the same length can take a bigger barrel than the table suggests.
How to Curl a Bob or Bixie Into Soft Bends
The method is the same whether you’re holding a wand or a tong.
Start with completely dry hair. Damp hair takes heat damage more easily, and the curl won’t last anyway. Mist a heat protectant through the mid-lengths and ends and give it a minute to dry.
Clip the top half up. Work the bottom layer first in sections about two fingers wide, because bigger sections don’t heat through and come out flat on the inside.
Begin each curl at the mid-lengths. Curling from the root on a short cut adds height you probably don’t want. With a tong, clamp halfway down and turn it once. With a wand, lay the section flat against the barrel and wrap it without twisting.
Then leave the ends out. Of everything here, this does the most to prevent ringlets. Pinch the last 2–3cm between your fingers and keep them off the barrel, and the curl sits as a bend instead of a coil. On a bixie with very short back layers, there may be almost nothing left to curl once the ends are out. Leave those layers alone and work only the longer pieces on top.
Switch direction as you go. Curl the front pieces away from your face; curled toward it, they flip under and look like a set from the 1950s. At the back, alternate with every section so the curls don’t merge into one round shape.
Five to eight seconds is plenty for most short hair. Drop the curl into your palm and leave it. A warm curl falls if you touch it, so wait until the whole head is done.
Once everything has cooled, rake your fingers up through the curls from underneath and finish with a light texture spray. A bristle brush on short curls usually means frizz.
Why Short Hair Turns Into Ringlets
One of two habits is usually behind it. Either the barrel is too small and the hair wraps around it several times, or the curl runs all the way to the tips and pulls the whole section up into a spiral.
Already curled and it’s too tight? Wait until the curls are cold, then run a wide-tooth comb through once. That loosens the coil and keeps the shape.
Quick Answers
Can You Curl a Bixie With a Curling Wand?
Yes. Use a small barrel (14mm or so for the shortest pieces) and wrap loosely with the ends kept out. Pieces under about 5cm rarely hold a curl, so leave those straight.
How Do You Make Curls Last on Short Hair?
Don’t touch them until they’ve cooled completely, then use a light hairspray. Freshly washed hair is slippery, so second-day hair usually holds longer. If fine hair has still dropped by lunchtime, go down one barrel size.
