Technique: Utah Curls

Social media and television have a way of influencing what’s trending, and if you’ve seen The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives or scrolled through Instragram or TikTok you may have noticed a rising beauty trend that has been given the name Utah Curls. This styling technique, popular among Beehive State social media influencers, creates beachy waves characterized by straight ends. The style is relatively easy to achieve and can be performed in a variety of ways, allowing everyone to put their own spin on it.

Utah Curls can be performed on hair of almost any length, if it is long enough to wrap around a curling iron. Curl sizes and intensity can vary and can be as uniform or as uneven as one likes creating a variety of different looks, allowing one to still express their individual sense of style while embracing the growing trend.

Here’s our go-to technique:

STEP ONE:

Begin with a heat treatment such as a spray to prepare for the curling iron. This is important to prevent potential damage to the hair. If your client’s hair is already wavy or curly it would need to be straightened with a flat iron or blow dryer because of the style’s signature straight ends.

STEP TWO:

Once the curling iron is properly heated take the hair in sections and curl as normal, leaving the ends alone.

STEP THREE:

After curling the hair to the desired waviness, take the curling iron or a flat iron and straighten the ends if necessary.

STEP FOUR:

Finish by brushing through the curls with a paddle brush or a wide-tooth comb, running through each section from root to end.