Finger Coiling, Step by Step

Finger coiling is exactly what it sounds like. You take a small section of wet hair, wind it around your finger from root to tip and release it as a single, smooth spiral. Repeated across the head, it produces the most uniform, defined curls of any technique.

It is also slow. A full head can take anywhere from twenty minutes to more than an hour. The good news is that most people do not need to coil everything. A dozen well-placed coils around the face and along the part will change the look of the whole head.

What it is good for

• Curls that will not clump. Coiling physically gathers strands into a group and shows them where to go.
• Mixed patterns. Straighter or frizzier sections can be matched to the curls around them.
• Growing out damage. It helps heat-damaged or relaxed ends blend with new growth.
• Short coily hair. Coils give clear definition to tight textures at lengths where other methods struggle.
• The pieces that frame the face, which are seen most and frizz first.

What you need

• Soaking wet, detangled hair.
• A leave-in conditioner.
• A gel or custard with good hold and plenty of slip.
• A spray bottle, to re-wet sections that dry before you reach them.
• Clips, to keep finished sections out of the way.

The method

1. Prepare

Wash, condition and detangle. Apply leave-in and gel to soaking wet hair in the usual order, as described in The Order to Apply Curl Products. Your hair should feel slippery.

2. Section

Clip most of your hair up and begin at the nape, working upward. Take a section between half an inch and an inch wide. Smaller sections give tighter, more numerous curls; larger ones give looser, fuller curls.

3. Smooth

Run the section between your thumb and forefinger from root to tip, so every strand lies together and is coated in product.

4. Coil

Place your index finger at the root. Wind the section around it, keeping it flat like a ribbon, all the way to the ends. Go in the direction the hair already wants to turn. If you are unsure, let a wet section hang and watch which way it twists.

5. Release

Slide your finger out from the top without pulling the coil open. It should hang as a single spiral. If the ends are loose, twirl them once more between two fingers.

6. Leave it alone

Move to the next section. Do not scrunch, separate or adjust what you have finished.

7. Dry

Air dry, or diffuse on low heat and low speed, hovering only. When completely dry, soften the cast by scrunching gently with a drop of oil. For more volume, separate each coil into two or three by pulling it apart from the bottom.

You do not need to coil every curl. Coil the ones people see.

The quick version

On an ordinary wash day, style as usual and then coil only:

• The front pieces around your face.
• The top layer along your part.
• Any section that has come out straight or frizzy.

That is ten or fifteen coils and about five minutes, and it gives most of the benefit.

Common mistakes

• Hair too dry. Coils set on damp hair frizz. Mist each section before you wind it.
• Too little product. The coil needs slip going on and hold coming off.
• Winding against the grain. A curl forced in the wrong direction will unwind as it dries.
• Sections too big. The outside of a large coil sets while the inside stays loose.
• Touching while it dries. The same rule as always.

The trade-offs

Coiling gives definition at the cost of volume. A head of neat, separate spirals takes up less space than loosely scrunched curls, and on the first day it can look a little too tidy. It usually looks best on the second and third days, once the coils have loosened and been separated. Coiled styles also tend to last well, often five days or more with protection at night.

Who should skip it

Wavy hair. Waves do not form spirals, and winding them around a finger tends to produce a curl that drops out within the hour, or an odd ringlet among S-shaped waves. Scrunching suits them better. For curls, a styling brush can produce a similar result faster; see The Denman D3, Considered.