20 Ways to Get Jessica Alba Curly Hair
Twenty methods for getting the soft waves in this look — and the correction most people need first. This is not curly hair. It is a bend through the mid-length with the ends left straight.
In this article · 29
- The Mid-Length Bend
- The 20 Methods
- Heat Methods
- 1. Round Brush Blow-Dry
- 2. Large-Barrel Iron, Mid-Length Only
- 3. Flat Iron Wave
- 4. Alternating Directions
- 5. Cool, Then Brush Out
- 6. Velcro Rollers at the Crown
- 7. Hot Rollers, Large
- 8. Wrap-and-Cool Method
- 9. Rough Dry First, Then Shape
- 10. Blow-Dry Over a Paddle Brush
- No-Heat Methods
- 11. Overnight Loose Plaits
- 12. Damp Bun Overnight
- 13. Robe-Tie Curls
- 14. Twisted Sections Pinned
- 15. Sock Bun Waves
- 16. Air-Dry with Cream
- Finishing
- 17. Texture Spray, Mid-Lengths Only
- 18. Serum on the Ends
- 19. Shake, Do Not Comb
- 20. Flexible Spray From a Distance
- Why a Brush Beats an Iron
- Mistakes to Avoid
- FAQ
- Final Thoughts
Most attempts at this look fail on a definition problem rather than a technique one. It is not curly hair.
What people are copying is a single soft bend through the mid-length, with the last couple of inches falling straight. Curl the ends and you get ringlets, which is a different look entirely — and it is the single most common miss.
The Mid-Length Bend
Where it starts: around the cheekbone or below, never at the root.
Where it stops: about two inches from the ends. Those last two inches stay straight, and that is what keeps it looking undone rather than set.
Shape: one open S, not a coil. If the hair completes a full turn it has become a curl.
Direction: alternating. Some bends toward the face, some away, so they do not stack into one uniform wave down the whole head.
Get those four right with any tool and the look works. Get them wrong and no product or iron fixes it.
The 20 Methods
Heat Methods
1. Round Brush Blow-Dry
The closest match. One rotation at the mid-length, ends pulled straight.
2. Large-Barrel Iron, Mid-Length Only
Clamp at the middle, leave the last two inches out.
3. Flat Iron Wave
Bend rather than clamp — the iron rotated as it passes down.
4. Alternating Directions
Every other section bent the opposite way.
5. Cool, Then Brush Out
Let each bend cool fully, then brush the whole head through.
6. Velcro Rollers at the Crown
Root lift only, waves done separately.
7. Hot Rollers, Large
Set, cool, brush. The most even result.
8. Wrap-and-Cool Method
Wound around fingers and pinned while warm.
9. Rough Dry First, Then Shape
Dry to eighty per cent, then bend only the mid-lengths.
10. Blow-Dry Over a Paddle Brush
For the sleeker version with only a hint of bend.
No-Heat Methods
11. Overnight Loose Plaits
Two plaits in damp hair. Wave with no heat at all.
12. Damp Bun Overnight
One loose bun. Bends the mid-length and leaves ends straighter.
13. Robe-Tie Curls
Hair wrapped around a fabric tie. Large, soft bends.
14. Twisted Sections Pinned
Damp hair twisted and pinned flat to dry.
15. Sock Bun Waves
Wrapped around a fabric donut overnight.
16. Air-Dry with Cream
For hair with a natural bend already — enhance rather than create.
Finishing
17. Texture Spray, Mid-Lengths Only
Grit through the middle, nothing at the roots or ends.
18. Serum on the Ends
Straight ends want shine, not texture.
19. Shake, Do Not Comb
Fingers only after the brush-out.
20. Flexible Spray From a Distance
Light hold. Rigid spray makes soft waves look set.
Why a Brush Beats an Iron
Worth understanding, because it explains the whole difference.
An iron wraps hair around a cylinder, so the strand takes the shape of that cylinder — a spiral. Even a large barrel produces a coil, just a wide one.
A round brush passes hair over a curve while air sets it. The strand bends rather than wrapping, and a bend is precisely what this look is.
That is why a blow-dry gets closer to the target in less time than careful ironing does, and why people who switch from iron to brush usually stop struggling with it.
If you only have an iron, the workaround is to clamp and rotate as you pull down, rather than wrapping the hair around the barrel.
Mistakes to Avoid
Curling to the ends. Ringlets, not waves. The main error.
Starting the bend at the root. It reads as a set, not as movement.
Uniform direction. All bends the same way stack into one big wave.
Leaving waves as they were set. Brush them out — soft is the point.
Rigid hairspray. It makes deliberately undone hair look done.
FAQ
How do you get the waves? Bend the mid-length, leave the last two inches straight.
Iron or round brush? A brush — it creates a bend, where an iron creates a spiral.
How do you stop it looking too done? Let it cool, then brush it out.
Final Thoughts
Leave the last two inches alone. That one restraint separates this look from every other wave tutorial, and it is easier than what most people are currently doing.
For the full look see 25 Jessica Alba hair looks worth copying, and for wearing your own texture see 15 Jessica Alba natural hair looks. More in Celebrity Hair.
