beauty

A hair stylist shares the common mistake that makes your curls fall out.

If you’re sick of spending ages carefully curling your hair, only to have them drop out exactly 30 seconds later despite almost drowning in hairspray, don’t despair.

Firstly, you’re definitely not the only one and secondly (most importantly) we’ve found the solution.

According to Evo hair creative director Lauren McCowan, it’s all to do with a common mistake most of us make when using heat tools.

Image: Instagram/KhloeKardashian

"A lot of us think 'More heat! More hairspray!' it will stay in for longer but it's actually the opposite," she told Mamamia backstage at the C/MEO show at Mercedes Benz Fashion Week last month.

"If you strip the hair of what it needs, all the cuticle does is open up and look for water in the atmosphere - that's why curls drop out and curly haired girls get frizz."

If you really want your curls to last, take time to prep hair properly.

Listen: Zoe Foster Blake’s best beauty advice for the time-poor woman. Post continues...

"If you fill your hair up with what it needs and then lock it in with heat, your hair stays for a lot longer because it takes a lot longer to react to the atmosphere around it if it has what it needs," she says.

"So hydrating first and then using heat intelligently to seal that in, you can style your hair on lower temperatures and and have it last for much longer."

She advises putting a weightless leave-in conditioner on wet or dry hair and then brushing it in. (Post continues after gallery).

"It creates a really beautiful canvas for anything else you build on, it will save you time blowdrying and it will save you time later trying to put serums on the ends of your hair to make it feel healthier."

And if you're cranking your straightener or curler to the highest temperature, please stop.

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"The ideal temperature is between 15o to 175 degrees. Anything over 175-180 degrees is not evil, it's just unnecessary to take that much moisture out of your hair when we spend so much time trying to put it in their in the first place," she says.

Source: iStock

"I use a Cloud Nine iron at 150 degrees just to really gently seal in the hydration and press the hair without stretching it out. It gives shine, polished finish to the hair and gets rid of frizz."

Backstage, McCowan finished the models' hair with Evo Shebang Shebang Dry Spray Wax, $32.95.

"Spray through for longer hair - it will give you separation and definition but it's not so think that you feel like you've got a lot of product in it."