I Tried the Viral TikTok Utah Curls and I Kind Of Love Them

Move over beachy waves

Author image: about face matte fluid eye paint review chelsea candelario

By Chelsea Candelario

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Published Sep 20, 2024

utah curls tiktok trend a collage of kate kesselman

Kate Kesselman/PureWow

If you've been hooked on The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives or scrolling through TikTok (like me), then you might be aware of a rising beauty trend taking shape. Let me introduce you to Utah Curls. This easy technique is redefining straight locks—and all you really need is a curling iron. Now, you don't have to travel to the Beehive state to recreate this buzzy look. I went down the rabbit hole to learn everything about Utah curls—plus, PureWow's very own Kate Kesselman put the latest trend to the test to see if it really worked. Here's what I found out.

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What Are Utah Curls?

The name may be misleading, but the hairstyle consists of wavy strands starting at the root before leaving the ends completely straight and relaxed. It truly gets its name from the hair tool you need to achieve the look: a curling iron (more specifically a curling iron with a clamp). It's very similar to beachy waves, but I like to think of Utah curls as their Gen-Z little sis.

a collage of blake lively with beachy waves and taylor paul with utah curls

Lia Toby/Santiago Felipe Stringer/Getty Images

Utah Curls vs. Beach Waves: What's the Difference?

I'll admit, they do look similar—trust me, I had to do a double take myself to find the difference. Utah curls have straight ends, whereas beachy waves follow the same wavy pattern from root to tip. As you see in the photo above, Blake Lively is known for sporting the classic hairstyle with her ends bent. Meanwhile Taylor Frankie Paul sports a wavy texture from root to mid-length, leaving her ends untouched.

utah curls tiktok trend secret lives of mormon wives

Disney/Pamela Littyky/Gallery Images

According to Google Trends, the search for 'Utah Curls' (along with 'Utah hair') has surged in popularity in the last month. While TikTok has played a huge part in all of this, many are giving credit to the new Hulu reality show The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives, which was released in full earlier this September. Even trendsetter Meghan Markle has recently been spotted with Utah curls at a charity event, making it now a royally-approved hairstyle this season. But overall, it's a chic way to give straight hair more movement and bounce.

How to Get Utah Curls

Utah curls are simple to achieve with five steps and three products. Here's how to jump on the trend at home:

Prep your hair. Apply heat protectant and completely dry your hair so that it's bone-straight.
Grab your curling iron. While many use a curling iron with a clamp, Kesselman found a rotating curling iron (like the T3 CurlWrap) worked just as well. She worked in sections, wrapping her hair around the curling iron and leaving about two to three inches of her ends out of the hair tool.
Pull curling iron downward. As you unravel the tool, stick to this doward motion to ensure the curls stay in place on top and mid-shaft, but maintains a straight finish at the end. Repeat all throughout the hair.
Brush through curls. Use a paddlebrush (or wide-tooth comb) and run it through each section from root to ends to give it a voluminous finish.
Complete the look. Apply some hairspray or texturizing spray to keep your new Utah curls fresh all day.

According to Kesselman, it took about 10 minutes to recreate the look. She told me, "Since the look is more of a wave versus a traditional curl, it takes less time. I use a lower heat setting and I feel like my ends are not getting fried. I'm a big fan of these curls and I'm not sure how I will return to a 'traditional' curl look again."

Frequently Asked Questions

Why Do They Call Them Utah Curls?

Due to The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives's popularity, social media has coined this latest trend as 'Utah Curls' after the show's location, which takes place in Provo, Utah. Per The Salt Lake Tribune, it's a common hairstyle worn by people from this southwest state.

What Size Curling Iron Should I Use for Utah Curls?

It's recommended to use a 1-1.25 inch barrel size to replicate the large, loose wavy pattern. As for the type of curling iron, you can use any one—clamp or not—to create Utah curls.

Do I Need to Straighten the Ends to Get Utah Curls?

If you already have straight hair, you can just avoid curling your ends by leaving two to three inches out of the curling iron. However, if you do have a naturally wavy texture, I suggest skipping the curling iron and reaching for a flat iron instead—only focusing primarily on the ends to loosen the bend.

Shop the Trend

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