I have no helpful advice, but I just want to tell you that I feel your pain as I am also curling iron and curler deficient. I just didn't want you to feel alone. *nods* I'm 29 years old and when I need my hair curled, I still go over to my mom's house and she does it for me.

So my only suggestion is to go see my mom. :D

Your icon's cute :)
Haha, my mom is helpless with that. I'm glad I'm not alone in failing at hair stuff! :D

This video kind of helps?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z6GGRKAn5iw

In theory it does, I used a help video originally and still failed at it :x

Thanks though ;)

You just need to practice. Seriously. Get used to holding the tools in your hand and winding your hair around the curler or wand. Try it when the implements are cold 1st. Once you do it with them hot let your hair down loosely - don't tug or pull while your hair is still warm. Then let your hair cool completely before brushing out - or don't even brush - just tousle lightly. Use some type of styling mousse our gel before curling & then a holding spray after. But practicing & getting used to doing it is the way to go. Be patient. If all else fails you still have the hairdresser as an option. ;) Good luck.

Start reading bottles! Shampoos and conditioners with -cones in them do a lot of damage to your hair. Pantine is expensive and seems like a great brand, but in reality, it's loaded with so many things that really does a lot more bad than good.

http://chatter.thebeautybottle.com/showthread.php?t=206

Personally, before curling, I flat-iron without any product after blow-drying my hair on the coolest setting. It helps kill my frizzies (which, no offense, but I noticed you have a lot of). Right before applying the curling iron, I lightly mist with a flexible hairspray to get it to hold better.

Try youtube! There are tons of how-to videos on there. :)

No offense taken, I know I get frizz (definitely when it's humid, ack!).
I just followed what I heard. I try to take care of my hair because it's one of my better features so I'm bummed to hear that Pantene isn't a good brand after all :(
Do you have any brand recommendations?

Ugh, I know. Humidity used to be the bane of my existence. High-heat straighteners can combat even the worst of it though, but you must be careful since they can also do a lot of damage. Pretty much anything, when you over-do it, can mess up your hair. D:

Here is a nice little website with some advice about hair care basics. The main thing is to realize that for a little while, your hair may look and feel like crap once you cut out the -cones as it gets used to the new routines.

Unfortunately, I don't know of any brands off hand. Most of them tend to be designer brands (again, check labels - some designers still have shitty shampoos). The best place to go looking is a beauty store instead of a grocery store, since they would have a better selection.

You could also try to go shampooless. Here is a neat guide. It's becoming a lot more popular these days, since it's more natural. :)