The hair is the crown of your head, giving your personality perfection and confidence to face the world. Like skin colour, facial and other body features, different people have different kind of hair styles naturally.
Sometimes you like your natural hairstyle and sometimes you want to change it. For women, sticking to one hair style is tough. With curly or wavy hair, you will always find yourself wishing for sleek and straight hair, while having straight hair makes you crave for those flirty curls.
The good news is you do not need a whole lot of products and instrument s to curl your hair. Your regular flat iron will do the entire trick, if you use it properly.
Yes, this amazing tool, which we have been using for years to make hair straight and silky, now can be used to make perfect curls, waves and volume. Now you do not need to use a whole lot of hair damaging products and tools. You can achieve curls and waves which will last whole day, following these guidelines.
First of all choose the right flat iron. A skinny, round edged flat iron, that gets somewhat hot on the outside of the plates also, is best suitable for curling hair.
Start on clean and completely dry hair. Ironing wet hair can cause lots of damage to your hair.
Before starting, always section your hair with clips so that its easier for you to focus on making perfect curls by moving the iron smoothly.
To curl, place the iron 2 to 3 inches down from roots. In this way you will not only get the perfect curls but also save your hair from damage.
Now twist your iron, taking it away from your face. For tight curls you need to fold your hair on iron, while to achieve waves or loose curls move your iron in round slowly. Repeat on all hair sections you have made and wohoo, you have your perfect curls at home!
Once you have perfected your technique, flat iron works faster than curl iron. But as with every heat styling technique, this has its do's and don'ts.
Do protect your hair with heat protectant serum, because flat irons produce more heat than curl iron. Choose the best which suits your hair.
Part your hair in small sections. Small strands give more control and give best looking result. If you try with big hair sections, you will not get the desired results.
Don’t stop moving your flat iron, as its more heated than curl iron and can burn your hair or give it a crease.
Do master your speed to create different hairstyles. For tighter curls keep it slow and controlled, while for the loose curls or waves, move faster and freely.
Don’t curl the same section again immediately. Give it some time to cool off.
Do master your technique by experimenting on how much time and heat a certain style curls need.
To get tighter curls slide the flat iron more slowly down the hair strand, giving it more time to get each part of the hair hot enough. Also take a smaller section. Flat iron curls also work best on clean, smooth hair. If there is too much product or if it's too tangled it won't curl as well.
If your curl is only curled at the very ends, spend more time curling at the top of the strand than at the ends.
Twisty tips
Practice with the iron off. To master the technique you have to master the movement, so first figure out different movements for different styles, with the iron turned off. It will save your hair from damage as well as give you mastery over your technique.
Which direction you move your flat iron is crucial for curls. Always move away from face, it does not only give good looking curls but also will save your face from heat. When working at back of your head, you can do backward or forward movement. Once you have mastered the movement, turn on the iron and enjoy making perfect curls.
Make it interesting by mixing different kinds of curls. The sexy tight curls, the flirty waves, or free spirited boho waves. The mix will not only be very interesting but also will be very natural looking.
Finish your styling with styling spray, when your curls are cooled off.
About the writer
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Danilo De Carli is an internationally renowned hairstylist |
