Curling with a straightener
Curling hair with a straightener can create full, bouncy curls that won't look like ringlets. It takes a little practice, but once you get the technique down, you will look amazing and practically red-carpet ready. Follow along to learn how to get the beautiful curls you've always wanted – without using a curling iron.
1. Start with clean and dry hair. Make sure to start with completely clean and dry hair. Wet hair won't curl at all and damp hair won't curl as well. Even if you have one of those magical wet-to-dry hair straighteners, it’s best if you have dry hair. Dirty hair also won’t hold its shape very well, so make sure you’ve washed it in the past 24 hours. If you're blow drying your hair first, use mousse. The extra volume will keep your hair from looking too flat as you curl it.
2. Use a thin flat iron. Your straightener should be about 1 to 2 inches (2.5 to 5 cm) in width from plate to handle and have rounded edges, otherwise it won’t form smooth curls. A flat, paddle-style iron also won't do curls. It’ll be much harder to hold and wrap if you have this kind of straightener and the hair won’t want to stay in the right place. Make sure you’ve got a good quality flat iron. The best work faster, make your hair smoother, and do less damage than poor quality irons. They can have a big impact on things like shine and the consistency of curls. Heat the iron up to the minimum temperature you need for your hair. If your hair is fine and thin, stick to the low end of the dial at below 300 degrees. Normal hair can be ironed at 300 to 380. You can turn it up to 350 to 400 if your hair tends to be thick, coarse, or frizzy.
3. Apply heat protectant. Applying a heat protectant or a thermal spray creates a protective barrier between the hair and the iron so that the hair doesn't "frizzle" and burn. Spray all over your hair – no need to comb, as it should mist on and dry quickly. If you have thick hair, spray it on each section before you tackle it. If you just spray it on the top of all your hair, it won’t hit the bottom layers.Also be sure to comb out any tangles in your hair before applying heat.
4. Part your hair into sections. You'll have better luck curling your hair if you section it instead of trying to attack the whole mess at once. In general, the thicker your hair the more sections you’ll need to do. Tie up the hair above your ears and put it in a bun on the top of your head. It needs to be out of the way.Start at the bottom of your scalp, close to your ears and neck. Leave down as much hair as you can work with for your first "layer" of curls. A good rule is to work with 1 to 2 inch sections at a time. Pin up the rest. Once that layer is done, you'll unclip your hair and let down another layer. Again, clip up what you can't curl right now. Keep curling in layers.
5. Alternate flicks and curls. Flicks and curls are simply two slightly different ways to curl your hair with a flat iron. Try both to see what you like.
Flicks: Start half-way down the length of hair, clamp the iron closed and turn it back on itself in a half turn. You should now have created a U-shape with the hair and the iron. Keeping the iron on that half-turn angle, slowly move it down the hair shaft to the end of the hair. The faster you move the iron, the less pronounced the curl/flick will be. If you like big soft flicks, slow down your iron.
Curls: Starting fairly close to the scalp (but not close enough to accidentally burn it), clamp the iron closed and turn it back on itself a half turn (the same as with flicks). Run the iron slowly down the hair shaft to the end. Again, the slower you move the iron, the tighter the curl. The faster you move the iron, the gentler the wave.