How to Curl Hair with a Flat Iron

We always want the things we do not have. That's human nature. Nowhere is this more applicable than when it concerns one's appearance. Those who have black eyes, desire blue eyes and vice versa. Those who have white complexion would do anything to get themselves tanned. And those who have straight hair would love to have curly hair. Scientific advancements have been successful in fulfilling all such demands and desires of us human beings. There are lenses to change eye color, tanning parlors to change skin color and flat irons to get curly hair.

Flat irons, though mostly used to straighten hair, are now also being used for curling hair. Here is a simple step wise procedure which can easily be carried out at home. But first, two very important things, that you should keep in mind when planning to curl your hair with a flat iron.

Things to Remember

When curling hair with flat iron, make sure that the hair that needs to be curled should be completely dry. Although there are some flat irons which claim that they can be used on slightly wet hair, yet for best results, blow dry your hair completely. If you have time, you can let your hair dry naturally as this will prevent any kind of damage to the hair caused by excess heat.

The second thing to remember, when you curl your hair with a flat iron is that choose an iron which is very thin. An ideal iron used for curling should be about one inch in width and it should have ceramic plates. Also, when selecting an iron to curl hair, make sure that it has round corners so that curling can be done appropriately.

Procedure

Step 1
As mentioned above, make your hair completely dry. Next comb the hair properly and remove all the tangles in it.

Step 2
Apply a thermal protector to the hair. In order to curl hair with a flat iron, application of a heat protector is very essential as it helps in minimizing the damage that may be caused to the hair because of the heat of the flat iron.

Step 3
Plug in the flat iron and switch it on. The flat iron needs to be heated to about 400F, before it can be used for curling. You should consult the manual too, which comes along with the flat iron and heat it in accordance with the temperatures mentioned in it.

Step 4
Once the flat iron is heated up to the appropriate temperature, clamp a small section of your hair, say about two inches, with the flat iron, halfway across the hair. Depending upon the direction you want your hair to be curled in, turn the flat iron about 180 away or towards your scalp. Now, slowly and slowly, pull the flat iron across the hair length till the tips of the hair. Remember to pull the flat iron very slowly as this will help in maintaining the tension on the just formed curl, resulting in tighter and well shaped curls.

Step 5
Once you are done with one section of the hair, take another small, two inches section, and repeat the previous step. Using the same procedure, curl the hair on your entire head.

Step 6
After the curls have been done on the entire hair, use a hairspray, such as aerosol hairspray, on the curled hair. Application of hair spray on the hair will keep the curls intact and in proper shape for a very long time.

The procedure is simple though precaution must be taken to keep the flat iron at least one inch away from the scalp to prevent any damage.