How to Curl Your Hair With a Flat Iron
For most women, the flat iron is their number one frenemy. While it straightens your hair and tames unruly or frizzy curls, a flat iron can fry the ends of your hair. However, with the proper straightening (and curling) technique, you and your flat iron can finally resolve your back and forth, love/hate relationship.
Hair stylist Kelsy Osterman of Cutler Salon demonstrates how to curl your hair with your flat iron, thus maximizing its utility without damaging your hair. Although at first the curling technique can be a little tricky, once you get the hang of it, you can make little changes to the setting technique and use different product cocktails to help diversify your look.
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When purchasing a new flat iron, Osterman recommends that you, "never pick the largest flat iron. While you may think that it will save you time, the larger flat iron won't let you get close enough to the root of your hair. A 1-inch flat iron is a good size for everyone." Also, when questioning whether to save some money on a flat iron, Osterman warns: "Ceramic plates are the best because the plate gets hotter than metal plates. While it may seem counterintuitive to use hotter plates, hotter plates mean you only have to go over the hair once instead of multiple times."
Step 1:
Start with clean wet hair. Put a small amount of Redken Outshine 01 Anti-Frizz Polishing Milk into your palm and comb it through your hair before blow drying. Don't fixate too much on getting your hair perfectly blown out; stop drying the hair when about 90 percent of the moisture is out.
Step 2:
Set the hair in barrel curls, using the fewest number of sections possible to make the set quick and easy. Kelsy Osterman recommends dividing the hair into five sections: one for the "bang area" and then four vertical sections around the head. If you have bangs, only do the four vertical sections. Secure the set with bobby pins.
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Step 3:
Sleep on your set hair. In the morning, take the pins out and shake hair out.
Step 4:
To begin curling, start with the flat iron at the base of the head near the scalp. Take the loose hair, and wrap the section once around the flat iron plates as you simultaneously turn the flat iron away from the head. Pull the iron down the hair. We recommend covering the hair with a little Cutler Specialist Protectant Treatment Spray to create a protective barrier between your hair and the heat of the iron.
Curling your hair with a flat iron instead of a curling iron gives you more versatility with looks that range from smoothly flat to bouncy and voluminous. Making minor changes to the products you style your hair with will diversify your look even though you're using the same flat iron curling technique. Regardless of the look you're trying to achieve, the curling technique is the same. Here are four different hair style ideas you can achieve at home with only minor changes to the products you use!
Hair Style Idea #1:
For a curlier, bouncier hair style, maximize the hair's volume by folding the hair back into the curl and secure with a bobby pin. Let the hair cool.
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Hair Style Idea #2:
For a smoother, softer, and more controlled curl, put some of the Cutler Specialist Fly-Away Control Stick in the palm of your hand and mix with Redken Outshine 01 Anti-Frizz Polishing Milk. Finger comb the product through the hair.
Hair Style Idea #3:
For an edgier, textured hair style, spray Redken Fabricate 03 Heat-Active Texturizer directly onto your hair and scrunch or blow dry the hair with a diffuser.
Hair Style Idea #4:
For a firm but silky hold, put Redken Outshine 01 Anti-Frizz Polishing Milk into your palm and spray Redken Forceful 23 Super Strength Finishing Spray directly into the palm of your hand. Touch up stubborn flyaways by flattening them with the Outshine and hairspray.
Not enough time to curl your hair in the morning? Check out this styling tip to take your hair from night to day.
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