How to Curl Hair with a Straightener {w. Video}
I detest curling irons and never curled my hair until I figured out how to curl hair with a flat iron. Now it’s so easy and I don’t even own a dreadful curling iron anymore!
A long, long time ago (ok, just a few years), I was on a trip to Sonoma with my husband to visit a winery. The morning we were set to arrive, I wanted to dress up a bit, so I decided to give curling my hair a shot – with my flat iron. I’d heard it could be done but had no idea what to do.
What I ended up with was subtle, but I was so happy with how it turned out. I then watched a few YouTube videos on how to curl hair with a flat iron, but none of them did it the way that I did…
Beginning that day, friends sent me messages asking me how I did my hair after seeing it on Instagram. I said I’d try to make a video soon to show how to curl my hair with a flat iron. And sadly it hasn’t happened until now. (hangs curled hair in shame)
Since that first morning of curling my hair, I’ve gotten much better at it and found ways to make bigger and smaller curls. I’ve gotten much faster over the years as well and I’ve found a few ways to shortcut hairstyling for those early morning flights and traveling with a little less than a full arsenal of styling tools. All of it is in the video and just below are links to all the products mentioned!
CONTENTS
How to Curl Your Hair with a Flat iron
So the motion, just like any hair style, takes a little getting used to, but it won’t be much time before it’s second nature! The video shows all of this, but I know I like reading steps before we hit the video level, so there’s something for everyone!
First, you want your hair to be completely dry and preferably blown dry (but not straightened with a flat iron, though this isn’t a game stopper). Blow dried hair just tends to be easier to brush and follows the heat of the curl better.
Depending on how much hair you have, divide your hair into 2 to 3 sections, top to bottom. I have a lot of hair, so I tend to do one section from ear to ear, then a second section temple to temple, and the rest is the third section.
Separate all but the bottom section up and out of the way.
Divide the hair on each side of your neck and lay in front of your shoulders. Grab approximately 1″ sections per curl.
Hold the hair away from your head. Hold flat iron “upside down” with iron plates below your hand. It will seem as though you’re reaching up and over your head to do the opposite side of your dominant hand.
Beginning near roots, place hair between iron plates and gently pull away a few inches – to wherever you want the body of the curl to begin. Begin to twist wrist and hair away from face, slowly moving further down hair.
Once the entire section of hair is curled in the iron, hold for a few seconds and then loosen grip on hair. I try to let the curl fall off the flat iron, but sometimes I have to help it off.
Follow above steps with remaining hair, spraying each third with hairspray between sections to hold curl.
Materials used to Curl Hair
1. HSI Ceramic Tourmaline Flat Iron – 1.25″
This flat iron can travel internationally with just a regular converter without busting a fuse or the circuit. It’s my second one of the kind and I absolutely love it.
2. Paddle Brush
3. Hair Clips
4. Finishing Hair Spray
Check out my favorite clean beauty hair products (even for my long hair) and a few favorite Innersense hair products!
5. Oribe Anti-Humidite Spray (anti-frizz spray)
Follow me On YouTube
Since clean beauty is an important part of sustainable living (what we wash down the drain matters as much as what we put on our skin), be sure to check out these other clean beauty roundups:
Non Toxic Makeup Brands
Clean Beauty at Nordstrom
Clean Beauty at Sephora
Clean Beauty at Target
Clean Beauty at Walmart
Clean Beauty at ULTA
Best Beautycounter Products
Common questions include do shampoo bars really work and how do you use them? What natural deodorant actually works? What’s the best safety razor for women (and how to use them properly). And the best makeup brush cleaner (on the cheap and easy)!
There are also great clean skin & hair care products for men!
And you’ll want to check out these wonderful clean beauty bar soaps as well as body tools for smooth skin all over yourself!
And since we obviously care about our hair, we need to care about our scalp Check out these lovely non toxic scalp care products to help with dry skin and itchiness.
How to Curl Hair with a Straightener/Flat Iron
Learn how to easily curl your hair with a straightener/flat iron. Take only one hair tool on vacation and never burn your fingers again!
Materials
- Hair Brush
- Large Clip or Hair Claw
- Hairspray
Tools
- Straightener
Instructions
- Brush through dry hair (preferably blow dried straight, but not straightened with flat iron).
- Divide hair in 2-3 sections (top to bottom) depending on quantity of hair.
- Clip all but bottom section up and out of the way.
- Divide hair on each side of neck. Then divide hair into 3 sections.
- Hold one section out (away from head). Hold flat iron "upside down" with iron plates below your hand.
- Beginning near roots, place hair between iron plates and gently pull away a few inches. Begin to twist wrist and hair away from face, slowly moving further down hair.
- Once the entire section of hair is curled in the iron, hold for approximately five seconds and then loosen grip on hair.
- Follow with remaining hair. Hair spray each section after curling.
Other Hairstyle Tutorials
One-Sided French Braid Tutorial
