Curling tong clips always leave some unsightly marks, and if you’re fed up with those, try a curling iron! With this heated curling tool you won’t need to secure it with clips, and the rolls you make will be smooth and full. If you’re used to using curling tongs, it can be a little uncomfortable to switch to a curling iron, but a little practice will get you up to speed.
Preparation
1 Choosing a curling iron
There are actually many different types of curling irons. The size of the curling iron determines how the curls come out. In addition to the size, you also have to consider whether to buy a tapered curling iron (which produces curls of the same size) or one that is as thick as the front and back.
- For small curls you can go for a curling iron with a diameter of about 2.5 centimeters. If you want big bouncy waves, go for a larger model.
- Pay attention to the material of the curling iron. Generally speaking, ceramic or tourmaline is the best quality and least damaging to the hair.
2 Choose a heating gear
Most curling irons have a gear switch or dial to make it easier to choose the right temperature. Some are categorized as “High-Medium-Low” and some have specific temperature settings. Choose the right setting for your hair and remember, the higher the temperature, the more damage it will do to your hair.
3 Hair Preparation
Thoroughly detangle dry hair, spray it with a perm protection product and smooth it out with a comb to protect it. Use large bobby pins to layer your hair and pin it at the top of your head, being careful not to leave any broken hair. Generally, dividing your hair into three layers from the bottom to the top of your head works best.
Start curling your hair
1 Preheat the curling iron
It may seem simple, but preheating the curling iron gives better curls. Leave 2-4 minutes for the curling iron to warm up, don’t start using it as soon as you plug it in.
2 Wear gloves
Just to be safe, most curling irons come with a pair of silly-looking heat-resistant gloves. Since curling irons don’t have tongs, you’ll have to pinch the hair with your hand, so it’s better to wear gloves on the hand that’s wrapping the hair around the curling iron.
3 Separate hair bundles
One basic rule applies to all curling irons and other heating tools: do not curl too much hair at once. The width of the bundles should not exceed 2.5 centimeters. If the hair is too thick, the heating effect will be reduced and the curls will be fluffy. So to make beautiful curls, don’t roll more than 2.5 centimeters of hair at a time.
4 Wrap your hair around the curling iron
Grab the ends of your hair and start at the bottom of the curling iron and wrap it around in a direction away from your face. Try to wrap your hair around the bottom of the curling iron, not the center or top.
- If you want the curls to be looser, keep the direction of the strands of hair themselves as you get on the curling iron.
- For denser curls, twist your hair a few times before putting on the curling iron.
5 Hold for a few seconds
Usually the curling iron will be a little faster than the curling tongs, just a few seconds. Hold the strand of hair for 2-5 seconds after wrapping it around the curling iron, being careful not to hold it for more than 10 seconds.
6 Let the curls cool
If you want the curls to be denser, don’t rush to spread them out after you let them down from the curling iron, keep it curled or you can use bobby pins to secure it for a bit and wait for it to cool down, at which point you can move on to the rest of the curls. If you want your curls to be natural, you don’t need to fix them when they cool down, you can just let them down.
7 Continue to curl the rest of your hair
Repeat the steps above to curl the rest of your hair. After you have finished curling a section you can put down the section that was previously pinned to the top of your head and continue doing the curls.
8 Finishing the look
After curling all of your hair, the curls on your head are not natural enough. Spray a thin layer of spray and use your fingers as a comb to open up the curls. For a more retro style, use a mane comb.