I know this sounds stupid, but I always have a hard time
with a curling iron when I'm curling my hair. Either I burn myself when I'm
wrapping my hair around it, or the lower part of my hair is curled well and the
top is all messed up! Could you give me some tips?
Let’s get one thing straight, curly girl – that doesn’t
sound stupid at all! It can be
super-tricky to master the curling iron, and really easy to end up with a funky
fringe (or a burn – ouch!). We’ve
got some tips to get the curls you crave.
Set the temp
First, make sure your curling iron is fully heated before
getting started so all your hair is curled with equal strength. If your iron has an adjustable heat
setting, there’s no need to set it to the hottest temperature. Most hair curls well at the
middle-range – you can adjust lower to higher based on your hair’s
thickness. And a word to the wise: spray a heat protector on your hair
before ya get started to save your locks from some damage.
Section off
It’s important to curl small sections at a time. It’s prob easiest to divide your hair
between top and bottom layers so you don’t miss any parts. Clip the top layer of your hair back so
you can start with the bottom layer.
Section off 1- or 2-inch pieces for each curl.
Get rollin’
Clamp the hair section with the iron near the top of the
strands, and slide the iron down toward the tip –far enough that all the hair
is included, but not so far that any falls out of the clamp. Roll the iron up towards your scalp,
but stop about an inch away – that’ll prevent a burn. Some chicas like to roll the curls in the same direction,
but others like to alternate rolling the iron under or over for curl variety. You can experiment and see what you
like best.
Let it out
After you hold the iron in place for about 10 seconds, it’s
time to let it loose. Removing the
iron can a challenge, so work carefully.
Uncurl the curl just a little till the iron has some wiggle room. Open and close the iron
gently to release the curl. It’s
not necessary, but you can pin the curl up with a bobby pin to set while it
cools (this might help the curl stay even from top to bottom). Continue this whole process until
you’ve curled each piece. Take out
the pins if ya used ‘em, set with hairspray, tousle with your fingers and voilà
– you are a curl master!
BY MARIE HANSEN ON 3/10/2011 11:24:00 AM
POSTED IN hair problems, advice, curly Qs