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How To Use Curling And Straightening Irons

Beauty : Haircare

These tools allow you to temporarily curl, crimp or straighten your hair without adding chemicals or changing it in any way. If you want to use them everyday you have to condition your hair daily and use special heat protecting lotion on your hair. Always make sure your hair is totally dry before using the tools on it, or else steam will be created from the wet hair and coupled with the heat from the irons you could burn your scalp.

The thicker your hair, the higher the heat setting should be, but always make sure you hold the tool away from your face and scalp to avoid burning. In addition, don't hold the irons at one part of your hair, keep them moving so that you don't singe or damage a bit of hair.



Curling irons or tongs come in many different sizes. The narrower the barrel is, the tighter the curl will be, so if you want loose curls or waves, go for a bigger barrel. To use effectively, clamp a section of hair at the bottom and roll it up around the heated barrel. If you are using a heated brush then follow the same procedure, only there is no clamp, you just roll the hair from the bottom. There are also curling irons that can be used on damp hair now - these act like a hair dryer and emit air from the barrel as they curl. These are less damaging to the hair but often not quite as effective as the traditional kind.



To use a straightening iron you should dry your hair first as straight as you can get it then divide your hair into sections a couple of inches wide. Place each section between the plates of the iron and pull it slowly down from the roots.



Although these tools can give the effect you desire if used properly, you might find that the created style does not have great staying power in environments where your hair is exposed to high temperature or gets wet, so if you are prone to frizz you should be aware that this will not solve the problem completely.


Bev Woolfson


By: Bev Woolfson on Sat, Jun 1st 2002

More hairdressing advice

Use a straightening serum or mousse on the part your going to straighten before you use hair straighteners..

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