Can You Straighten Hair With A Curling Iron?

It's amazing what we can do with our heated styling tools. We create all sorts of amazing looks with them and create hair styles that were unimaginable before. Not content with that, we've been hacking our hair styling routine by using tools for purposes other than what they were originally designed for. Can you really straighten your hair with a curling iron? Read on to find out.

Can you really straighten your hair with a curling iron?

You've seen people using their hair straighteners to curl their hair for years now. Heck, even your stylist does it when you visit them. If flat irons can create curly locks, can it work the other way around? In a word, yes! Your hair curl iron can work, in a pinch, as a hair straightener. All it takes is a bit of lateral thinking and finesse, and you can get poker straights locks from the barrel of your iron.

Many people try this when they don't have a pair of flat irons to hand, or if their break down. Rather than putting up with unruly or frizzy hair, they've got inventive and put their curling irons to work. To make this work, you need a set of curling irons rather than a hair curler wand. This is because irons usually have a clamp on them, and you'll need that to get the best results possible.

A step by step guide

So, how do you straighten your hair with curling irons? It's actually lot easier than you'd think.

Step one: Prep your hair. Wash and condition your hair before doing anything else. Your hair should be clean and without product for this technique to work. When conditioning your hair, just condition the ends so you aren't weighing your hair down.

Step two: Use a heat protectant. As when using any heated styling tool, you're going to need a heat protectant to protect your hair from damage. They work by leaving a heat proof layer between your hair and the tool, absorbing some of the heat and therefore lessening heat damage. HSI have a fantastic argan oil heat protectant available on our website.

Step three: Prep your curling iron: You're going to need a hair iron set with a larger barrel. This is because it'll take much less time to get through your hair than a smaller barrel would. Once you have the curler, turn it on and let it heat up to the desired temperature.

Step four: Dry your hair properly. Wet hair won't straighten properly, and trying to straighten it can actually cause more damage than you'd think. Use a blow dryer to get your hair as dry as possible before you start.

Step five: Straighten your hair. To do this with your curling iron, separate your hair out into sections. Then, starting at the top of the section, place your hair between the barrel and the clamp (as you would with hair straighteners) and run them down the hair shaft in one smooth motion. Don't stop on the way down, as it can put a dent in your hair.

Step six: Finish off the style. Once your hair is cool, run your fingers through it lightly to get body and volume. Then, apply some hairspray to set the style in place.

Some tips to get the best results

As with any time you use heated styling tools, here are some tips to get the best results from your professional curler.

• Use a professional ceramic curling iron: You want to get the best from your curler, so go with one with a ceramic barrel. This material helps heat get distributed better around your hair, so you get the best results and less damage.

• Pick a curler with a variety of heat settings: A good quality curler will give you a choice of how hot to get your curler. To get the best results without damaging your hair, you need to select a temperature that's as low as possible, but will still work on your hair.

• Always section your hair out: Doing this means you're not going over the same sections over and over. Doing that means you could be doing real damage to your hair. If you're not getting the results you need with one pass through, you may need to up the temperature on the curling irons slightly, or reduce the size of the section you're working on.

• Give your hair a break: Heated styling tools are awesome, but using them every day can take a real toll on your hair. Whenever you can, give them a break for the day and let your hair dry naturally. You'll avoid a great deal of heat damage and your hair will most certainly thank you for it.

Check out the curling irons we have here at HSI

Are you tempted to try out this hair hack for yourself? Then you should check out the curling irons available on the HSI website. The curlers we stock are professional quality, and you can use them to get the best results every time. When it comes to your hair, you really want to invest in quality. Now you know the secret, next time you're in a pinch you can get poker straight hair with your curling iron. Your friends will be amazed when they find out the truth!