hair curling iron

[missjo]

Ive got a old electrical hair curling thingy and I want to use it to create some curls.
My hair isnt curly at all, most waves and even perms dissapear after a day or so.
I have no hair experience whatsoever, Until very recently I never did ANYTHING to my hair besides wash it.
So I have no idea how all these hair gadgets work.
Any tips?
Can I just simply twirl a lock of hair around this steaming hot iron?
It sounds dangerous and damaging to the hair!
Should the hair be dry or wet or inbetween?
How long should I hold the curl?
Should i use a lotion?

 

[Faye Valentine]

definately use setting lotion to protect your hair from the hot iron as well as help the hair keep its curl. you could dry your hair and then use the setting lotion or put in the setting lotion in between. its really up to your hair. the more u experience with it, the more you know what its capable of and how long you should iron it.

 

[BegintheBeguine]

Please be very careful with your curling iron. You could be badly burned. Even I still get a burned neck or forehead and I have been using curling irons for years. So, you may want to try to get used to the curling iron by practicing with it not plugged in. Only use a curling iron on dry hair. If you use setting lotion first, make sure it dries completely on your hair. Set aside a good hour to experiment with it. Only keep the curling iron around the lock of hair for ten seconds at most, when you finally do decide to plug it in. Good luck.

 

[KaitlynDawn]

Hold on a second there!!!! How old is the curling iron? You need to be very careful if it's old, you could fry yourself (not to mention all that pretty hair). The wiring becomes very unstable and dangerous after so many years. I would reccomend not using it. Go to Rite Aide and buy a new one for 10 bucks if you want to experiment.

Kaitlyn

 

[Faye Valentine]

Only keep the curling iron around the lock of hair for ten seconds at most, when you finally do decide to plug it in. Good luck.

Wow your hair much curl easily. When I used to use a curling iron (I prefer hot curlers now) I used to have to leave it in 30-60 seconds for the curl to stay. I have super straight hair...

 

[BegintheBeguine]

Well, 10 seconds for a beginner. My hair is not straight but so thick and coarse I can only use the highest setting and I don't want to scorch my hair. Frustrating!

 

[Paisley]

I use a curling iron every day. As long as the cord on your iron isn't frayed or split, I don't see any reason you shouldn't use it.

As others have mentioned, use some hair product to hold curls. I use styling gel. You might also need to use (more) hair conditioner to keep your hair from getting dried out. Make sure your hair is completely dry when you use the iron, or the curls will fall out.

You have to get the right amount of hair in the iron. Too much and the curl won't hold; too little, and you'll end up with frizz.

Curl the hair in the same direction that the clamp is holding it. In other words, don't fold your hair back over the clamp.

Keep the curling iron about a centimeter away from your scalp and ears.

How long to hold your hair in the iron? It depends on the heat and your hair. If your iron is "steaming hot," it might be a professional iron, which gets hotter than a regular iron.

Good luck!

 

[missjo]

I have already tried it, in total disregard for my own safety I just plugged it in and stuck it in my hair
A woman has to take risks sometimes.
The curling thing works well but I get a bit nervous that its soooo hot and soon I smell something burning!

Either way, just as with using curlers and even getting a do it yerself perm, it never lasts more then a few hours and the perm didnt make it past a day or so.
My hair just doesnt like curls.
So I guess the curling isnt the problem, I need to find some proper stuff to stick in my hair.
My gran told me they used old tea!
Perhaps because of the sugar?
It would make nice curls and sweet hair
I'll just have to go and try some hairproducts to see wich one works best.
Today I bought a bottle of Brillantine, just because it looks nice and old fashioned.
Its a bit like brylcream but more in a liquid state;

Mineral oil and perfume... I could cook with it! lol
I have no idea what its good for, but I will go and ask the local chemist girl what I need to put in my hair to make curls last longer.
Curling my hair every single night is not for me.

 

[Ruby Slippers]

My advice regarding curling irons:

Take extra care when curling hair around the face and ears! I've burnt my forehead and earlobes before and scared me away from them for a while.

My hair doesn't hold curl from irons even if there is product in it, for some reason. However, pin curls work better than anything for me.

 

[Emmababy]

Ditto. I find that vcurling irons only last a night, if that and what i curl my hair with rollers and sleep on it, the curl will last a few days.

I've never been deft enough to be able to totally curly my hair with an iron, and always got a friend to do it. Also, when my friend and hairdresser experimented with curls in my hair, they used hair spray before rolling the curl on the tong and whilst on the tong - don't do that. it makes the curls far to "crispy"

 

[JazzBaby]

I use a curling iron almost every day, but my hair is quite naturally curly. Here are some tips though:

Spray a little light hold hairspray on each section just before you curl (as recommended by the 1940s hairstyle book).

Make sure your hair is bone dry before curling.

Don't have the section you're curling too thick - the less hair you use, the better the curl.

After curling a section, roll it up like a pincurl. The smaller you roll it, the more defined the curl. Barrel rolls are good for volume. Cover with a hairnet and a light coat of hairspray and leave till completely cool. The longer you leave them the better.

If you need the style to really last a few days, then leave the pincurls in overnight.

These all work for me - hope they do for you too!

 

[JazzBaby]

Oh yes, I meant to add - if it really isn't working for you it could be the quality of the iron or the size of the barrel. I use a teflon coated one by Remington, with a large barrel, but a curling iron should be specifically chosen to suit the quality, length and volume of the hair and what kind of curl you're hoping to get.

 

[Miss Sis]

If you have very straight hair then curling irons probably won't work for you.

Mine is straight and only a wet set on rollers will hold it longer than about half an hour. I use setting lotion. It still won't stay in that long though - about a night or day.

Be careful with the old appliance though. It might give you soft waves for a bit but use on dry hair. I think Wella have a product called something like Hot Curls in a pink bottle that you spray on each section before you curl it. It might help.