How to Curl My Hair with a Flat Iron

“Flat irons don’t curl hair.” If you’ve heard this before, don’t worry - it’s a misconception. With some in-depth instructions and practice, you can successfully curl your hair with a flat iron. And we’ll share just how to do that below. 

Prep Your Hair 

Before you go anywhere near a heat tool, you’ll need to do a little hair prep. This step will preserve your hair’s health and give you the best possible flat iron curls.  

Wash and Condition

First, wash your hair with your favorite shampoo. If your hair has buildup, consider switching to a clarifying shampoo instead.

After washing, condition or deep condition your hair. For many, the latter will be the best route. The best deep conditioners nourish your hair on a deeper level than typical conditioners and protect against damage from the heat of the flat iron. 

Once your hair is properly conditioned, reach for a high-quality leave-in conditioner. It reduces frizz, imparts moisture and nutrients, and protects your hair from the outside environment. You’ll also appreciate that it supports hair health. Here’s how to use a leave-in.

Protect, Blow Dry, and Section

Then, apply your heat protectant and blow dry your hair until it is 100% dry. Separate your hair into manageable sections to make your hair easier to work with. 

That’s all there is to it!

Curl Your Hair

Here’s the most technical part of curling your hair with a flat iron. Plug in or turn on the flat iron of your choice and closely follow the below steps: 

1. Part out a thin horizontal or vertical section of your hair. 

2. Pass the flat iron down the section of hair from root to ends. This removes any kinks or texture, making for smoother curls. If your hair is already bone straight, you can skip this step. 

3. Now, clamp the flat iron down at the root of that same section. Then, twist the flat iron by turning your wrist upward or downward. Keep your wrist in this position as you pull the flat iron down the length of your hair. This will create a curl. 

Things to Keep in Mind While Curling with a Flat Iron

The further you twist the flat iron, the tighter your curl will be. Full turns give you tight spiral curls, while half turns will produce looser curls. And if you just want a slight bump on the ends, do a quarter turn or less. 

The curl will form as soon as you turn your wrist. If you don’t want your curls to begin at your roots, don’t turn your wrist until you get to your mid-lengths or closer to your ends. 

Practice Makes Improvement

It’s one thing to read about how to do something and another to try it out. To sharpen your flat iron curling skills, we recommend loads of practice. Just be consistent in shielding your hair with a heat protectant before applying heat, and don’t pass the flat iron over any section more than a couple of times. You don’t want split ends or breakage. 

So, there you have it - how to curl your hair with a flat iron. We hope you found all the information you were looking for, and we wish you the best with your hair. If you haven’t already done so, we recommend adding Daily Dose Deep Conditioner and Leave-in Conditioner to your regimen to promote hair health and make styling a cinch.  

Author: Andrea Reyes

Andrea is a mother, wife, writer, and natural hair enthusiast of 15+ years. Currently on her natural hair journey, she’s been trying countless products and techniques to understand and embrace her natural hair. She is the creator of CurlAdvice.com, a new website featuring informative articles that share tips, tricks, and techniques aimed to help others learn to love their hair through proper hair care. She writes with the hope of making hair care easier to understand and implement.