It’s the tool we love to use to straighten our hair (so easy!) but it can be tricky to master for curling hair. In this video, hair stylist and YouTube hair guru Daven Mayeda demonstrates his top 10 tips for using a flat iron to curl hair.

Tip #1 – For frizzy hair with little to no natural curl, make sure your hair is free of tangles and knots first. This allows the hair iron to glide through each section easily, which prevents marks and dents.

Tip #2 – If you ‘press’ a section of hair first and then curl, this will last longer. If you wash your hair every day or if you love to curl your hair daily, stick to a curling iron and use a lower heat. Constant double pressing can cause damage long term.

Tip #3 – Medium length hair which is layered is the easiest of all hair types to curl with a hair straightener.

Tip #4 – Flipping your hair straightener under as you pass it down a section of hair will achieve a barrel curl. Flipping the straightener over will create swishy ends with lots of body and movement.

Tip #5 – Try combining both the flipping under and over techniques to achieve an undone, tousled, textured look.

Tip #6 – One of the main advantages of curling your hair with a hair straightener is that you are smoothing the section of hair at the same time as curling.

Tip #7 – If your hair is stick straight and long, it’s best to use a traditional curling iron as the ‘press and curl’ flat iron technique will be prone to dents.

Top #8 – Flat yet wavy hair is also super easy to curl using a hair straightener, although the curl will come out extremely bouncy, reducing the length of your hair significantly.

Tip #9 – If you love hair products and want to curl the next day using a hair straightener you’ll unfortunately only create a floppy, lifeless curl. Styling products don’t allow your flat iron to glide through the section easily. A traditional curling tong is best.

Tip #10 – Shorter hair girls should try a technique called ‘the flip’. A must have trick for body and movement, just flip the hair straightener outwards 90 degrees halfway down a section. A hair straightener with a thinner width plate (25mm or less) will also make this technique easier.

So there you have it! The advantage of a hair straightener is that you can create a range of looks apart from the obvious straight and smooth hairstyle. With nearly 50 hair straighteners to choose from we try to make sure there is a flat iron to suit every hair type, texture and length.

If you need any advice when choosing a flat iron, leave us a reply below, hit us up on facebook or email us with your hair details and we’ll be more than happy to find the right straightener for you.